Seth Rogovoy’s ‘Rockin’ the Shtetl’ multimedia performance
Linlithgo, N.Y. — “Rockin’ the Shtetl,” a multimedia presentation by Seth Rogovoy that explores the affinities between 19th-century Eastern European Yiddish songwriters and musicians and 20th-century American Jewish folk-rock poets and protest singers, will have a work-in-progress showing at CR10 Arts on Sunday, August 23, at 4 p.m. Joining Rogovoy for the performance will be multimedia artist and musician Ryder Cooley. The presentation dramatizes the historical figure of Elyokum Zunser using narrative, video, and music. A little-known and unsung hero, Zunser started out working as a mid-19th-century wedding poet/emcee and became a pioneer of original Yiddish protest songs in the late 1800s. Elyokum Zunser became the most popular Jewish folksinger of his time, shocking and winning over audiences by building a new kind of protest music atop a foundation of folk tradition.
There is a suggested donation of $10 for the event; books, CDs, and artwork will be available for purchase.
–E.E.
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First to Freedom: Elizabeth Freeman Day at the Ashley House
Sheffield — On Saturday, August 22 from 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., the Trustees of Reservations will host an afternoon of activities to celebrate and illuminate the story of Elizabeth Freeman at the Ashley House. Activities will include guided tours of the Ashley House, presentations of new artwork featuring Elizabeth Freeman by youth from Multicultural BRIDGE, and a performance of “Mum Bett’s Story” by storyteller and actress Tammy Denease. Readings from “Berkshire Mosaic,” Multicultural BRIDGE’s recently released anthology, will also be featured.
First to Freedom is co-sponsored by Lift Ev’ry Voice Festival, a summer long series of special events celebrating the rich traditions of African-American community, arts, and culture, history and heritage found within Berkshire County. More information about the event is available online.
–E.E.
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Eugene Robinson to deliver 48th annual Feigenbaum lecture
Pittsfield — The 48th annual Hilda Vallin Feigenbaum Memorial Foundation Lecture will be held on Sunday, August 23, at 7:30 p.m. at Temple Anshe Amunim. The speaker will be Pulitzer Prize-winner, author, and The Washington Post contributor Eugene Robinson. The topic will be “Changing Horizons: Living in a Violent World.” The lecture, sponsored by the Temple Anshe Amunim Feigenbaum Lecture Endowment, is free and open to the public.
Eugene Robinson has enjoyed a three-decade career at “The Washington Post,” where he has served as city hall reporter, city editor, foreign correspondent in Buenos Aires and London, foreign editor, and assistant managing editor in charge of the paper’s Style section. He writes a column on politics and culture, contributes to the Post Partisan blog, and hosts a weekly online chat with readers. He is also a regular contributor on MSNBC. In 2010, Robinson was elected to the Pulitzer Prize Board, and he is a member of the National Association of Black Journalists and the NABJ Hall of Fame.
Refreshments will be served after the lecture. For more information, please call the Temple office: (413) 442-5910.
–E.E.
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Williams College professor wins math teaching award
Williamstown — Satyan Devadoss, professor of mathematics at Williams College, has been awarded the Deborah and Franklin Tepper Haimo Award for Distinguished Teaching of Mathematics, presented annually by the Mathematical Association of America (MAA). He will receive the award at the Joint Mathematics Meeting in Seattle in January 2016.
Devadoss was a 2007 recipient of the MAA Henry Alder National Teaching Award and a 2014 recipient of the MAA Northeastern Sectional Award for Distinguished Teaching. Devadoss is just the third mathematics professor nationally to win both the Haimo and the Alder.
Devadoss developed a course in computational geometry that led to the textbook he co-authored with Joe O’Rourke, “Discrete and Computational Geometry;” developed a 36-lecture DVD course for Great Courses called “The Shape of Nature;” and has given talks on research mathematics from a visual lens at Pixar Animation Studios, Google, and Lucasfilm. Devadoss’ research often brings art and mathematics together to illuminate both disciplines. He taught a 2015 Williams tutorial course on origami in which students worked with the Williams College Museum of Art to design and create popup books based on mathematical folding theorems. “I always include drawings in my own research papers,” said Devadoss. “I believe art can help us understand deep mathematics, encountering cerebral ideas in physical terms.”
–E.E.
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Farm businesses boosted by Simon Grinspoon Farmer Awards
Great Barrington — Philanthropist Harold Grinspoon asked the question “What do farmers need?” at a Berkshire Grown brunch. Berkshire Grown and CISA (Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture) polled their farmer members to ask them what their biggest challenges were and if a $2,500 award could make a difference.
Enough farmers responded that, yes, $2,500 could make their farms more successful, to inspire Grinspoon to launch the Simon Grinspoon Farmer Awards. Named in honor of Grinspoon’s father, the financial awards are being distributed to 33 farms throughout the region this year, helping the farmers to make physical improvements that will strengthen their businesses. Eighty-eight farms in Western Massachusetts submitted applications describing their needs and how the awards would be used. Grinspoon intended to give a total of $50,000. The high level of interest, the quality of the applications, and the importance of the projects convinced him to increase the amount to $75,000. Based on this year’s positive response, the program will continue in 2016.
The farm projects funded by the award include greenhouse maintenance and upgrading at Farm Girl Farm, protective tunnels for vegetable cultivation at Square Roots Farm, and a cold storage room with walk-in cooler at Many Forks Farm.
–E.E.
