March 3 First Fridays Artswalk
Pittsfield — The March 3 First Fridays Artswalk will encompass more than a dozen art shows featuring over 25 accomplished regional artists in Pittsfield’s Upstreet Cultural District from 5 to 8 p.m. The Artswalk will kick off with opening receptions and artists present throughout, plus a free, guided walking tour beginning at 5 p.m. at the BRTA Intermodal Center.
A closing reception for “10×10 Chairity: Take a Seat!” will be held from 5 to 8 p.m. at Dottie’s Coffee Lounge, with artist talks at 7 p.m. and bidding in the silent auction ending at 8 p.m. Proceeds will benefit the Pittsfield Education Foundation.
The Lichtenstein Center for the Arts will present the Berkshire Art Association College Fellowship Show, which features the work of Berkshire County residents enrolled as art majors at colleges across the country as well as nonresidents currently majoring in art Berkshire County colleges. A reception will take place from 5 to 8 p.m.
The Brothership Building window, 141 North St., will feature the group show “Phenomenal Women,” organized by Lucie Castaldo, in celebration of Women’s History Month. The show will feature works by artists from the Berkshires and the Pioneer Valley including Alicia Soos, Amanda Hartlage, Brielle Rizzotti, Carrie Wright, Dina Noto, Lucie Castaldo and Stephanie VanBramer. There will be a reception in Bill Wright’s studio in the Wright Building on North Street.
New shows from local artists will also be displayed at RJ Stohr Diamonds & Fine Jewelry, Shire City Sanctuary, Hotel on North, the Marketplace Café, Berkshire Paint and Sip, the Funky Phoenix, Berkshire Medical Center and the Kinderhook Group Real Estate.
For more information, call Downtown Pittsfield Inc. at (413) 443-6501.
–E.E.
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‘Sacred Words: A Conversation about the Sacred Writings of Quran and Torah’
Great Barrington — On Friday, March 3, at 10:45 a.m., the Jewish Federation of the Berkshires will present its Knosh & Knowledge program at Hevreh of Southern Berkshire with Cantor Robert Scherr, recently retired as Jewish chaplain at Williams College, and Sharif Rosen, who serves as chaplain there for Muslim students. The two will address the topic of “Sacred Words: A Conversation about the Sacred Writings of Quran and Torah.”
Scherr recently retired after serving as Jewish chaplain at Williams College for more than 12 years. He served as cantor of Temple Israel in Natick from 1976 through 2005 and received the Jewish Theological Seminary‘s 2002 David Putterman Cantorial Award for distinguished and excellent service.
Rosen joined Williams College in February 2015 in a dual appointment as the Muslim chaplain and assistant director for community engagement at the college’s Center for Learning in Action. Prior to that, he was the Muslim and multi-faith advisor at Dartmouth College as and worked in Jordan for several years as an administrator at the Qasid Arabic Institute. Most recently, he has volunteered as a Muslim chaplain in the Vermont Department of Corrections.
The presentation will be followed by a buffet lunch. Admission is $11, which includes the lunch. Participants may attend the program only for $5. Advance reservations for lunch are required. For more information or to make reservations, contact the Jewish Federation of the Berkshires at (413) 442-4360 x10 or jfb.officemanager@verizon.net.
–E.E.
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The Orchestra Now to perform at Simon’s Rock
Great Barrington — The Orchestra Now will return to Bard College at Simon’s Rock’s Daniel Arts Center on Friday, March 3, at 7:30 p.m. with guest conductor Zachary Schwartzman leading an overture, a symphony and “four meditations for orchestra.” The program includes Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 4, Messiaen’s L’Ascension and Glinka’s Overture from “Ruslan and Lyudmila.”
Schwartzman was recently appointed resident conductor of TŌN and music director of the Bard College Orchestra. He has been music director of the Blue Hill Troupe since 2004 and assistant conductor for the American Symphony Orchestra since 2012. He has appeared as both assistant conductor and conductor at Bard SummerScape and the Bard Music Festival at the Richard B. Fisher Center for the Performing Arts. In addition to degrees in piano performance and orchestral conducting, he earned a BA in East Asian studies from Oberlin College.
This event is free but reservations are required as seating is limited. For reservations and more information, see the Berkshire Edge calendar or call (413) 528-7278.
–E.E.
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‘Mighty Times’ at Mason Library
Great Barrington — The Friends of the Great Barrington Libraries will screen “Mighty Times: The Children’s March” on Saturday, March 4, at 7:30 p.m. at the Mason Library. The 2004 award-winning short documentary is about the children’s march for equality in Birmingham, Alabama.
In the spring of 1963, heavy intimidation by Birmingham authorities left the Civil Rights Movement floundering. Using word-of-mouth under a veil of secrecy, more than 4,000 African-American schoolchildren organized to desert classrooms at exactly 11 a.m. on May 2 to send out wave after wave of marchers with the successful theory that the arrest of children would not be as brutal as that of adults.
Following the film, a workshop on protest sign-making will take place to create powerful visual messages. Artists will be on hand to guide participants and basic materials will be provided. Paint, brushes, markers and board donations are welcome.
The library doors will open at 7 p.m. for a free wine and cheese social. The film will begins at 7:30 p.m. and run for 40 minutes. The workshop will follow from 8:15 to 10 p.m. The film, social and workshop are free and all ages are welcome. The program does not reflect endorsement or advocacy for any particular point of view by the library or the town. For more information, call the Mason Library at (413) 528-2403.
–E.E.
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Berkshire Museum to celebrate Youth Art Month
Pittsfield — An exhibition of artwork from more than 25 art classrooms across Berkshire County will be on view at the Berkshire Museum Friday, March 3, through Friday, March 31. An opening reception will be held Friday, March 3, from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. In addition to the artwork on display, the evening will feature performers and ensembles from six Berkshire County schools. The reception is open to the community and admission is free.
The Berkshire County Arts Educators Professional Learning Network is presenting the month-long exhibition in order to showcase the work that students and arts educators produce. Additionally, the show and its performances focus on the place that art-learning and art-making hold in Berkshire County schools. The inspirations for the exhibition and the performances include Youth Art Month and Music in Our Schools Month.
For more information, call the Berkshire Museum at (413) 443-7171.
–E.E.
