Clark Art Institute opens ’50 Years and Forward’ exhibition on its British prints and drawings acquisitions
Williamstown— On Saturday, November 18th, in celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of its Manton Research Center, The Clark Art Institute opens “50 Years and Forward”, an exhibition on its British prints and drawings acquisitions.
“The Manton Research Center is the home of our works on paper collection and its fiftieth anniversary commemoration provides us with a wonderful opportunity to showcase the exceptional British prints and drawings that are a part of this collection,” said Olivier Meslay, Hardymon Director of the Clark.
For museum founders Sterling and Francine Clark, works by artists from the British Isles did not constitute a major collecting focus. British art was largely eclipsed by the French Impressionist, American, and early modern paintings that became central to the museum’s identity. The emergence of British art as a significant collecting area is a recent phenomenon that was made possible by a transformative gift from Sir Edwin and Lady Manton’s collection of British art, donated by the Manton Art Foundation in 2007. British art soared dramatically in significance and visibility at the Clark, and a dedicated gallery created as a result of that gift allows works from the Manton Collection, mostly paintings, to be on permanent display. The light-sensitive works on paper, such as prints and drawings, can be on view only for short intervals, therefore, this exhibition is a rare opportunity to present the broad scope of the Clark’s British collection
The exhibit runs through February 11th in the Eugene V. Thaw Gallery in the Manton Research Center at The Clark Art Institute on South Street in Williamstown. More information can be found online.
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Norman Rockwell Museum mounts first major American retrospective of Leo Lionni
Stockbridge— On Saturday, November 18th, Norman Rockwell Museum opens the first major American retrospective of artist Leo Lionni, a groundbreaking modernist graphic designer and magazine art director who gained worldwide popularity as the writer and illustrator of nearly 40 children’s books in as many years.
“Between Worlds: The Art and Design of Leo Lionni” explores the artist’s vision and legacy across three distinct yet interrelated domains: graphic art and design; children’s books; and personal works in various media.
Together with Stephanie Haboush Plunkett, “Between Worlds: The Art and Design of Leo Lionni” is co-curated by author and children’s book historian Leonard S. Marcus, one of the world’s foremost authorities on children’s books, and illustration and design historian Steven Heller, who has written widely on graphic design, illustration, and political art. The Museum is also working closely with Annie Lionni, the artist’s granddaughter, who had a close relationship with her renowned grandfather and administers his art.
Reflecting on Lionni’s significance as a children’s book creator, co-curator Leonard S. Marcus said, “Leo Lionni was a philosopher-artist and storyteller who grappled with the question of how self and society can best be brought into proper balance. His beguiling picture books are fertile ground for thoughtful reflection on friendship, selfhood, and community—for children and for adults. It is a pleasure to present this artist and the artform he reimagined and made his own.
The exhibit runs through May 27th at the Norman Rockwell Museum on Glendale Road in Stockbridge. More information can be found online.
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‘Heart of the Andes’ debuts at Olana
Hudson— On Sunday, November 19th, the Olana Partnership and Olana State Historic Site announced today the new exhibition titled, “SPECTACLE: Frederic Church and The Business of Art”.
Using immersive video technology, “SPECTACLE” will bring visitors a 21st century way of viewing Frederic Church’s great masterwork, “The Heart of the Andes”, and this exhibition highlights the showmanship and marketing that Church used to promote the debut of this work in 1859.
Frederic Church’s “The Heart of the Andes” (1859) was the pinnacle of his critical and popular success as America’s preeminent landscape artist. “The Heart of the Andes” was Church’s second masterwork and directly responded to the influence of the great German naturalist Alexander von Humboldt. Humboldt’s writings inspired Church’s South American travels and the resulting masterpieces that made him internationally famous and informed Church’s later trips. “The finished painting includes over 100 identifiable plant species over 5 separate environmental zones from the top of Mount Chimborazo down to the Amazon River basin in one picture” said Eleanor Jones Harvey, Senior Curator at the Smithsonian American Art Museum. This final masterpiece is permanently on view in the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s American Wing in New York City.
“SPECTACLE” will immerse visitors in Church’s display of a “great picture,” evoking the showmanship of these single painting exhibitions, which famously incorporated dramatic frames, props, and lighting, and even encouraged attendees to bring opera glasses for optimal close viewing. Visitors will experience an animated digital exploration of The Heart of the Andes narrated by Eleanor Jones Harvey, Senior Curator at the Smithsonian American Art Museum and created in collaboration with the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
The exhibition runs through March 24th at Olana State Historic Site on NY 9-G in Hudson. More information can be found online.
