American Mural Project hosts Art of Work Gala
Winsted, Conn.—The American Mural Project (AMP) will host its 6th annual Art of Work Gala on Saturday, September 17 from 6–9 p.m. in its newly-opened mill building in Winsted, Connecticut. Guests will enjoy a special musical performance, cocktails, generous hors d’oeuvres, and more. The event takes place in AMP’s vast mural gallery, where guests can explore the exhibit and experience the event from three different viewing levels inside the historic mill building.
The Art of Work Gala will feature a premiere collaboration of musical performances by an extraordinary group of artists, including internationally acclaimed children’s choir Chorus Angelicus directed by Gabriel Löfvall, renowned gospel singer Theresa Thomason, celebrated humorist, songwriter, children’s author, and illustrator Sandra Boynton, and the Brooklyn-based Miss Milo Band, known for their distinctive mix of ’80s rock synth and hip-hop. Festivities conclude with a dessert reception.
“Without deliberate intention, by opening up this massive arena for the three-dimensional mural, we have created a magic space for live music events,” commented Ellen Griesedieck, founder and artistic director of AMP. “The acoustics in this building are phenomenal. And we are going all out on September 17 and with a few surprises in store for everyone who can make it to this event! Get excited, you will not want to miss this one!”
The Art of Work Gala supports the American Mural Project’s mural exhibit and numerous related educational programs and events. The mural is a tribute to American workers and serves as AMP’s centerpiece to inspire, educate, invite collaboration, and reveal to people of all ages the many contributions they can make to American culture. Known as the largest indoor collaborative artwork in the world, the three-dimensional mural is 120 feet long and five stories high.
Three tiers of tickets are offered for the event. General tickets include open bar, generous hors d’oeuvres, general seating for the performance, and dessert for $175 per person. Priority tickets for $300 per person include the above, with priority seating for the performance. A VIP ticket option, including all of the above plus reserved parking, prime seating for the performance, and an intimate dessert reception with the musicians and artists, is $500 per person. AMP is located at 90 Whiting Street, Winsted, Connecticut.
For tickets and more information, visit americanmuralproject.org/gala-2022.
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Earth Day celebration at Lee Founders Weekend
Lee— After two and a half years of delay due to the pandemic, the fiftieth year of Earth Day will be celebrated with a series of events organized by Lee’s Greener Gateway committee. The events will take place Saturday September 17 from 1-4:30 p.m. at First Congregational Church Park.
Throughout the event, music will be provided by local musicians Steve Adams, Robin O’Herin, and Micah Stone.
Festivities will begin with garden tours from 1 – 2 p.m. Tours will be given at Lee Elementary School, St. Mary’s School, and the Downtown Community Gardens at St. Mary’s Church and Brown Memorial Court – Marble Street. At 2 p.m., Senator Adam Hinds and local teen activist Keely Rose O’Gorman will kick off the afternoon’s events, and a litter sculpture will be unveiled.
The rest of the afternoon will feature hands-on activities for all, including art activities, seed bombs, leaf rubbing, and exhibits by local, regional, and statewide organizations. Additionally, the En-ROADS climate change simulation, which enables users to see the impact climate change solutions would have on the Earth’s temperature, will be available for trial.
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Berkshire Film and Media Collaborative presents online workshop with award-winning indie filmmaker Diego Ongaro
Pittsfield— The Berkshire Film and Media Collaborative presents its latest filmmaking workshop on Tuesday, September 20, online at 6:30–8:30 p.m., featuring award-winning filmmaker Diego Ongaro, who will share his experiences and lessons learned making two critically acclaimed feature films in the Berkshires: Down with the King (2021) and Bob and the Trees (2015).
In this two-hour online workshop, ”Making Feature Films Outside the Hollywood System,” Ongaro will walk participants through his experience making these award-winning feature films. He’ll break down the creative process, budget planning, the intricacies of casting, production and post-production, festival strategy, and distribution. Ongaro will explain how to best use the resources at hand and how to stay nimble in order to make production feasible and maintain creative control.
Ongaro is a French writer/director living in rural Connecticut. Down With the King, his second feature film, premiered at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival and won the Grand Prix at the Deauville American Film Festival in France. Released by Sony Pictures on June 28, 2022, Down with the King was named a “Critic’s Pick” by New York Times film critic A.O. Scott. His first feature film, Bob and the Trees, had its world premiere at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival, won the top prize at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival in the Czech Republic, and screened in more than 20 international festivals throughout the world.
Ongaro was named one of Movie Maker Magazine‘s “Writers to Watch” in 2022. He was short-listed for the “Someone to Watch” Award at the 2016 and 2022 Independent Spirit Awards for both feature films.
The class, hosted on Zoom, costs $35 per participant. The class size will be limited to 35 to ensure a quality learning experience. Complete information and registration is available on Eventbrite.
Based in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, Berkshire Film and Media Collaborative is a nonprofit organization that creates educational, workforce, and production opportunities and serves as a resource for the film and media industry and an economic initiative for Western Massachusetts. Find out more at berkshirefilm.org/
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Hillsdale Car Show expects dozens of antique, classic, and hot-rod vehicles September 18
Hillsdale. N.Y.— The second annual Hillsdale Car Show will feature dozens of classic, vintage and hot-rod vehicles whose owners will vie for trophies in 20 categories. The show will be held on September 18 from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m at Hamlet Park in Hillsdale
Pre-1990 cars, trucks and motorcycles will fill the park, along with the sounds of the popular local band Lucky Bucket. The vehicles will compete for Best in Show, People’s Choice, Best Import, Best Restoration Work in Progress, Best Motorcycle, Best Engine, Best Paint and Best Truck, among other awards.
