Chesterwood to present ‘City and Country’ artists’ homes talk at Lenox Library
Lenox — In collaboration with the Frelinghuysen Morris House & Studio, the Lenox Library, Fine Art Connoisseur magazine and the Historic Artists’ Homes and Studios program,Chesterwood will present the lecture and visual presentation “City and Country: French, Frelinghuysen, Morris, Judd and other American Artists” independent art historian Karen Zukowski, Ph.D., Thursday, June 7, at 6:30 p.m. at the Lenox Library.
Zukowski’s lecture will compare the New York City and Berkshire homes and studios of artists Daniel Chester French, Suzy Frelinghuysen and George L.K. Morris, and others, placing them in the context of other American artists who occupied both city and country studios. The presentation will expand on Zukowski’s article in the current issue of Fine Art Connoisseur, and all attendees will receive a complimentary copy of the magazine.
Zukowski is the editor of the HAHS website and has been on HAHS’ advisory council since its inception. She received a doctorate in late 19th-century American artists’ studios and was the curator of the HAHS site Olana, the historic home and studio of Frederic Church in Hudson, New York, and now sits on its board of trustees. As an independent writer, she publishes on artists’ studios and domestic environments. As a consultant, she wrote “Furnishings Investigation for 101 Spring Street” about the home of Donald Judd, a HAHS site. She serves on the collections committee for Manitoga, another HAHS site.
The event is free and open to the public. Attendees are invited to enjoy complimentary refreshments both before and immediately following the lecture. Registration is recommended due to limited seating. For more information or to register, contact Valerie Balint at 413-298-3579, x2033 or vbalint@savingplaces.org.
–E.E.
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TEDxYouth presentation to feature Mount Everett students, educators, alumni
Sheffield — Mount Everett Regional High School will host a TEDxYouth event Saturday, June 9, from 1 to 5 p.m. in its Thomas A. Consolati Performing Arts Center. Talks spanning the theme of “Roots/Routes” will be followed by a brief reception. The speaker list features students Nadia Makuc, Evie Kerr and Patrick Haiss of Mount Everett’s TED-Ed Club; alumni Alice Maggio and Dylan Moulton; homeschooler Fiora Caligiuri-Randall; and educators Jane Burke, Tes Reed, Jeanne Lemlin and Thomas Berkel. The “ideas worth spreading” that will be presented relate to the topics of economics, sustainable agriculture, the Appalachian Trail and travel, among others. Complimentary hors d’oeuvres will be provided.
The presentation is free and open to the public but registration is required due to limited eating. For more information on the event and speakers or to register, see the Berkshire Edge calendar.
–E.E.
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Berkshire Playwrights Lab to hold gala celebration
Great Barrington — Berkshire Playwrights Lab will celebrate the kickoff of its summer season with a benefit gala Saturday, June 9, at 6:30 pm at the Wyantenuck Country Club. A celebration of 11 years of original plays, expanded programming and affordable professional theater, the evening will include light dinner fare, a silent auction and a short surprise performance.
Hosted by chairs Stacey Gillis Weber, Deann Halper and Robin Schultz Gerber, the gala will include playwrights, actors and directors and the Berkshire community of artists and arts patrons. The silent auction will feature items such as a classic Italian-made Vespa; a one-month family membership to Berkshire South Regional Community Center; dinner for two at the Red Lion Inn; dinner for two at Café Adam; a party-planning gift certificate from Only In My Dreams Events; and gift cards and certificates from Asia Barong, Simply Sweet, Ward’s Nursery and the Well.
Proceeds from the fundraiser will help support BPL’s programming, which includes the Radius Playwrights Festival, which features fully staged readings of short works by writers within a 50-mile radius of Great Barrington; the Summer Staged Reading Series; and this year’s new initiative Berkshire Voices, a writers’ group created by and for local residents to provide key support and resources for writers at every stage of their careers.
Tickets start at $125. For tickets and more information, see the Berkshire Edge calendar or contact BPL at (413) 528-2544 or admin@berkshireplaywrightslab.org.
–E.E.
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CDC to offer ‘Dinner and a Movie’
Great Barrington — The Community Development Corporation of South Berkshire will hold a “Dinner and a Movie” community event Wednesday, June 6, at 6:30 p.m. at the Berkshire Community College South County Center.
The event will screen “Affordable Green Housing,” a film selected from PBS’ e2 design series that chronicles efforts to solve the world’s most pressing ecological challenges. “Affordable Green Housing” follows Jonathan Rose, a New York City-based real estate developer who has been striving to rethink affordable housing. The film takes a tour with Rose through Irvington, Harlem and the Bronx, tracking his efforts to create sustainable homes that are within reach of public-housing residents.
Pizza will be served during the movie. Following the film, CDCSB board member and architect Rona Easton and CDCSB executive director Tim Geller will lead a community conversation exploring what a sustainable community in the southern Berkshires might look like.
The event is free and open to the community. For more information, contact CDCSB at (413) 528-7788 or info@dcdsb.org.
–E.E.
