Tuesday, May 20, 2025

News and Ideas Worth Sharing

BITS & BYTES: Terry Wise and Judith Wyer at the David M. Hunt Library; Tanglewood in the City; ‘Haunted Vermont’ at Bennington Museum; ‘Baroque to Beatles’ at Norfolk Chamber Music Festival; Turkish Marbling at Scoville Memorial Library; Bee Friendly butterfly walk

“The work and I grow together, which hopefully yields a provocative and intimate elucidation of the human condition. In fact, I never consider a piece finished.” - Judith Wyer

The David M. Hunt Library hosts an opening reception for “A Place at the Table” by Terry Wise and Judith Wyer

Falls Village— On Saturday July 22nd from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., the David M. Hunt Library hosts an opening reception for “A Place at the Table” by Terry Wise and Judith Wyer, on display through August 18th. 

The exhibition showcases the artists’ still-life work focused on the table, whether full settings with vintage plates and teacups, or intimate arrangements of flowers, vases, and other household items.  

Judith Wyer, Two Sunflowers in Tokuri—oil on linen, 18×16

For Judith Wyer, making a painting is a journey with an unknown destination. In her words, “My work often begins with a photograph of a captivating image, a fleeting moment of everyday existence. From this, I begin the process of developing the narrative which most often requires numerous edits and lengthy periods of just looking at the work and not touching it. This can take years. The work and I grow together, which hopefully yields a provocative and intimate elucidation of the human condition. In fact, I never consider a piece finished. The words of Diego Velazquez continue to guide me, ‘Es Verdad, No Pintura’.”

Terry Wise, Gather Us In—oil on canvas, 28×36

Terry Wise is an artist who has always been drawn toward still-life subject matter, and especially to the mid-twentieth century realist painters who employed simplified forms and varying viewpoints in a single painting.  The artist said that she “enjoys bringing rich colors and textile surfaces into my paintings, prints, and collages.  With a strong maternal line and influence, the domestic setting and ideas of home are standard in my work.  Repeat patterns of textiles, often relief printed, can play a part in my compositions…plates and chairs stand in for family or community members in all their variety, personalities, and relations to one another.”

A reception with refreshments will be held on Saturday July 22nd from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the David M. Hunt Library on Main Street in Falls Village. The exhibition will be on display during the library’s operating hours through August 18th. For more information, visit the David M. Hunt Library online. To learn more about the artists, visit terrywisestudio.com and judithwyerart.com.

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Tanglewood in the City returns to the Pittsfield Common for 2023

Pittsfield— On Saturday, July 29th from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., the Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO), Mill Town Foundation, and the City of Pittsfield present “Tanglewood in the City”, a free community event featuring live performances from local bands and a screening of a Tanglewood concert.

This year, in addition to a screening of the BSO’s opening night at Tanglewood, the evening will feature local groups Kids4Harmony, the Wandering Dance Society, the Barrington Stage Company’s Celebration of Black Voices, and the Eagles Trombone Ensemble. Activities will include Yoga on the Lawn sponsored by Berkshire Health Systems, face paintings, food trucks, and more.

BSO’s opening night concert featured the Boston Symphony Orchestra with Andris Nelsons, conducting and Daniil Trifonov on piano playing Wynton Marsalis’s “Herald, Holler, and Hallelujah”, Prokofiev’s“Piano Concerto No. 3”, and Tchaikovsky’s “Symphony No. 4”. 

Image courtesy of the BSO.

The free event is on Saturday, July 29th from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Common Park on First Street in Pittsfield. The rain date is Sunday, July 30th. For more information, visit the BSO online.

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Bennington Museum presents ‘Haunted Vermont’

Bennington— From July 22nd through December 31st, the Bennington Museum presents “Haunted Vermont”.

Vermont has a long and storied history of otherworldly intrigue, ranging from accusations of witches in Pownal and vampires in Manchester to Spiritualists communicating with the dead, haunted covered bridges, and our very own Bennington Triangle.

Shirley Jackson, perhaps the greatest writer of the horror/gothic fiction genre in the 20th-century, lived and worked for most of her career in North Bennington. Drawing on this rich framework of historical tales of monsters, ghosts, missing persons, and the occult, “Haunted Vermont” will tell these stories and more.

