First Fridays Artswalk
Pittsfield — The First Fridays Artswalk on Friday, June 2, from 5 to 8 p.m. will encompass more than a dozen art shows featuring more than two dozen regional artists in Pittsfield’s Upstreet Cultural District. The Artswalk will kick off with opening receptions and artists present throughout, plus a free guided walking tour beginning at 5 p.m. from the BRTA Intermodal Center.
During the month of June, the Lichtenstein Center for the Arts will feature “Face Them,” a collaborative exhibit focusing on animal cruelty, global warming, gun control, human trafficking and population explosion and including artwork by Barbara Arpante, Peggy Braun, Roselle Chartock, Thom Smith, John Stanmeyer and Craig Walker with additional material from the Berkshire Natural Resources Council, Cheryl Jones, 6-year-old artist Eric Nuciforo and Mass Audubon’s Berkshire Wildlife Sanctuaries. NUarts will be open to the public during the Artswalk and will feature varied work from Ellen Joffe-Halpern, Karen S. Jacobs, Caroline Kelley, Martha Peskin, Sally Tiska Rice and Marney Schorr. Soldier On’s veterans community arts initiative, which engages homeless veterans in arts and cultural activities to promote healing and expand networks of support, will present a one-night-only art show at the Intermodal Center.
New shows from local artists will also be displayed at Steven Valenti’s Clothing for Men, Berkshire Museum, Hotel on North, Shire City Sanctuary, RJ Stohr Diamonds & Fine Jewelry, Berkshire Medical Center, the Marketplace Café, Berkshire Paint and Sip, the Funky Phoenix, Dottie’s Coffee Lounge, Downtown Pittsfield Inc. and the Kinderhook Group Real Estate.
For more information, call Downtown Pittsfield Inc. at (413) 443-6501.
–E.E.
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Second annual Berkshire Dance Party and Cabaret
Pittsfield — Berkshire Theatre Group and Only In My Dreams Events will present the second annual Berkshire Dance Party and Cabaret in celebration of LGBTQ Pride Month at the Colonial Theatre on Saturday, June 3, at 7 p.m. The dance party will serve as a fundraiser for BTG’s LGBTQ-inclusive programming.
Dance party attendees will be able to walk the pink carpet, sing along in the piano bar, send and receive messages at Berkshire Flirt’s post office, dance to music spun by DJ BFG, and enjoy visual projections by Joe Wheaton. The evening will feature pianist Robert Kelley and drag personalities such as Avi Munster, Boxxa Vine, Chlo Aramani, Gemini DaBarbay, Harmony Chanel Diamond, Nancy Nogood, Noelle Diamond and Philly Pino, in addition to dancing with Heart-Shaped Box.
Tickets are $35–$75. Attendees must be at least 21 years of age. For tickets and more information, see the Berkshire Edge calendar or contact the Colonial ticket office at (413) 997-4444.
–E.E.
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‘Dance!!! For Dogs and Cats’ to benefit Berkshire Humane Society
Pittsfield — Retro dance band License to Groove will present its second annual “Dance!!! For Dogs and Cats” on Saturday, June 3, at 8 p.m. at Berkshire Hills Country Club.
License to Groove will play dance music from the 1970s and ‘80s while sharing the stage with Beth Maturevich of 5 Gun Draw; Joe Ciliberti and Rick Bush of Hair Ballz; Pat Shepardson and Dave Gigliotti of Blackwater; Gary Burchard of F-Bomb; Brian Benlien of Mister Bone; Bob Bottume of Circle of Stone; and Paul Delasco, formerly of Legacy.
The event will include raffles, door prizes and a cash bar. Tickets are $10 and proceeds will benefit the Berkshire Humane Society. Tickets can be purchased at BHS and at Bark N’ Cat in North Adams as well as by calling (413) 652-1554.
–E.E.
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‘Birding Beyond Your Backyard’ beginners birding workshop
Monterey — Doug Bruce and Tom Ryan will present “Birding Beyond Your Backyard” on Sunday, June 4, at 9 a.m. at the Bidwell House Museum. The program, designed for beginning birders who would like to expand their birding knowledge, will teach participants the basics of birding via a walk on the Bidwell forest grounds. Participants are advised to wear good shoes and bring water and a snack. The program is free and open to the public. For more information, contact the Bidwell House Museum at (413) 528-6888.
–E.E.
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‘Jerusalem in the Woods’ film screening and lecture
Sandisfield — On Saturday, June 3, at 4 p.m., the Jewish History Book Committee will present Robert Bielsky at the Sandisfield Arts Center.
Bielsky is the youngest son of World War II Jewish partisan commander Tuvia Bielski who, with his brothers, formed the Bielski partisans and saved more than 1,220 Jews in the forests of what is now Belarus. Bielsky will give a lecture titled “Jerusalem in the Woods” and show the 2006 documentary of the same name about the rescues carried out by the partisans during the Nazi occupation.
There is a suggested donation of $20 and proceeds will benefit the publication of the book “Soil and Shul in the Berkshires: The Untold Story of Sandisfield’s Jewish Farm Colony,” planned for release in 2018. Reservations are recommended.
For tickets and more information, contact the Sandisfield Arts Center at (413) 258-4100 or info@sandisfieldartscenter.org.
–E.E.