Berkshire— Whether your family is vacationing or “stay-cationing” in the Berkshires over the February school vacation, there are events to keep you entertained and inspired all week long!
From February 16th through the 20th at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m., MASS MoCA, located at 1040 MASS MoCA Way in North Adams, presents a series of free Kidspace workshops for all ages. Each workshop will focus on a different art medium and process, including a “Declaration Project” with NPR host Lara Downes, “Storybook Puppets” with Beth Davis, “Developing a Cartoon Character” with Heidi Whitus, “Reductive Sculpture” with Rebecca Cuscaden Marvin, and “Pointillism Drawing” with Donald Jackson. Be inspired, learn something new, and make a project to take home. The ArtBar will also be open daily.
From February 17th through the 20th, Berkshire Museum presents free “Days of Play” at Berkshire Community College, located at 1350 West Street in Pittsfield. The themes of each day of play include “Dino Day,” “Plants and Bugs Galore!,” “Under the Sea,” and “Creativity Chaos.” On Saturday, February 21st from 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Berkshire Museum presents a free “Day of Play” at the Berkshire Athenaeum, located at 1 Wendell Avenue in Pittsfield. Activities include the library’s Big Blue Blocks, a Berkshire Museum Mobile Museum Unit, and self-led STEAM stations.
From February 16th through the 21st (except Wednesday) from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., the Norman Rockwell Museum, located at 9 Glendale Road in Stockbridge, presents “Create Like Rockwell,” a week of family-focused activities exploring how Norman Rockwell transformed everyday moments into art. Enjoy family tours and drop-in art-making inspired by Rockwell’s techniques.
From February 17th through the 19th, the Clark Art Institute, located at 225 South Street in Williamstown, presents vacation week programming exploring themes of imagination, fantasy, and ghostly realities, in celebration of its special exhibition “Shadow Visionaries: French Artists Against the Current, 1840–70.” Drop-in to sculpt your own gargoyle or otherworldly creature out of mixed media materials, join an all-ages interactive tour of “Shadow Visionaries” that includes playful writing and storytelling activities, use the “monster mash-up” activity card to explore and draw your own fantastic being inspired by the skeletons, ghouls, and creepy creatures in the exhibition.
From February 16th through the 20th, the Springfield Museums, located at 21 Edwards Street in Springfield, presents “Olympic STEAM Quest,” a dynamic, multi-day program celebrating the science, technology, engineering, and math behind cold-weather sports. Families are invited to experience the excitement of the Olympic Games through interactive challenges, creative design labs, and exhibitions that bring winter sports to life, all free with museum admission. In addition to “MathAlive! 2 the Xtreme” and “AstrOlympics: Winter!”, daily activities include Spark!Lab, Slip & Slide, Adapt-a-Sport, and Olympic Wreaths. On Monday only, there will be a book fair with Olive Tree Books-n-Voices.
On February 19th from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, located at 125 West Bay Road in Amherst, presents a day of free admission. Exhibits on view include “Sprites, Spells, and Splashes: Magical Beings in Picture Book Art,” enchanting exhibition explores the rich visual traditions of fairies, mermaids, wizards, and other supernatural beings through beloved picture book illustrations; “CLICK! Photographers Make Picture Books,” featuring archival photo prints and a selection of rare children’s books by visionary photographer-illustrators; “Cooking with Eric Carle,” highlighting the food featured in many of Carle’s books; and “Entwined Memory: Indigenous Stories of Creation, Place, and Continuity,” honoring Indigenous storytelling.
From February 18th through the 22nd from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., the Firemen’s Museum (FASNY), located at 117 Harry Howard Avenue in Hudson, offers visitors young and old with a variety of opportunities for exploration, discovery, and education. Through interpretation of its unequaled collection — the largest of its kind found anywhere in the world — and its many fun, hands-on exhibits, events and activities, the Museum fascinates, educates and delights visitors of all ages, including art-making, “Discovery Trucks,” “Pump it UP!,” “Fire in the Valley: Bucket Brigade,” a “Junior Firefighter Challenge Course,” a “Discovery Room,” and “It’s A Small World,” where “Everything is Awesome” in the Lego Universe!
On February 19th and 20th at 3:30 p.m., Ventfort Hall Gilded Age Mansion, located at 104 Walker Street in Lenox, presents marionette performances of “Hansel & Gretel” by puppeteer Carl Sprague. The classic German fairy tale is about two siblings abandoned in the woods who find a house made of sweets, owned by a witch intending to eat them. The clever children outsmart her and escape with her treasures to find their way home. This fairy tale symbolizes themes of cleverness, survival, and greed vs. kindness.
On February 18th from 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m., The Mount, located at 2 Plunkett Street in Lenox, presents “Whose Tracks Are These?”, a family program with Mass Audubon. Play fun tracking games while looking for animal tracks, homes, and other signs of activity. Learn how to piece together the clues that wildlife leaves behind to uncover their hidden world.
From February 16th through the 20th, Berkshire Art Center, located at 13 Willard Hill Road in Stockbridge, presents “Five Days of JOY!”, vibrant, hands-on art experiences for children ages six and up. Designed to spark imagination and celebrate creativity, Five Days of JOY! invites young artists on a weeklong adventure exploring light, self-expression, collaboration, and celebration through a wide variety of themed art-making experiences. Themes include “The Joy of Me,” “Painting Light,” “Sun, Moon, and Starlight,” “Bring in the Light,” and “Joy to the World.”
From February 17th to the 18th, the Stockbridge Library, located at 46 Main Street in Stockbridge, presents a stuffed animal sleepover, hosted by Library Lion. On February 17th, anytime between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m., children can drop off their stuffed animal or toy. Children will go home while their stuffed animals will stay at the library for their sleepover! On February 18th at 10:30 a.m., children will pick up their stuffed animal, eat donuts and fruit, and watch a short video slideshow with photos of the fun their stuffed animal had. The library is also offering “LEGOs in the Library” on February 19th from 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
On February 18th from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m., the Mason Library, located at 231 Main Street in Great Barrington, presents “Pizza & Pages,” a fun program for youth ages nine to 14. Read, chat, and enjoy pizza with friends. On February 19th from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m., youth ages four through 17 are invited to use fruit to make a car. Turn bananas and grapes into an edible vehicle! On February 20th from 1:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m., youth ages nine to 14 are invited to “Bagels & Books,” for an hour of quiet reading, followed by bagels with cream cheese.
Happy vacation or “stay-cation!”
