LABspace to host ‘BEDFELLOWS’
Hillsdale, N.Y. — LABspace will present “BEDFELLOWS,” a group exhibition including works by Eric Aurandt, Dan Devine, Francine Hunter McGivern, Frau Kolb, Ola Manana, Cindy Sherman, Laurie Simmons, Guy Walker and Oliver Wasow. The show will open with a reception on Saturday, Oct. 15, from 3 to 5 p.m., and will be on display through Saturday, Dec. 3.
Each artist represented in “BEDFELLOWS” creates strange and unusual characters with their chosen media. Eric Aurandt sculpts and draws lumbering men who are at once appealing and grotesque. Dan Devine makes photographic portraits of sheep that he combines with a security camera, creating a somewhat confrontational situation in which the viewer seems to be watched by the animals. Francine Hunter McGivern collaborated with photographer Kevin Higgins to create black and white photographic portraits of Hunter McGivern performing while hanging in a net body sock. Frau Kolb paints group portraits of her family members. Ola Manana paints strange and mysterious figures culled from her dreams. Cindy Sherman photographs strange beings she creates with props. Laurie Simmons sets up doll figures in front of rear screen projections of tourist destinations around the world. Guy Walker makes plastic fresco totem figures. Oliver Wasow photographs people in his green screen studio and later adds landscapes as backgrounds.
For more information, contact LABspace at (646) 567-9681 or labspaceart@gmail.com.
–E.E.
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Will Allen to speak at Williams College
Williamstown — Farmer, founder and CEO of Growing Power Inc. Will Allen will give a talk titled “Growing Power and the Good Food Revolution” at Williams College’s Paresky Auditorium at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 17. The talk is free and open to the public.
A former professional basketball player, Allen is now a practitioner of urban agriculture whose methods of composting, vermicomposting, and aquaponics result in remarkable yields of food in small growing areas. In 1995, Allen founded Growing Power, a not-for-profit center for urban agriculture training and building community food security systems. He is the co-author, along with Charles Wilson, of “The Good Food Revolution: Growing Healthy Food, People and Communities.” In 2008 he was awarded a MacArthur Foundation Genius Grant and named a MacArthur Fellow, becoming only the second farmer ever to be so honored. Allen is also a member of the Clinton Global Initiative. In May 2010, TIME magazine named Allen as one of its 100 Most Influential People.
For building locations on the Williams campus, consult the online map or call the Office of Communications at (413) 597-4277.
–E.E.
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The Egremont Barn to present Linda Purl
South Egremont — The Barn at the Egremont Village Inn will present “The Year of Magical Thinking,” a solo theatre piece based on the book by Joan Didion and starring Linda Purl, on Saturday, Oct. 15, at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, Oct. 16, at 3 p.m.
Purl was born in Greenwich, Connecticut, into a theatrical family: her mother was a Broadway actress, her father was an actor, and her grandmother founded the Actors’ Equity Association. She is known for her roles in television shows such as “Matlock,” Happy Days,” and “The Office” and has many movie and Broadway credits.
Tickets are $20. For more information, see the Berkshire Edge calendar or call the Barn at (413) 528-1570.
–E.E.
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Ninth annual Otis Arts Festival
Otis — The ninth annual Otis Arts Festival will take place on Saturday, Oct. 15, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Farmington River Elementary School. The festival will feature artisans and craftspeople with pottery, leather, oil paintings, photography, quilts, jewelry, wood crafts, and more. Musical entertainment will be provided by singer, guitarist, and songwriter Bruce Mandel. Food will be available for purchase. Admission is free. As a companion event and during the same hours, the Otis Historical Society will sponsor a tag sale at the Otis Poultry Farm. For more information, call (413) 269-4674.
–E.E.
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Downtown Pittsfield Farmers Market to end season with celebration
Pittsfield — The Downtown Pittsfield Farmers Market’s fourth outdoor season will comes to a close from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m at the First Street Common with a full line-up of vendors, demos, and activities.
The American Cancer Society’s Making Strides Against Breast Cancer event will begin registration at 9 a.m. with the walk set to start at 10 a.m. Dan Smith, chef/owner of John Andrews Farmhouse Restaurant in South Egremont and Anna Gershenson, Pittsfield Community Television’s “The Natural Cook,” will offer tips on cooking healthfully and seasonally and provide samples of their dishes. The Office of Cultural Development will present a harvest festival at the market from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., complete with Halloween parade. The Roaming Railroad will give free rides to all attendees. State Rep. Tricia Farley-Bouvier has coordinated market visits from both the Unclaimed Property Division from State Treasurer Deborah Goldberg‘s office and the Massachusetts Department of Transportation‘s E-ZPass Van. There will also be pumpkin painting, dancing with tunes from a Harminy Entertainment DJ, interactive hula hoop demos, and performances from Pittsfield City Hoopla.
For more information, contact info@farmermarketpittsfield.org.
–E.E.
