Crandell LIVE! 100th Anniversary Series opens with ‘Frank Serpico on Serpico,’ a screening of ‘Serpico’ followed by a live discussion with actor Scott Cohen and Frank Serpico, the cop who inspired the film
Chatham, N.Y.— On Sunday, February 15th at 1 p.m., The Crandell LIVE! 100th Anniversary Series opens with ‘Frank Serpico on Serpico,’ a screening of ‘Serpico’ followed by a live discussion with actor Scott Cohen and Frank Serpico, the cop who inspired the film.
An honest New York City cop named Frank Serpico (Al Pacino) blows the whistle on rampant corruption in the force only to have his fellow officers turn against him. Serpico’s eventual testimony before the Knapp Commission led to widespread reforms. Director Sidney Lumet’s true crime thriller earned Pacino an Oscar nomination, as did Waldo Salt and Norman Wexler’s screenplay.
Known for his numerous character portrayals in television, theater, and film, award-winning actor Scott Cohen‘s credits include “The Mambo Kings,” “Kissing Jessica Stein,” and his television work on “Gilmore Girls,” “The 10th Kingdom,” “The Americans,” and “The Penguin.”
The event is on Sunday, February 15th at 1 p.m. at The Crandell Theatre, located at 48 Main Street in Chatham, N.Y. Tickets and more information can be found online.
Hosted by industry luminaries, each event in this series will highlight an important film from the past 100 years that continues to inspire its presenter. The series will continue in March with a screening of the revelatory 1994 documentary “Hoop Dreams.”
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Clark Art Institute presents ‘Sónia Almeida: Stages,’ a year-long installation presenting the work of contemporary artist Sónia Almeida
Williamstown— From February 14th through January 24th, the Clark Art Institute presents ‘Sónia Almeida: Stages,’ a year-long installation presenting the work of contemporary artist Sónia Almeida.
Inspired by patterns, image reproduction technologies, and instructional materials, Almeida presents three site-responsive installations at the Clark. The subtitle, “Stages,” reflects the artist’s interest in the theatricality of art objects and the choreography they imply for viewers. It also suggests process, and the steps and layers in her mixed media work, which often adopts the visual language of diagrams or instructional materials.
Almeida is interested in analog and digital media, manual and industrial production, as well as systems of automation and the glitches that might arise. “Stages” (Tracks, Cables, Vectors, Anchors) depicts different analog and digital infrastructures that connect people or things, from train tracks to rock climbing anchors. By linking them horizontally, the artist intends each to function like a note in a musical score. Almeida’s work studies the circulation of images and the status of painting in a post-digital age.
Sónia Almeida is professor of fine arts at Brandeis University. She is a recipient of the 2015 Pollock-Krasner Foundation Grant, the 2017 James and Audrey Foster Prize, and the 2024 Guggenheim Fellowship. She has been the subject of solo exhibitions at the MIT List Visual Arts Center, Cambridge, and Culturegest in Lisbon.
“Sónia Almeida’s new commissions for the Clark combine painting, printmaking, fabric arts, and artist’s books to rethink how we understand interfaces” said Robert Wiesenberger, curator of contemporary projects. “Both human-computer interfaces, and the interface between viewer and artwork, are fascinations for the artist.”
The exhibit is on view from February 14th through January 24th at the Clark Art Institute, located at 225 South Street in Williamstown. There is an opening lecture on Saturday, March 14th at 11 a.m. The exhibit is free and open to the public. More information can be found online.
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Yiddish Book Center presents ‘Making and Unmaking Literature in the Warsaw, Lodz, and Vilna Ghettos’ with Professor Sven-Erik Rose
Amherst— On Sunday, February 15th at 2 p.m., the Yiddish Book Center, with by the Institute for Holocaust, Genocide and Memory Studies at UMass-Amherst, presents “Making and Unmaking Literature in the Warsaw, Lodz, and Vilna Ghettos” with Professor Sven-Erik Rose.
“Making and Unmaking Literature in the Warsaw, Lodz, and Vilna Ghettos” is the first study devoted to how little-known but essential authors grappled with the destitution of ghetto existence by writing within, at the limits of, and against an array of literary scenarios, tropes, plot lines, and generic conventions, including those of nature lyric, modernist interior monologue, the realist social novel, the detective story, and the gothic horror tale. Rose’s readings of these literary works reveal how authors asserted their humanity by insisting on writing works of literature.
