Gedney Farm exhibits sculpture by artist Susan Clinard
New Marlborough — On Saturday, July 11, from 1 to 8 p.m., Gedney Farm will host an opening reception for “Reflection on Our Times,” a show of sculpture by New Haven, Connecticut, artist Susan Clinard.
Award-winning artist Clinard’s emotionally provocative work has been exhibited in public domains and private collections around the world. Following a degree in sculpture and cultural anthropology from the University of Michigan, Clinard moved to Chicago in 1995. While exhibiting her art at multiple venues throughout the city, she also taught stone carving at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and sculpture at the Palette and Chisel Academy and Gallery 37. She moved her studio to New Haven in 2007. She has also been the artist in residence at the Eli Whitney Museum since 2011.
The event is free and open to the public. The show will be on view through Sunday, Aug. 30. For more information, contact Gedney Farm at (413) 229-3131 or frontdesk@gedneyfarm.com.
–E.E.
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Hershey Felder livestream to benefit Berkshire Theatre Group
Pittsfield — Berkshire Theatre Group will present “Hershey Felder: Beethoven” livestreamed from Florence, Italy, Sunday, July 12, at 8 p.m. In the tradition of his after-performance audience “encore,” Hershey Felder has created the Hershey Felder Presents Arts Prize competition in honor of Beethoven’s 250th birth year. This prize of $25,000 will be awarded to one of five artist finalists, who will be presented at the completion of the broadcast.
Dramatizing Dr. Gerhard von Breuning’s factual memoir, “Aus dem Schwarzspanierhaus,” Felder brings Ludwig van Beethoven to life through the eyes of the Viennese Breuning, who spent his boyhood by the maestro’s side. “Hershey Felder: Beethoven” features some of the composer’s greatest works, from Moonlight Sonata and Pathétique Sonata to selections from the fifth and ninth symphonies and the Emperor Concerto.
Named to TIME Magazine’s 2016 Top 10 Plays and Musicals, Felder has played over 5,000 performances of his self-created solo productions at some of the world’s most prestigious theaters. His shows include “George Gershwin Alone,” “Monsieur Chopin,” “Beethoven,” “Maestro: Leonard Bernstein,” “Franz Liszt in Musik,” “Lincoln: An American Story,” “Hershey Felder as Irving Berlin” and “Our Great Tchaikovsky.” Felder is the adaptor, director and designer for the internationally performed play-with-music “The Pianist of Willesden Lane” with Mona Golabek; producer and designer for the musical “Louis and Keely ‘Live’ at the Sahara” directed by Taylor Hackford; and writer and director for “Flying Solo” featuring Nathan Gunn. Felder has operated a full-service production company since 2001. He has been a scholar-in- residence at Harvard University’s Department of Music and is married to Kim Campbell, the first female prime minister of Canada.
Tickets are $55 per household, with 50% of proceeds benefiting BTG. Patrons will be able to stream the program on a smart TV, computer, smartphone or tablet. Viewing will be available for an additional 72 hours after the performance. For tickets and more information, see the Berkshire Edge calendar or contact Berkshire Theatre Group at (413) 997-4444.
–E.E.
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Online workshop to focus on photo composition
Sandisfield — On Saturday, July 11, from 10 to 11:30 a.m., the Sandisfield Arts Center will host the online workshop “Mastering Your Camera Part 2: Composition” presented by Thad Kubis.
In this workshop, Kubis will discuss and explain the main templates/formats used in photographic composition. He will also discuss and illustrate the creative compositional advanced options available.
Kubis has taught photography classes for the Osher Lifelong Learning Center at Berkshire Community College, IS183 Art School of the Berkshires, the Trustees of Reservations and other organizations. Trained as both a graphic designer and photographer, Kubis works in film, digital, view/field camera, pinhole, smartphone/tablet formats and more.
The workshop is free and open to the public. Registration is required. For more information or to register, see the Berkshire Edge calendar or contact the Sandisfield Arts Center at info@sandisfieldartscenter.org.
–E.E.
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Pittsfield Prospers launches intergenerational conversation series
Pittsfield — Pittsfield Prospers is launching a series of intergenerational conversations via Zoom. The first conversation, set to take place Thursday, July 9, from 6 to 7:30 p.m., will be devoted to identifying the topics to be explored within the series, such as inequities in health care, education, employment, housing and justice; and inequities based on gender, race, sexual orientation, disability and religious beliefs.
The pandemic and the national attention focused on the need for changes in the culture of policing has provided Pittsfield Prospers an opportunity to pause and reflect on the kind of community that can be created post-COVID-19. Uncertainty has brought many closer together. Community members have stepped up to help by providing meals, running errands, checking in with neighbors, and contributing time and energy to being sources of support for both friends and strangers. Pittsfield Prospers hopes to capitalize on the positivity of the collective experience by bringing together a group across many differences to discuss how to best realize the promise of Pittsfield.
For more information or to register, contact pittsfieldprospers@gmail.com.
–E.E.
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Virtual Staged Reading Series to present classic radio suspense dramas
Copake, N.Y. — In association with the Copake Grange, the Two of Us Productions will present two classic radio suspense dramas as the next offering in its Virtual Staged Readings Series Saturday, July 11, at 7:30 p.m.
In “Cabin B-13,” a happy bride heads to Europe for her honeymoon, but her husband disappears after they’ve settled into their ocean liner cabin. The captain, the stewardess, and the doctor help her search the ship, but no one on the ship has ever seen her husband. In “That Thing in the Window,” a struggling actor who can’t seem to find the right roles is home without work and claims to see a body in the apartment window across the street; however, no one else can see the corpse.
The performance is free and open to the public, and will be presented via Zoom. Donations will be gratefully accepted. For more information or to register, see the Berkshire Edge calendar or contact the Two of Us Productions at (518) 329-6293.
–E.E.
