First Fridays Artswalk to feature student art, Pittsfield Paintboxes
Pittsfield — The First Fridays Artswalk on Friday, Aug. 7, from 5 to 8 p.m. will include four new art shows, Pittsfield High School student art, and 16 of Artscape‘s Pittsfield Paintboxes featuring work by over a dozen regional artists.
For the month of August and through October, Dottie’s Coffee Lounge hosts the exhibit “Home Work – The Universe – and Abstractions” featuring artists Richard Britell, Erika Larskaya, and Ashley Yang-Thompson. Hotel on North will exhibit “Water, Land & Sky: A Berkshire Journey” by Marita O’Dea Glodt through Tuesday, Sept. 29. An opening reception will be held during Artswalk. The Marketplace Café will display Stacey Schultze‘s “The Stones Will Cry Out,” featuring works in mixed media on board. The Brothership Building Window, 141 North St., is curated by IS183 Art School of the Berkshires and will feature “The Cage Vase” by Veronica Martin.
All art exhibits are on display in participating venues throughout the month. Artswalk participants are asked to maintain a physical distance of at least 6 feet from other individuals and to wear masks. An online map of all indoor and outdoor locations is available. For more information, contact Downtown Pittsfield Inc. at (413) 443-6501.
–E.E.
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BRIDGE to hold seminar on white allyship
Lee — On Thursday, Aug. 6, at 7 p.m., BRIDGE will host a virtual conversation with Newell Eaton, Aseante Renee and BRIDGE CEO Gwendolyn VanSant titled “Prioritizing Black Lives in White Allyship,” which will discuss white allyship in the time of COVID-19 and the Black Lives Matter movement.
The conversation will discuss how white allies can support black people who are facing injustice and disparities during the pandemic, and the threat the future holds in communities and workplaces. Black community members are asked to join to make the asks and requests of white people in their communities for racial justice and equity. They may submit requests ahead of time or join the conversation for an intergroup dialogue and action planning. White community members will be asked whose black lives they are prioritizing, protecting and honoring; which black communities they are supporting; and whose black leadership they are amplifying.
The event is free and open to the public. Registration is required. For more information or to register, see the Berkshire Edge calendar or contact BRIDGE at (413) 394-4029 or adminsupport@multiculturalbridge.org.
–E.E.
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Run 91.01 to support VIM Berkshires, NAACP
Great Barrington — The town of Great Barrington’s research and marketing arm @GBLabs has announced the launch of Run 91.01 to raise money for VIM Berkshires and the NAACP – Berkshire County Branch. This initiative, envisioned by @GBLabs director Joe Grochmal and @GBLabs fellow Georges Pichard, will see Grochmal run every mile of road in Great Barrington within 10 days. This initiative will kick off Monday, Aug. 10.
“Joe will without a doubt be running over 91.01 miles,” said Pichard. We are actually estimating that the total distance will be in the mid-100s range, but if anyone can do it, he can.” Georges, an avid “non-runner,” will be cheering from the sidelines while tracking Grochmal’s location to make sure he covers every non-private road. Grochmal’s run and location will be broadcast in real-time through a link that will be shared on @GBLabs’ social media channels. Interested parties are also encouraged to join Joe (while practicing social distancing) at any point in his run, and he will adjust his speed to accommodate.
For more information, contact atgblabs@gmail.com.
–E.E.
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The Foundry to welcome Brooklyn goth-folk duo Charming Disaster
West Stockbridge — Goth-folk duo Charming Disaster will bring their playfully macabre duets about love, death, crime, ancient mythology and the supernatural to the Foundry on Friday, Aug. 7, and Saturday, Aug. 8, at 7 p.m.
Charming Disaster’s whimsically dark storytelling songs have charmed audiences across the country since 2012. A musical duo based in Brooklyn, New York, and formed by singer/songwriters Ellia Bisker and Jeff Morris, Charming Disaster counts among its inspirations the gothic humor of Edward Gorey and Tim Burton, the noir fiction of Raymond Chandler, the murder ballads of the Americana tradition, and the dramatic flair of the cabaret. The duo achieved cult status when their paranormal love song “Ghost Story” was featured on the “Welcome to Night Vale” podcast.
Tickets are $20. Seating capacity is limited due to social distancing precautions. For tickets and more information, see the Berkshire Edge calendar, or contact the Foundry at (413) 232-5222 or info@thefoundryws.com.
–E.E.
