Lenox Library’s annual book sale
Lenox — The Lenox Library‘s 20th annual book sale will be held on Friday, August 21 through Sunday, August 23, at the Library. This year’s “Bargains in Books” event will feature a huge collection of books in 40 categories, all gathered from Berkshire homes.
The grand opening at the library will be on Friday, August 21, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., with a requested donation of $5 until 2 p.m. The Friday sale continues with free admission 2 – 6pm. The sale is open on Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. with free admission both days. This special fundraising event is co-chaired by Ilse Browner and Maureen Hammel, and is staffed entirely by volunteers. All proceeds from the book sale benefit the library’s many educational programs and activities offered to the public year-round free of charge.
For more information see the Berkshire Edge calendar or contact Ilse Browner at ibrowner@roadrunner.com
–E.E.
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Berkshire Museum curator to discuss current Asian art exhibit
Pittsfield — On Thursday, August 20, at 10:45 a.m., the Jewish Federation of the Berkshires will host Maria Mingalone, Director of Interpretation at the Berkshire Museum, as she offers a curator’s look at the Museum’s Immortal Present: Art and East Asia exhibit. The lecture at Congregation Knesset Israel is part of the Federation’s Connecting With Community series.
Mingalone will focus on the Museum’s approach to interpreting non-Western art for the Western viewer, and will share insights about the curatorial process. The Berkshire Museum’s expansive collection of art from East Asia is the cornerstone of “Immortal Present,” which includes scroll paintings, sculptures, screens, prints, netsuke, and other fine and decorative art objects. The exhibition also includes works by more than 20 contemporary artists with ties to Asia. Over the past six years, Mingalone curated the major exhibitions “PaperWorks,” “Armed and Dangerous: Art of the Arsenal,” and “M. C. Escher: Seeing the Unseen,” among others.
For more information, call the Jewish Federation of the Berkshires at (413) 442-4360, x10.
–E.E.
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Former president of The Mount to speak at Ventfort Hall
Lenox — Thomas Hayes, former president of Edith Wharton Restoration at The Mount and director of Classical Excursions, will lead a grand tour of “Classical Italian Villas and Their Gardens: Following Edith Wharton.” Hayes will present this talk at Ventfort Hall Mansion and Gilded Age Museum on Tuesday, August 18 at 4 p.m., followed by a Victorian tea.
Soon after the author and her husband had moved into their Lenox estate The Mount, Wharton was asked to write a series of articles about Italian villas and gardens. The articles proved to be so popular that they were gathered into a book in 1904. Thomas Hayes has organized, escorted and guided architectural tours in America and Europe for more than 30 years. He served as president of Edith Wharton Restoration for nearly nine years and, for the past 15 years, has been a consultant and member of the program committee at Ventfort Hall.
Tickets for the Tea & Talk are $22 in advance and $27 on the day of the event. Reservations are recommended as seating is limited. For information or reservations call Ventfort Hall at (413) 637-3206 or email info@gildedage.org
–E.E.
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Berkshire Regional Small Business Development Center wins award
Boston — The Berkshire Regional Small Business Development Center, led by Keith Regional Director Girouard, has been named the winner of the 2015 SBDC Service Center Excellence and Innovation Award.
During this past fiscal year, the center provided 909 hours of business advising to 199 client firms with 60 long-term cases, 71 extended engagement cases, and 23 business starts. The center was also successful in securing $5,512,111 in financing for 25 clients, creating 105 jobs, and retaining 173 jobs. The center has built a strong reputation by leveraging the active community and deploying a guerilla partnering approach to outreach so that the public learns about it through strong institutional partnerships. During the year the center partnered with several community stakeholders to raise awareness and execute specific initiatives that benefit the small business community. The collaborative partners include the Berkshire Chamber of Commerce; Drury High School in North Adams; Berkshire Community College; the Schumacher Center for New Economics; and BerkShares, Inc.
–E.E.
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BHRSD receives Exemplary Grant
Great Barrington — The Berkshire Hills Regional School District has been awarded a 31/2-year 21st Century Community Learning Center Exemplary Grant. This federal grant is designed to support high-quality, out-of-school learning, and the total grant amount of $821,600 will be used to continue operating Project Connection, the district’s successful after-school and summer program.
Project Connection serves close to 200 students per year in grades K – 8. It was started in 2013 using an initial 21st Century Learning Center grant. The program runs at Muddy Brook Regional Elementary School and Monument Valley Regional Middle School for 27 weeks during the school year and five weeks in the summer. Students engage in multidisciplinary project-based classes taught by district teachers, numerous community partners, and professionals from different fields. Students have the opportunity to work with organizations such as Greenagers, the Berkshire Theater Group, Berkshire Museum, Multicultural BRIDGE, Berkshire Botanical Gardens, Flying Cloud Institute, and many others.
For more information about the grant and the program, contact Project Connection Program Director Tom Kelly at thomas.kelly@bhrsd.org.
–E.E
