Bits & Bytes: ‘Great Barrington Citizens’ Show & Tell’; ‘Successful Aging’ talk; photography workshop; May Day celebration; Roe Jan Library community conversations

‘Show & Tell’ event to close out Geoffrey Young Gallery

Great Barrington — In cooperation with ArtWeek, the Great Barrington Cultural Council will present “Great Barrington Citizens’ Show & Tell” Sunday, April 28, at the Geoffrey Young Gallery, 40 Railroad St.

‘Show & Tell’ is an afternoon of art, culture, showing and storytelling that will take place in two parts: a family-friendly performance from 2 to 4 p.m. and an uncensored edition from 6 to 8 p.m. The event is part of the “Awakening and Past Histories” art exhibit, featuring the work of artists never seen before in Great Barrington and curated by Michael D. Andelman. The show is the final one for the Geoffrey Young Gallery, which will close its doors for good after Sunday’s event.

‘Show & Tell’ is free and open to the public. For more information or to participate in the event as a storyteller, contact Michael@TheEducated.com.

–E.E.

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Dr. Benjamin Liptzin to discuss ‘Successful Aging’

Dr. Benjamin Liptzin. Photo courtesy Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Berkshire Community College

Pittsfield — The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Berkshire Community College will present the first talk in its 2019 Distinguished Speakers Series Saturday, April 27, at 3 p.m. at the Berkshire Museum, when Dr. Benjamin Liptzin will give a presentation on “Successful Aging.” In the talk, Liptzin will describe ways to successfully age physically, emotionally, socially and spiritually, and will review the latest science behind living longer and better.

Liptzin is professor of psychiatry emeritus at Tufts University School of Medicine. For 25 years he was chair of psychiatry at Baystate Medical Center in Springfield. Prior to that he was director of geriatric psychiatry at McLean Hospital in Belmont, and director of the geriatric education center at Harvard Medical School. He received the Jack Weinberg Memorial Award in Geriatric Psychiatry from the American Psychiatric Association and the Distinguished Faculty Award from Tufts. He has published more than 100 journal articles and book chapters.

Liptzin is a graduate of Yale College and the University of Rochester School of Medicine. He has served on the boards of the APA, the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry, the Alzheimer’s Association of Massachusetts and the Springfield Symphony Orchestra. He currently serves on the boards of the Aston Magna Foundation and the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center, and is chair of the development committee for Berkshire OLLI.

Tickets are $10 for OLLI members, $15 for nonmembers, and free for BCC students and those ages 17 and under. For tickets and more information, see the Berkshire Edge calendar or call (413) 236-2190.

–E.E.

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Photo: Thad Kubis

Sandisfield Arts Center to open season with photography workshop

Sandisfield — The Sandisfield Arts Center will open its 2019 season with the workshop “An Introduction to Tablet/Smartphone Photography” with photographer Thad Kubis Saturday, April 27, from 1 to 2:30 p.m. The workshop will be followed by an opening reception from 2:30 to 4 p.m. for Kubis’ photography exhibition “Capturing Light,” which will be on display through Saturday, May 25.

Workshop participants will learn the basics of smartphone photography, and then go beyond the basics to fully use, control and create with a smartphone or tablet camera. Kubis will cover composition, HDR, live mode, basic and more advanced editing functions.

Kubis has taught photography classes for the Osher Lifelong Learning Center at Berkshire Community College, IS183 Art School of the Berkshires, the Trustees of Reservations and other organizations. Trained as both a graphic designer and photographer, Kubis works in film, digital, view/field camera, pinhole, smartphone/tablet formats and more.

The event is free and open to the public. For more information, contact the Sandisfield Arts Center at (413) 258-4100 or info@sandisfieldartscenter.org.

–E.E.

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Students gather around the maypole at Great Barrington Rudolf Steiner School’s 2018 May Day festival. Photo courtesy Great Barrington Rudolf Steiner School

Great Barrington Rudolf Steiner School to offer May Day celebration

Great Barrington — The Great Barrington Rudolf Steiner School welcomes children and grownups Wednesday, May 1, at 11 a.m. for a May Day festival on the school’s front lawn.

Participants will join the entire school community for the festival, which features local garland dancers, Morris men and women, and the fourth- through eighth-graders performing traditional dances around the maypole led by master of ceremonies Evers Whyte. The celebration continues with dancing for the whole community and picnics on the lawn. The community is invited to bring blankets, hats, sunscreen and picnic baskets.

The event is free and open to the public. For more information, contact the Great Barrington Rudolf Steiner School at (413) 528-4015 or info@gbrss.org.

–E.E.

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Roe Jan Library to hold community conversations

Hillsdale, N.Y. — The Roeliff Jansen Community Library invites residents of Ancram, Copake and Hillsdale to a series of community conversations to be held in May and June. Each conversation will provide an opportunity for participants to discuss what matters to them as members of the Roe Jan community and to better understand each other’s hopes, concerns, goals, and what might make a difference in strengthening the community.

The conversations are not about the library, town business or politics; the focus will be on what is important to residents. Each conversation will be guided by the same set of 10 questions, which will be asked by a conversation leader. After all conversations have been held, the library will report what has been learned with the goal of making the Roe Jan community stronger and helping groups within the community, including the library, work together more effectively.

Residents can participate in one of five conversations:

• Wednesday, May 1, 4 to 6 p.m. at the Taconic Hills High School library, Craryville;
• Saturday, May 11, 10 a.m. to noon at the Ancram Fire Company;
• Saturday, May 18, 2 to 4 p.m. at the Hillsdale Fire Company;
• Wednesday, May 29, 6 to 8 p.m. at the Copake Firehouse, 390 County Route 7A, Copake; and
• Tuesday, June 18, noon to 2 p.m. at Our Lady of Hope parish hall, 8074 Rt. 22, Copake Falls. A light lunch will be served.

All conversations are free and open to the public, but registration is requested. For more information or to register, see the Berkshire Edge calendar or contact library director Tammy Gaskell at (518) 325-4101 or rjcl9091@gmail.com.

–E.E.