DESTINATION: BERKSHIRES, MA by New Venture Media Group

BERKSHIRES, BERKSHIRES, MA MA

DESTINATION BERKSHIRES, MA

Interior view of Diana Felber Gallery. Photo: Michael Lavin Flower.

he Berkshires are celebrated in song—for classical music, the Boston Symphony Orchestra makes its summer home at Tanglewood between Lenox and Stockbridge, and as a different kind of classic, Arlo Guthrie’s talking blues, “Alice’s Restaurant Massacree” chronicles both real-life events and the countercultural ethos of Stockbridge. Equally celebrated in story, the area has been a summer colony for the literati of Boston and New York since the 19th century railroad made it accessible. Edith Wharton lived, entertained, and worked in literate elegance at the Mount in Lenox. Herman Melville reportedly gazed out the window of his Pittsfield house while writing Moby Dick, to imagine a whale’s silhouette in the mountainous landscape. Perhaps the Great White Whale grew a few notches vaster as Melville contemplated the Berkshire views.

In this rural region where Massachusetts abuts New York—where rivers meet rock gorges, where farmlands roll into foothills and then rise into mountain ranges—there is also a longstanding tradition of hand-made crafts and innovative fine arts. An art-filled itinerary of the Berkshires could start at the northern end, with two major museums concentrated in the small village of Williamstown. Opened in 1955, in a neo-classical building, the Clark Art Institute showcases Sterling and Francine Clark’s world-renowned collection of American and European art—most notably French Impressionist masterworks and a major collection by American artist Winslow Homer. Its new building, the Clark Center, with a vast reflecting pool, received prestigious Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certification from the

United States Green Building Council. The pool’s beauty is more than skin deep—it also serves as centerpiece of an extensive water management system that was a key component in achieving LEED Gold. The Clark now displays contemporary art, currently seen in German artist Thomas Schütte’s site-specific installation, Crystal, set on museum grounds near the top of Stone Hill to frame a stunning view of the Hoosac mountain range. This summer, the Clark is the exclusive venue for Splendor, Myth, and Vision: Nudes from the Prado, featuring 28 Old Master paintings from the Museo Nacional del Prado that celebrate the role of the nude in Western painting. Works in the exhibition—including 24 never before shown in America—are among the finest of the Prado’s collections. One of the finest college art museums in the

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BERKSHIRES, BERKSHIRES, MA MA country, the Williams College Museum of Art (WCMA) is particularly strong in modern and contemporary art. The museum is also known for its stellar collection of American art from the late 18th century to the present, including works by brothers Charles and Maurice Prendergast. WCMA aims to place art within a broad cultural and historical context, and its special exhibitions carry on this approach. Both Sides Now: Lexa and Dan Walsh is a first-time creative collaboration by sibling artists Lexa and Dan Walsh. Dan, a minimalist abstract painter, and Lexa, a socially engaged artist, created a series of interactive sculptural stations. African Art Against the State (through August 28) highlights the long history of activism and resistance in African art from prehistory to the present, displaying both traditional and con-

Berkshiremuseum

temporary works. “Not Theories but Revelations:” The Art and Science of Abbott Handerson Thayer (through August 21) is the first exhibition ever to address Thayer’s artistic practice as part of his broader investigation of animal and human concealment, and includes works never before seen in public. And there’s Summer School, with mini-courses on Thursdays in July and August—a playful mash-up of faculty-led mini courses, patio programs, and reading room workshops designed to tease out new ways of thinking about art, community, and museums. Pittsfield is as urban as it gets in the Berkshires, yet even this city has a reputation for sustainability and respect for all things green. Located in the Upstreet Cultural District, the city-owned Lichtenstein Center for the Arts offers free exhibitions to the public. In

July, Community Access to the Arts (CATA) presents I Am a Part of Art, a celebration of CATA’s visual artists and writers. The exhibit features more than 100 works of art created by artists with disabilities from Berkshire County. CATA artists receive a commission on all works sold, and proceeds support CATA visual arts programs. The exhibit holds a soft opening reception on July 1, 5–8 p.m. during First Fridays Artswalk. The opening reception is Thursday, July 14, 5–7 p.m. In August, artist Marguerite Bride and photographer Lee Everett join in curating Jazz Visions, a show of paintings, photography, and sculpture inspired by their connection with jazz, especially their 11 years of involvement with the Pittsfield City Jazz Festival. The opening reception is August 5, 5–8 p.m.

