GBHS to present lecture on influence of W.E.B. Du Bois
Great Barrington — On Saturday, Feb. 10, from 3 to 5 p.m., the Great Barrington Historical Society will present Rev. Dr. Jamall Andrew Calloway in a talk titled “Believing in Life: The Enduring Influence of W.E.B. Du Bois,” a special program to honor the 150th anniversary of the birth of Du Bois, at John Dewey Academy.
Calloway is a guest lecturer, presidential postdoctoral fellow and visiting professor at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. Originally from Oakland, California, he earned his Ph.D. in systematic theology from Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York. Calloway has been the minister at the Church of Christ in Mount Washington for the past five summers.
The program will also include a tour of Searles Castle. Light refreshments will be served. The event is free and open to the public, but a suggested donation of $20 would be greatly appreciated. Profits from the event will establish GBHS’ Du Bois Archive Fund to support acquisitions of W.E.B. Du Bois artifacts as well as artifacts relating to African-American history. For more information, contact GBHS at (413) 591-8702 or info@gbhistory.org.
–E.E.
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Universal Set to perform sock hop benefit for Berkshire Waldorf High School
Stockbridge — On Friday, Feb. 9., at 7 p.m., the Universal Set will perform a benefit Intergenerational Cabin Fever Time Warp Sock Hop for Berkshire Waldorf High School at the Stockbridge town offices, 50 Main St.
During the 1960s and ‘70s, the Universal Set performed regularly at venues in the Berkshires and the surrounding region. The band plays mainly pop music, covering artists from Jackie Wilson and Elvis Presley to the Beatles and Tom Jones. The band has performed in a play by a local playwright and at the opening of the Sure Gas Station chain with Ken “the Hawk” Harrelson of the Boston Red Sox. They recorded one record and declined a recording contract in 1970. The Universal Set features Pete Wilson on lead vocals and harmonica; Bill Curtiss on lead guitar; Ed Locke on bass guitar and vocals; Gary Pitney on rhythm guitar, mandolin and vocals; and Bob Jones on drums and vocals.
Tickets are $10 each and $40 per family. Proceeds will benefit the Berkshire Waldorf High School. Light, non-alcoholic refreshments will be served. Attendees are encouraged, though not required, to arrive in costume as they were, as they are or as they will be. For more information, contact Berkshire Waldorf High School at (413) 298-3800.
–E.E.
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Del Soul Quartet to perform at No. Six Depot
West Stockbridge — No. Six Depot Roastery and Cafe will welcome the Del Soul Quartet Friday, Feb. 9, from 7 to 9 p.m.
Founded in 1992, the San Francisco, California-based Del Sol Quartet’s collaborative performance projects and chamber music programs explore narratives and cultures from around the world, reflecting the stories and sounds of the Pacific Rim as vibrantly as those heard in European concert halls or East Coast art spaces. During its existence, the quartet has commissioned and premiered over 100 works from a diverse range of international composers; and recorded nine critically acclaimed, full-length albums that reflect the ensemble’s fascination with the intersection of place and culture. Del Soul has also immersed its audience in multimedia and dramatic performances, including its “Stringwreck” collaboration with choreographers Janice Garrett and Charles Moulton; Ricky Ian Gordon’s chamber opera “Green Sneakers” with baritone Jesse Blumberg, which explores the intimate impact of AIDS; and “Garden,” a four-dimensional soundscape created with composer and video artist Chris Jonas. The quartet has performed at prestigious venues around the world and, with a deep commitment to education, has reached thousands of students through inventive school performances, workshops, coaching and residencies.
There is a suggested donation of $15–$20 to support the musicians. For more information, contact No. Six Depot at (413) 232-0205 or info@sixdepot.com.
–E.E.
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Berkshire Art Association calls for student art
Pittsfield — Berkshire County college art majors are invited to apply for the 2018 juried Berkshire Art Association Fellowship Show. Up to $5,000 in prizes will be awarded to college art majors whose work is selected. The fellowship is open to Berkshire County residents enrolled as art majors at any college in the country as well as to nonresidents majoring in art at a Berkshire County college.
The show will run from Friday, April 6, through Saturday, April 28, at the Lichtenstein Center for the Arts. An awards reception will be held Friday, April 6, from 5 to 8 p.m. during the First Fridays Artswalk. The submission deadline is Thursday, March 1, at 11:59 p.m. via an online submission process. Artwork submitted for the jury must be available for the April show. For more information, contact fellowships@berkshireartassociation.org.
–E.E.
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Columbia-Greene Community College, Roe-Jan Library to partner on classes
Hillsdale, N.Y. — Roeliff Jansen Community Library and Columbia-Greene Community College will partner to offer the non-credit community course “Basics of Digital Photography” beginning Wednesday, Feb. 21, at the library.
“Basics of Digital Photography” will provide an opportunity for anyone with a digital camera or smartphone to learn how to take better photos. The course will explore the various buttons and controls on the cameras and how to make best use of them, as well as shooting techniques. The course will be led by instructor Yura Adams, an accomplished photographer, adjunct instructor of fine arts at CGCC, and curator of the college’s Foundation Gallery..
The fee for the three-part class is $97. Columbia-Greene and Roe Jan Library will also partner for an additional course, “Poetry: The Art of the Marvelous” with instructor Phyllis Carito, beginning Tuesday, April 3. An online printable registration form is available. For more information or to register, call CGCC at (518) 828-4181 x3342.
–E.E.
