‘Voyage to the Deep’ to open January 29 at Berkshire Museum
PITTSFIELD — A new interactive exhibit, “Voyage to the Deep,” will open Saturday, Jan. 29 at Berkshire Museum. The exhibit is based on French author Jules Verne’s 1870 classic “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea,” and brings to life the deep-sea adventures of Captain Nemo, his fantastical Nautilus submarine, and the mythical world he inhabited.
At the center of this fantasy world is the giant Nautilus – spanning two rooms on the museum’s 2nd floor – where kids can climb aboard and discover the inner workings of a deep-sea submersible. Visitors can take up the controls at the helm, peer through the periscopes, crank the propeller, test out the bunks, and explore Captain Nemo’s Cabinet of Curiosities full of marine specimens.
Verne’s submarine was a fantastical craft with a basis in genuine technologies. This exhibition will present both the fantasy and the facts, allowing visitors to explore both Verne’s imaginary world and the real-life wonders of exploring the oceans. Discover what it is to operate a submarine and learn about the underwater world as it would be seen from inside an imaginary sea-exploration vessel.
Chief Experience Officer Craig Langlois described the process of choosing this show. “When finalizing the 2022 exhibition schedule, we wanted to push ourselves to think outside the box and utilize our new capital improvements, while maintaining the high-quality, inspiring experience our patrons have come to expect when they walk through our doors,” he said. “In conjunction with ‘Voyage the Deep,’ the museum will be displaying 12 historic and contemporary works from our collection that contextualize the human connection to water.” In addition, a staff-curated show, “Blue,” features artwork in the unmistakable blue of the water often referenced by deep sea explorers.
“Voyage to the Deep” is presented in partnership with General Dynamics (GD), which has contributed a Bluefin®-21, an unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) model to the exhibit. The business’ Maritime and Strategic Systems entity is headquartered in Pittsfield, and is responsible for making the world’s most advanced ships and submarines even smarter, focusing on surface ship integration, submarine combat systems, strategic weapons systems, unmanned surface vehicles, and unmanned underwater vehicles.
Upcoming Events
Drop-In Ocean Arts & Crafts
Saturday, Jan. 29, 10 a.m.–12 p.m.
Celebrate ‘Voyage to the Deep’ on its opening weekend with arts and crafts projects inspired by ocean exploration and creatures of the sea. Included with admission. Best enjoyed by ages 4–12 with caregiver.
Songs of the Sea with Cosby Gibson & Tom Staudle
Saturday, Feb. 19, 11–11:30 a.m. and 1–1:30 p.m.
Join award-winning singer-songwriters Cosby Gibson and Tom Staudle as they perform on the “Voyage to the Deep” exhibition’s Atlantis Stage. This upstate New York-based duo will play sea shanties, folk tunes, and some popular songs about the ocean, and share fun facts about sailing and sea creatures. Included with admission. All ages welcome.
Regular admission rates apply: $15 adult, $8 child, $13 student; free admission for children ages 3 and younger, Berkshire Museum members, and EBT card holders. Proof of full vaccination (digital or printed card) and photo ID are required of all visitors 18 and older.
—A.K.
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Construct opens affordable-housing lottery
GREAT BARRINGTON — Construct, the leading non-profit provider of affordable housing and supportive services to south Berkshire County residents in need, is now accepting applications for a three-bedroom, two-bath house on 2.9 acres in Becket, Massachusetts, for $250,000. Construct is administering the lottery, which is limited to first-time homebuyers at 80 percent or less of area median income. Applications are due by April 1, 2022, and the lottery will be held April 5. The project developer is Construct, with support from the Community Preservation Committee of Becket and a Small-Town Housing Initiative Grant. (Ver información en español.)
The 1,344-square-foot house, located at 2442 Main Street in Becket, has three bedrooms and two full bathrooms on the main floor. The ground level is a plumbed, unfinished, full walk-out basement. The property includes a two-car detached garage with an attic above it that is in need of work. Applicants must be pre-approved for a mortgage before submitting their applications. Information sessions are on January 31 at 1 p.m. and February 2 at 7 p.m. Visit the Becket Lottery page on Construct’s website for more information about the lottery and how to apply. Applications and questions can be directed to applications@constructberkshire.org or 413-528-1985.
—A.K.
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Williamstown Theatre Festival to offer free community acting class
WILLIAMSTOWN — Williamstown Theatre Festival will offer a free community acting class, via Zoom, Wednesday, Feb. 9 at 4:30 p.m. Guest Artist Ural Grant and WTF Associate Artistic Director Laura Savia will lead this 90-minute class. Each participant will be provided with a short monologue in advance, and Grant and Savia will guide participants through acting techniques to bring the piece to life. All ages are welcome to join and no prior experience is necessary.