LUCY MacGILLIS

ROCKWELL AND REALISM IN AN ABSTRACT WORLD

NEW PAINTINGS FROM ITALY

HOADLEY GALLERY

Finding

Stan Wamiss, Thunderbird Mask, 1996.

RAVEN Art & Stories from the Northwest Coast

The Joan and Paul Gluck Collection

Through October 30, 2016

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June 18-September 18, 2016 Stockbridge, Massachusetts

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BERKSHIRES, BERKSHIRES, MA MA Designed to bring knowledge of the arts, history, and natural science to a rural population, the Berkshire Museum’s collection was initially purchased by founder Zenas Crane in the early 1900s, as a “window on the world” for Berkshire County residents. Today, Window on the World: A Look into the Permanent Collection highlights some of the objects from the Museum’s more than 40,000 artworks, specimens, and artifacts. Special exhibitions plus the Spark!Lab, an educational, interactive workspace developed at the Smithsonian, help create an ever widening window. Finding Raven: Art and Stories from the Northwest Coast offers brightly painted contemporary and historical objects, including elaborately carved masks, exquisite bentwood boxes, and button blankets made by the Northwest Coast people. The

exhibit opens with a Circle of Totems, some towering 15 feet high, to suggest the experience of entering a village on the Northwest Coast. “We chose to integrate the supernatural stories into the exhibition because they really bring the art alive…,” says Maria Mingalone, Berkshire Museum’s director of Curatorial Affairs and Collections. Heading south to Lenox, the setting segues into rural and the art shifts to a gallery scene. Since 1985, Hoadley Gallery has offered a sophisticated selection of functional and decorative objects that combine traditional American handcrafts with contemporary design, along with painting and photography. Owners Stephanie and Thomas Hoadley search for work that meets their high standards of craftsmanship and originality.

Visitors to their gallery—which was installed in a beautifully restored 19th-century house in Lenox—can expect fresh new work and timeless classics. “My initial career as a ceramic artist exposed us to some of the finest craft artists in the country. This has informed our taste over the years,” explains Thomas Hoadley. “We are also interested in paintings that range from landscapes and still lifes to abstract minimalism, but with a unique or contemporary point of view.” This summer, the gallery features new oil paintings by Lucy MacGillis, who grew up in the Berkshires. “We have shown her work regularly since 2003 and her collectors look forward to the annual exhibit. We are also excited to show the oil paintings of Jane Bloodgood-Abrams—new to our gallery—who is inspired by the Hudson River School and

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BERKSHIRES, BERKSHIRES, MA MA

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works in a contemporary slant on that tradition,” says Hoadley. The Sohn Fine Art Gallery in Lenox, founded by Cassandra Sohn, specializes in contemporary photography and emphasizes innovative work by international and local artists. With a commitment to education and community engagement, the gallery’s Master Artist Series Program brings world-class photographers to the Berkshires for exhibitions, lectures, and workshops. This summer, welcome Greg Gorman, an award-winning photographer noted for celebrity portraits and nudes. Icons, Artists, and Divas: Greg Gorman, Ormond Gigli (through August 7) features photographs by two artists from two generations, working in different styles on the same theme. Gigli became famous in the 1950s for photographs of celebrities, and his groundbreaking portraits include Miles Davis, Marcel Duchamp, and Sophia Loren (at age 21). Gorman, a generation later, photographed personalities such as Andy Warhol, Jeff Koons, and Sophia Loren (now age 60). On Saturday, July 30, the gallery hosts a reception/book signing, 4–6 p.m., with a lecture and slideshow by Gorman, 6–7 p.m. Gorman also offers a workshop, August 1–5. Two new exhibitions start August 12: Illumination: John Atchley, which includes abstracts and one-of-a-kind prints; and Vanitas, a group show of still lifes dealing with beauty, decay, and mortality. The gallery reception is August 20, 4–7 p.m. It’s easy to imagine that Suzy Frelinghuysen and George L. K. Morris would have been a delightful couple to know—if time travel back

