Thursday, April 17, 2025

News and Ideas Worth Sharing

BITS & BYTES: Berkshire Art Association College Fellowship Show; Immersive Van Gogh at Springfield Museums; Elizabeth Freeman Center’s flag installation; Death Café at Wander; OLLI presents Dr. Paul Bierman; Lenox Community Center ‘Fix-It Fair’

The Lichtenstein Center of the Arts will host the work of exceptional student artists in the 2025 Berkshire Art Association College Fellowship Show.

Berkshire Art Association 2025 College Fellowship Show at the Lichtenstein Center of the Arts

Pittsfield— Now through Friday, April 28th, the Lichtenstein Center of the Arts will host the work of exceptional student artists in the 2025 Berkshire Art Association College Fellowship Show. 

Jess Hu, “GrowingPains.” Courtesy Berkshire Art Association.

Open to college art students from Berkshire County enrolled in a visual art major anywhere in the country, and students studying at Berkshire County colleges, the show was juried by a panel of artists representing several disciplines. 40 artworks created by 16 students were selected for the show. The list of BAA 2025 Fellowship Recipients are:

  • Matthew Brinton, Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts
  • Julianna Collins, Maine College of Art and Design
  • Edward Curley, Massachusetts College of Art and Design
  • Sergio Demo, Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts
  • Maxwell Fyfe, Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts
  • Jess Hu, Williams College
  • Jean-Charles Innocent, Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts
  • Eleanor Iorio, Williams College
  • Mayel Levin, Williams College
  • Katie Maier, Williams College
  • Riku Nakano, Williams College
  • Enaya’Ajahnae Ogletree, Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts
  • Juna Pfeifer, Williams College
  • Annie Scott, Williams College
  • Max Sweeney, Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts
  • Mya Terry, Hartford Art School

The exhibit runs now through Friday, April 28th at the Lichtenstein Center of the Arts, located at 28 Renne Avenue in Pittsfield. There will be a reception on Saturday, April 19th from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. More information can be found online. 

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Springfield Museums present ‘Van Gogh for All,’ an immersive Vincent van Gogh exhibition

Springfield— Now through September 14th, the Springfield Museums present the return engagement of “Van Gogh for All,” an immersive Vincent van Gogh exhibition.

The East Coast premiere of the exhibit at Springfield Museum in 2019 immediately captivated audiences of all ages with its blend of entertainment, education, and art appreciation. Visitors can literally step into Van Gogh’s artwork to discover the unusual perspective of “The Bedroom,” go behind the shutters of “The Yellow House,” or become part of one of the artist’s famous landscapes. The exhibit offers multiple photo opportunities, including a 12-foot-wide, electronic version of the iconic “The Starry Night.”

Courtesy Springfield Museums.

A companion exhibition, “Van Gogh’s Threads of Influence” will also be on view. This selection of paintings and prints from the permanent collection reveals the connections between Vincent van Gogh and the artistic movements that shaped his vision. Gauguin’s “Te Faruru The Annunciation” is the highlight of “Threads of Influence.” Rarely on view to limit its exposure to light, the work is a prime example of the artist’s stylistic approach, incorporating symbolic motifs from his imagination. Famously, Van Gogh and Gauguin lived and worked together at the “Yellow House” for a brief period. Gauguin left after Van Gogh, in a state of mental distress, threatened him with a razor and cut off his own ear.

Experience “ Vincent’s Starry Sky,” an original planetarium show that utilizes forensic astronomy to determine the night sky views that may have inspired Van Gogh’s most famous paintings. The Seymour Planetarium’s full-dome Zeiss projectors illuminate the planets, stars, and astronomical phenomenon that lit up the sky in late 19th century France and the Netherlands when Van Gogh painted them in his signature striking blues and yellows. 

The exhibit runs through September 14th at the Springfield Museums, located at 21 Edwards Street in Springfield. More information can be found online. 

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Elizabeth Freeman Center’s annual installation of teal blue flags around Park Square representing survivors of sexual assault

Pittsfield— On Friday, April 4th, Elizabeth Freeman Center, Berkshire County’s domestic violence and rape crisis services center, planted hundreds of teal blue flags around Park Square in downtown Pittsfield, representing the 544 survivors of sexual assault who received support from the center in 2024. The annual installation is part of EFC’s Sexual Assault Awareness Month programming and will be on view through April 30th. 

