Mad Rose Gallery presents ‘Return to Fidjrossè’ and ‘Fred Stein: Icons of the 20th Century,’ a dual exhibition
Millerton, N.Y.— Now through April 30th, Mad Rose Gallery presents “Return to Fidjrossè” and “Fred Stein: Icons of the 20th Century,” a dual exhibition.
“Return to Fidjrossè” explores the art of the West African nation of Benin. The exhibition emerges from a project undertaken by gallery co-founder Neal Rosenthal and the Mad Rose Foundation. It was curated from time the foundation spent in the company of an artists’ collaborative situated in the Fidjrossè district of Cotonou, Benin’s commercial capital. The featured artists include Anne-Marie Akplogan, painter; Eric Mededa, painter; Mahoussi Pierre, mixed media, painter and sculptor; Marius Dansou, sculptor; Nobel Koty, painter; and Syl Loko, mixed media.
“Fred Stein: Icons of the 20th Century” features 50 iconic portraits of the figures who shaped the 20th century by Master Photographer Fred Stein. Albert Einstein, Salvador Dali, Georgia O’Keeffe, Eleanor Roosevelt, Arthur Miller, Norman Mailer, Frank Lloyd Wright, and Fidel Castro…are a few of the illustrious figures in this living pantheon of 20th-century portraits.
The exhibits are on view now through April 30th at the Mad Rose Gallery Mercantile Building, located at 3 Main Street in Millerton, N.Y. There is an opening reception on Saturday, February 21st from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. More information can be found online.
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MASS MoCA presents work-in-progress showing of Robin Frohardt’s ‘Shopping Center of the Universe’
North Adams— On Friday, February 20th at 7 p.m., MASS MoCA presents a work-in-progress showing of Robin Frohardt’s “Shopping Center of the Universe.”
Herb Alpert Award-winner Robin Frohardt, whose immersive, multimedia experience “The Plastic Bag Store” captivated audiences at MASS MoCA in 2024, returns to the museum for a preview of “Shopping Center of the Universe,” a theatrical work of speculative nonfiction.
This new work in development, grounded in reality yet deeply reflective, offers a poetic meditation on our relationship with the natural world. Blending puppetry, prose, original music, and intricate handmade sets, Frohardt gives shape to the cultural and personal curiosity she experienced growing up surrounded by big-box stores. This genre-defying, live-cinema project is her innovative attempt to reconcile the predicament of being born a soul in a body raised in Walmart.
Frohardt is an award-winning theater and film director. Her narrative-based film, puppetry, and sculpture use recognizable materials, often trash, to create richly detailed worlds that make magic of the mundane and highlight the trivialities of daily life. Her theatrical work has earned her a Guggenheim Fellowship, a Creative Capital Award, multiple Jim Henson Foundation Grants, and the Herb Alpert Prize. Following the six-month run of “The Plastic Bag Store,” it was recognized by Hyperallergic as one of “the Top 50 Exhibitions Around the World in 2024.”
The showing is on Friday, February 20th at 7 p.m. at MASS MoCA, located at 1040 MASS MoCA WAY in North Adams. Tickets and more information can be found online.
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Kaatsbaan Cultural Park presents preview of new work by the Bang Group
Tivoli, N.Y.— On Friday, February 20th at 6 p.m., Kaatsbaan Cultural Park presents a preview of new work by the Bang Group.
The Bang Group, directed by choreographer David Parker and dancer Jeffrey Kazin, are known to Kaatsbaan audiences for “Nut/Cracked,” their uproarious retake on “The Nutcracker.” During the rest of the year, the company produces works that reveal a vital and robust commitment to rhythm, using tap dance, body percussion, voice, and movement.
The company will show brand-new works-in-progress that are part of a project called “Sodbusters.” The piece breaks up traditional ideas about tap and percussive dance with humor, invention, gesture, and endless rhythmic play.
The preview is on Friday, February 20th at 6 p.m. at Kaatsbaan Cultural Park, located at 120 Broadway in Tivoli, N.Y. Tickets and more information can be found online.
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Community groups present “W.E.B. Du Bois – An American Hero” at Monument Mountain Regional High School
Great Barrington— On Saturday, February 21st from 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., the Schumacher Center, Multicultural BRIDGE, BerkShares Local, the Du Bois Freedom Center, and the NAACP Berkshire County Branch present “W.E.B. Du Bois – An American Hero” at Monument Mountain Regional High School.
“W.E.B. Du Bois – An American Hero” celebrates W.E.B. Du Bois, the original trailblazer for equality and justice. Dive into the story of this incredible American hero who changed history with his passion, wisdom, and courage. The play was written by New York City-based actor and producer Chad Lawson Cooper and stars Jeffrey Du Bois Peck, great grandson of Du Bois, in the title role.
The play is on Saturday, February 21st from 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at Monument Mountain Regional High School, located at 600 Stockbridge Road in Great Barrington. Tickets and more information can be found online.
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Great Barrington Public Theater CHAT GPT series continues with ‘The Great Adventure of Making Non-Traditional Theater’
Great Barrington— On Tuesday, February 17th at 7 p.m., Great Barrington Public Theater CHAT GPT series continues with ‘“he Great Adventure of Making Non-Traditional Theater.”
This month’s panel, moderated by our GBPT Artistic Director Team Judy Braha and Jim Frangione, is made up of some of the most creative and innovative theater-makers around.
From Randolyn Zinn and Allen McCullough, the Co-Founders and Artistic Directors of the inventive Living Room Theater Company, to Patrick Gabridge, the Producing Artistic Director and Founder of the truly unique Plays In Place, to Genée Coreno, the Artistic Director of the groundbreaking WAM Theater, these four know a thing or two about how to make non-traditional, revolutionary, and absolutely transformative theater. Each of these theaters, and the Artistic Directors behind them, are doing things a little differently, and this conversation will be enlightening!
The chat is on Tuesday, February 17th at 7 p.m. at St. James Place, located at 352 Main Street in Great Barrington. Tickets and more information can be found online.
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Flynn Pianos presents Piano Lovers’ Dream,’ an intimate evening of piano, storytelling, and improvisation with Italian pianist and showman Ivan Dalia
Great Barrington— On Saturday, February 21st at 6:30 p.m. and Sunday, February 22nd at 11 a.m., Flynn Pianos presents Piano Lovers’ Dream,’ an intimate evening of piano, storytelling, and improvisation with Italian pianist and showman Ivan Dalia.
This is more than a traditional concert; it weaves together virtuoso piano performance with lively, unscripted stories about rare instruments, craftsmanship, and a life spent between European classical music, world music, and jazz.
The program is built around spectacular restored grand pianos prepared by master piano technician and dealer Terry Flynn, whom Ivan calls “the best piano technician of my life,” giving audiences a chance to hear exceptional instruments up close in a small, salon-style setting.
The concert is on Saturday, February 21st at 6:30 p.m. and Sunday, February 22nd at 11 a.m. at Flynn Pianos Workshop & Gallery, located at 420 Stockbridge Road in Great Barrington. There will be an informal artist reception with refreshments. Tickets and more information can be found online.
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Berkshire Children’s Chorus welcomes singers
Pittsfield— The Berkshire Children’s Chorus welcomes new singers for its spring season. Children from grades three through eight are welcome to sing together, build community, and play games.
The chorus meets twice monthly on Sunday afternoons from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. The next rehearsal is on Sunday, February 22nd at The Common Room at Zion Lutheran Church, located at 74 First Street inPittsfield. More information can be found online. To express interest, email programs@berkshirechildrenschorus.org.
