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Sunset Supper, Moonlight Magic at The Clark June 6

Williamstown, MA -Celebrate the summer, a full moon, and the opening of the Clark's summer
exhibitions Dove/O'Keeffe: Circles of Influence and Through the Seasons:
Japanese Art in Nature with "Sunset Supper, Moonlight Magic," a fantastic
evening of local food, drinks, music, and other delights on Saturday, June 6, at
6:30 pm. Tickets are $100 ($85 for members). Reserve tickets online at
clarkart.edu or by calling 413-458-0524. Lawn party attire suggested.

Music will be performed by the Flying Garbanzos of western Massachusetts before
dinner while guests enjoy cocktails and hors d'oeuvres in the fresh mountain air
at the base of Stone Hill. Enjoy a family style meal with ingredients provided
by local producers. Hors d'oeuvres include canapés made with Cricket Creek and
other local cheeses; Ioka Valley Farm beef carpaccio; and Hemlock Brook Farm
chicken liver pâté. Dinner features Barramundi terrine with Equinox Farm greens,
flowers, and herbs with sauce verte; roast Hemlock Farm chicken with rosemary;
Jaeschke's Orchard pear chutney; new potato salad; Boisvert Farm asparagus with
olive oil and lemon; and Cricket Creek Farm breads. Ioka Farm will provide the
strawberry dessert. Drinks will be provided by Berkshire Distillers and
Berkshire Brewing Company.

A tea cup raffle with fabulous prizes will support the Clark's important school
bus program. The popular program provides transportation to and from the Clark
for schools within a day's drive. Prize baskets in the raffle have their own
personalities (the Fashionista, the Outdoorsman, the Collector, etc.) and
contain treasures from the Berkshires and beyond. Raffle tickets are available
before or after the party, for $5 each or a book of seven tickets for $25.

The evening concludes with a bonfire and tasty s'mores on top of Stone Hill for
those who embark on the moonlit walk.

Sunset Supper, Moonlight Magic is inspired by Georgia O'Keeffe and Arthur Dove,
two American painters who loved nature. Starting in 1918, O'Keeffe spent much of
the summer and fall at her husband Alfred Stieglitz's family estate at the foot
of the Adirondacks in Lake George, New York. The effect that Lake George had on
O'Keeffe is apparent in many of her works, which depict the natural landscape of
the region and its surrounding mountains and wildlife. Dove's youth in Geneva,
New York-where he enjoyed fishing, camping, and hunting-endowed him with a deep
appreciation for the natural beauty of his surroundings, which inspired his
earliest abstractions. As an adult, he raised crops and chickens on a farm in
Connecticut, lived for several years on board a sail boat, and ultimately
settled on the shores of Long Island.

Sunset Supper, Moonlight Magic sponsors are Cable Mills Condominiums, Pine Cone
Hill, Berkshire Mountain Distillers, and Bisque, Beads & Beyond!

Georgia O'Keeffe, the most significant American female artist of the twentieth
century, is often linked with her husband Alfred Stieglitz, but credits the
American modernist painter Arthur Dove as having the largest role in the
formation of her abstract works. Dove/O'Keeffe: Circles of Influence is the
first exhibition to explore Dove's role in O'Keeffe's early artistic development
of abstract works as well as O'Keeffe's influence on his work. The Clark is the
exclusive venue for this groundbreaking exhibition on view to the public June 7
through September 7.

The Sunset Supper, Moonlight Magic gala will also include a preview of Through
the Seasons: Japanese Art in Nature in Stone Hill Center. Seasonal change and
depictions of the natural world have formed a core in the repertoire of Japanese
artists throughout the ages. This exhibition brings together traditional screens
and scrolls and displays them with contemporary ceramics, each work emphasizing
the inspirational role of nature in Japanese art. Drawn from both public
institutions and private collections, many of these works have never before been
exhibited. Through the Seasons will be on view to the public June 7 through
October 18.

"Vexations" to be Performed at MCLA Gallery 51 May 6

Vexations - 18 hours and 40 minutes of piano

7 a.m. Wednesday May 6th to 2 a.m. Thursday May 7th

MCLA Gallery 51

Vexations is a noted musical work written in 1883 by Erik Satie.  Consisting of a short chordal passage and a bass line (repeated twice in each repetition); the piece is repeated 840 times and on the score.

"In order to play this motif 840 times consecutively to oneself, it will be useful to prepare oneself beforehand, and in utter silence, by grave immobilities."  This enigmatic instruction, on a single page of music bearing the title Vexations, has turned the strange piano piece into a legend in the annals of experimental music.

The work emerged from obscurity in 1949 when Henri Sauguet, a friend of Satie in his last years, drew it to the attention of John Cage. At first Cage found it interesting as a concept but dismissed the possibility of a performance.  Nevertheless, in September 1963, Cage organised the first ‘complete’ performance of Vexations at the Pocket Theatre, New York.  Since that occasion, Vexations has been performed numerous times by individuals and groups

Join us as MCLA students, faculty, staff and the Berkshire community experiment with Vexations.

Lecture on Conserving Tavern Sign May 6

Williamstown, MA - Over the past year, Williams College graduate student Rebecca R. (Ruthie) Dibble has conserved a Connecticut tavern sign from the collection of the Connecticut Historical Society. Her Lenett Fellow project culminates with the free lecture "Conserving the Abel Lewis Tavern Sign" on Wednesday, May 6, at 5:30 pm, in Hunter Studio at the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute's Stone Hill Center. Seating is limited.