Sven-Erik Rose is professor of German and of comparative literature at the University of California, Davis. His first book, “Jewish Philosophical Politics in Germany, 1789–1848,” was awarded the Jordan Schnitzer Book Award from the Association for Jewish Studies in the category of Philosophy and Jewish Thought.
Rose will be in conversion with Hannah Pollin-Galay, Pen Tishkach Chair of Holocaust Studies and director of the Institute for Holocaust, Genocide, and Memory Studies at UMass Amherst; and David Mazower, the Yiddish Book Center’s research bibliographer and editorial director.
The conversation is on Sunday, February 15th at 2 p.m. at the Yiddish Book Center, located at 1021 West Street in Amherst. There will be a livestream option. Registration and more information can be found online.
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Berkshire Theatre Group presents the BTG PLAYS! 2025-2026 touring show ‘Magic Tree House: Showtime with Shakespeare KIDS’ based on Magic Tree House Book #25 ‘Stage Fright on a Summer Night’ by Mary Pope Osborne
Pittsfield— On Saturday, February 14th at 2 p.m., Berkshire Theatre Group presents the BTG PLAYS! 2025-2026 touring show ‘Magic Tree House: Showtime with Shakespeare KIDS’ based on Magic Tree House Book #25 ‘Stage Fright on a Summer Night’ by Mary Pope Osborne at The Colonial Theatre.
In this high-energy, family-friendly adventure from the beloved Magic Tree House series, Jack and Annie are transported back to Elizabethan England, where they discover the bustling streets of London and the excitement surrounding the Globe Theatre. When they learn that Shakespeare’s acting troupe is in trouble—and the curtain is about to go up—they jump in to help. As Jack and Annie use their problem-solving skills and teamwork to save the performance, they also learn that even the greatest artists need encouragement and collaboration. Filled with memorable characters, clever lyrics and hip hop beats, dynamic choreography, and lots of laughs, this show is a lively and welcoming introduction to Shakespeare’s world—while offering a heartfelt reminder that stories connect us across time.
Directed by David Adkins and Kathy Jo Grover and featuring youth actors from the Berkshire community, the performance is on Saturday, February 14th at 2 p.m. at The Colonial Theatre, located at 111 South Street in Pittsfield. There will be a pre-show book signing with Mary Pope Osborne from 1 p.m. to 1:45 p.m. Tickets and more information can be found online.
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Berkshire Art Association Fellowship Show accepting submissions
Berkshire— The Berkshire Art Association (BAA) Fellowship Show is accepting submissions.
The juried show is open to college students majoring in art who grew up and live in Berkshire County and are enrolled in college anywhere, or who are enrolled in a Berkshire County college.
The submission deadline is February 25th. Students are responsible for arranging delivery of art by March 27th. Accepted works will be shown at the gallery from April 3rd through the 25th. The jury will distribute up to $5000 in Fellowship Awards to selected exemplary students whose work has been selected for the show. More information, including submissions details can be found online.
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Berkshire Humane Society will give out bags of cat and dog food to pet owners in need during a drive-thru event at the Becket Washington School
Becket— On Saturday, February 7th from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., in conjunction with the Becket Food Pantry, the Berkshire Humane Society will give out bags of cat and dog food to pet owners in need during a drive-thru event at the Becket Washington School Parking Lot, located at 12 Maple Street in Becket.
Cat and dog owners can drive up to the distribution point and remain in their vehicle while someone takes their order and loads it into their vehicle. Cat owners will get a 6-pound bag of food and dog owners will get a 20-pound bag, no questions asked. The event is open to all.
“With the cold weather lately, we don’t want people choosing between staying warm and feeding themselves or their cats their pets. With this event, we’re hoping to reach more folks in the hill-towns. Thanks to our generous donors, we have more than 7,500 pounds of pet food to do just that,” said John Perreault, Berkshire Humane Society’s Executive Director.
Berkshire Humane Society also accepts donations.Monetary donations are preferred because the shelter has agreements with pet food companies to buy nutritious food at a bulk rate, feeding more animals per donor dollar. For more information about the drive-thru event or making a donation, call 413-447-7878, extension 127.