to the 1930s and ’40s was possible—because of their friendships with Modern masters such as Picasso, Braque, Leger, and Gris, as well as their commitment to modern abstract art, architecture and design. The Frelinghuysen Morris House and Studio, deep in the woods in Lenox, provides a glimpse into their fascinating lives by letting visitors inside their twostory house made of stucco and glass block. It feels more like a home filled with museumquality artworks and furnishings (which is exactly what it is) than a formal museum. Artists themselves, the couple enrolled in the Art Students League in New York City to learn the ancient art of fresco. Morris executed the frescoes in the living room; Frelinghuysen created her designs in the dining room. And when it turned out that the spiral staircase needed a railing, Morris designed it so the swooping metal curves complemented the painting installed on the wall behind it. This summer’s exhibit See Their World features digitized versions of 16mm films Morris took in the 1930s, screened on monitors in the Studio. On July 23 and August 27, in workshops entitled Has Your Creativity Been Hiding, director/artist Kinney Frelinghuysen explores how to look at modern art and suggests ways to unleash your creative inner abstractionist. “Wow!” is a common reaction when people enter Hotchkiss Mobiles Gallery and Art Studio in West Stockbridge. Floating from the ceiling, contemporary metal and fabric mobiles, all designed by Joel Hotchkiss, engulf the viewer. Working for both indoor and garden settings, Hotchkiss has been designing

BERKSHIRES, BERKSHIRES, MA MA mobiles for private and commercial commissions since the 1980s, and his mobiles have been represented in museum stores, including the Guggenheim Museum, the National Gallery and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. This summer, the gallery features daily “Open Studios” allowing visitors to tour the large workshop where the mobiles are designed, fabricated, and, of course, moving continuously. In addition to the gallery’s sea of mobiles, Sandra Hotchkiss is renowned for her selection of beautiful handcrafted jewelry, American crafts, and unique lines of women’s designer clothing. Brand new in the Berkshires, Diana Felber Gallery is operated by Diana Felber in a handsomely refurbished space in West Stockbridge. A long time art aficionado, Felber opened the gallery in May 2016 to showcase some of her favorite artists, as well as discover new

talent. Known for her lovely garden, Felber looks for ways to enhance a relationship with nature. The jewelry and crafts she selects tend towards such natural materials as clay, wood, alabaster, and glass. On view through July 31: Conversations, heavily textured, woven jacquard tapestries of Betty Vera; landscapes by Lorna Ritz; tree landscapes by Michael Filmus; watercolor still lifes of Stephanie Anderson; “Mylar Ladies” of Kathleen Cammarata; and photographs of paper by Paul Solovay. Wire sculptures by Naomi Grossman, from Felber’s inaugural exhibit, remain on view through July. August 3 welcomes another group show (opening reception, August 13, 5:30–7:30 p.m.), with abstract paintings and “archaeological” assemblages by Meryl H. Joseph. Cammarata continues her “Gravity of Flowers” drawing series, and Terri Moore shows “bergs” on

SPLENDOR, MYTH, AND VISION NUDES FROM THE PRADO

THROUGH OCTOBER 10 CLARKART.EDU WILLIAMSTOWN, MASSACHUSETTS Peter Paul Rubens, Nymphs and Satyrs (detail), c. 1638–40. Oil on canvas. Image © Photographic Archive. Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid

Splendor, Myth, and Vision is co-organized by the Clark Art Institute and the Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid. Major underwriting is provided by Denise Littlefield Sobel and Diane and Andreas Halvorsen. Generous contributors include the National Endowment for the Arts and the Malcolm Hewitt Wiener Foundation. This exhibition is supported by an indemnity from the Federal Council on the Arts and the Humanities.

