First Fridays Artswalk to highlight Berkshire organizations
Pittsfield — The March 4 First Fridays Artswalk will encompass a dozen art shows featuring work by more than a dozen accomplished regional artists. The Artswalk will kick off with opening receptions and artists present throughout the “walk” from 5 p.m. – 8 p.m. A free, guided walking tour will begin at 5 p.m. at the BRTA Intermodal Center. The evening will culminate in a free after-walk party featuring live music from singer/songwriter Alan Monasch and guest performer Jordan Franklin from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. at the Whitney Center for the Arts.
The Whitney Center for the Arts will present an exhibit from Community Access to the Arts (CATA) that will run through Sunday, March 27. The show will include framed paintings, drawings, and pastels created by artists with disabilities in CATA visual arts workshops throughout the year. All artwork is for sale, and CATA artists receive commission on all artworks sold.
The Lichtenstein Center for the Arts will present the Berkshire Art Association College Fellowship Show, featuring the work of Berkshire County residents enrolled as art majors at any college in the country, as well as non-residents currently majoring in art at a Berkshire County college.
Dottie’s Coffee Lounge will host a burlesque life drawing session to benefit the Elizabeth Freeman Center at 7:30 p.m. All art created will be for sale and all proceeds will go directly to the Elizabeth Freeman Center.
New shows from local artists will also be displayed at Berkshire Paint and Sip; Hotel on North; the Marketplace Café; Downtown Pittsfield, Inc.; and Bagels Too.
For more information on First Fridays Artswalk, call (413) 443-6501.
–E.E.
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DCSC March events
Sheffield — The Down County Social Club (DCSC) will present several area performers in its March line-up of events. Acoustic ensemble Quiet in the Head will take the stage on Thursday, March 3. On Thursday, March 10, New England music scene veteran Ray Mason will perform. Thursday, March 17, will feature the Stardust Jazz Trio. Footings, the new project from Eric Gagne, will appear on Thursday, March 24. Indie rockers Leap the Dips will close out the month on Thursday, March 31.
All shows will begin at 8 p.m. and have a suggested donation of $10. For more information contact the Stagecoach Tavern at (413) 229-8585.
–E.E.
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“Snow Crash: Lenox’s True Story of ‘Ethan Frome’”
Lenox — Berkshire historian Cornelia Brooke Gilder will discuss the tragic incident that inspired one of Edith Wharton’s most famous novels during a talk, “Snow Crash: Lenox’s True Story of Ethan Frome,” at Ventfort Hall Mansion and Gilded Age Museum on Saturday, March 5, at 3:30 p.m. A Victorian tea and a question-and-answer session will follow the talk.
When Edith Wharton was pondering the climax of her novel “Ethan Frome,” she recalled hearing about a tragic sledding accident six years earlier. Using material from her forthcoming book “Edith Wharton’s Lenox,” Gilder will tell about the real accident that happened in Lenox on March 11, 1904.
Gilder worked for the New York State Preservation Office in Albany and has contributed to a number of exhibitions and publications, including “A Walk in the Country: George Inness and the Berkshires” for the Clark Art Institute.” She co-authored, with Richard S. Jackson, the two editions of “Houses of the Berkshires, 1870-1920” and wrote the book “Hawthorne’s Lenox, The Tanglewood Circle.” Gilder is a member of the Program Committee at Ventfort Hall and was the co-author, with the late Joan Olshansky, of “A History of Ventfort Hall.”
Tickets for program are $22 for advance reservations and $27 day of the event. Reservations are recommended as seating is limited. For information or reservations call Ventfort Hall at (413) 637-3206 or email info@gildedage.org.
–E.E.
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Author Jonathan Weiner to speak at Williams College
Williamstown — Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jonathan Weiner will speak at Williams College on Thursday, March 3, at 7:30 p.m. in Room 3 of Griffin Hall. A book signing will follow. The event is free and open to the public.
In his lecture titled “In Darwin’s Footsteps: Witnessing the Origin of a New Species in the Galapagos,” Weiner will discuss the work of Peter and Rosemary Grant, observers of the evolution of Darwin’s finches for more than 40 years, and whose studies show that evolution can be rapid and turbulent.
Weiner is the author of “The Beak of the Finch,” winner of the 1995 Pulitzer Prize, as well as five other books. He has received honors such as the National Book Critics Circle Award, the Los Angeles Times Book Award, and a Guggenheim Fellowship. He is the Maxwell M. Geffen Professor of Medical and Scientific Journalism at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
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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Dementia basics and Alzheimer’s talk
Great Barrington — The Alzheimer’s Association, Massachusetts/New Hampshire Chapter will present a workshop covering basic information on Alzheimer’s and related dementias on Thursday, March 3, from 10:30 a.m. – noon at Timberlyn East. The workshop is free and open to the public but registration is required.
The workshop will offer general information on Alzheimer’s and related dementias, cover the benefits of early detection, outlines causes and risk factors, explain treatment, and introduce services offered by the Alzheimer’s Association for people with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias and their caregivers. For more information or to register or, call (800) 272-3900.
–E.E.
