Thursday, January 22, 2026

News and Ideas Worth Sharing

BITS & BYTES: Sita Gómez at Hudson Hall; Junli Song at MCLA Gallery 51; Berkshire Bach Society Portals; Paulette at The Foundry; ‘The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Klay’ at The Mahaiwe

In this sweeping retrospective of her 75-year career, Hudson Hall and Rose Gallery shine a long-overdue light on a remarkable artistic luminary in our own backyard.

Hudson Hall presents the work of Cuban-American artist Sita Gómez

Hudson, N.Y.— From February 7th through April 4th, Hudson Hall will exhibit the work of Cuban-American artist Sita Gómez, curated by Nancy Cobean of Rose Gallery. 

Born in Paris and now based in Hudson, N.Y., Cuban-American artist Sita Gómez paints with vivid color and unflinching passion. Shaped by a multicultural upbringing and childhood experiences fleeing Nazi-occupied Paris and later Castro’s revolution, her work explores, challenges, and celebrates universal themes of gender, sexuality, history, and religion. In this sweeping retrospective of her 75-year career, Hudson Hall and Rose Gallery shine a long-overdue light on a remarkable artistic luminary in our own backyard.

“I am painting what I know best: women. I paint the glamorous stars, the poor old bag ladies, the infamous, the ordinary, the “every day” women that cross our lives. In all my work there is a strong colorful Latin mood permeating, reflecting my Hispanic heritage,” said Sita Gomez. 

The exhibit is on view from February 7th through April 4th at Hudson Hall at the historic Hudson Opera House, located at 327 Warren Street in Hudson, N.Y. There will be an opening reception on Saturday, February 7th from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. There is an artist talk and book signing on Sunday, March 8th at 3 p.m. More information can be found online.

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MCLA Gallery 51 presents ‘The Garden of Memory,’ an installation and exhibit of printmaking works by Junli Song

North Adams— From February 6th through April 11th, MCLA Gallery 51 presents “The Garden of Memory,” an installation and exhibit of printmaking works by Junli Song.

Junli Song. Courtesy MCLA Gallery 51.

Song invites viewers to enter her creative universe, the “In-Between Cosmos,” with an immersive installation created directly on the walls of the space using hand-cut papers, prints, ceramics, and other materials. This exhibition grows out of the cyclical nature of storytelling within her practice: Song not only makes in response to stories, but also invents myths to interpret what she creates. The narrative is inspired by her last installation, “Hagoromo,” which explored a spirit realm populated by golden clouds and celestial beings. Who are these beings and what happens to souls when they die? This installation explores the story that emerged from wondering and dreaming these questions into being.

Junli Song grew up in Chicago, but lived abroad in South Korea, England, Italy, and South Africa. She completed her MFA at the University of Arkansas with a concentration in printmaking in 2023. Later in 2023, she was selected as the Grant Wood fellow in printmaking at the University of Iowa. She is currently the 2024-2026 Gaius Charles Bolin fellow in the studio art department at Williams College. Song has been selected for artist residencies including the Vermont Studio Center and the Women’s Studio Workshop. As an artist and storyteller, she works across a range of media, from printmaking and painting to sculpture and animation, to explore imagined worlds and personal mythologies.

The exhibit is on view from February 6th through April 11th at MCLA Gallery 51, located at 51 Main Street in North Adams. There is an opening reception on Friday, February 6th from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. The exhibition will be accompanied by a performance that will bring the narrative to life on Friday, March 6th at 6:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. More information can be found online.

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Berkshire Bach Society presents ‘Why Bach Matters,’ a BBS Portals presentation

Lenox— On Saturday, January 24th at 3 p.m., Berkshire Bach Society presents ‘Why Bach Matters,’ a BBS Portals presentation. 

George Stauffer. Courtesy Berkshire Bach Society.

‘Why Bach Matters,’ a fun and insightful multi-media program by music historian and Bach scholar George Stauffer, runs the musical gamut from Baroque to modern rock and everything in between. Learn how Bach’s music and method are embedded in surprising places in the music world today—and marvel anew at the amazing staying power of one of the greatest musical minds of all time.

The event is on Saturday, January 24th at 3 p.m. at Lenox Town Hall, located at 6 Walker Street in Lenox. Following the presentation, Artistic Director Eugene Drucker will perform live and host a conversation. More information can be found online.

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The Foundry presents ‘Be Good’ with Paulette

West Stockbridge— On Friday, January 30th at 7:30 p.m., The Foundry presents “Be Good” with Paulette.

Paulette stumbles into a room full of the most strangers he’s ever seen, and he doesn’t know whether to panic or mingle—so he does both. Sporting a brown sweater and a hot-off-the-fist black eye, he dares to address the room armed with nothing but an arsenal of pleasantries, a pocketful of charm, and a monumental fear of rejection.

‘Be Good’ with Paulette. Courtesy The Foundry.

Hot off of high-octane runs in Edinburgh, DC, and Philly, certified clown Daniel Maseda brings well-mannered Paulette to the Berkshires with this fan-favorite show that never plays out the same way twice. It’s a good night for anyone who wants to scream at a polite person.

Daniel Maseda is a performer who makes ridiculous work. A graduate of French clown school École Philippe Gaulier, he is currently touring his debut solo ‘Be Good’ with Paulette, which played at the 2025 Edinburgh Fringe and was awarded the inaugural Fringie for best Clown performance at the 2025 Philadelphia Fringe.

The show is on Friday, January 30th at 7:30 p.m. at The Foundry, located at 2 Harris Street in West Stockbridge. The doors open at 7 p.m. Tickets and more information can be found online. 

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Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center presents a prerecorded HD broadcast of the Met Opera’s production of ‘The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Klay’

Great Barrington— On Saturday, January 24th at 1 p.m., by popular demand, the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center presents a prerecorded HD broadcast of the Met Opera’s production of “The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Klay.”

In this exhilarating new adaptation of Michael Chabon’s Pulitzer Prize–winning novel, two Jewish cousins invent an anti-fascist superhero and launch their own comic-book series, hoping to recruit America into the fight against Nazism. Incorporating scintillating electronic elements and a variety of musical styles, composer Mason Bates’s eclectic score moves seamlessly among the three worlds of Gene Scheer’s libretto: Nazi-occupied Prague, the bustling streets of New York City, and the technicolor realm of comic-book fantasy. Bartlett Sher’s production provides spectacular visuals to match, with towering sets and proscenium-filling projections designed by 59 Studio. 

‘The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Klay,’ the Met Opera. Courtesy Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center.

Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin conducts the Met premiere-production, with baritone Andrzej Filończyk as the artist Joe Kavalier, who flees Czechoslovakia and arrives at the Brooklyn doorstep of writer Sam Clay, sung by tenor Miles Mykkanen. 

On Thursday, January 22nd at 5:30 p.m., Scott Eyerly will offer a free opera talk via Zoom the Thursday prior to the Metropolitan Opera’s broadcast. Eyerly combines his experience as a teacher at The Juilliard School with a wide range of creative accomplishments – from his comic opera “My Life Online,” premiered at the Edinburgh Fringe, to his musical comedy “Pooch,” produced in workshop at Seagle Music Festival. His lively talks draw novices and cognoscenti alike. The virtual lecture will be available online.

Scott Eyerly. Courtesy Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center.

The broadcast is on Saturday, January 24th at 1 p.m. at the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center, located at 14 Castle Street in Great Barrington. Tickets and more information can be found online.

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The Edge Is Free To Read.

But Not To Produce.