Berkshire Juneteenth celebrations
PITTSFIELD – A host of activities are planned to celebrate Juneteenth this weekend. Juneteenth, also known as Black Independence Day, is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the emancipation of the last enslaved African-Americans. Originating in Galveston, Texas, it has been celebrated annually on June 19 in various parts of the United States since 1865.
On Friday, June 17 at 2 p.m., a mural by artist Frances Chlöe Jones-Whitman will be unveiled on the south side of the Adlib Building at the corner of Columbus Avenue and North Street. The mural is a Mount Rushmore depiction featuring local legends in the Black community and is an homage to those who are past and present symbols of Black Excellence. There will also be a screening of the first episode of the The Black Legacy Project docuseries at the Colonial Theater, followed by a community conversation. The event is free & open to all, but tickets are required. The Black Legacy Project is a national project of musical celebration of Black history to advance racial solidarity, equity, and belonging.
On Saturday, June 18, a mural of Ruby Bridges Hall titled “Walk With her” will be unveiled at 12 p.m. The mural, created by Pops Peterson, is displayed on a concrete wall below Jubilee Hill, on College Way in the West Side of Pittsfield. The mural is inspired by Peterson’s reimagining of Rockwell’s 1964 painting, “The Problem We All Live With.”
On Sunday, June 19, The Juneteenth Collaborative Committee invites you to its first annual Juneteenth Celebration from 12–7 p.m. at Durant Park, Pittsfield. The event is the new reimagining of the former Gather-In Festival. It will be a celebration of freedom with a day filled with music, dance, spoken word, activities, basketball clinics, food, and vendors. The Juneteenth Celebration will offer family-friendly activities including a bouncy house, a video game van, potato sack races, and art projects. Plus, the first 200 kids to the festival will receive free ice cream, and free lunch will be offered for children under 13 while supplies last.
—A.J.
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London’s National Theater at Mahaiwe
GREAT BARRINGTON — On Saturday, June 18 at 7 p.m., London’s National Theater performance of Henry V will be broadcast at the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center. The play is captured from the Donmar Warehouse in London.
Kit Harington, known for his role as Jon Snow in Game of Thrones, plays the title role in Shakespeare’s thrilling study of nationalism, war and the psychology of power. Fresh to the throne, King Henry V launches England into a bloody war with France. When his campaign encounters resistance, this inexperienced new ruler must prove he is fit to guide a country into war.
Directed by Max Webster, this exciting modern production explores what it means to be English and the relationship to Europe, asking: do we ever get the leaders we deserve?
Tickets are $17 for adults and $10 for anyone under 21, and can be purchased online.
—A.J.
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Scoville Memorial Library Book Sale
SALISBURY, Conn. — The Scoville Memorial Library in Salisbury, Conn., will host a book sale on Saturday, June 18 from 
10 a.m.-2 p.m. The sale is organized by the “Friends of the Library,” a volunteer group that supports and advocates for the library. The sale will include a great selection of titles for all ages and interests.
—A.J.
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Conversation between Brigadier General Peter B. Zwack (Ret.) and Foreign Correspondent Jim Brooke
STOCKBRIDGE — On Thursday, June 16, from 6-7 p.m., the Stockbridge Library, Museum, & Archives will present a timely discussion about Ukraine and Russia. Brigadier General Peter B. Zwack (Ret.), an expert in Russian and Eurasian security issues, will be in conversation with Jim Brooke, a journalist who has spent several years covering Russian and Ukraine.
Brigadier General Peter B. Zwack (Ret.) served as the United States Senior Defense Official and Attaché to the Russian Federation during 2012-2014, a period which included Russia’s first invasion of Ukraine. Retired in 2015 after 34 years of military service, he served for four years as the Russia-Eurasia Fellow in the Institute for National Strategic Studies within the National Defense University. BG Zwack is currently a Global Fellow at the Kennan Institute within the Woodrow Wilson Center for Scholars. He also serves as an Adjunct Fellow at the Pell Center for International Relations, and is the author of two recently published memoirs; “Swimming the Volga – a US Army Officer’s Experiences in pre-Putin Russia” and “Afghanistan Kabul Kurier.”
Jim Brooke is a Berkshires native and lifelong foreign correspondent. He worked as a journalist for eight years in Moscow, first as Bloomberg Bureau Chief, then as the Voice of America correspondent for the former Soviet Union. In September, he completed six years of reporting and living in Kyiv, Ukraine.
The event will be held in the Bement Room of the Stockbridge Library. For more information, email info@stockbridgelibrary.org.
—A.J.
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Father’s Day activities slated at Clark Art Institute
WILLIAMSTOWN— On Sunday, June 19, the Clark Art Institute will offer special Father’s Day programming. Art-making activities will be offered from 1-4 p.m., and a special gallery guide will lead a self-directed walk-through of the galleries focused on fathers and father figures. After getting inspired by the collection, visitors can make a card or bookmark to share with the special people in their lives.
All activities will be free with gallery admission. Admission is $20; free year-round for Clark members, all visitors age 21 and under, and students with a valid student ID. Free admission is available through several programs, including First Sundays Free; a local library pass program; and EBT Card to Culture. For information on these programs and more, visit clarkart.edu or call 413-458-2303.
—A.J.
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Exhibit of collaborative 5-stories-high mural opens
WINSTED, Conn. — On Saturday, June 18, the American Mural Project (AMP) will open a new exhibit featuring a massive three-dimensional mural. The mural, measuring 120 feet long and five stories high, reveals a visual narrative of Americans at work and celebrates the various professions that have shaped American culture over the past century.
Incorporating artistic contributions from thousands of children across the country, the mural features a vivid compilation of three-dimensional sculptural vignettes. Constructed with unconventional materials, the mural offers an optical journey and sensory adventure through the past 100 years of work in America.
A veteran artist, photographer, and designer, Ellen Griesedieck first conceived of the mural in 1999, with a vision to create a giant collaborative artwork that celebrates American ingenuity, productivity, and commitment to work. Through partnerships with schools, other nonprofits, and professionals in a range of fields, AMP has engaged more than 15,000 students and adults across the country in creating pieces of the mural.
Beyond the mural exhibit, education programs are AMP’s primary focus and include programs for schools and teachers, after-school partnerships, summer enrichment sessions, and an apprentice-style internship program.
AMP is located at 90 Whiting Street in Winsted, Connecticut. Open Friday and Saturday, 10am–5pm, and Sunday, 12–5pm, year-round. Additional Thursday hours are planned. $12 adults, $10 seniors and veterans, $5 students, and free for children age 4 and younger. $25 unlimited pass, for use during open hours in 2022. Tickets and passes can be purchased at americanmuralproject.org or in person.
—A.J.