Ural Grant is an award-winning theater artist and educator. He has toured across the tri-state area in numerous shows geared towards young audiences and is particularly passionate about community engagement and arts education. Grant has led workshops on nonviolence, peer pressure, and communication through Tennessee Shakespeare Company’s Romeo and Juliet Project. Through a leadership fellowship with New York City Children’s Theater, he is currently developing an arts education program that uses devised theater as a tool to help empower and free young African American males to tell their stories and construct their identities.
Please email community@wtfestival.org with any questions.
—A.K.
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February Green Drinks to tackle ‘The Pathway to Zero Waste’
PITTSFIELD — Elizabeth Saunders, the Massachusetts director of Clean Water Action, will speak at the next Pittsfield Green Drinks, Tuesday, Feb. 15 at 6 p.m., via Zoom. In her talk, The Pathway to Zero Waste: How Massachusetts Can Kick Its Dirty Incinerator Habit, Saunders will discuss how our two ways of disposing of trash, incinerators (Community Eco Power in Pittsfield) and landfills, have huge negative consequences for public health, the environment, and justice.
Saunders joined the Clean Water team in January 2001 and since then has been fighting to prevent harm to human health and the environment from toxic chemicals in our water, homes, workplaces, and communities. Her work has included leading successful legislative campaigns to ban toxic chemicals such as mercury and flame retardants, and advocating for zero-waste policies. She was a member of the Zero Waste Boston coalition steering committee from 2013–2019, and is currently a member of the Zero Waste Massachusetts steering committee.
As part of the discussion, Saunders will go into detail about the toxic pollutants that landfills and trash incinerators create, how their physical placement is environmentally unjust, and how it’s not necessary for Massachusetts to create large amounts of trash.
Pittsfield Green Drinks is an informal gathering held on the third Tuesday of each month. These events are free and open to anyone with an environmental interest. Registration is required to join this event.
—A.K.
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Stockbridge Cultural Council announces 2022 grant awardees
STOCKBRIDGE — The Stockbridge Cultural Council today announced it has awarded 26 grants ranging from $100–$300 to support cultural programs in Stockbridge and the surrounding area. The Council received 38 applications representing a range of projects including music, theater, science, and literature, and awarded a total of $5,400.
The Council re-grants funds from the Massachusetts Cultural Council to individuals and organizations for projects in the arts, science, and humanities.
This year the Council was pleased to award grants to the following projects:
- Stockbridge Library Association/Ice Festival
- The Stockbridge Sinfonia/Celebration of 50 Years of Community Music
- Marney Schorr/Arts in Recovery for Youth
- Alex Leff/Cycle of Memory
- Music in Common/The Black Legacy Project
- Moving Arts Exchange/”One Box at a Time”
- Pittsfield Shakespeare in the Park
- Rachel Nicholson/Mary Pope Osborne event
- Osher Lifelong Learning Institute/Indigenous Peoples: We are still here
- Berkshire Music School/All that Jazz Musical Enrichment
- Berkshire Garden Center/Rooted in Place
- SculptureNow (at The Mount)
- Great Barrington Public Theater/Berkshire Voices Reading Series
- Berkshire Children’s Chorus/A Story for the Season
- Shakespeare & Company/2022 Fall Festival
- Berkshire South Regional Community Center/Berkshire Ukulele Band, Berkshire Sings!
- Alice Spatz/creation and completion of “Berkshire Triptych”
- WAM Theatre/2022 season and community engagement
- Berkshire Pulse/summer intensives
- Berkshire Theatre Group/BTG Plays!
- IS183/Berkshire Artist Residency Program
- Greenagers/climate action
- Alliance for a Viable Future/Indigenous Peoples’ Day
- Susan L. Smith/community coloring books
- Flying Cloud Institute/stop-motion project
- Berkshire Wildlife Sanctuaries/Nature in Your Neighborhood
Decisions about which activities to support are made at the community level by a board of municipally appointed volunteers. The members of the Stockbridge Cultural Council are Judith Wilkinson, Andrea Sholler, Janet Egelhofer, Barbara Cooperman, Selena Lamb, Terry Moor, Maureen O’Hanlon, Isabel Rose, Joe Tonetti, and Rena Zurofsky. Meetings are open and the public is invited to attend. If you have questions or ideas for the Council, you can email your thoughts to jwilkinson@stockbridge-ma.gov.
The Stockbridge Cultural Council will seek grant applications again in the fall. The Council encourages applications from individuals or organizations seeking to enhance the cultural offerings in Stockbridge and surrounding areas.
—A.K.
