Tuesday, February 18, 2025

News and Ideas Worth Sharing

BITS & BYTES: Jeff Boratko at American Mural Project; Ice Rasta and Father Hotep at The Clark; Major portrait exhibit at The Springfield Museums; Berkshire Grown Indoor Winter Market; WAM’s annual season auditions

American Mural Project’s spacious gallery includes a five-story mural and three viewing levels, which creates a unique, resonant space for listening to music while taking in the art.

American Mural Project presents singer-songwriter Jeff Boratko

Winsted, Conn.— On Friday, February 23rd at 5 p.m., American Mural Project (AMP) proudly presents singer/songwriter Jeff Boratko, the second installment of AMP’s “Happy Hour Piano Series.”

Jeff Boratko. Image courtesy of AMP.

Multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, and frontman of Streetlight Shakers Jeff Boratko will light up the evening with a blend of vocals and keys. Jeff has reached international audiences through radio and streaming services, including performing with seven-time Grammy award-winner Paul Winter. “Jeff lights up the room with energy, whether playing originals or well-known covers,” said Michelle Begley, AMP’s program director.

The spacious mural gallery at AMP includes a five-story mural and three viewing levels, which creates a unique, resonant space for listening to music while taking in the art. “People can find comfy nooks or sit in the gallery to mingle over a drink or just listen, taking in the mural from different perspectives,” said Amy Wynn, AMP Executive Director. “It’s the fusion of art and music that makes the piano series a very special way to start the weekend.”

The concert is on Friday, February 23rd at 5 p.m. at American Mural Project on Whiting Street in Winsted, Conn. Held on the fourth Friday of each month from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., the piano series offers patrons a time to unwind with a drink from the cash/credit bar, mingle, and take in the grand scale of the mural exhibit from three levels. Admission is $6. More information can be found online. 

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Clark Art Institute hosts a concert by Ice Rasta and Father Hotep

Williamstown— On Saturday, February 24th at 7 p.m., in partnership with North Adams-based Belltower Records, the Clark Art Institute hosts a concert by Ice Rasta and Father Hotep.

Ice Rasta a.k.a Adam McNair is a New England-based mixed media artist specializing in drum and bass modular synthesis. Father Hotep a.k.a. Michael Hanson is a multimedia sample-based musician working with imaginary lines everywhere they appear, from the practical to the abstract. He mixes images with his music to create a comprehensive experience of watching and listening.

Father Hotep. Image courtesy of The Clark.

The concert is on Saturday, February 24th at 7 p.m. in the Michael Conforti Pavilion at The Clark Art Institute on South Street in Williamstown. Tickets are $10, $8, and $5 for youth ages 15 and under. Advanced registration is required. Registration and more information can be found online.

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The Springfield Museums to welcome ‘The Outwin 2022: American Portraiture Today,’ one of only four museums in the country to host major exhibition

Springfield— From February 17th through May 5th, the Springfield Museums will welcome “The Outwin 2022: American Portraiture Today,” as one of only four museums in the country to host this major exhibition organized by the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery.

The “Outwin 2022” is the culminating exhibition from the most recent Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition, which every three years invites emerging and established artists who are living and working in the United States to submit a recent portrait to a panel of experts chosen by the Portrait Gallery. More than 2,700 works were submitted for the 2022 competition, covering a variety of artistic approaches, painting, drawing, sculpture, photography, time-based media, textiles, and performance art. Entrants were encouraged to submit work that moved beyond traditional definitions of portraiture and engaged with the social and political landscape of our time. The jurors ultimately selected 42 works for the show, from artists representing 14 states, Washington D.C., and Puerto Rico.

The Berkshires’ own Ilene Spiewak of West Stockbridge was selected as a finalist. 

“We are thrilled to host the latest iteration of this celebrated and important exhibition,” said Heather Haskell-Burns, Vice President at the Springfield Museums and Director of its art museums. “Visitors will be intrigued, moved, and delighted by the varied approaches to portraiture that foreground the vibrancy and relevance being pursued by American artists today.”

She Waited for Her Family from this Point in Place, Artist: Khánh H. Lê, Sitter: Unidentified Woman. Acrylic paint, paper, and plastic jewels on canvas, 2021. Collection of the artist © Khánh H. Lê

The show runs from February 17th through May 5th at The Springfield Museums located on the Quadrangle at 21 Edwards Street in Springfield. Advance tickets are strongly encouraged. There is free parking. Tickets and more information can be found online. 

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Berkshire Grown Indoor Winter Market

Housatonic— On Saturday, February 17th from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., shop the Berkshire Grown Indoor Winter Farmers Market. 

Watermelon radishes from Holiday Brook Farm.

Support your local farmers! Shop fruits and vegetables from Common Hands Farm, Indian Line Farm, Lion’s Tooth Farm, and Maynard Farms & Orchards; pasture-raised meats and eggs from North Plain Farm and Off the Shelf Farm; breads and doughnuts from Berkshire Mountain Bakery and Great Cape Baking Company; artisanal cheese from Cricket Creek Farm and R&G Cheese; Maple products from Justamere Tree Farm; specialty foods from Berkshire Cider Project, Jacuterie, les collines, Naji’s Mediterranean Cuisine, and Rolling Rock Farm; and farm inspired products from Colonial Alpacas, Gray Raven Farm, JK Custom Furniture & Design, Joy Newton Design, and Stanton Home Weavery.  

Live music will be provided by Sherry Steiner.

The market is on Saturday, February 17th from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Housy Dome on Main Street in Housatonic. Admission is free. SNAP/HIP benefits matched/accepted. 

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WAM’s annual season auditions

Lenox— On Friday, February 16th and Saturday, February 17th, WAM Theatre will hold its annual season auditions. 

To schedule an in-person appointment, email casting@wamtheatre.com and include your headshot and resume. Prepare a one-to-two minute contemporary monologue.

WAM Theatre.

The auditions are located at WAM’s new creative hub and offices at 55 Main Street in Lenox. There is free parking, wheelchair accessibility, and free onsite childcare will be offered on Friday, February 16th. More information can be found online.

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