15th annual Hilltown 6 Pottery Tour to be in-person and online
WESTERN MASS. — In celebration of its 15th year, the Hilltown 6 potters will be returning to their traditional fourth weekend in July (Saturday and Sunday, July 24–25, 2021) to welcome visitors back to their studios. The popular Hilltown 6 Pottery Tour will offer acclaimed ceramic artists’ wares for viewing and purchase, along with kiln and studio tours.
The tour has earned national recognition as one of the premier craft events in the Northeast, drawing visitors from across the region and beyond. Hilltown 6 celebrates a diversity of expression of this ancient yet contemporary art, showcasing work from functional mugs to sculptural objects, in an array of varied clays, colors, surfaces, and forms. This year, guest artists will bring fresh variety to the online offerings on view.
Visitors will be able to meet the potters and learn about their work styles and practices, watch a master potter turn a hunk of clay into a pot, and view the inside a massive wood kiln and hear how it is fired during free demonstrations throughout the weekend.
New this year: For the first time, longtime Hilltown 6 member Michael McCarthy will be welcoming visitors to his studio in Goshen.
Most of the pottery studios plan to be open to the public and will follow all CDC and state guidelines. Check the website for up-to-the-minute details, should public health considerations necessitate any changes, and to view a map to help you plan your tour. Members and guest artists will also offer their wares online during the tour.
This group of nationally recognized potters include Robbie Heidinger, Christy Knox, Maya Machin, Michael McCarthy, Hiroshi Nakayama, Mark Shapiro, Eric Smith, Constance Talbot, and Sam Taylor.
The 2021 guest artists include: William Baker, NC; Hayne Bayless, CT; Ben Bonsall, MA; Annette Gates, MA; Ellen Grenadier, MA; Arthur Halvorsen, MA; Will Hubbard, NY; Janel Jacobson, MN; Jeffrey Lipton, ME; Mathew Munier, VT; Mary Risley, MA; Romulus Craft, VT; Will Swanson, MN; Tandem Pottery, MA; Joy Tanner, NC; Sumiyo Toribe, MA; and Tom White, MA.
Hilltown 6 donates a portion of revenue from this weekend sale to support the distribution of art supplies to local public schools. Visit the website for more information.
—A.K.
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Railroad Street Youth Project 2021 scholarship awardee named
GREAT BARRINGTON — Railroad Street Youth Project (RSYP), the youth empowerment nonprofit organization that advocates for and invests in young people in southern Berkshire County, today announced that Stephanie Celis was awarded the fourth annual Railroad Street Youth Student Empowerment (RYSE) Scholarship.
The scholarship is the culmination of the RYSE Program, an intergenerational collaboration. Created in 2017 by local youth leader Key Estime in partnership with their peers, RSYP staff, and board members, the program provides an opportunity for students to explore options after high school — whether at a private, state, or community college, through a gap year, or at a vocational school — in a safe and supportive space. Students from Monument Mountain and Mt. Everett high schools can opt to participate in the program, where they take part in a series of youth-centered sessions on topics such as balancing tasks, goal setting, demystifying the Federal Student Aid application process, and productive financial behavior such as credit building, budgeting, and saving.
“Like everything else, this session of RYSE had to adapt to accommodate COVID-19 restrictions,” said Gabrielle Reeve, RSYP youth operational board and special projects coordinator, who co-facilitated the program alongside Apprenticeship Coordinator Molly Lovejoy. “We built community through breakout rooms and participant-guided activities, heard from amazing panelists and our wonderful partners at Greylock Federal Credit Union and Berkshire Community College, and delved into ‘adulting’ skills. Most importantly, we were able to connect young people in our community to mentors and each other as we explored the idea of success — what it means to us and how we can get there.”
Youth who successfully complete the program are eligible to apply for a scholarship of up to $20,000, which may be used over the next four years to assist with college tuition, a focused curriculum for a gap year, or any GED program. A panel made up of staff and board members reviewed applications in a competitive process and chose Celis as the winner.
A senior at Monument Mountain, Celis plans to use the scholarship to attend Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Connecticut, where she will participate in their accelerated dual-degree program in pursuit of a B.A./B.S. in psychology and a master’s degree in social work.
—A.K.
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Bard College at Simon’s Rock announces new Commencement speakers
GREAT BARRINGTON — This year’s Bard College at Simon’s Rock Commencement ceremony, scheduled for Saturday, May 22, will be a hybrid event, with a limited number of people attending in person and other honorees and guests tuning in via livestream on Facebook.
While the planned Commencement speaker, Jessica Mah ’06, is unable to join the ceremony due to unforeseeable circumstances, Simon’s Rock will welcome new speakers Maudie Shah ’99 and Sumul Shah ’99, co-founders of healthcare guidance platform Amino.
—A.K.
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Applications open for The Studios at MASS MoCA’s Winter/Spring 2022 residencies
NORTH ADAMS — Assets for Artists (the artist-development arm of MASS MoCA) announces that applications are open for winter/spring artist residencies on the museum’s historic mill campus. Residencies will be scheduled from January–April, 2022 and the application deadline is July 8, 2021.
Selected artists will receive:
- A private, furnished studio space at MASS MoCA, available 24/7
- Housing in newly renovated apartments directly across the street from the museum
- One communal meal per day in the company of fellow artists-in-residence
- MASS MoCA member benefits for the duration of the residency, including free access to the museum’s galleries, The Clark, and discounts on performing arts events and museum store purchases
- Access to basic printmaking presses and two weaving looms
- Optional artist-focused financial and business coaching with the Assets for Artists staff
—A.K.
