“In the Land of Israel” talkback with actress TAMIR
BERKSHIRE COUNTY — TAMIR, the creator and lead actress of the theatrical adaptation of Amos Oz’s “In the Land of Israel,” will join Samuel Dinnar in a talk-back conversation about the show, its context, and its backstory. The livestreamed event will be held Wednesday, May 19 at 7:30 p.m. and be moderated by Albert Stern, editor of the Berkshire Jewish Voice.
The one-woman show, in which TAMIR portrays six different Israeli West Bank residents whom Amos Oz interviewed while researching his book, can be viewed on the Knesset Israel livestream.
Questions for the talk-back may be submitted in advance to astern@jewishberkshires.org.
The “In the Land of Israel” book group, performance, and talkback are cosponsored by Knesset Israel, the Jewish Federation of the Berkshires, Hevreh of Southern Berkshire, and Temple Anshe Amunim. Major funding support was provided by the Harold Grinspoon Foundation.
—A.K.
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Flying Cloud Institute announces Young Women in Science summer program
PITTSFIELD — For the 21st year, Flying Cloud Institute will offer a Young Women in Science summer program. The week-long exploration, running August 2–6, 2021, will give female-identified youth ages 9–16 the opportunity to investigate science and engineering topics, alongside peers who share a love of inquiry and discovery.
Participants will engage in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) topics in a professional laboratory setting, with guidance from practicing, women STEM professionals. Girls will be encouraged to engage with the topics of chemistry, ecology, engineering, and physics on a deeper, more creative level as they develop their own research design and work through hands-on projects to solve problems and explore hypotheses.
“Research demonstrates that encouragement from female, STEM-professional role models and opportunities to engage in fun, hands-on, collaborative laboratory experiences help young girls succeed in STEM fields”, said Flying Cloud’s Executive Director Maria Rundle.
The program will be located at Berkshire Community College in Pittsfield and run August 2–6 from 9 a.m.–4 p.m. Tuition is $100 for the week-long session and financial aid is available to qualifying families. To apply, visit the Flying Cloud website or call 413-645-3058 with questions.
—A.K.
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Becket Arts Center seeks artists for Open Studios DriveAbout
BECKET — The Becket Arts Center (BAC) is planning its third annual Open Studios DriveAbout for Saturday, Sept. 4, 2021 (rain date: Sunday, Sept. 5). BAC is seeking artists from the towns of Becket, Chester, Hinsdale, Otis, Washington, Middlefield, and Peru to participate.
Interested artists should complete the 2021 Open Studios DriveAbout form by May 31, 2021.
Open Studios DriveAbout is a unique and immersive way for artists and art-lovers to explore the talent living and working in the community. Artists get to showcase their studios, present their work, and sell their creations as art-lovers drive from location to location. Artists can also utilize the common space at the BAC itself to showcase their work.
Thanks to grant funding from the local cultural councils of Becket, Chester, Hinsdale, Otis, Washington, Middlefield, and Peru, there is no participation fee for artists, though we do ask artists to have up-to-date BAC memberships. Memberships can be updated online. If you aren’t sure if your membership is current, or for other questions, please email office@becketartscenter.org or call 413-623-6635.
View last year’s Open Studios artist lineup here.
—A.K.
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1Berkshire Youth Leadership Program celebrates Class of 2021 commencement
BERKSHIRE COUNTY – On Tuesday, May 4, 1Berkshire celebrated the commencement of the Youth Leadership Program’s Class of 2021, via Zoom. Having completed the entirety of this 10-month leadership program, 31 students shared the products of their collective impact projects with attending family, friends, and regional leaders, and were recognized for their program completion. The Class of 2021 is the 11th class in the program’s history.
Though the class applied to the program prior to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, public health guidance precluded in-person meetings throughout the course of the year. As a result, from their kickoff retreat over the summer through their commencement, the students have participated in the program virtually.
For their collective impact project, the class was organized into five groups that chose to focus on the topics of racism and the environment. Each group addressed these topics in its own way. Students created social media accounts on the topic of racism in schools and in society more broadly, organized an anti-racism workshop to be held for their peers featuring an expert from BRIDGE, created a social media campaign around reducing the impacts of fast fashion and reducing waste locally, and organized a park cleanup.
Program Director Ben Lamb noted in his remarks that: “The past year has been challenging and uncertain for us all, but [the Class of 2021] truly rose to the occasion. [The class] did not shy away from addressing some of the most daunting issues our society faces, and showed a flexibility and persistence for which we should all be proud.”
The 1Berkshire Youth Leadership Program is made possible through the financial support of sponsors Berkshire Bank, Greylock Federal Credit Union, and Cohen Kinne Valicenti & Cook, and with additional support this year from Neenah Technical Materials and NBT Bank.
The 2021 Youth Leadership Program graduates are as follows. From Berkshire Waldorf High School: Isaac LeBlanc. From Drury High School: Madilynn Brothers, Zachary Davignon, Alexa Macdonald, Elli Miles, Madeline Nesbit, and Thomas Peterson. From Lenox Memorial Middle & High School: Julianne Harwood, Solia Herndon-Schmid, and Cecilia Kittross. From Miss Hall’s School: Sienna Trask. From Mount Greylock Regional School: Jonah Hane, Catherine McAllister, and Alexis Toomey. From Mt. Everett Regional High School: Micah Ketchen and Grace Makuc. From Pittsfield High School: Isabella Ameen, Jordynn Bazinet, Lauren Callahan, Madison Crouse, Jonathan Douhan, Sydney Ferris, Alex Henner, Madelyn Malumphy, Tess McCluskey, Leila Paredes, Alyssa Potvin, Zachary Pupo, and Isolena Ungewitter. From The Potter’s School: Bronwyn Dix. From Wahconah Regional High School: Jocelyn Sommers.
—A.K.
