November First Fridays Artswalk
Pittsfield — The November 6 First Fridays Artswalk will encompass 15 different art shows featuring work by more than 15 regional artists in Pittsfield’s Upstreet Cultural District. The Artswalk will kick off with opening receptions from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. A guided walking tour will begin at 5 p.m. at BRTA’s Intermodal Center. The evening will culminate with a free Afterwalk Dance Party with DJ from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. at the Whitney Center for the Arts.
Berkshire County Arc and the Marketplace Café will present a photography exhibit entitled “Post-Injury Survivor World Lens: As seen through the eyes of brain injury survivors.” The Lichtenstein Center for the Arts will present “The Mastheads,” an exhibition that will showcase designs for five writing studios based on Pittsfield’s mid-19th century authors’ network that included Melville, Thoreau, Hawthorne, Longfellow, and Oliver Wendell Holmes. Shire City Sanctuary will feature artists Jacinta Bunnell and Cindy Hoose in a show is entitled “your turn, dear: 52 paintings in 52 weeks.”
New shows from local artists will also be displayed at the following locations as part of First Fridays Artswalk: Dottie’s Coffee Lounge, Berkshire Medical Center, Unusual Wedding Rings & More, Berkshire Paint and Sip, Steven Valenti’s Clothing for Men, Bagels Too, the Kinderhook Group Real Estate, and the Whitney Center for the Arts.
First Fridays Artswalk is presented by Downtown Pittsfield, Inc. For more information on First Fridays Artswalk, call (413) 443-6501.
–E.E.
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Environmental Issues lecture at MCLA
North Adams — This year’s Elizabeth and Lawrence Vadnais Environmental Issues Lecture at Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA) will be given by Andrew Vadnais, a long-time proponent of introducing environmental awareness and sustainability into secondary schools.
Vadnais is a graduate of Mount Greylock High School, and holds a B.A. from Williams College and an M.A. from the University of Delaware. Vadnais is currently the head of school at the South Kent School where he is constructing the Center for Innovation (CFI). Vadnais, CFI staff , and some South Kent students will discuss the positive impact that South Kent School’s CFI program is having on students and will also discuss with the audience how the curriculum could be replicated at other high schools in the region.
The lecture will take place on Wednesday, November 4 at 7 p.m. in the Sammer Dennis Room (218) of MCLA’s Murdock Hall. It is free and open to the public.
–E.E.
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Filmmaker Jay Craven to speak at Simon’s Rock
Great Barrington — Bard College at Simon’s Rock will host independent filmmaker Jay Craven for a workshop and information session Thursday, November 5, at 5:30 p.m. in the Lecture Center. The session will provide a chance for students to discuss current work of independent filmmaking in the United States and to exchange thoughts on issues of acting, directing, producing, financing, and distribution of narrative and documentary films. Craven will discuss his upcoming session of Movies from Marlboro, where 30 students from multiple colleges meet for a film-intensive semester at Marlboro College, and will also show clips from his films. The event is free and open to the public.
Craven has directed seven feature films, four documentaries, and an Emmy-winning regional comedy series for public television. His films have played 73 international festivals, including Sundance, South By Southwest, and AFI Fest.
–E.E.
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Berkshire School theater students to perform ‘Metamorphoses’
Sheffield — Berkshire School‘s theater department will produce ‘Metamorphoses’ by Mary Zimmerman, a contemporary take on Ovid’s Greek myths.
This collage of stories takes place around an enormous pool of water, which will be present on stage, and covers the stories of King Midas, Eurydice and Orpheus, and Alcyone, among others. The cast of Metamorphoses includes students Riley Bona, Allie Kohlkins, Charlotte MacKenzie and Ana Tolvo, all from Sheffield; and Carrie Babigian of Salisbury, Conn., serves as one of the stage managers.
Metamorphoses will run Thursday, November 5 through Saturday, November 7 at 7:30 p.m. in Berkshire School’s Allen Theater. There is a $2 suggested donation at the door, and the show will run about 90 minutes without an intermission. Some material in the show is not suitable for children under the age of 12. To learn more about the production, visit the Berkshire Theater Blog.
–E.E.
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Region’s all-stars to play at Helsinki Hudson blues jam
Hudson, N.Y. — Tullie Brae, Lori Morris, Wyld Blu, Leigh Ann Stanton, and Shelly Prior will headline the 13th Blues Pro Jam at Club Helsinki Hudson on Thursday, November 5 at 8 p.m.
The Club Helsinki Blues Pro Jam is a bi-monthly event, with dozens of professional musicians from the greater Hudson Valley region having taken part since it was launched in summer 2013. The event welcomes all working musicians in the region to sit in for a freewheeling blues jam.
Call the club at (518) 828-4800 for more information.
–E.E.
