The Mount adds events to summer lineup
LENOX — The Mount, Edith Wharton’s Home has announced additional events in its summer lineup. New events are as follows:
Jazz and Classics for Change with George Brooks and Utsav Lal
Sunday, July 11, 5:30 p.m.
Members $20, General $25, 18 and under free
Saxophonist George Brooks and pianist Utsav Lal create dynamic new music drawing on the traditions of Indian classical music, American jazz, western classical, and contemporary improvisation.
“Mr. Fullerton”
Wednesday, July 14, 4 p.m.
Members free, General $10
This staged reading of “Mr. Fullerton” is presented in partnership with Great Barrington Public Theater. Join us for a steamy return to the Gilded Age by way of this daring new play written by Anne Undeland. Directed by Judy Braha.
Concerts in the Dell
Thursdays in August 5–8 p.m.
Members $15, General $20, 18 and under free
A brand-new music series presented each Thursday evening in August on our newly build stage in the gently sloping field just below the stable. SoMA Catering will be onsite with a food truck and pizza oven.
Thursday, Aug. 5: An evening of jazz-klezmer fusion with clarinetist with Paul Green
Thursday, Aug. 12: An evening of swing and gypsy jazz with The Lucky 5
Thursday, Aug. 19: An evening of jazz and R&B with The Wanda Houston Band
Thursday, Aug. 26: An evening of blues, blues-infused jazz, funk, and soul with Misty Blues
—A.K.
* * *
ArtWeek Berkshires 2021 applications open
BERKSHIRE COUNTY – The five designated cultural districts of Berkshire County announce the 2021 ArtWeek Berkshires, a festival celebrating the arts throughout the county with creative events from September 16–26, 2021. Applications are now available online.
Featured events may be submitted by individual artists, informal groups, nonprofit organizations, or businesses. The deadline to submit an event is August 6, after which inclusion in promotional efforts cannot be guaranteed. Applications received by the August 6 deadline receive extra visibility via press outreach and marketing materials. There is no fee to submit an event, and all are welcome to participate.
ArtWeek Berkshires is inspired by the former statewide ArtWeek festival, which has been discontinued. The Downtown Great Barrington Cultural District, Lenox Cultural District, North Adams Cultural District, Upstreet Cultural District in Pittsfield, and Williamstown Cultural District, as well as Art Lenox are collaborating to spotlight Berkshire County’s local creative economy, cultural treasures, and artistic assets. Through this year’s festival, local partners will work together to spotlight Berkshire County’s local creative economy, cultural treasures, and artistic assets.
ArtWeek events are encouraged to be interactive or offer behind-the-scenes access to arts, culture, and the creative process. Events may also take the form of exhibits, performances, or virtual presentations, and may be free of charge or include an admission price. Open Studios will be a key element of ArtWeek Berkshires, allowing individual artists to share their process and invite the public into their work space, either in person or virtually.
—A.K.
* * *
COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund awards grants to well-being, food coordination projects
SHEFFIELD — The COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund for Berkshire County has awarded a round of grants for nonprofit programs addressing mental health and the emotional well-being of children, youth, and families, as well as regional food coordination to sustain partnerships established at the height of the pandemic.
Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation, Berkshire United Way, Northern Berkshire United Way, and Williamstown Community Chest granted a total of $182,000 for 33 projects estimated to reach over 8,500 residents.
Grants for mental health and well-being
Four grants will support projects with potential for wide reach and replication. Berkshire Workforce Board will offer professional development for teachers and families focused on social-emotional learning. Iglesia Fuente de Salvación Misionera will provide mentoring support to immigrant youth ages 10–22 and those struggling with family separation, substance use or behavioral disorders, while Berkshire South Regional Community Center will pilot a project to provide behavioral health consultation for staff, as well as children and families they serve. A grant to Busy Bee Learning Center will help fund integrative expressive arts lessons, coupled with mental health support.
The fund also awarded grants to 26 nonprofits for programs offering reading, literacy, and academic support; arts and storytelling workshops; playgroups and summer camps; and employment training, coaching, referrals, and peer support. Participants will include youth and adults with disabilities; immigrant and BIPOC youth; people experiencing homelessness and substance abuse disorders; and others experiencing economic fallout from the pandemic.
Grants for food distribution systems
Throughout the pandemic, food pantries, nonprofits, schools, and businesses have collaborated to identify needs and design efficient distribution systems, working with the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts and new regional networks.
In northern Berkshire County, a grant to Goodwill Industries of the Berkshires and Southern Vermont will help fund an ongoing food access transportation project across six sites. North Adams Farmer’s Market received support for a trailer and for its Market Match program to double the impact of federal food benefits. Berkshire Fallon Health Collaborative, Roots Rising, South Congregational Church, and more than 10 pantries and meal sites will use funding to hire two part-time coordinators to sustain the current system and build the network’s capacity. A meal distribution project with a range of partners in southern Berkshire County will fill gaps in access to prepared meals and build a system infrastructure, as well as develop residents’ skills to work in existing businesses or start their own.
—A.K.
* * *
Berkshire Community College Offers GED, HiSET, and CLEP Testing
PITTSFIELD — Berkshire Community College (BCC) reminds the community that it offers General Educational Development (GED) and High School Equivalency Test (HiSET) exams, allowing students to earn a Massachusetts High School Equivalency diploma. The BCC Testing Center also offers College Level Examination Program (CLEP) tests, allowing students to earn college credits by passing a nationally standardized exam.
The GED and HiSET tests are both equivalency exams approved by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. Although the exams are slightly different in format and delivery, both are computer-based tests.
The GED and HiSET exams are given several days each month at BCC. Students register for the exams at their respective websites: ged.com and hiset.ets.org. Links to the programs can be found on the Testing Center page of the BCC website. When passed, the GED and HiSET exams provide certification that the test-taker has high school-level academic skills, therefore serving as an alternative to a high school diploma. These tests may be taken by individuals age 16 and older who are not enrolled in high school and who have not earned a high school diploma.
A CLEP test measures how much a student knows about certain academic subjects without necessarily having attended college; most students taking the exam have engaged in independent study or have gained knowledge from employment before they take the test. Students can earn college credits by getting a qualifying score on CLEP tests in topics that include composition and literature, world languages, history and social sciences, science and mathematics, and business. As an open CLEP testing site, BCC serves both current BCC students and test-takers from the wider community. Any of the 33 available CLEP exams may be taken at the BCC Testing Center, which offers CLEP exams two to three days per month.
The Testing Center, open year-round, is located on the lower level of the Jonathan Edwards Library. For more information on how to schedule an exam, call (413) 236-1656 or email at testing@berkshirecc.edu.
—A.K.
