Barney Frank to speak at Williams College
Williamstown — Former Massachusetts Congressman Barney Frank will present a lecture titled “Washington Gridlock, Gay Rights, and Jewish Roots” at Williams College on Sunday, April 10 at 8 p.m. in Chapin Hall. The event is free and open to the public. Tickets are not required but, if overfilled, the event will be simulcast in Brooks-Rogers Recital Hall.
Frank’s talk will draw from his memoir, “Frank: A Life in Politics from the Great Society to Same-Sex Marriage,” which discusses the satisfactions, fears, and grudges that come with elected office. In his book Frank tells of battles from AIDS funding in the 1980s to the financial crisis in 2008, in which he played a key role. He also recalls the emotional toll of living in the closet and how his public crusade against homophobia conflicted with his private accommodation of it.
Barney Frank served as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives for the Fourth Congressional District of Massachusetts from 1981 to 2013. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as chairman of the House Financial Services Committee from 2007 to 2011 and was a leading co-sponsor of the 2010 Dodd-Frank Act. In 1987, he became the first Congressmember to publicly come out as gay, and was later was the first Congressmember to enter a same-sex marriage while in office. He is a regular commentator on MSNBC.
For building locations on the Williams campus, consult the online map or call the Office of Communications at (413) 597-4277.
–E.E.
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Mt. Everett Regional High School to stage ‘Chicago’ with multi- school cast…
Sheffield – Mt. Everett Regional High School will present the musical “Chicago” at the school’s Thomas A. Consolati Performing Arts Center at 7 p.m. on Friday, April 8, and Saturday, April 9, and 2 p.m. on Sunday, April 10.
The production features guest performers Ali Boursgui of Pittsfield High School, Joey LaBrasca of Monument Mountain Regional High School, and Connor McNinch of Lenox Memorial High School, who were asked to participate in the production after meeting Mt. Everett student Jesse Smerechniak during Shakespeare & Company’s Fall Festival of Shakespeare. Another Mt. Everett student, Charles Kerzner, choreographed two of the production’s musical numbers. The show is directed by Ralph Petillo.
Tickets are $9 for general admission and $7 for students and seniors. For more information call the school at (413) 229-8734.
–E.E.
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Author Andrea Wulf to speak in Hudson
Hudson, N.Y. — The Olana Partnership will present internationally-acclaimed author Andrea Wulf in an illustrated lecture about her latest book, “The Invention of Nature,” at the Hudson High School auditorium on Saturday, April 9, at 4 p.m. The event will include a book signing.
“The Invention of Nature” reveals the life of the German naturalist Alexander von Humboldt. Humboldt discovered similarities among climate zones across the world and predicted human-induced climate change. Andrea Wulf was born in India and moved to Germany as a child. She currently lives in Britain where she trained as a design historian at the Royal College of Art. She is also the author of “The Brother Gardeners,” “Founding Gardeners,” and “Chasing Venus,” and the co-author of “This Other Eden.”
Tickets to the lecture are $10 for Olana members and $15 for non-members. For tickets and more information, see the Berkshire Edge calendar or call Olana’s Education Department at (518) 828-1872 x105.
–E.E.
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Temple Anshe Amunim to screen documentary on fracking
Pittsfield — On Sunday, April 10, Temple Anshe Amunim’s Social Action Committee will present a screening of a film about the environmental impact of fracking. “Groundswell Rising,” distributed through the climate movement website 350.org, will be shown in the Temple’s Social Hall at 2 p.m. This event is free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be served following the screening and representatives of 350.org will be on hand to lead a question-and-answer session and discussion.
“Groundswell Rising” was produced and directed by Matt and Renard Cohen and documents the health and environmental impacts of the practice of hydraulic fracturing or “fracking.” Prior to the film, Rabbi Josh Breindel will give a presentation on the religious imperative to care for the environment. Breindel said, “In the story of Creation, the Torah teaches that we are made from the earth. Our ancestors knew what we’re only starting to understand: tending to our world is closely linked to caring for ourselves. Being mindful of our interactions with nature is as much a matter of Jewish ethics and spirituality as it is of science or economics.”
For more information, contact the Temple Anshe Amunim office at (413) 442-5910, or email templeoffice@ansheamunim.org.
–E.E.
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‘Recursive Threads’ art exhibition at the Tremaine Gallery
Lakeville, Conn. — The Tremaine Gallery at the Hotchkiss School is presenting the exhibition “Recursive Threads” through Sunday, May 1. The exhibition features works by Hotchkiss alumnae Ann Conrad and Elizabeth Gourlay, and is curated by Anthony Kirk. A reception with the artists will be held at the Gallery on Saturday, April 9, from 4 p.m. – 6 p.m.
Master printer Anthony Kirk served as head of the etching department at Tyler Graphics Ltd. from 1988 – 2000, where he collaborated with artists such as Helen Frankenthaler, Joan Mitchell, and Frank Stella. The concept of “recursive threads,” Kirk said, “pertains to the use of a procedure that can be applied repeatedly; how each artist assembles a network of shape, color, and line.” Gourlay’s works employ geometry and a muted color palette; Conrad’s paintings and prints draw from pixelated patterns of varying scale that are derived from landscape photography. The exhibition is a homecoming for Gourlay and Conrad, and both artists have written recollections of the hours spent in the art rooms of Hotchkiss to acknowledge the solid groundwork they received. The recollections will be available to read at the gallery during the exhibit.
For more information call (860) 435-2591.
–E.E.
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Quilt show at the Lee Library
Lee — The Lee Library is presenting a quilt show throughout the month of April in the Library’s J. Peter Scolforo Gallery during regular Library hours. Thirty-three quilted items created using a wide variety of patterns and fabrics are featured in the exhibit. An opening reception will be held on Thursday, April 7, from 6 p.m. – 8 p.m. For more information call the Lee Library at (413) 243-0385.
–E.E.
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Passive solar house design presentation
Salisbury, Conn. – On Saturday, April 9, at 4 p.m., the Scoville Memorial Library will present Hicks Stone in a talk about passive solar house design. The talk will take place at the Salisbury Town Hall, 27 Main St.
Passive house design seeks to use simple and inexpensive methods to reduce home energy consumption by 90 percent. Rather than using exotic and expensive mechanical systems or incorporating unappealing aesthetic elements into building design, today’s passive house design is virtually invisible and only modestly increases the cost of construction.
Hicks Stone is the founder and principal of Stone Architecture LLC. He worked as a senior designer in the office of architects Philip Johnson and John Burgee. He is the son of the late architect Edward Durell Stone and has written the first biography and monograph of his father: “Edward Durell Stone: A Son’s Untold Story of a Legendary Architect.”
Contact the Library for more information at (860) 435-2838.
–E.E.
