“Nest/Emerge” Opening in Berkshire Botanical Garden’s Leonhardt Galleries
Stockbridge— Berkshire Botanical Garden presents “Nest/Emerge,” an art exhibition, from Friday, March 31, through Sunday, April 30. Featuring works by Elizabeth Cohen, “Nest/Emerge” will exhibit in the Garden’s Center House Leonhardt Galleries.
An opening reception will be held Friday, March 31, from 7 to 9 p.m.
The gallery hours are Tuesday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
In Nest/Emerge, Cohen explores relationships between natural and imagined forms through layers and patterns, re-contextualizing them. The works invite viewers to experience quiet moments and unexpected delights. Incorporating hand-thrown porcelain, mulberry paper, wasp nests, and other materials found in nature, Cohen’s art beckons the viewer to connect with the botanical world.
A studio potter living Wellesley, Mass., Cohen explores cycles of birth, life and death, growth and decay, rhythm and change. She explores varied metaphorical nuances, such as family, security and comfort, through nesting sets. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English with a minor in Japanese Studies from Tufts University and a master’s degree in teaching from Simmons College. Her work has been exhibited in recent years at the Boston Sculptors Gallery, Boston; The Mill Contemporary, in Framingham; Worcester Center for Craft; River Oaks Arts Center, in Alexandria, La.; and Fuller Craft Museum, in Brockton.
For more information, visit BerkshireBotanical.org.
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TapRoot Square Dance with the Mapletones and SargentSeedoo
Sheffield— On Thursday, March 30, at Dewey Hall, TapRoot Square Dance presents music by the Mapletones with caller SargentSeedoo. Doors open at 6:30, with a lesson at 7 p.m., and the band will start playing at 7:30 p.m. Refreshemnts will be available for purchase.
The Mapletones are an acoustic duo featuring Max Rainwater on fiddle and Nicole Ball on guitar. The band is based in Kingston, New York (but has a camper van and will travel!)The Mapletones’ music brings dynamic harmony vocals, driving fiddling, and percussive Appalachian flatfoot dancing. The band is influenced by and performs everything from traditional old time music, Texas style ragtime, early blues and country, and folk songs you might recall from long ago.
SargentSeedoo is a square dance caller & dance instructor from Kentucky, who currently resides in New York. He came into this work honestly & learned the craft from old-timers in Kentucky/West Virginia/North Carolina & young revivalists from all over the country. He may be naive, but he thinks social dancing will save the world.
He calls dances from the south and the appalachians. That is to say he calls southern sets — 4 couple squares, 2 couple scatter squares, country partner line dances, running sets, & big circle sets. As much as can possibly be done, the calls will be gender neutral.
$10 at the door. For more information contact taprootsessions@gmail.com, or 413-429-1176
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Love N’ Co. and Cindy Foster will play at The Foundry
West Stockbridge— Two upcoming concerts are upcoming at The Foundry performing arts center.
Love N’ Co. will perform at The Foundry on March 30 at 7 p.m. Emerging from New Haven in 2019, Love n’ Co. hopes to push their fans and audience members to shoot for the moon — to be the best version of themselves, which is a challenging task for most. With unapologetic lyrics and boastful melodies, Love n’ Co. delivers powerful sonic waves that caress the soul, aiding in the journey of self-discovery and raw expression.
The core duo of the band consists of Lovelind and Lamar Smith. The band’s sound has been described to have a range, “from high-energy funk to surging pop.” These two are also on their own individual journeys to be the best version of themselves and want to take whoever else they can along for the ride, performing beautiful music all the while.
Love N’ Co. currently has a single out on all streaming platforms and is hopeful to get more music out in 2023.
Tickets are $12 in advance / $15 at the door.
Cindy Foster will perform at The Foundry on March 31 at 7:30 p.m. Comedian Cindy Foster has been making people laugh across the world performing her live stand-up show. Her acclaimed video shorts on social media have a whopping 65 million views representing the strength of her popularity that stretches beyond her beloved LBGTQ + community. Her charm and wit will open your minds and hearts and will leave you in stitches!
