Wild Soul River host ‘Summer Solstice Gathering’
Williamstown— On Wednesday, June 21st from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., Wild Soul River hosts a “Summer Solstice Gathering”.
After gathering for a year to celebrate the moon and her glory, the ‘Summer Solstice Gathering’ is a celebration of the Earth and her glory. Create a flower crown with local flowers, drum and dance around the fire, share in a potluck, and enjoy fire spinning and jumping the fire.Create a flower crown with local flowers, drum and dance around the fire, share in a potluck, and enjoy fire spinning and jumping the fire. Bring a chair, drum, or noise maker if you have one, and a small food offering to share for a potluck-style “nosh-nosh”, which means snacks, not dinner.
The “Summer Solstice Gathering” is on Wednesday, June 21st from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Wild Soul River on Cole Avenue in Williamstown. Registrants will be emailed with directions. Tickets are $5 through $15. To make it more accessible and to cover our small costs, this circle is offered at three different price levels. Please consider what you are able to give at this time and choose the one that is right for you. Registration and more information can be found by visiting Wild Soul River online.
A note from the organizers: “We believe in the collective. We believe in holding space and lifting up other healers, herbalists, witches, farmers, writers, artists, anarchists, makers, and revolutionaries. We believe in community ability to sustain projects and benefit the collective. We believe in radical healing. We believe in radical education. We believe in making these things accessible. We believe in land acknowledgment and in reparations. We believe these acts of solidarity provide deep generational healing for all of us. We believe that there is abundance for all of us.”
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Art on Main opens ‘Reflections’, a juried art show
West Stockbridge— On Thursday, June 22nd, the Art on Main Gallery opens “Reflections”, a juried art show.
Sixteen artist members of the Guild of Berkshire Artists are showing their artwork and personal statements about how their work relates to the theme of “Reflections”. Works are in a variety of styles include oil paintings, watercolors, encaustics, acrylics, ceramics and mixed media.
The show will be available to view on weekends, Thursdays to Sundays, from June 22nd through July 9th at the Art on Main Gallery on Main Street in West Stockbridge with a reception on Saturday, June 24th from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. The Gallery will also be open Monday and Tuesday July 3rd and 4th from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. More information can be found by visiting Art on Main Gallery online.
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Norman Rockwell Museum presents ‘Tony Sarg: Genius at Play’, the first comprehensive exhibition exploring the life, art, and adventures of Tony Sarg
Stockbridge— From June 10th through November 5th, Norman Rockwell Museum presents “Tony Sarg: Genius at Play”, the first comprehensive exhibition exploring the life, art, and adventures of Tony Sarg.
Tony Sarg (1880-1942), the charismatic illustrator, animator, puppeteer, designer, entrepreneur, and showman is celebrated as the father of modern puppetry in North America and the originator of the iconic Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade balloons, floats, and animated store windows.
This new exhibition will present original illustrations, marionettes, animations, interactive elements, and ephemera, including stage sets, illustrated books, commercial products, and archival photographs.
Puppet technology played a significant role in Sarg’s varied undertakings, which included the production of animated cartoons, mechanical figures for window displays, advertising campaigns, commercial illustration for products, and the inaugural Thanksgiving Day parade balloons and floats for Macy’s Department Store, in 1924 and beyond. In 1935, a large helium-filled Mickey Mouse was paraded in New York, and that year Sarg created the first of a series of automated Macy’s displays that were imitated nationwide.
The exhibit opens on June 10th at the Norman Rockwell Museum on Glendale Road in Stockbridge. The museum is open year-round, six days a week (closed Wednesdays). Admission is $20, $18 for seniors and veterans, $15 for Massachusetts teachers, $10 for college students, and free for teens, children, and active members of the military. For details, visit the Norman Rockwell Museum online.