yupo plus oil paintings. Bessie Boris, although deceased, lives on in powerful botanical pastels. Sculpture is represented with David Bryce’s Asian-inspired figures and plaques. Seaside drawings by Lorna Ritz and collages by Lorraine Klagsbrun add to the exhibit, while Nina Evans’s glass circles will adorn gallery windows. The Norman Rockwell Museum, in Stockbridge, celebrates the beloved artist’s legacy and houses the world’s largest collection of original Rockwell art. Highlights from the Permanent Collection displays paintings, drawings, studies, photographs, and artifacts that reflect Rockwell’s career, including the famous Four Freedoms paintings (1943), iconic images inspired by Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s 1941 State of the Union Address; The Marriage License (1955), a witty narrative inspired by an important rite of passage; and The Runaway (1958), a poignant reflection on childhood. 2016 celebrates the 100th anniversary of the publication of Rockwell’s first Saturday Evening Post cover, Boy with Baby Carriage. All 323 of Rockwell’s cover illustrations for the Saturday Evening Post, created between 1916 and 1963, are displayed, revealing a visual timeline of Americana. In addition, Build a Better Baby Carriage: A 100th Anniversary Celebration takes Rockwell’s Boy with Baby Carriage as stimulus for new works in diverse media by contemporary artists. And finally, Rockwell and Realism in an Abstract World looks at the effect of the 20th century modern art movement on such realist painters as Rockwell and Jamie Wyeth, examining the forces that helped push narrative painting, and especially the art of illustration, to a lesser status by the mid-20th century, and exploring the late 20th century resurgence of realist painting up to today. Situated on 122 acres near Stockbridge, Chesterwood is an august estate combining the summer home, studio, and beautiful gardens of Daniel Chester French (1850–1931), best known for public sculptures of the Minute Man and the seated figure of Abraham Lincoln at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. Chesterwood is now both a National and a Massachusetts Historic Landmark yet also has a lively contemporary presence. This summer marks its 38th annual outdoor sculpture exhibition, The Nature of Glass: Contemporary Sculpture at Chesterwood 2016, featuring 24 works by 12 internationally recognized glass

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BERKSHIRES, BERKSHIRES, MA MA artists curated by Jim Schantz of Schantz Galleries Contemporary Art. “This will be one of only a handful of outdoor group sculpture exhibitions in the world that incorporates glass,” Schantz points out. “A few of the artists have experience creating outdoor glass sculpture, but most have been both challenged and inspired to try new approaches with their medium specifically for this exhibition.” While the range of work is international, participants include Massachusetts artists William Carlson, Sidney Hutter, and Thomas Patti, plus Thomas Scoon from New Hampshire. Special summer programs at Chesterwood include the Chesterfest Americana Music Series, (Friday evenings, July 22–August 26, 5:30 p.m.), serving barbecue and local beer; and Lincoln Speaks, (August 10, 4 p.m.) narrated by Lincoln scholar Harold Holzer. The Bennington Museum, in Bennington, Vermont, is home to the world’s largest public collection of paintings by noted folk artist Anna Mary Robertson “Grandma” Moses (1860-1961), and a newly installed gallery arranges Moses’ work in inter-related groupings and includes four borrowed masterworks: Taking in Laundry, In Harvest Time, Sugaring Off, and Hoosick Valley (From the Window). As perhaps the best-known “primitive” artist of the 20th century, Grandma Moses is an art world version of Hollywood’s dream of being scouted at the local soda shop. She took up painting in her 70s, as farm work became too physically demanding—and her artwork was discovered by a discerning New York collector at the Women’s Exchange at

Berkshire Pulse dancers perform outdoors at Naumkeag, Stockbridge, MA. Photo: Ogden Gigli. Courtesy of the Berkshires Official Tourism & Travel Planning Website, berkshires.org.

Thomas’ Drug Store in Hoosick Falls, NY. While Grandma Moses is an irresistible attraction, the Museum also has a wonderful exhibition looking at work American modernist Milton Avery produced in response to his summers in southern Vermont. Milton Avery’s Vermont features plein air pencil sketches, watercolors executed in Vermont, and major oil paintings developed from these Vermont-based

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sources. Say the word “Bennington” to many connoisseurs of fine ceramic ware, and the automatic next word is likely to be “potters.” Since 1948, Bennington Potters has designed, produced, and marketed beautiful stoneware that is functional, affordable and a simple pleasure to use every day. A great way to sample all Bennington offers is the Bennington

