‘Yoga to the Rescue’ to benefit Humane Society
Great Barrington – On Saturday, July 30, from 10:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m., Sruti Berkshire Yoga Center will host “Yoga to the Rescue,” a yoga workshop with Beryl Bender Birch to benefit the Berkshire Humane Society (BHS) and the Give Back Yoga Foundation. The suggested minimum donation is $40. Advance registration is recommended. More information or to register, contact Amy Webb at amy@srutiyogacenter.com or Mimi Rosenblatt at mimipaws@gmail.com.
–E.E.
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Behold! New Lebanon tours for July 30
New Lebanon, New York — Behold! New Lebanon, the living museum of contemporary rural American life, has announced its schedule for Saturday, July 30. The programs will include:
Nature Walk through Hand Hollow – Visitors will amble through the Columbia Land Conservancy’s Hand Hollow property with naturalist Bonner McAllister.
Speed Demons – Longtime Lebanon Valley Speedway owner Howard Commander will lead a behind-the-scenes tour of the Speedway.
The Language of Birds – Join Kevin Bose to learn how the National Audubon Society is using bird language to create land stewards within the next generation of leaders.
A Jam for all Seasons – Chef Deborah Gordon will demonstrate how to turn seasonal produce into a delicious treat.
Foraging walk at Wyomanock Center – Ecologist David Hunt will give visitors the opportunity to forage and learn to identify varied habitats under his guidance.
Tickets are $10 per program for adults, $5 for youth ages 5-16, and free for children ages 4 and under when accompanied by an adult. Advance ticket purchase is recommended for all programs. For tickets and more information, see the Berkshire Edge calendar or contact Behold! New Lebanon at (518) 720-7265 or info@beholdnewlebanon.org.
–E.E.
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Cabaret train rides
North Adams — Berkshire Scenic Railway‘s newly restored Hoosac Valley Line, which runs between Adams and North Adams, will host cabaret train rides at 6:30 p.m. on the Friday nights of July 29, August 12, and August 26. The Berkshires-based musical duo of Samantha Talora and Ron Ramsay will provide entertainment on the rides, with musical selections ranging from popular Broadway hits and classic standards to contemporary and popular. Tickets are $25. The train rides will last approximately one hour. Passengers are encouraged to bring their own beverages and snacks. For tickets and more information, see the Berkshire Edge calendar or call (413) 637-2210.
–E.E.
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‘Columbia County’ art show
Chatham, New York – The Old Chatham Country Store Café Gallery will feature the exhibit “Columbia County” from Friday, July 29, through Wednesday, September 28, a collection of works by photographer Sy Balsen and painter Kenneth J. Young, residents of Columbia County, New York, whose art is influenced by the county’s people, countryside and towns. An opening reception will take place on Sunday, July 31, from 3 – 5 p.m.
Sy Balsen studied art and psychology in college before obtaining a master’s degree in educational psychology and statistics and a certificate as an educational specialist in school psychology. Balsen currently combines work as a psychologist with a passion for fly-fishing and photography. He lives in Malden Bridge, N.Y.
Kenneth J. Young was introduced to oil painting in high school in 1971. As a member of the Columbia County Council on the Arts, he has exhibited his works in its gallery in Hudson, N.Y., as well as at the Hudson Opera House, Hudson Artist’s Market Place, and other Columbia County venues. He lives in Ghent, N.Y.
For more information, contact the Old Chatham Country Store at (518) 794-6227 or occsmail@yahoo.com.
–E.E.
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‘Mystery Box’ student art show at Olana
Hudson, New York — The Olana Partnership and Bard College present, for a second year, the student exhibition “Mystery Box: Student Artists at Work” in the Coachman’s House Gallery at Olana State Historic Site. The Mystery Box project is designed to focus on the act of making art and the process of using a historic site to inspire contemporary artists. This year’s exhibit features art by Lily Prince and Scott Vander Veen and is on view through Sunday, July 31, and a closing reception with the artists and wine and cheese will be held on Saturday, July 30, from 3 – 5 p.m. Wine and cheese will be served.
Lily Prince received her B.F.A. from the Rhode Island School of Design and her M.F.A. from Bard College and has exhibited both nationally and internationally. Prince’s work has appeared in the New York Times and New York Magazine, and she has collaborated twice with writer Richard Klin. She is an associate professor at William Paterson University.
Scott Vander Veen is a recent graduate of Bard College where he majored in studio art. He takes an interdisciplinary, multimedia approach to creative practice; his work encompasses sculpture, video, drawing, and installation. Oriented toward literary and mythic sources, he explores the fragmentary nature of histories.
For more information, call Olana at (518) 828-1872.
–E.E.
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Seth Rogovoy honored by AJPA
Hudson, New York — Seth Rogovoy was honored by the American Jewish Press Association (AJPA) with a Simon Rockower Award for Excellence in Arts and Criticism for his portrait of musician Leonard Cohen published in the April/May 2015 issue of Hadassah Magazine. The article, “Leonard Cohen’s Mystical Midrash,” traces the deep Jewish affinities in Cohen’s life and work and explores the inspiration he draws from Jewish scripture.
Rogovoy is the author of “The Essential Klezmer” and “Bob Dylan: Prophet Mystic Poet,” and the artistic director of the annual Yidstock festival of new Yiddish music at the Yiddish Book Center in Amherst, Mass.
The award will be bestowed at the 35th annual Simon Rockower Awards banquet on Tuesday, November 15, held in conjunction with the American Jewish Press Association’s 2016 annual conference in Washington, D.C.
–E.E.
