Bits & Bytes: Humane Race; neuropsychology lecture; veterans’ info session; prison education conference; ‘What I See’ art exhibit

Humane Race to benefit homeless animals

North Adams — Berkshire Humane Society’s 17th annual Humane Race, a timed 5K run and 1-mile fun walk benefitting homeless animals, will take place Saturday, April 27, at 10 a.m. at Colegrove Park Elementary School.

Participants are invited to run and walk with or without a leashed canine companion. Proceeds will benefit BHS and the homeless animals of the Berkshires. The race will be timed by Berkshire Running Center. Volunteers from BHS’ Humane Hero program will host a canine snack station with homemade pupsicles and doggy ice cream. The Humane Hero program teaches children about animals and organizes shelter events and group volunteer activities at the shelter.

Check-in and day-of registration begins at 9 a.m. Runners and walkers are encouraged to register in advance. Participants who opt to collect pledges for BHS have a chance to win prizes. For more information, contact (413) 447-7878 x145 or social@berkshirehumane.org.

–E.E.

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Simon’s Rock to host lecture on neuropsychology and social justice

Desiree Byrd, Ph.D. Photo courtesy Bard College at Simon’s Rock

Great Barrington — Desiree Byrd, Ph.D., will deliver the presentation “Cultural Considerations in Neuropsychological Assessment” Thursday, April 25, from 7:15 to 9 p.m. at Bard College at Simon’s Rock’s Fisher Science Center.

In her talk, Byrd will share her research and clinical experiences about health differences in normal cognitive aging and cognitive dysfunction in relation to cultural identity and social justice. Byrd’s talk will consider the interaction of neuropsychological impairment in diverse communities and how to establish more equitable services for marginalized populations.

Byrd is a board-certified neuropsychologist, and an associate professor of neurology and psychiatry at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Her interests are HIV/AIDS, substance use, and health disparities and culture in the expression of cognitive dysfunction in central nervous system disease, especially in underserved populations. Byrd taught psychology at Bard High School Early College in Manhattan and has served on several committees for the American Psychology Association’s Society for Clinical Neuropsychology, the National Academy of Neuropsychology, the Harlem Community & Academic Partnership, and the International Neuropsychological Society. Her work has been funded by the Alzheimer’s Association and the National Institute on Aging, and has been published in numerous neuropsychological, psychiatric and medical journals.

The talk is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Bard College of Simon’s Rock at (413) 644-4400 or info@simons-rock.edu.

–E.E.

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American Legion, VFW to hold veterans’ benefits info session

Housatonic — On Saturday, April 27, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. the Murphy-Leary American Legion Post 298 and the Adams-Budz VFW Post 8183 will hold an open house at the VFW that includes a detailed presentation of federal and state Veterans Administration benefits.

The program will include information on VA care as well as veterans’ benefits and eligibility, particularly as they pertain to active, reserve, National Guard, and Titles 10 and 32. The presenter will be VA representative Bryan Doe, who is a veteran outreach program specialist. Assisting will be Michael King, case manager for the Pittsfield Veterans Outreach Center and a retired Army sergeant major.

Light refreshments will be served. Attending veterans are asked to bring copies of their DD Form 214 (Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty). A question-and-answer session will be held at the end of the presentation. Participants are asked to send questions to johnkvocka@hotmail.com, which be forwarded to the presenters in advance of the event.

–E.E.

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Conference to focus on role, future of liberal arts in prison education

Daniel Karpowitz. Photo courtesy Bard College

Bennington, Vt. — Bennington College’s Center for the Advancement of Public Action will host its annual Incarceration in America conference Friday, April 26, and Saturday, April 27, on the subject of “Freeing the Mind and Building a Future: The Role and Future of the Liberal Arts in Prison Education.”

The conference will begin Friday, April 26, at 7 p.m. with “Fateful Crossroads: The Future of College and Prison,” a keynote address given by Daniel Karpowitz, who served for 18 years as a classroom teacher, policy analyst, and national director for the Bard Prison Initiative and the Consortium for the Liberal Arts in Prison. He has held fellowships at the University of Chicago Law School, Fulbright Foundation and the Open Society Institute, and is leading a National Endowment for the Humanities faculty seminar. He is now a senior advisor to the governor of Minnesota, focused on the structural intersection of criminal justice and education. Karpowitz is the author of “College in Prison: Reading in an Age of Mass Incarceration.” On Saturday, April 27, the conference will continue with panel discussions including “Liberal Arts Colleges in Prisons: Mission and Pitfalls.”

All events are free and open to the public. Registration is recommended. For a full schedule of events and to register, see the Berkshire Edge calendar or contact Bennington College at (802) 442-5401 or capa@bennington.edu.

–E.E.

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‘Landscape’ by Henry Demski. Image courtesy Community Access to the Arts

CATA presents ‘What I See’ art exhibit

North Adams — Community Access to the Arts presents “What I See,” an exhibit of artwork by CATA artists with disabilities. at Tunnel City Coffee at MASS MoCA through Sunday, June 30. A public reception will be held Thursday, April 25, from 1 to 2 p.m. with many of the artists in attendance.

The exhibit includes work by CATA artists with disabilities from across Berkshire County, with a focus on work by artists from Berkshire Family & Individual Resources and United Cerebral Palsy. The works range widely in stylistic expression and scale of size. All works in the exhibit are professionally matted, framed and available for sale, with proceeds supporting commissions for individual artists. This event is part of CATA’s Art on Tour program, in which original works of art created by CATA artists travel throughout the year to museums, galleries, community centers and other venues in Berkshire and Columbia counties.

The event is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Community Access to the Arts at (413) 528-5485 or info@CATAarts.org.

–E.E.