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Concerts in the Village presents Beethoven’s ‘Fidelio’
Kinderhook, N.Y. — On Sunday, November 19th at 2:30 p.m., Concerts in the Village (CITV) presents “Fidelio”, Beethoven’s only opera, in concert at Kinderhook Reformed Church. This will be the Capital Region’s first performance of Beethoven’s remarkable opera.
Artistic Director David Smith will conduct, and Wheelock Whitney will guide the opera’s riveting narrative of a wife’s determined love for her husband and courageous actions to save his life, and more universally, Beethoven’s own passionate commitment to personal and political freedom. Composed at the very beginning of the 19th century, the message of Fidelio has clear relevance at the beginning of the 21st.
The dramatic role of Leonore (Fidelio), the opera’s heroine, will be sung by soprano Caroline Dunigan, recently returned from Germany and well-known to CITV audiences for her performances of works by Saint-Säens, Mendelssohn, Vaughan Williams, Haydn and Schubert. Ms. Dunigan’s opera roles have included works of Britten, Donizetti, Mozart, Weill, and others.
The concert is on Sunday, November 19th at 2:30 p.m. at the Kinderhook Reformed Church on Broad Street in Kinderhook. Tickets are $25 and free for students and children. More information can be found online.
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Taconic Music presents Thanksgiving concert
Manchester, Vt. — On Saturday, November 25th at 2 p.m., Taconic Music will present its eighth annual Thanksgiving concert.
Taconic Music’s co-artistic directors Joana Genova and Ariel Rudiakov will be joined by Deborah Buck and Hannah Holman to perform Beethoven’s “String Quartet in D Major, Op. 18 no. 3” and Allen Shawn’s “Sleepless Night”. Of Beethoven’s six quartets in Op. 18, the “D Major quartet” is certainly the most genial and relaxed. Its mood is bright, lyrical, and humorous with just a touch of poignancy. Allen Shawn’s “Sleepless Night” is a string quartet in a single movement which he composed while residing at the Yaddo artist’s colony in Saratoga Springs in the Summer of 1996, and it was premiered in 2000 in Manchester.
The concert is on Saturday, November 25th at 2 p.m. in the Manchester Community Library on Cemetery Avenue in Manchester. More information can be found online.
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New grant for north Berkshire artists
Northern Berkshire— A4A is offering our first-ever Capacity-Building Grant program for artists across all of the northern Berkshires, with the aim of recognizing the many connections between the vibrant creative communities that surround MASS MoCA. Eligible artists will live in Adams, Cheshire, Clarksburg, Florida, Hancock, Lanesborough, New Ashford, North Adams, Monroe, Savoy, or Williamstown.
MASS MoCA’s Assets for Artists Capacity Building Grant Program pairs an unrestricted micro-grant of $2,000 with professional development tools for artists to design and build their creative future. In this program, each artist determines what they need from a broad array of professional development and network-building opportunities, which means that each artist’s path through the program will look a little different.
Applications are open now through December 15th. Questions? Attend a live Q&A on Monday, November 20th. More information can be found online.
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The Southern Berkshire Public Health Collaborative is sponsoring a weekend Flu and COVID vaccination clinic
Southern Berkshire— The Southern Berkshire Public Health Collaborative is sponsoring a Flu and COVID Vaccination Clinic on Saturday, December 2nd from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the W.E.B. Dubois Middle School, located at 313 Monument Valley Road in Great Barrington.
The following vaccines will be available at this clinic:
FLU Vaccine
- Ages 6 months and older: Normal Dose
- Ages 65+: Senior Dose
COVID-19 Vaccine
- Ages 6 months – 11 years old: Moderna Only
- Ages 12 and older: Pfizer and Moderna
The vaccines are no cost, but please bring your insurance card. You do not need an ID or health insurance to get a vaccine. Wear a short-sleeved shirt. Online registration is strongly encouraged since walk-ins will only be available if there is enough vaccine available. Have questions or need help registering?Contact Jayne Smith by calling 413-717-8922 or by emailing jayne@tritownhealth.org.
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Senator Mark and Representative Pignatelli invite the public to Berkshire County forum
Sheffield — On Wednesday, November 29th from 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m., State Senator Paul W. Mark and state Representative William “Smitty” Pignatelli invite the public to a “ReMarks and Refreshments” forum at the Sheffield Town Hall at 21 Depot Square.
Senator Mark and Representative Pignatelli will share some legislative updates from the State House. They will welcome the public to ask questions or offer up comments about opportunities and/or challenges facing the Town of Sheffield and Western Massachusetts.
The Sheffield “ReMarks and Refreshments” event is one in a series of public forums Senator Mark is organizing in an effort to reach all 57 communities.