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Ventfort Hall Mansion and Gilded Age Museum presents “A Thin Veneer: The Berkshires’ Sordid Underbelly in the Gilded Age”
Lenox— On Tuesday, June 20th at 4 p.m., Ventfort Hall Mansion and Gilded Age Museum presents “A Thin Veneer: The Berkshires’ Sordid Underbelly in the Gilded Age”.
Freelance journalist, local author and former crime and courts reporter for the Berkshire Eagle, Andrew Amelinckx, will speak about the Berkshires’ sordid underbelly during the Gilded Age with tales of crime, tragedy and bedlam.
The Berkshires of Massachusetts during the Gilded Age was an anomaly. In some respects, it was a rugged and untamed hinterland, far from Boston, where the crime was sometimes more reminiscent of the Wild West than staid New England. At the same time, it was a playground for New York City’s wealthy elite, with a cosmopolitan flair, rich cultural history, and a long record of scientific innovation in industry. While much has been written about the era’s latter aspect, the former is less well known.
In the summer of 1893, a tall and well-dressed burglar plundered the massive mansions of the upper crust. A visit from President Teddy Roosevelt in 1902 ended in tragedy when a trolley car smashed into the presidential carriage as it headed to Southern Berkshire County. And finally, an attempted bank robbery in 1875, reminiscent of the handiwork of the James Gang or Butch Cassidy, rocked genteel Great Barrington and ended in a wild chase by a posse and shootout with the crooks.
The talk is on Tuesday, June 20th at 4 p.m. at Ventfort Hall Mansion and Gilded Age Museum on Walker Street in Lenox. A tea will follow the presentation. Admission is $35, $30 with advanced reservations, $30 for members, and $22 for students 22 and under. Seating is limited and reservations are strongly encouraged. Tickets and more information can be found by visiting Ventfort Hall Mansion and Gilded Age Museum online.
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OLLI at BCC Special Events Committee presents “An Amherst Duet”, a bus trip
Lee— On Thursday, July 6th at 9 a.m., the OLLI at BCC Special Events Committee presents “An Amherst Duet”, a bus trip with guided tours at two museums plus lunch at Amherst College.
Visit the Emily Dickinson Museum, the birthplace and home of the poet Emily Dickinson. The museum comprises two historic houses in the center of Amherst. Learn about poet Emily Dickinson and members of her family during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
After visiting the Emily Dickinson Museum, experience life as a college student at Amherst College by lunching in Valentine Hall. The lunch is buffet style with options for most dietary needs.
After lunch, visit the Beneski Museum of Natural History. One of New England’s largest natural history museums, the Beneski boasts three floors of exhibits with more than 1,700 specimens on display, and tens of thousands of specimens available for research.
The bus trip is on Thursday, July 6th. The bus departs the parking lot at Big Y on Pleasant Street in Lee at 9 a.m. Tickets are $70 for OLLI at BCC members and $80 for non-members and OLLI guests. Registration closes on June 23rd. Register online or by calling 413-236-2190, Monday through Friday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information, visit Berkshire OLLI online or contact Special Events Chair, Arline Breskin at 413-446-4102.
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Shakespeare & Company announces its series of Merry Wanderers’ Guided Tours
Lenox— Starting on Thursday, July 6th at 10:30 a.m., Shakespeare & Company has announced its series of Merry Wanderers’ Guided Tours, hosted in July and August at Shakespeare & Company.
General Manager Steve Ball (with his dog, Willie) leads a two-hour walk through the company’s stages, artists’ rehearsal studios, costume and prop shops, weapons armory, and more, meeting with some of the artisans involved in creating theater at Shakespeare & Company along the way.
The Summer Season’s Merry Wanderers’ Guided Tours will meet in the lobby of the Tina Packer Playhouse. The first Merry Wanderers’ Guided Tour will be held on Thursdays at 10:30 a.m. on July 6th, 13th, 20th, and 27th, as well as August 8th, 10th, 17th, 24, and 31st.
