The first exhibition of the TurnPark Art Space 2024 season in the Garage Gallery opened with “Lost and Found” from multi-media artist Inna Zhukovsky-Zilber
West Stockbridge— Through July 31st, TurnPark Art Space’s Garage Gallery is transformed into an immersive storytelling vessel, Zhukovsky-Zilber traces the boundaries of contemporary experience through works of ceramics, textile, paintings, and found objects.
A map of a physical and metaphysical journey, “Lost and Found” is a deeply personal and universally resonant exhibition which embraces the inevitable ebb and flow of life, understanding that some things are forever lost while others are serendipitously found. “It is through this exploration of my personal journey,” explains Zhukovsky-Zilber, “I hope to evoke a sense of empathy and connection in others, reminding us all of the shared human experience that binds us together.”
The exhibit is open through July 31st at TurnPark Space at 2 Moscow Road in West Stockbridge. More information can be found online.
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Guild of Berkshire Artists to exhibit ‘Imaginings on Heaven and Earth: Pat Frick and Anne Ferril’ at Art On Main Gallery
West Stockbridge— From July 5th through July 14th, Guild of Berkshire Artists will exhibit ‘Imaginings on Heaven and Earth: Pat Frick and Anne Ferril’ at Art On Main Gallery.
Pat Frik’s Fiber Art pieces are inspired by the patterns and textures found in nature. She uses multi-colored threads, often with whimsical effect, to create her work on fabrics that may have been dyed in multiple ways, or enhanced with photographic images. The small scale of this imagery invites close inspection as well as the viewer’s imagination, as the divisions between reality and abstraction have become blurred.
Anne Ferril said “I made my first moon jar 9 years ago. but it wasn’t until I moved to the Berkshires that the moon became a greater presence in my life. I often see the shadows of the trees created by the light of the moon and the moon guides me as I drive the dark roads at night. My work in this show is an attempt to reflect the quiet delight of the moon.”
The exhibit runs from July 5th through July 14th at the Art On Main Gallery at 38 Main Street in West Stockbridge. There is an opening reception On Saturday, July 6th from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. More information can be found online.
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Shakespeare & Company presents ‘Shake It Up: A Shakespeare Cabaret’
Lenox— From July 2nd through July 7th, Shakespeare & Company continues its 47th season with “Shake It Up: A Shakespeare Cabaret” at the Tina Packer Playhouse.
“Shake It Up: A Shakespeare Cabaret” has transformed the playhouse into an upscale club, complete with cafe tables, signature cocktails, and chandeliers for a celebration of Shakespeare-influenced music, text, and storytelling. “Shakespeare was the original rock and roller,” said Artistic Director Allyn Burrows. “Or if he wasn’t, his friends certainly were.”
Performances run July 2nd through July 7th at Shakespeare & Company’s Tina Packer Playhouse on Kemble Street in Lenox. Tickets are $50, general admission. Tickets and more information can be found online.
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Great Barrington Public Theater presents Oren Safdie’s ‘Survival of the Unfit’ directed by Matthew Penn
Great Barrington— From July 6th through July 21st, Great Barrington Public Theater presents Oren Safdie’s “Survival of the Unfit” directed by Matthew Penn.
“Survival of the Unfit” the American premiere, by Oren Safdie takes audiences to a whip-smart, mercilessly comic meet-the-parents dinner party where honesty is dished up, and everything is put on the table. A recent hit at the Moscow Theater of The Modern Play, the story touches on themes of love, loss, loyalty, the acceptance of others shortcomings, and redefines what family means now. Matthew Penn directs Emmy winner Carolyn Hennesy, Obie winner Daniel Gerroll, Helen Hayes Award winner Vincent Randazzo, and Sarah Keyes. “Survival of the Unfit” plays Thurs-Sat 7:30pm; Sat. & Sun. 3pm, in the McConnell mainstage theater.
The outstanding ensemble cast includes General Hospital favorite and Emmy winner Carolyn Hennesy as the mother whose iron grip, interference, and scathing tongue has no boundaries.