Last year’s show attracted owners of muscle cars, sedans, coupes and pickups from the 1940s through the 1980s, sports cars including Porsches and Corvettes, and models as old as a 1915 Buick.
A fee of $10 per vehicle will be charged for participants, and the public is welcome free of charge. Participants will be eligible for door prizes and there will be raffles for all.
The rain date for the show is September 25.
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Berkshire County Historical Society hosts free community day
Pittsfield—The Berkshire County Historical Society will host a free community day highlighting local history at Arrowhead on Saturday, September 17 from 10 a.m.–4 p.m. The day-long event will include a variety of activities including tours, hiking, hands-on activities, family-friendly fun, music, and food. This event is sponsored by Greylock Federal Credit Union.
Admission is required for tours of the historic house interior; all other events and activities are free and open to the public. Visit berkshirehistory.org for details.
Architectural tours of Arrowhead’s historic buildings will be offered throughout the day and the grounds will be open for hiking. In addition, a small presentation in the barn will explore the sixty-year history of BCHS including highlights from past events, exhibits, and more. The presentation will feature highlights from the BCHS collection that are not normally on view.
BCHS will also welcome representatives from the Bidwell House, who will discuss their work and mission, and The Crane Museum of Papermaking and the Paper Arts, who will assist visitors with papermaking and printing activities. They will be joined by our friends from the Baseball in the Berkshires Museum, whose mission is to present exhibits and educational programs that will assist in telling the story of Baseball in the Berkshires.
Berkshire-based musicians will provide a variety musical entertainment for the day:
Bobby Sweet and Lara Tupper, 11 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Bobby Sweet (guitar and vocals) and Lara Tupper (vocals) achieve a complementary blend that’s packed with heart, soul, and fun, whether singing new interpretations of their favorite folk/pop songs or Bobby’s original compositions. Bobby, who toured with Arlo Guthrie for many years, is an award-winning singer-songwriter with seven albums. Lara has performed all over the world as a resident vocalist for Hilton Hotels International. With their rich harmonies and natural stage presence, they have a special way of connecting with listeners.
David Hodge, Guitarist, 12:30 – 2:30 pm
David is a long time resident of Egremont, a writer, music teacher, and guitarist “par excellence” who performs a wide range of oldies and current musical selections sure to please a varied listening audience.
Spare Parts, 2:30 – 4 pm
Liz Stell (flute) and Bill Matthiesen (keyboard) will perform music popular or published in the mid-19th century.
The Worthington, Massachusetts food truck Worthy-Que Smoke N’BBQ will be on hand offering smoked meats, fish, and homemade unique eats using farm fresh local ingredients. The Berkshire Cider Project, based in North Adams, will conduct tastings of their dry and sparkling ciders.
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Jim Kweskin to perform in Spencertown
Spencertown, N.Y.–Spencertown Academy Roots & Shoots Concerts Series presents folk music and guitar legend Jim Kweskin on Saturday, September 17 at 8 p.m. General admission tickets ($25 public, $20 Academy members) are available via www.spencertownacademy.org. Seating will be limited and advance reservations are strongly suggested.
“Jim Kweskin made history in the 1960s by founding the Jim Kweskin Jug Band,” says Gerald Seligman, member of the Academy’s Music Committee. “Along with Geoff and Maria Muldaur, they rescued African-American jug band music from obscurity and served it up for a new generation. Over the years, Jim added much more, but the bulk of his repertoire is from the 1920s, ‘30s and ‘40s. Now in his 80s, he makes history again by playing as well as ever and keeping the tradition alive and thriving.”
During the five years the Jim Kweskin Jug Band was together, the group transformed the sounds of pre-World War II rural music into a springboard for their memorable performances. No other band attained their unique blend of youthful energy and antiquarian expertise, tight musicianship, loose camaraderie, and infectious swing. Their imitators were legion, including a San Francisco jug band that became the Grateful Dead, a Los Angeles jug band that became the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, and a New York jug band that became the Lovin’ Spoonful.
These days, Kweskin is best known as a singer and bandleader, but he also created one of the bedrock guitar styles of the folk revival, adapting the ragtime-blues fingerpicking of artists like Mississippi John Hurt and Pink Anderson to the more complex chords of pop and jazz. He has maintained a remarkably consistent musical vision throughout his career, exploring traditional folk and blues with the sophisticated sensibility of a jazz musician, and jazz with the communal simplicity of a folk artist. He has recorded more than two-dozen albums, including collaborations with John Sebastian, David Grisman, Cindy Cashdollar, Happy Traum, Meredith Axelrod, Juli Crockett, and Samoa Wilson, among others.
Roots & Shoots Concerts is an ongoing Academy series that showcases artists who reach back to earlier traditions in music (Americana, jazz, blues, rock, and world music) for inspiration, while incorporating more recent forms and influences of the present.
The Academy strongly recommends wearing masks during the performance.
