Childs + Clark Gallery presents ‘Landscapes for the Anthropocene,’ new works by artist-poets Kathline Carr and Jan Conn
Great Barrington— From June 14th through July 7th, Childs + Clark Gallery presents ‘Landscapes for the Anthropocene,’ new works by artist-poets Kathline Carr and Jan Conn.
Two Berkshire artists, Kathline Carr and Jan Conn, a writer and a scientist, respectively, had the concept of the “Anthropocene” in mind while creating these stunning new abstracted landscape paintings. Achim Steiner, United Nations, said, “The pressures we exert on the planet have become so great that scientists are considering whether the Earth has entered an entirely new geological epoch: the Anthropocene, or the age of humans. It means that we are the first people to live in an age defined by human choice, in which the dominant risk to our survival is ourselves.”
Conn is interested in openings in landscapes, associative and diagonal processes, visual and color fields, light and shadow, dream imagery, memory maps, whimsy, imagined spaces, intuitive drawing, biology in general and trees in particular, visual poetics, organic and geometric form, random markings, icebergs, and roadside attractions.
Carr is interested in organic form, the literary, process-driven failure, visual poetics, form in general, insouciance, dereliction, unsettling roadside stories, visual information, light filtering through trees, reiteration, elegance, memory, the realm of semblance, maps, light in general, contradiction, and deep rich black.
The exhibit runs from June 14th through July 7th at Childs + Clark Gallery, located at 684 Main Street in Great Barrington. There is an opening reception on Saturday, June 14th from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. More information can be found online.
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PS21 Chatham presents multi-GRAMMY-winning Kronos Quartet
Chatham, N.Y.— On Thursday, June 12th at 7:30 p.m., PS21 Chatham presents multi-GRAMMY-winning Kronos Quartet.
The New York Times said that the Kronos Quartet has “broken the boundaries of what string quartets do.” The program features world premieres by some of today’s most adventurous voices, and is a special celebration in honor of the 90th birthday of Terry Riley, known as the founding father of minimalism. Peter Askim leads a string orchestra of gifted early-career string players in Terry Riley’s “The Sands,” composed for Kronos, and the world premieres of Jungyoon Wie’s “Starlings,” inti figgis-vizueta’s “music by yourself” for string orchestra, and Askim’s own new work, “Songs My Mother Taught Me.” The program also includes GRAMMY-winning composer Pascal Le Boeuf’s kinetic “Transition Behavior” and “Serenade for Strings” by Jan Radzyknski.
The concert is on Thursday, June 12th at 7:30 p.m. at PS21 Chatham, located at 2980 Route 66 in Chatham, N.Y. Tickets and more information can be found online.
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Jacob’s Pillow welcomes Sekou McMiller’s ‘Afro Latin Jazz and Soul Experience’ to Pittsfield for a multi-day community residency
Pittsfield— From Thursday, June 12th through Sunday, June 15th, Jacob’s Pillow welcomes Sekou McMiller’s “Afro Latin Jazz and Soul Experience” to Pittsfield for a multi-day community residency.
This dynamic series of movement workshops, listening sessions, and dance parties, led by Sekou and his collaborators will immerse participants in themes from his upcoming premiere “Urban Love Suite,” which will be performed at Jacob’s Pillow the summer. The residency will explore the joy of celebration, parades, and rituals across cultures, from Mardi Gras in New Orleans to Carnival in Trinidad and other global festivities.
- Thursday, June 12th, 7 p.m to 8:30 p.m., Parading through Culture: A Community Gathering about Celebration, Ritual, and Movement at The Common Room, Zion Lutheran Church.
- Friday, June 13th, 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., “From Clave to Celebration: A Listening & Movement Experience” at WANDER Berkshires.
- Saturday, June 14th, 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m., Workshop: “A Joyful Celebration of Rhythm, Culture, and Movement” at Paterson Field House, Berkshire Community College.
- Saturday, June 14th, 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. (Dance Class) and 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. (Dance Party,) Berkshires Salsa at WANDER Berkshires.
- Sunday, June 15th, noon to 6 p.m., NAACP Juneteenth Celebration at Durant Park Sekou, a joyful day of community, culture, and connection for all ages.
All of the events are free and open to all. Registration and more information can be found online.
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Becket Arts Center celebrates pride with a panel on being a queer artist in the Berkshires
Becket— On Thursday, June 12th from 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., the Becket Arts Center celebrates pride with a panel on being a queer artist in the Berkshires.
The panel will feature Rachel Kaufman, Joanna Merfield, Christopher Pierce and Mitchell Seller, four of the 13 artists who are participating in a Berkshire LGBTQ+Pride Art Exhibit, on view at the Becket Arts Center from June 13th to July 6th. The artists will discuss their work, their inspirations and their experiences as queer artists.
A coalition of local organizations — the Becket Arts Center, Q-Mob, and the Berkshire Queer History Project — is sponsoring the art show as a creative response to federal efforts to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion measures in schools, businesses, government and other institutions.
The panel is on Thursday, June 12th from 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Becket Arts Center, located at 7 Brooker Hill Road in Becket. Admission is free and all are welcome. More information can be found online.
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Harvey Granat launches 7th season at Berkshire South with three programs honoring the Great American Songbook
Great Barrington— On Thursday, June 12th at 5:30 p.m., the 7th season of Harvey Granat’s summer series at Berkshire South Regional Community Center kicks off with a Lerner & Loewe show.
Granat’s shows are unique in that they typically focus on a composer and/or lyricist, combining his singing of their songs with fascinating “inside” stories of their lives, films, and shows. Many of these stories come from his collection of original letters written by these greats of American music including Gershwin, Berlin, Porter, Rodgers, Kern and Cahn among others.
Granat explains, “Lerner’s genius was not only in the lyrics he wrote, but also in writing the books of many of his shows and films, particularly An American in Paris. Loewe’s transition from European melody to Broadway is a fascinating story unto itself.” The audience will enjoy selections from “My Fair Lady,” “Camelot,” “Paint Your Wagon,” “Brigadoon,” “On a Clear Day,” and more.
The series continues on July 10th with “Fred Astaire: The Songwriters’ Favorite Singer.” The last program of the series takes place on August 14th with a tribute to Harold Arlen. Accompanying Granat at all three shows is his musical director, Rob Kelly, who regularly appears with local favorite Wanda Houston.
The Lerner & Loewe show is on Thursday, June 12th at 5:30 p.m. at Berkshire South Regional Community Center, located at 15 Crissey Road in Great Barrington. Tickets and more information can be found online.
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Berkshire County Historical Society reenacts the Marquis de Lafayette’s visit to Pittsfield
Pittsfield— On Friday, June 13th from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., Berkshire County Historical Society reenacts the Marquis de Lafayette visit to Pittsfield.
On June 13th in 1825, the Marquis de Lafayette visited Pittsfield as the “Nation’s Guest.” The only living general of the Revolutionary War, he arrived to great fanfare, music, and speeches, and thanked Americans for their generous hospitality.
You’re invited to Park Square to commemorate the bicentennial of his visit with a lively program of history and revelry. Events will include a reprise of Lafayette’s arrival by horse-drawn carriage and welcome to the city – complete with local dignitaries and officials, music by Berkshire Concert Choir and Berkshire Fife and Drum Corps, and a speech by Lafayette historic re-enactor Mark Schneider. Following the ceremony, there will be series of toasts reminiscent of those given 200 years ago at Hot Plate Brewing Co.
The free event is on Friday, June 13th from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at Park Square and Hot Plate Brewing Co. in downtown Pittsfield. More information can be found online.