As the Lenett Fellow for the 2008-09 year, Dibble sought to work with an early American painted object that would allow her to explore American material and visual culture. The Bristol, Connecticut, tin plate tavern sign, about 1800, was acquired by the Connecticut Historical Society in 2006. Both sides of the sign contain the words "A. Lewis Inn," the name of the tavern owner. One side has the eagle of the United States seal. The other side of the sign contains the Connecticut State seal, a punch bowl, two glasses, and a decanter. Both the painted surface and the metal required conservation, completed by Dibble with the guidance of staff from the Williamstown Art Conservation Center, located in Stone
Hill Center at the Clark.

Dibble is the 2009 Lenett Fellow in the Williams Graduate Program in the History of Art. The Judith M. Lenett Memorial Fund was established by the family and friends of the late Ms. Lenett, a candidate for the M.A. degree, class of 1983, to provide lectures and seminars in American art and its conservation. Students with an interest in American art and art conservation enrolled in the graduate program may apply for the fellowship at the end of their first year. The student selected as the Lenett Fellow works with the staff of WACC during his/her second year in the program, culminating in a public lecture in the spring. The Williams College Graduate Program in the History of Art, the Clark, and WACC
jointly administer the Lenett Fellowship.

Mt. Greylock Staging "The Importance of Being Earnest" May 1 & 2

TWO SHOWS FRIDAY AND SATURDAY  (MAY 1-2) AT 7 P.M. IN WILLIAMSTOWN

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. - Oscar Wilde's classic Victorian English comedy of mistaken identity comes alive for two nights this weekend as Mount Greylock Regional High School  students stage "The Importance of Being Earnest" on Friday and Saturday nights at 7 p.m.

First produced in 1895, with the most recent movie remake in 2002, the comedy of manners is considered by many critics to be one of the greatest stage comedies of all time and is among the British playwright's most famous and popular works.  Tickets are $7 for adults and $5 for seniors and students.

The nine-member cast includes  Patrick Madden, Rufus Paisley, Sarah Phelps, Petra Mijanovic, Isabel Kaufman, Sam Shuker-Haines, Gwen Tunnicliffe, Charlie Sutter and Peter Iwasiwka.

"We're hoping to present an accessible, hysterical adventure in fictitious identities, amusing prejudice, spurned social obligations and Victorian foibles," says student Christopher Densmore, who is co-directing the production as his required "senior project" before June graduation from Mount Greylock.

"I've been amazed by how diligently all the actors have pursued their characters."  Co-director is Rachel Sheppard and the faculty advisor is Tom Ostheimer.

The plot involves two young men in the 1890s English country side who decided separately to adopt the name "Ernest" in city and rural courtships. The plot thickens as each gentleman finds himself in the countryside at the same time with their lovers - simultaneously using the phony name.  While the affairs of each erstwhile Ernest continue in earnest, Wilde's wit manages an hilarious social farce of discovery.

Craft & Tag Sale at Little Red May 9

Williamstown, MA - On Saturday, May 9, 2009 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., the Little Red Schoolhouse, in South Williamstown, will be having a Craft and Tag Sale to benefit the Williamstown Cooperative Nursery School.  The event will feature over 40 local crafters and vendors as well as tag sale tables.  There will be children’s entertainment with a magic show by Bowey the Clown at 11:30.  From 12:00 to 2:00 p.m. there will also be the opportunity for children to make a Mother’s Day card.  Other activities include live music, a raffle table, food and bake sale tables, face painting and balloon animals.  A special Mother’s Day door prize will be given to the first 50 mothers through the door.  The event will be held rain or shine and admission is free.  This is an excellent opportunity to do some Mother’s Day shopping, so please come and see some fine, local craftsmanship. 

Hoosic River Revival Coalition Hosts Info Session for Merchants May 5

North Adams, MA - The Hoosic River Revival Coalition is holding an information session for downtown merchants on Tuesday, May 5 at 7 pm at MCLA Gallery 51 on Main Street.

The Hoosic River Revival Coalition is a coalition of local residents, elected officials, and members of Massachusetts Department of Fish and Game that have joined forces to revitalize the Hoosic River as it flows through North Adams’ downtown community.

The coalition believes that the revitalization of the river will complete the picture of a city with outstanding cultural, recreational and business opportunities.  Please join us to see what we can do together North Adams downtown thrive, making the river and its surrounding area a vital part of our beautiful city.  For information call 413.664.7747.

 

Annual Community/College Clean-up Set for May 2

North Adams, MA - The Annual Community/College Cleanup will be held in neighborhoods around the city this Saturday, May 2 from 10-1 pm. Anyone with questions or an interest in volunteering may contact Spencer Moser on the MCLA campus at 413.662.5251, or Rod Bunt at the Mayor’s Office of Tourism and Cultural Development, 6 West Main Street at 413.664.6180.

MoCA Hosts Cuban Dance Party May 1

North Adams, MA - MASS MoCA hosts a Cuban Dance Party at the Hunter Center on Friday, May 1 at 8 pm. Nicki Denner and her sizzling sextet will provide the music.

Berkshire Creative Hosts BarCamp May 1 at MoCA

North Adams, MA - Berkshire Creative sponsors BarCamp, a night of ideas and creativity, Friday May 1 from 5:30-8:00 pm at MASS MoCA, 87 Marshall Street. All are welcome. To RSVP, call 413.822.8324 or [email protected]

Lasagna Supper to Benefit Camp Ashmere May 1

North Adams, MA - Friday, May 1 is First Friday Dinner at the First Baptist Church at Monument Square from 5-7 pm. Lasagna, salad, bread, dessert and beverages will be served to benefit Camp Ashmere. Use Eagle Street entrance. Call 413.663.3780.