The tours begin on Thursday, July 6th at 10:30 a.m. at Shakespeare & Company on Kemble Street in Lenox. Tickets are $15 for adults and $8 for children. Tickets are limited and can be reserved online. For more information, call the Box Office at (413) 637-3353, or email boxstaff@shakespeare.org.
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WCMA Announces ‘Construct Your Own Meaning’ Summer Series
Williamstown— Beginning on Thursday, July 6th at 5 p.m., the Williams College Museum of Art (WCMA) will present “Construct Your Own Meaning,” a series of summer programs that invites the community to interpret WCMA’s permanent collection installation “Remixing the Hall” from their unique perspectives.
Borrowing a term from DJ culture, “Remixing” describes WCMA curators’ process of selecting objects from the collection that highlight multivalent correspondences between form and meaning in art.
The series kicks off on July 6th with a program featuring beer inspired by artwork from WCMA’s Remixing the Hall exhibition. Artist and seasoned beer industry expert Eric Steen has invited Bright Ideas Brewing, Hot Plate Brewing, and Rare Form Brewing to interact with the art collection, dialogue with museum staff about the collection, select one or more artworks for inspiration, and brew new beers. A reception will follow at which the new art-inspired beers will be served to visitors with special glassware.
The series continues July 20th with musicians taking center stage. Museum staff, Andrea Belair, co-owner of Belltower Records, has curated a set of musicians from a range of musical backgrounds who will each compose five-to-ten-minute pieces inspired by an artwork in “Remixing the Hall”. Together the musicians will make a collective concert for the audience as they guide visitors through the exhibition. A reception will follow at which a DJ will play a playlist inspired by the exhibition.
On August 3rd, a group of youths from the community will present a public tour of “Remixing the Hall”. Prior, WCMA will host a week-long intensive fellowship for these youths, who will get a behind the scenes look at the museum’s collection, hear about different careers in the arts, and learn various methods for interpreting artwork. At the end of the program, the fellows will give a collaborative guided tour of “Remixing the Hall” designed for kids and adults from their communities. A reception will follow featuring foods selected by the young fellows.
The series concludes on August 17th with bakers showcasing their cakes, designed and produced to interpret an artwork in “Remixing the Hall”. The cake artists will share about their selection and creation process alongside their creations and the artworks that inspired the cakes. A reception will follow at which attendees will be able to taste the cakes alongside iced coffee and tea.
The series is free and open to the public. Each event will be two hours long with a presentation from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. followed by a reception with celebratory food and drinks from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. For more information, call 413-597-2429 or visit Williams College Museum of Art online.
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Spencertown Academy juried art show call for submissions
Spencertown— Spencertown Academy Arts Center announces a call for submissions to its annual Regional Juried Art Exhibition.
This year’s theme is “Homes, Hamlets & Villages: Style and Lifestyle in Small Towns and Rural Communities.”
“Centuries of settlement in the Hudson Valley (and nearby Berkshire hills) have resulted in a region that is rich in heritage and visual character. While our area is perhaps best known for its tradition of landscape painting, in this show we’re asking artists to go beyond the landscape and submit art inspired by the human imprint on our region—whatever you find iconic, distinctive, or visually compelling about small town and/or rural life,” says Meryl Enerson of the Spencertown Academy Curatorial Committee.
There will be cash awards for first, second, and third places, audience favorite, and two honorable mentions. This exhibit is open to submissions from residents of Columbia County, NY and the following surrounding counties: Rensselaer, Albany, Schenectady, Ulster, Dutchess, Greene, Saratoga, Hampshire, Berkshire, Litchfield, and Fairfield.
Entries must be original works of art created in the last three years, and not previously exhibited at the Academy. Art made with any media except giclees and AI-created images will be considered. The deadline for submissions is Wednesday, August 16th, and the exhibition will run from September 30th through October 29th. For the exhibition prospectus and submission guidelines, visit Spencertown Academy online.