Jaime Franklin, curator of the exhibit said, ”I’ve loved a good ghost story since I was a child hearing them around the campfire. I’ve been living in Bennington for nearly 18 years and have always been intrigued by the large number of ghost stories I hear about the area. When Shirley Jackson’s eldest son, Laurence Jackson Hyman, approached me about donating a large collection of his mother’s works, I knew it was going to be the perfect opportunity to compile some of my favorite local historical hauntings alongside her psychologically riveting gothic tales. Pulling together this exhibition and seeing the connections between past and present has been a blast. It’s surely given me an endless supply of stories to tell at backyard barbecues and cocktail parties!”

Haunted bridge. Image courtesy of Bennington Museum.

The exhibit is on display from July 22nd through December 31st at the Bennington Museum on Main Street in Bennington. The museum is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. every day except Wednesdays. For more information, visit the Bennington Museum online. 

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The Norfolk Chamber Music Festival presents “Instrumental Insights, From Baroque to Beatles”

Norfolk— On Saturday, July 22nd at 8 p.m., the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival presents “Instrumental Insights, From Baroque to Beatles”.

The Norfolk Fellows will be joined by Jeff Scott on horn, Stephen Taylor on oboe, Amy Yang on piano, with mezzo-soprano Adriana Zabala to perform Handel’s “Water Music Suite No. 1 in F Major, HWV 348,” a section of Beatles songs by Lennon and McCartney, and Bonis’s “Piano Quartet No. 1 in B-flat Major, Op. 69.”

Adriana Zabala, Jeff Scott, Amy Yang, and Stephen Taylor. Image courtesy of Norfolk Chamber Music Festival.

The concert is on Saturday, July 22nd at 8 p.m. at the the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival Music Shed at Yale Summer School of Music on Litchfield Road in Norfolk. Ticket are $35 to $70, $10 for young adults age 19 to 35, and free for children under age 19.

There is a free pre-concert conversation at 7 p.m. in the Battell Recital Hall. Festival Director Melvin Chen talks with festival artists, sharing performers’ insight into the music, the life of a professional artist, and more. The pre-concert conversation is free and open to the public.

For tickets and more information, visit the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival online.

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The Scoville Memorial Library presents Turkish Marbling with Christina Di Marco

Salisbury— On Sunday, July 30th from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., the Scoville Memorial Library presents Turkish Marbling with Christina Di Marco.

Turkish Marbling. Image courtesy of Scoville Memorial Library.

An expert in the arts of Turkish marbling, Japanese suminagashi, bookbinding, and other media, Christina Di Marco has been teaching art and making artwork in the Hudson Valley for over 30 years. Her work is held in private and institutional collections, including the Garrison Art Center which has also exhibited her work.

The class is invited to learn the basics of paper marbling, using classic Turkish marbling techniques. Turkish Marbling is a 12th century art form which was combined with calligraphy of the words of Allah. Described as Ebru, or cloud painting, the technique involves the use of stone ground watercolors that are dropped onto a thickened water, combed into designs or left in stone patterns, and then picked up with a coated absorbent paper. These mono prints are magical and beautiful, used for bookbinding, and are often created and seen as artworks in themselves. Come join in the discovery!

The class is on Sunday, June 30th from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Scoville Memorial Library on Main Street in Salisbury, outside the Wardell Community Room in the Pickles Garden. Registration is required. Materials will be supplied. The class will be held outdoors. In the event of rain, a rain date will be announced. There will be a short break during the 3-hour class. Registration and more information can be found by visiting the Scoville Memorial Library online.

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Bee Friendly Williamstown is hosting a Butterfly Walk at Mountain Meadow with naturalists Leslie Reed-Evans and Pam Weatherbee

Williamstown— On Sunday, July 23rd at 11 a.m., Bee Friendly Williamstown is hosting a Butterfly Walk at Mountain Meadow with naturalists Leslie Reed-Evans and Pam Weatherbee.

Leslie Reed-Evans and Pamela Weatherbee lead a relaxed, informal walk through the meadows at the Mountain Meadow Preserve in Williamstown. Join in to spot and identify butterfly species and the plants that host them.

Image courtesy of Wiki Commons.

The walk is on Sunday, July 23rd at 11 a.m. at the Mountain Meadow Preserve on Mason Street in Williamstown. Some pairs of binoculars provided, or you may bring your own. Remember to pack water, sunscreen, a hat, and bug spray. This is a kid-friendly event. The first section involved a bit of uphill walking. The surface is uneven and may not be accommodating for those with mobility challenges. Meet at Mountain Meadow parking lot. Rain Cancels. For more information, visit Bee Friendly Williamstown online. 

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