Tickets are $20 in advance / $25 at the door.
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Films of 1973 Series continues with “Day for Night”
Williamstown— On Thursday, March 16 at 6 p.m., the Clark Art Institute screens “Day for Night” in its auditorium. The showing is the second event in the Clark’s five-part series, “Manton 50th Anniversary Film Series: Films of 1973,” featuring some of the great cinematic highlights of a remarkable year.
In “Day for Night” (1973; 1 hours, 56 minutes), film director François Truffaut appears as the harried director of a frivolous melodrama, the shooting of which is plagued by the whims of a neurotic actor (Jean-Pierre Léaud), an aging but still forceful Italian diva (Valentina Cortese), and a British ingenue haunted by personal scandal (Jacqueline Bisset). An irreverent paean to the prosaic craft of cinema as well as a delightful human comedy about the pitfalls of sex and romance, “Day for Night” is anchored by robust performances and a sparkling score by the legendary Georges Delerue.
Admission to the Clark is free through March 2023. No registration is required. For more information, visit clarkart.edu/events.
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March annual Boot Camp for nonprofits
Great Barrington— The Nonprofit Center of the Berkshires is holding a one-day Nonprofit Boot Camp on Thursday, March 30 for new, young and small nonprofits in need of a tune-up.
The full-day training takes place at the Red Lion Inn in Stockbridge from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and covers the basics of nonprofit management including governance, finance, fundraising, marketing, legal, and best practices. Local experts address topics through a combination of facilitator-led instruction, interactive discussion, and resources that can be referred to in the future.
Aimed at directors, board members, and volunteer leaders who want to build a solid foundation or address gaps, the Nonprofit Boot Camp presents an opportunity for staff and board to attend together. Liana Toscanini, Executive Director of the Nonprofit Center of the Berkshires, says, “Often, nonprofits learn just as much from each other as they do from formal instruction.”
Attendees will leave with a handbook containing templates, articles and tip sheets to guide them in the coming months.
The Nonprofit Center of the Berkshires helps nonprofits connect, learn and grow. Boot Camp attendance is $195 per person and includes breakfast, lunch and snacks. For more information or to register, visit npcberkshires.org.
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Berkshire Innovation Center announces the next event in their BIC Presents series
Pittsfield— The Berkshire Innovation Center (BIC), in partnership with Hamilton Brook Smith & Reynolds, has announced the next event in their BIC Presents Series. Recycled Materials Innovations will be held on Thursday, March 30, 2023, from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Berkshire Innovation Center, 45 Woodlawn Ave, Pittsfield. It will also be live streamed via Zoom.
For Recycled Materials Innovations we have organized a panel of experts that are helping to lead the charge to innovation-driven consumer goods. The panel will be moderated by Giovanna Fessenden, Counsel at Hamilton Brook Smith & Reynolds. Following an introduction by each panelist, and some questions from the moderator, we will open the floor to questions from the audience, both in-person and online.
“Sustainability is not just a buzzword. By definition, it is meeting our own needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. This is something we all need to think about and act upon,” said Executive Director Ben Sosne. “We’re happy to be partnering with Hamilton Brook Smith & Reynolds to bring this conversation to the forefront in our community.”
“I am excited to moderate such a spectacular panel with experts and innovators on the forefront of sustainability,” said Giovanna Fessenden, Counsel at Hamilton Brook Smith & Reynolds. “For example, one of our panelists, New York designer Charlotte McCurdy, is working to revolutionize carbon neutral innovations in plastics. Her developments include a ‘carbon-negative’ raincoat derived from algae bioplastics and a couture dress derived from algae-based sequins [see photos below]. Our panelists are working to revolutionize sustainability in product development, and we are thrilled to host them at this event at the Berkshire Innovation Center. Join us!”
This event is free and open to the public. Registration is required. To attend in-person. To attend online.