The show runs July 6th through July 21st in the McConnell Mainstage Theater at Bard College of Simon’s Rock at 84 Alford Road in Great Barrington. More information can be found online.
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Clark Art Institute presents ‘Fragile Beauty: Treasures from the Corning Museum of Glass’
Williamstown— From July 4th through October 27th, the Clark Art Institute presents ‘Fragile Beauty: Treasures from the Corning Museum of Glass.”
For thousands of years, glassmakers have combined sand, chemicals, minerals, heat, and air to create useful and decorative objects. Drawn from the vast collection of the Corning Museum of Glass in Corning, New York, “Fragile Beauty: Treasures from the Corning Museum of Glass” demonstrates how makers from across time and around the globe have taken inspiration from the natural world to create dazzling works of art.
The objects in the exhibition range in date from antiquity to the present and show a remarkable breadth of color, technique, form, design, and function. Some of these luxurious objects were made for practical use, such as drinking glasses, vases, and pitchers. Others are purely decorative, from a life-size lemon to a giant flower. Together they suggest the range of creative expression glass artists have achieved.
“We often speak of the importance of appreciating art in nature,” said Olivier Meslay, Hardymon Director of the Clark. “The influence and inspiration of nature is at the forefront of this exhibition, presenting exquisite glass objects that represent the finest craftsmanship in the world.”
The exhibit is on view from July 4th through October 27th at the Clark Art Institute on South Street in Williamstown. More information can be found online.
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Norfolk Chamber Music Festival presents ‘Charles Ives and the American Tradition: Ives: Likes & Dislikes’
Norfolk, Conn.— On Friday, July 5th at 8 p.m., Norfolk Chamber Music Festival presents “Charles Ives and the American Tradition: Ives: Likes & Dislikes.”
Despite a reputation as a musical maverick, Ives had tastes that one might consider conservative. He was a big fan of Beethoven and Franck, but had a distaste for the important modernist composer Edgard Varèse.
The concert features Tara Helen O’Connor on flute, Scott Hartman on trombone, Rieko Aizawa on piano, with the Norfolk Fellows.
The concert is on Friday, July 5th at 8 p.m. at the Norfolk Festival Music Shed at 20 Litchfield Road in Norfolk, Conn. Tickets are $35 to $75, $10 for young adults ages 19 to 35, and free for youth under age 19. There is a free pre-concert conversation at 7 p.m. in the Battell House. Tickets and more information can be found online.
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Bard Queer Leadership Program launches ‘Leading Queer’ podcast series
Great Barrington— The Simon’s Rock Bard Queer Leadership Program’s (BQLP) “Leading Queer” premiered its first three episodes this month.
Beginning in April, the monthly “Leading Queer” podcast is part of the BQLP’s efforts to showcase queer leaders from diverse sexual orientations and gender identities, ages, career paths, and fields of interest.
According to BQLP Director Dr. Carla Stephens, “Our guests are models and provoke areas of inquiry for our students through storytelling about their lived experience, intellectual exploration, career paths, and visions for the future. We host guest leaders on campus for the BQLP Queer Leaders Vision Forums and hope to impact a wider audience with the monthly podcast that we are working on expanding to both Amazon and Apple podcast platforms in addition to Spotify. It is really important for queer youth, and everyone, to know that there are queer leaders all around, clearing a pathway and tapping on the rainbow ceiling.”
All episodes are hosted by the team of Dr. Stephens, Provost John Weinstein, and Center for Equity, Inclusion and Community Program Manager Kirsten Keels, and are supported by Senior Instructional Technologist Monk Schane-Lyndon.
The first episode features attorney, educator, and consultant Dr. Joel A. Davis Brown, Esq., followed by composer and pianist, Joy Redmond, composer of “Hairpiece,” a one-act opera about gender expression with a non-binary character in the second episode. The third episode features Tech Entrepreneur, creator of the online Sex Education platform, O.School, and Simon’s Rock alumni Andrea Barrica. Listen to the first three episodes on Spotify, Amazon, and Apple Music.
