Judy Isacoff and amateur astronomer Rick Costello host ‘Stargazing over Baldwin Hill’
Egremont— On Saturday, May 13th from 9 p.m. to 10:30 p.m., the public is invited to “Stargazing over Baldwin Hill” in Egremont, an “Earth Day Everyday and Dark Skies” celebration.
The public is invited to enjoy naked eye stargazing and views through telescopes to cosmic galaxies. Meet Berkshire Edge’s “Eyes to the Sky” columnist, Judy Isacoff and amateur astronomer Rick Costello—telescopes in tow— with storyteller of the stars Susan Bachelder and dark sky activist Janet Jensen.
The event is Saturday, May 13th from 9 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. in Egremont. To get to the event from Great Barrington, travel west on Route 23 to Route 71, turn right and proceed to Baldwin Hill East-West, turn left and proceed to location where telescopes are set up. Learn more online.
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Teen-run farmers market opens for its 11th season
Pittsfield— Roots Rising is excited to announce that Saturday, May 13th, its teen-run Pittsfield Farmers Market returns to the First Street Common for its 11th season. The market will run weekly, rain or shine, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the First Street Common through October 14.
Each week, shoppers will find fresh, local and seasonal fruits, vegetables, meat, eggs, cheese, baked goods, flowers, artisan goods, as well as live music and children’s activities. This season will feature a mix of new and returning vendors. ”Supersized Second Saturdays” are also back. In collaboration with CozQuest, the second Saturday markets will include a Makers Market, chef demos, contests, children’s activities, and more.
The Pittsfield Farmers Market was founded with the belief that everyone has the right to fresh, healthy food, and it strives to make the market accessible and inclusive for all. “Market Match”, doubles the purchasing power of our shoppers using SNAP, WIC and senior benefits. They turn $30 in SNAP benefits into $60 worth of tokens to spend at the market. They also match dollar-for-dollar in WIC and Senior farmers market coupons (while funds last). The Pittsfield Farmers Market also hosts a Giving Table, where shoppers and vendors can gift food to be donated to local pantries and shelters.
The Pittsfield Farmers Market plays an essential role in increasing food security for our community’s youth. Their program, “Summer Eats” bridges the summer hunger gap by providing free, healthy lunches to all youth under the age of 18. This season, “Summer Eats” at the Pittsfield Farmers Market will run July through August.
Roots Rising empowers youth and builds community through food and farming. Roots Rising’s farm crew hires teens to work on farms and in food pantries, and its market crew runs the Pittsfield Farmers Market, the first teen-run farmers market in the region. Roots Rising’s vision is to lift up youth as community change-makers and strengthen the local food system through the transformational power of meaningful work.
Opening day of the market is Saturday, May 13th at the First Street Common in Pittsfield. Learn more about the Pittsfield Market online. Learn more about Roots Rising online.
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Fisher Center presents ‘Water Spirits: From River to Ocean’
Annandale-On-Hudson, N.Y. — On May 13th at 8 p.m., the Fisher Center presents Grammy and Academy-Award winning composer, and Bard College Conservatory dean, Tan Dun.
Tan Dun will be conducting five works by Czech, French, Romanian, Japanese, and British composers who were inspired by the sounds of oceans, rivers, and flowing waters.
“I have two goals in my heart: I don’t just want to establish a musical idea…. I want to develop a cross-cultural idea that brings nature and classical music, ancient and modern, together.”—Tan Dun
Dean of the Bard College Conservatory of Music and UNESCO Global Goodwill Ambassador, Tan Dun, has made an indelible mark on the world’s music scene with a repertoire that spans the boundaries of classical music, multimedia performance, and Eastern and Western traditions. His compositions often feature water as a musical instrument.
The event is on May 13th at 8 p.m. at the Fisher Center’s Sosnoff Theater on Manor Avenue in Annandale-On-Hudson. The duration is 95 minutes, including one 15-minute intermission. Tickets are $15–20 (suggested) and the livestream is “Pay What You Wish”. To buy tickets and to learn more, visit the Fisher Center online.
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Bennington Museum presents ‘Museum ABCs Trail Tale: We Are Water Protectors’
Bennington, Vt. — On Thursday, May 18th from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m., enjoy a special event for children at the Bennington Museum, “Museum ABCs Trail Tale: We Are Water Protectors”.
At the event, children ages 3 to 5 and their adult companions will visit “Nebizun: Water is Life”, the exhibition brought to us by the Abenaki Arts & Education Center. Then, they will take a walk on the George Aiken Wildflower Trail while enjoying the story “We Are Water Protectors” by Carole Lindstrom and beautifully illustrated by Michaela Goade. The event will conclude with a little water play in Jennings Brook, so bring your rubber boots!
