Rudolf Steiner School to hold annual handcraft fair
Great Barrington — The Great Barrington Rudolf Steiner School (GBRSS) invites the community to its 44th annual Holiday Handcraft Fair on Saturday, Nov. 12, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the School. To kick off the holidays, the School will transform into a winter wonderland of family fun that will include puppet shows, hayrides, jump rope-making, candle-dipping and gifts to make and give.
During the Fair, every family in the GBRSS community comes together to transform the school into a festive winter village, from recreating a story land for the Little People’s Shop to knitting squares to form the Community Afghan. The Handcraft Room will offer a large selection of warm handmade items. GBRSS Early Childhood faculty will perform a puppet play featuring handcrafted puppets with multiple performances throughout the day. Other highlights include the children’s craft room where youngsters can make presents, maple sugar cotton candy, a cake walk with live musicians, and the Pocket Lord and Lady.
Adults can browse the local goods and services at the Fair’s silent auction. The Berkshire Country Store will stock one-of-a-kind gifts and gourmet treats, and the cafe will serve lunch, warm drinks and desserts. For holiday entertaining or giving, the cookie bar will offers containers to fill with an array of homemade cookies.
All Fair proceeds will benefit GBRSS programs and students. The Fair will be held rain or shine. Admission and parking are both free. For more information call (413) 528-4015.
–E.E.
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Berkshire Human Rights Speaker Series to present Janice Johnson Dias
Stockbridge — On Sunday, Nov. 13 at 3 p.m., the Berkshire Human Rights Speaker Series will present Prof. Janice Johnson Dias in a talk titled “Seeing and Treating Black Women and Girls as Humans” at the First Congregational Church of Stockbridge. Johnson Dias teaches sociology at the City University of New York and is the co-founder of GrassROOTS Community Foundation, which finds solutions to the health challenges facing women and girls living in poverty. Dias’ talk will explore how notions of black mystical appeal stymie black humanity and harm black women and girls. For more information, call (413) 229-7993.
–E.E.
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WordXWord to offer performance at ‘Othering’
Pittsfield — In conjunction with the Berkshire Art Association’s juried show “Othering,” WordXWord has assembled a diverse group of individuals, poets and storytellers to share work reflecting on experiences of exclusion, marginalization and separation at 3 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 13 at the Lichtenstein Center for the Arts. The assembled group of performers, ranging in age from 15 to over 70, is comprised of seasoned poets and storytellers as well as individuals stepping forward for the first time to share their personal experiences and perspectives. The performance is free and open to the public. Parents of younger children are advised that the program may contain mature content. For more information, contact web@wxw365.org.
–E.E.
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Berkshire School to host EN•LIGHT•EN sculpture exhibit
Sheffield — Berkshire School‘s Warren Family Gallery will host EN•LIGHT•EN, a sculpture exhibit by Natalie Tyler, Friday, Nov. 11, through Saturday, Dec. 17. An opening reception will be held on Friday, Nov. 11, from 6 to 7:30 p.m.
Tyler is an internationally exhibiting artist whose work has been shown in museums and galleries across the United States and Europe. Drawing inspiration from nature, she casts its essence into the elements of metal and glass. EN•LIGHT•EN is a large-scale installation of cast bronze, glass sculpture, old barn relics and Tyler’s interactive installation of cocoons called “Diapause.” Tyler has been a U.S. embassy-sponsored artist Ireland and Estonia. She has received grants and awards from art institutions such as MASS MoCA, the Art Students League of New York, Vermont Studio Center and Cornell University. Originally from California, she is also the owner of the art gallery L’Atelier Berkshires in Great Barrington.
For more information, contact Berkshire School at (413) 229-1265.
–E.E.
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Darrow School to stage ‘The Burial at Thebes’
New Lebanon, N.Y. — On Friday, Nov. 11, at 7:30 p.m., and Saturday, Nov. 12, at 3:30 p.m., the Darrow School’s Darrow Theater Workshop will stage “The Burial at Thebes: A Version of Sophocles’ Antigone” by Seamus Heaney.
The play is based on the fifth century B.C.E. tragedy “Antigone” by Sophocles, which tells the story of the daughter of Oedipus, king of Thebes. Focusing on themes of morality and individual freedoms and the imposition of restrictions by the state, the play contains several variations on the original. According to Darrow School Director of Performing Arts Jennifer Pytleski, Heaney’s adaptation blends some of the political and current events happening at the time it was written (2004) with classic elements of Greek tragedy that include issues of morality and interaction with the Chorus.
The shows will take place in the Tannery and will be free and open to the public. For more information, contact Sarah Frederick at (518) 794-6555 or fredericks@darrowschool.org.
–E.E.
