Berkshire South’s Community Thanks Supper moves to takeout
Great Barrington — Berkshire South Regional Community Center is now taking reservations for its Community Thanks Supper takeout meal. Offered Tuesday, Nov. 24, the traditional Thanksgiving meal will be prepared by local volunteers and chefs, and include turkey with gravy, root vegetable hash with roasted butternut squash, mashed potatoes, stuffing, broccoli and cheddar gratin, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie, and bread with butter.
Meals can be requested for delivery for those who are homebound, or for drive-through pick-up in the Berkshire South parking lot at 3 p.m., 4 p.m. or 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 24. All meals will be provided cold with instructions for reheating.
The meal is free to the community. Reservations are required and will be available on a first-come, first-served basis. Reservations can be made online or by calling (413) 528-2810 x0.
–E.E.
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Mass Humanities to offer three-part online democracy series
Northampton — Mass Humanities has announced its three-part “Let’s Talk About Our Democracy” online series, which will kick off Thursday, Nov. 19, from 7 to 8 p.m.
The series will begin by examining earlier periods in history when Americans were concerned about democracy’s ability to endure and will ask what those histories have to teach about the current moment. Then the audience will be engaged in a dialogue about democracy in this moment, allowing participants to listen to each other’s views and values. The final event will explore how civic engagement holds the promise for Americans to participate in renewing democracy.
Thursday’s opening event is “Threats to our Democracy in Historical Context” and will be moderated by Peter Levine, associate dean of academic affairs and Lincoln Filene Professor of Citizenship & Public Affairs in Tufts University’s Jonathan Tisch College of Civic Life. The panelists will include Suzanne Mettler, the John L. Senior Professor of American Institutions at Cornell University, and Robert C. Lieberman, Krieger-Eisenhower Professor of Political Science at Johns Hopkins University, the co-authors of the book “Four Threats: The Recurring Crises of American Democracy.”
The series will continue Sunday, Dec. 6, from 4 to 5:30 p.m. with “Dialogue on Democracy.” Using structured dialogue in small breakout rooms, each with a facilitator, participants will share with each other and listen to each other about what matters to them about U.S. democracy.
In “The Promise of Civic Renewal to Revive our Democracy” on Thursday, Dec. 10, from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m., civic engagement expert Levine will return to talk with Mass Humanities about a promising vision for reviving democracy, focusing on the role that ordinary citizens can play in fostering more deliberative, collaborative and engaged communities. In small breakout rooms, audience members will brainstorm ideas for how to do that in their communities.
The series is free and open to the public. Advance registration for each event is required. For more information, contact Jennifer Hall-Witt at jhall-witt@masshumanities.org.
–E.E.
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Hunt Library to host ‘12X12’ art exhibit
Falls Village, Conn. — Beginning Tuesday, Nov. 24, the David M. Hunt Library will present a special edition of its popular “12X12” year-end flash art exhibition.
For the past nine years, the Hunt ArtWall’s annual “12X12” exhibitions showcased over 100 artworks by more than 70 artists, all measuring 12×12 inches and priced at $100 each. Faced with modifying “12X12” during the pandemic, the Hunt ArtWall committee invited a “cohort” grouping of 12 artists who live in Falls Village and have been active participants in Hunt Library events. This year’s version of the exhibition will feature one work by each invitee, with dimensions and prices according to each artist’s discretion.
Encompassing painters, photographers and sculptors, the exhibit will include artists Marsha Altemus, John Atchley, Robert Cronin, Sergei Fedorjaczenko, John Hodgson, Jason Bailer Losh, Louise March, Sarah Martinez, Ken Musselman, Gayle Shanley, Jude Streng and Kathy Wismar. The exhibition is dedicated to Lillian Lovitt, a sculptor who, for years, shared her skills and insight with the Hunt Library ArtWall and the Falls Village-Canaan Historical Society. Lovitt died earlier this year, and one of her works will be on display as a memorial tribute to her life and art.
“12X12” will be on display during library operating hours and can be viewed on-site by appointment or online. Due to public health safety, there will be no formal reception. All art sales will benefit both the artists and the library. For more information, contact the David M. Hunt library at (860) 824-7424 or dmhuntlibrary@gmail.com.
–E.E.
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‘From Where I Sit’ to offer poets’ experiences of the year
Pittsfield — On Monday, Nov. 23, WordXWord Festival will present “From Where I Sit” live via Zoom. The event will feature stories and poems from aching hearts, a kick in the gut, sinking souls, exhausted bodies, survival, and sourdough. The event is free and open to the public. Registration is required for both spectators and those interested in reading. For more information or to register, see the Berkshire Edge calendar or contact WordXWord Festival at web@wxw365.org.
–E.E.