Museum ABCs is a collaboration of Bennington Museum and the Bennington Free Library designed for children ages 3 to 5 and their adult companions. The program is brought to you free of charge thanks to sponsorship from The Bank of Bennington and additional support from Stewarts Shops and the Nora Robert Foundation.
The event is on Thursday, May 18th from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. at the Bennington Museum on Main Street in Bennington. For more information, call 802-447-1571 or visit the museum online.
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Pittsfield Community Television to host ‘Eatza Pizza’ fundraiser
Pittsfield — On Thursday, May 18th at 6 p.m., Pittsfield Community Television is holding “Eatza Pizza”, fundraiser, at Berkshire Hills Country Club featuring nine of the best pizza restaurants in the Berkshires.
The event will be a fundraiser for the non-profit television station and sister radio station 89.7 WTBR-FM and will feature pizza from Anna’s Pizza, Dalton HD Pizza, Dewey’s Public House, KJ Nosh Catering, the Locker Room, Papa Joe’s, Papa John’s, PortaVia, and Zucco’s Family Restaurant. Attendees will have the opportunity to vote for their favorite pizza in several different categories. The event will also have music and a 360° video booth.
Pittsfield Community Television is Pittsfield’s community media organization. A 501(c)(3) non-profit charitable organization serving the region since its founding in 1986, PCTV’s mission is to empower our community to create media and amplify diverse voices through the best technology and wide-reaching platforms, and its vision is that everyone in our area should have access to shared media experiences which inform, educate, engage, and entertain; foster civic and community engagement; and promote transparency in local government. PCTV also manages and operates WTBR-FM, also known as Pittsfield Community Radio, a full power non-commercial educational radio station broadcasting on 89.7 FM. Information on PCTV and WTBR-FM can be found at PittsfieldTV.org and at WTBRFM.com.
The event is Thursday, May 18th at 6 p.m. at the Berkshire Hills Country Club on Benedict Road in Pittsfield. Advanced tickets are priced at $20 for adults and $10 for children 12 and under. Tickets can be purchased online or at PCTV’s studios at 4 Federico Drive in Pittsfield. Tickets will be $25 at the door. More information can be found online.
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Contemporary artist David Hartt explores Olana’s historic photography collection
Hudson, N.Y. — The Olana Partnership announced that the special exhibition, Terraforming: Olana’s Historic Photography Collection Unearthed, will open at Olana State Historic Site on May 14th. In “Terraforming”, artist and guest curator David Hartt reflects on the ways in which human culture and activity shape the land, eroding the boundary between human construction and the natural world, just as Frederic Church did in creating the 250-acre earthwork that is Olana.
Olana is the masterwork of Frederic Edwin Church (1826-1900), the preeminent American artist of the mid-19th century and the most important artist’s home, studio, and designed landscape in the United States. Church designed Olana as a holistic environment integrating his advanced ideas about art, architecture, landscape design, and environmental conservation. Olana’s 250-acre artist-designed landscape with five miles of carriage roads and a Persian-inspired house at its summit embraces unrivaled panoramic views of the Hudson Valley and Catskill Mountains and welcomes more than 170,000 visitors annually. The landscape is open for guided touring, and reservations are highly recommended. The landscape is open daily 8 a.m. to sunset. Olana State Historic Site, administered by the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, is a designated National Historic Landmark and one of the most visited sites in the state.
The exhibition focuses on Olana’s remarkable trove of nearly 5,000 19th century photographic prints, collected by the artist Frederic Church between 1850 and 1900. Until now, this nationally significant and intact photography collection has been little-known and unseen by the public.
In “Terraforming”, artist and guest curator David Hartt reflects on the ways in which human culture and activity shape the land, eroding the boundary between human construction and the natural world, just as Frederic Church did in creating the 250-acre earthwork that is Olana. Through Hartt’s selection of historic photographs from Olana’s vast collection, the exhibition also explores what this global photographic collection tells us about Church’s painting practice, travels, and ways of knowing and collecting the world.
David Hartt’s work unpacks the social, cultural, and economic complexities of his various subjects and explores how historic ideas and ideals persist or transform over time. His solo exhibitions include “The Histories” at The Hammer Museum, Los Angeles, “Coloured Garden” at The Glass House (currently on view), New Canaan, Connecticut and the group exhibition, “Reconstructions: Architecture and Blackness in America” at The Museum of Modern Art, New York. His work is also featured in the public collections of several museums including The Museum of Modern Art, New York, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, The Museum of Contemporary Photography, Chicago, The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles, The National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa and The Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam.
The exhibition opens on May 14th and runs through October 29th at the Olana State Historic Site at NY-9G in Hudson. For tickets and additional information, visit OLANA.org/terraforming.
