Hot Plate Brewing presents Lexi Weege and JJ Slater Band
Pittsfield— On Saturday, March 16th at 7 p.m., Hot Plate Brewing presents Lexi Weege and JJ Slater Band.

Whether performing as a duo or as a seven-piece band, for Lexi Weege and JJ Slater, groove and melody rise above all. Both sing with unique, recognizable voices; Weege marries smoky 50’s jazz with wild, arena-ready 70’s rock, while Slater overlays a smooth, melodic croon with laconic delivery and blue-collar beat poetry. Their infectious interplay spreads to the whole band, harkening back to a time when live shows could be spontaneous, energy-driven affairs. Slater’s genre-hopping guitar playing draws from screaming blues originals like Buddy Guy and Albert King, but with a twist of Bert Jansch and Wes Montgomery.
The concert is on Saturday, March 16th at 7 p.m. at Hot Plate Brewing Co. on School Street in Pittsfield. More information can be found online.
***
The Foundry presents System Exclusive
West Stockbridge— On Saturday, March 16th at 7:30 p.m., The Foundry presents System Exclusive.
System Exclusive are Ari Blaisdell and Matt Jones, a Pasadena, California duo bearing an armful of mini synths and a pocketful of Tarantino-dusted riffs who make heart-throbbing, capital P pop punch with more than a hint of post-punk. They rented their home out, packed their bags and for the last two years have been relentlessly touring across the world, building a loyal fanbase in the true-grit, rock and roll fashion, delivering their visceral and fun, high-octane dazzling show, night after night.

The performance is on Saturday, March 16th at 7:30 p.m. at The Foundry on Harris Street in West Stockbridge. Doors open at 7 p.m. Tickets are $15 in advance and $20 at the door. This is an indoor event. Visit the Foundry online for tickets and more information. Parking is limited at the venue so please utilize the three public parking lots in Town. To avoid a parking ticket, visit the Foundry online for further details.
***
RA opens ‘Rolling Around,’ an exhibition of new work by Brooklyn based artists Jennifer Coates and David Humphrey
Great Barrington— From March 16th through May 5th, RA presents “Rolling Around,” an exhibition of new work by Brooklyn based artists Jennifer Coates and David Humphrey.
In “Rolling Around” Coates and Humphrey lay claim to a magic and species of realism that pave the way to narratives mysterious, enigmatic and inexorably tied to our Self. Coates’s new paintings present bounteous gardens that undulate and unearth archetypal mythologies of human history past and present. Humphrey makes poetry of the every day with snippets of image and thought that float around his canvas like a somnambulant reporter’s notepad. Both Coates and Humphrey offer reimagined histories both plastic and sublime.


Jennifer Coates is the 2021 recipient of the John Koch Art Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, a 2021 NYFA Award in painting, a 2019 Fellowship at the Civitella Ranieri Foundation, and a Sharpe Walentas Studio residency (2018-2019). She is currently in a group show at Aicon Gallery, NYC -“Wonderland” – curated by Elizabeth Denny and Alice Fitz Gerald. She has an upcoming solo show in NYC opening in May – “Edge Effects” – at both High Noon and Chart galleries.
David Humphrey is a New York artist who has shown nationally and internationally. He has received a Guggenheim Fellowship and the Rome Prize among other awards. An anthology of his art writing, “Blind Handshake,” was published by Periscope Publishing. He teaches in the MFA program at Columbia and is represented by the Fredericks & Freiser Gallery, N.Y. who published a monograph on his work in 2020 by Davy Lauterbach.
The exhibit runs from March 16th through May 5th at RA on Railroad Street in Great Barrington. There is an opening event on Saturday, March 16th from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. More information can be online.
***
Marketplace Cafe presents ‘Abstract Harmony: Dissonance,’ paintings by Shany Porras
Pittsfield— From March 14th through April, Marketplace Cafe presents ‘Abstract Harmony: Dissonance,’ paintings by abstract painter Shany Porras.
Shany Porras’s new series called “Abstract Harmony: Dissonance” revolves around the interplay between visual art and music, translating the emotions of diverse musical genres into vibrant abstract paintings to elicit emotional responses and provoke contemplation.

Porras exhibits in the Berkshires, New York, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and greater New England.
The exhibit will run from March 14th through April at Marketplace Cafe on North Street in Pittsfield. More information can be found online.
***
Jewish Federations of the Berkshires presents ‘Blue Like Me: Growing Up Jewish in India,’ with Artist Siona Benjamin
Pittsfield— On Thursday, March 14th at 7 p.m., in recognition of Women’s History Month, the Jewish Federations of the Berkshires presents ‘Blue Like Me: Growing Up Jewish in India,’ a virtual presentation with Artist Siona Benjamin.
Meet Siona Benjamin, a painter originally from Mumbai now living in the United States. Her works reflect her background of being brought up Jewish in a predominantly Hindu and Muslim India. She combines the imagery of her past with the role she plays in multicultural America today, making a mosaic inspired by both Indian miniature paintings and Sephardic icons.

Siona Benjamin has always been driven to reflect upon the cultural boundary zones in which she has lived. Her intent for her viewers is to re-evaluate their notions and concepts about identity and race, hoping to peel back layers of misconceptions that may result in racism, hate and war. Over the years, she developed varied blue-skinned characters as self-portraits in assuming multiple roles and forms. She employs them as social and cultural agents in raising provocative issues about identity in a trans-cultural world.
The free presentation is on Thursday, March 14th at 7 p.m. on Zoom. Registration and more information can be found online.
***
23rd annual Berkshire Robotics Challenge
Dalton— On Saturday, March 16th, Berkshire Innovation Center presents the 23rd annual Berkshire Robotics Challenge.

This year’s Challenge, “Masterpiece,” features a field of 21 teams of more than 190 students using programmable robots to complete a variety of missions that shine a spotlight on the role STEM plays in the arts and empowers young people to build a world of endless possibilities.

At 8:55 a.m., Erin Laundry, owner of Bottomless Bricks in Pittsfield and former LEGO® Masters contestant, will provide the keynote address. The Robotics Challenge will be competed in four rounds between 9:30 a.m. and noon, with the top eight point-scorers advancing to the “Great Eight Playoff” at 12:35 p.m., followed by the awards ceremony is scheduled at 1:30 p.m.
The challenge is on Saturday, March 16th at Wahconah Regional High School on Old Windsor Road in Dalton. It is free and open to the public. More information can be found online.
***
Great Barrington democrats to elect delegates to Democratic State Convention
Great Barrington— On Saturday, March 16th at 9:30 a.m., democrats will convene at the Great Barrington Town Hall at 334 Main Street, to elect six delegates and four alternates to represent Great Barrington at the 2024 State Democratic Convention.
Registered and pre-registered Democrats in Great Barrington and Housatonic who are 16 years old by Thursday, February 15th may vote and be elected as delegates or alternates during the caucus. Voters may also participate in the caucus remotely (although the remote participants will miss out on the coffee and donuts!). To sign up for virtual participation, register in advance at online.
The 2024 Convention will be in person at the DCU Center in Worcester, Mass. on June 1st. Youth (age 16 to 35), people with disabilities, people of color, veterans, or members of the LGBTQ+ community who are not elected as delegates or alternates are encouraged to apply to be add-on delegates, either at the caucus or by visiting massdems.org/massdems-convention.
After the caucus business is completed, the Great Barrington Town Democratic Committee will meet to talk about organizing and prioritizing for this busy election year. Newcomers are welcome.
Those interested in getting involved with the Great Barrington Democratic Committee should contact Michael Wise at michaelwise@earthlink.net or 413-854-1323.