BERKSHIRES, BERKSHIRES, MA MA Arts Weekend, August 5–7, which includes Just off Route 2 (also called the Mohawk the Southern Vermont Art and Craft Festival, Trail), the Village of Shelburne Falls is well museum exhibitions, gallery shows and demworth a visit—for the glacial potholes, the onstrations, live music, theater productions, spectacular, changing-with-the-seasons Bridge and a Home Brew Festival, featuring 50 of the of Flowers, and many venues where artists area’s top home brewers. Historic sites show their work. Salmon Falls Gallery repreinclude the Everett Mansion and the Parksents over 100 local artists working in jewelry, McCullough House (actually, a 35-room handcrafted furniture, wearable art, ceramic Victorian mansion). There’s also the Robert ware, metal work, and wall art. It also stands Frost Stone House Museum, where Frost out as the home of internationally-known glass composed many of the poems included in artist Josh Simpson, who began his foray into Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening. A full the medium with hand-blown goblets but schedule can be seen online at betterbennington. now works by conjuring large scale, complex com/benningtonartsweekend. universes in multi-colored glass. Molly Cantor To the west, across the Hudson River, Pottery carries pottery and sculpture, and hosts the town of Saugerties, New York, offers the month-long shows featuring other ceramic art14th Annual Saugerties Artists Studio Tour, ists. Cantor began her artistic life making drawAugust 12–14, featuring 44 artists working in ings, paintings, and prints. Pottery was a revpainting, photography, printmaking, mixed elation, and led to her current work in ceramic media, collage, and sculpture, plus digital “narrative carvings.” At Ann Brauer Quilt manipulation and wearable art. To that array, Studio, Brauer is showing new quilts that take add handmade furniture and functional clay inspiration from the views outside her studio, work, from traditional to cutting edge. New as well as sunrises and sunsets. “I am pushing this year, installation art is featured at two loca- traditions of quilting,” she explains, “using tions. “With so many artists tucked away in original techniques to create art based on the corners of the town and village who need a circles, flames, and landscapes of my imaginavenue to show their work, the tour gives them tion.” Echo Gallery, the newest addition to the that opportunity in the best of all places, their village art scene, features contemporary paintown studios,” says Barbara Bravo, a ceramic ings and jewelry with an emphasis on form artist who coordinates the annual event. The and color. Artist and owner Laurie Goddard 2016 Tour starts with a reception and exhibit at aims for “sophisticated work with an ‘uptown’ the Opus 40 Sculpture Park on Friday, August but inviting atmosphere.” 12, from 5–7 p.m. On Saturday and Sunday, A short hop off Route 91, in Northampton, August 13–14, the artists open their studio Smith College houses a superb museum. The doors and invite visitors to enjoy a free, selfpermanent collection of the Smith College Art Newtour. England - Milton Avery horizontal - 041916_Layout 1 6/10/16 4:40 PM modern Page 1 painting and guided Museum of Art includes

sculpture, works on paper, western European masterworks, antiquities, decorative arts, and emerging collections of African, Asian, and Islamic art. On view until August 14, Dislocation/Negotiating Identity features works by emerging and well-established photographers from Cambodia, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan and Vietnam, concerned with individual and group identity, within and outside of their own nationality. Also on view, The Lay of the Land: Contemporary Landscapes from the Collection offers perspectives by American artists on the landscape in its natural, altered or re-imagined forms. The museum also hosts monthly Second Fridays, from 4–8 p.m.: July 8 includes art making for all ages, inspired by the landscapes of local artist Sally Curcio’s magical bubble sculptures; August 12 offers a handson experience focused on discovering athletes depicted in the Ancient World Gallery. The Berkshires encompass more art than even the most tireless eyes can see in a single visit. Fortunately, the museums and galleries are open year-round and many of the exhibitions spill over into fall—which is another spectacular time in the region. Imagine those expansive views of green now flecked with flaming color. Winter offers skiing and fun cold-weather sports—as well as great views of snow-covered landscapes from a cozy fireside seat indoors. And while it’s best to make only a brief mention of mud season (it exists), spring and its haze of new foliage help start the cycle all over again. So, take your time, enjoy the views, and plan to return. —Laura Holland

MILTON AVERY'S VERMONT Bennington, VT • 802-447-1571

Paintings Drawings Watercolors Drypoints

July 2 through November 6

Bennington Museum

Bennington, VT • 802-447-1571 benningtonmuseum.org

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