Elizabeth Freeman Center staff hold the sign posted alongside their teal flag display at Park Square. It reads, “These flags represent individuals in Berkshire County who received services for sexual assault during the last year with Elizabeth Freeman Center.” Photo by Kim Kirchner. Courtesy Elizabeth Freeman Center.

Sexual Assault Awareness Month was first observed nationally in 2001, and is meant to both educate the public and send a message of support to survivors within the community. In addition to the flag display, the center is hosting a series of standout demonstrations. Signs with anti-violence and pro-survivor messages will be provided. The location for the standouts are:

  • Wednesday, April 23rd outside City Hall in North Adams from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m.
  • Friday, April 25th in front of the Town Hall in Great Barrington from 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
  • Wednesday, April 30th at Park Square in Pittsfield from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m.

For over fifty years, Elizabeth Freeman Center has provided comprehensive services to survivors of sexual, dating, and domestic violence in and around Berkshire County. They operate offices in North Adams, Pittsfield, and Great Barrington, and have advocates stationed in every Berkshire County courthouse. The center’s free hotline is 866-401-2425. More information can be found online.

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Wander presents Death Café hosted by end-of-life doula Rebecca Churt

Pittsfield— On Tuesdays, April 15th and 29th from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., Wander presents Death Café hosted by Rebecca Churt founder of The Grievery and end-of-life doula. 

Courtesy Wander.

The bi-weekly Death Café is a welcoming space for open, candid conversations about life, death, and everything in between. Guided by Churt, these gatherings invite people of all ages to explore topics like mortality, dying, and the meaning of life — free from judgment, agendas, or specific belief systems. Death Cafés are not grief support groups or therapy sessions, but rather opportunities to reflect and connect in community, with the goal of fostering greater comfort with death as a natural part of life. 

The cafés are on Tuesdays, April 15th and 29th from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. at Wander, located at 34 Depot Street. More information can be found online. 

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OLLI Distinguished Speakers Series presents ‘In A Rapidly Changing World, Greenland’s Real Value Is It’s Ice’ with Dr. Paul Bierman

Pittsfield— On Tuesday, April 15th at 7 p.m., OLLI Distinguished Speakers Series presents ‘In A Rapidly Changing World, Greenland’s Real Value Is It’s Ice’ with Dr. Paul Bierman. 

Today, Greenland and the Arctic are ground-zero for climate change as record global temperatures melt the region’s ice, snow, and sea-ice. In the 1950s and 1960s, the worry wasn’t climate change but the Soviet Union. The Arctic and Greenland’s massive ice sheet were then a focus of US military attention and central to the American Cold War strategy of deterrence and interception. Now, Greenland is back in the news as the new administration has its eyes on the territory.

Dr. Paul Bierman. Courtesy OLLI.

Go back in time and examine Greenland through the lens of both natural and human history – starting with the first people to settle the island about 5000 BCE. Hear Bierman discuss the discovery of a massive melt happened about 400,000 years ago, a time when Earth’s climate was naturally about as warm as it is today, but carbon dioxide levels were far lower. When ice on Greenland melts, water flows into the ocean, rising the sea level as much as 25 feet and flooding coastal zones around the world. When Greenland’s ice is gone, much of Boston and New York will be underwater. Greenland’s real value is its ice.

The virtual presentation is on Tuesday, April 15th at 7 p.m. on Zoom. Tickets and more information can be found online.

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Lenox Community Center Spring “Fix-It Fair”

Lenox— On Saturday, April 12th from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., Lenox Community Center host it’s annual Spring “Fix-It Fair.”

Why throw out still usable things that you can’t fix? Bring in clothing or items to be sewn or mended and regular household goods or small appliances needing to be fixed. Community volunteers will lend a hand and make free repairs. Kids are welcome to bring items to the “Kids Fix-It Table” for free repairs. 

Photo by Franz van Duns. Courtesy Wiki Commons.

The fair is on Saturday, April 12th from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the Lenox Community Center, located at 65 Walker Street in Lenox. 

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