See “Elizabeth Atterbury: Oracle Bones” at the Clark Art Institute
Williamstown— The Clark Art Institute continues its art in public spaces program in 2023 with a year-long installation presenting the work of contemporary artist Elizabeth Atterbury. “Elizabeth Atterbury: Oracle Bones” is a free exhibition on view in the Clark Center’s lower level and in the reading room of the Manton Research Center opening on February 11.
Atterbury, who works in a variety of media, makes vibrant geometric prints using a technique called chine collé and embossment; textured monochrome reliefs in raked mortar; and wood and stone sculptures that enlarge objects of personal significance. Throughout her practice, Atterbury considers questions of legibility and opacity, improvisation and play, and object-making and remaking as ways to think through her family histories and Chinese American heritage.
The exhibition’s title, Oracle Bones, refers to pieces of ox bone or tortoise shell that were traditionally used in late Shang Dynasty China (second millennium BCE) for pyromancy—a practice of divining supernatural instruction through the use of fire. Diviners (the oracles) would submit questions to deities by carving them onto the bone or shell using a sharp tool. Intense heat was then applied to the bone until it cracked due to thermal expansion. The diviner would then interpret the pattern of cracks to provide answers to the questions asked. The script carved into the oracle bones represents the earliest known form of Chinese writing—a fact first recognized by Atterbury’s great-great-grandfather, the scholar Wang Yirong. Atterbury has made her own family history narratives a focus of her work.
Elizabeth Atterbury is a sculptor, photographer, and printmaker who lives and works in Portland, Maine. Her work has recently appeared in the New England Triennial at deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum, Lincoln, Massachusetts; the Portland Museum of Art, Portland, Maine; and the Colby College Museum of Art, Waterville, Maine. She received her BA from Hampshire College, Amherst, Massachusetts and her MFA from the Massachusetts College of Art and Design, Boston.
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Are you “Sober Curious?” attend a free webinar “Rethinking Drinking, Building Healthier Habits”
Great Barrington— CHPBerkshires and Rural Recovery are partnering to present a free webinar conversation, “Sober Curious? Rethinking Drinking, Building Healthier Habits,” on Thursday, January 26, 12 to 1 p.m.
The conversation is open and welcome to all but will focus mainly on alcohol use. People encouraged to attend are those questioning if their ‘social drinking’ has become habitual or is interfering with quality of life, health, family relationships and work.
CHP Family Nurse Practitioner Terrance “TC” Clarke will talk about the side effects of poor alcohol habits and the health benefits of drinking less or quitting. Recovery coaches from Rural Resources will present a variety of community based and online support resources for people interested in exploring their alcohol use. Rural Recovery coaches Stephanie Holcomb and Adam Post will join Clarke in the conversation as well.
More information and preregistration information can be completed here: chpberkshires.org/sober-curious
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See the original 1940 “Fantasia”
Williamstown— On Thursday, January 26 at 7 p.m., the Clark Art Institute screens Walt Disney’s “Fantasia” in its auditorium. The showing is the second event in the Clark’s Film and Drawing series, inspired by the exhibition, “Promenades on Paper: Eighteenth-Century Drawings” from the Bibliothèque nationale de France.
“Fantasia” (2 hours) illustrates animation’s connection to the embodied, lyrical quality of drawing. When released in 1940, Disney studio’s third feature film was a technological marvel, introducing stereophonic sound to the masses. A musical fantasy extraordinaire and a study in contradictions—refined, yet gauche; experimental, yet corporate—Fantasia lives up to its name.
Free; no registration is required. For more information, visit clarkart.edu/events.
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Attend the 111th-112th All Breed Dog Shows and Scent Work trials
West Springfield— The Great Barrington Kennel Club will hold its 111th-112th All Breed Dog Shows and Scent Work trials in February in the Better Living Center and the Stroh Building on the Eastern States Exposition Grounds in West Springfield on February 4th to 5th.
The Great Barrington Kennel Club’s American Kennel Club-sanctioned All-Breed Dog Shows are always held back-to-back the first weekend in February. 164+ different Breeds and/or Varieties are represented, competing for Best of Breed, including some of the rarer breeds and newly recognized breeds one doesn’t often see on the street, culminating in the coveted Best in Show Although many competitors come from far away, there are many competing who live and train right here in Western Massachusetts. It is not uncommon that this group winners will be featured at the famed Westminster Dog Show.
Since 1941, The Great Barrington Kennel Club has been Berkshire County’s (MA) only American Kennel Club affiliate. The Club holds monthly meetings via Zoom as well as hosting dog shows and obedience trials, scent work trials, matches, field trials, agility trials, and other performance events under the rules of the American Kennel Club. GBKC supports many dog-related charities and causes. The club often hosts presentations on topics relevant to dog lovers including discussions on neutering, aging dogs, and performance events, among others. The public is always welcome to attend regular meetings and presentations and may find a link on the Club’s Facebook page. GBKC is also sanctioned to hold Barn Hunt and Happy Ratters (the urban variety) trials. Membership is open to all who meet the club’s membership requirements. Visit www.gbkc.net for more information.
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Ring in the Chinese New Year with an orchestra concert
Ghent, N.Y. — Celebrate Chinese New Year with The Orchestra Now, conducted by Jindong Cai, offering a symphonic program featuring the beloved Butterfly Lovers Violin Concerto, along with other festive works to welcome in the year of the Rabbit on January 27 at 7 p.m. in the Sosnoff Theater at the Bard College Conservatory of Music.
Chinese New Year is one of the most important holidays in the lunar calendar—a time for enjoying friends and family and looking ahead to the coming of Spring. Now in its fourth year, The Sound of Spring is a truly authentic Chinese New Year concert showcasing the wonderful diversity and artistry of Chinese symphonic music. This jubilant evening consists of a program featuring the beloved Butterfly Lovers Violin Concerto, Prancing Dragons and Jumping Tigers for Percussion and Orchestra, and other festive works.
Tickets are $25 in person; livestream tickets are pay-what-you-wish.
