Destination Berkshires, MA and Beyond

BERKSHIRES & BEYOND

DESTINATION BERKSHIRES, BERKSHIRES, MA MA & & BEYOND BEYOND

Norman Rockwell’s Studio. Norman Rockwell Museum. All rights reserved.

L

ess than a three-hour drive from New York City and Boston, the Berkshires, the region of Western Massachusetts that touches Vermont to the north, Connecticut to the south and New York state to the west, is a must-visit cultural destination. Home to world-renowned music, dance and theater festivals, Berkshire County was named the most vibrant art community in America by the National Center for Arts Research. Set among the region’s rolling hills are quaint villages, grand summer homes and a wealth of art galleries and nationally-recognized museums that offer something for visitors of all ages and interests.

To explore the visual arts in this vibrant area, begin your tour on the Guild of Berkshire Artists website (berkshireartists.org), for

58 Art New England

|

May/June 2019

|

monthly member shows, open studios, Meet the Artist discussions and more happening throughout the region. Watch (or even join) Guild member artists during their daily plein air painting sessions (called Creating Art Outdoors) around Berkshire County, held June 15 to September 15. There’s also a figure drawing and painting open studio every Tuesday from 1 to 4 pm at IS183 Art School in Stockbridge.

Begin your driving tour on the New York State Thruway, paralleling the Hudson River, to the historic town of Saugerties, NY, a historic, and eclectic, artist community. Make a point of stopping at Fay Wood Studio & Gallery, the gallery and studio of sculptor Fay Wood.

Using vintage wood, metal, fabric and found objects, Wood creates abstract sculptures and

Celebrating 40 Years!

collages, as well as reverse paintings on glass, tapestries and oil on canvas. Once based in the Berkshires, Wood enjoys meeting visitors and discussing her process. She was recently featured on a PBS television program featuring members of Artrepreneur, an online artists’ community.

Leaving Saugerties, head north on the New York State Thruway to I-90 (the Massachusetts Turnpike or “Mass Pike,” as locals call it).

Begin your art tour of Berkshire County in its southeast corner, in West Stockbridge. Sited in a former quarry is Turn Park Art Space (its name plays homage to its location just off the Mass Pike). This unique sculpture park, exhibition space and performance venue was conceived by collectors Igor Gomberg and Katya Brezgunova. Throughout the park,

S P E C I A L

A D V E R T I S I N G

S E C T I O N

BERKSHIRES & BEYOND

which opens May 17, are sculptures by Russian artists Nikolay Silis and Vladimir Lemport, Ukrainian artist Nazar Bilyk, Austrian artist Vadim Kosmatschof and American sculptor Gene Montez Flores. In the Gatehouse visitor center, there’s an exhibit of abstract landscapes and site-specific installations by Kathleen Jacobs. Opening May 26, is a two-person show featuring multi-media works by Jaanika Peerna, focusing on themes of transition in light, air and water; and paintings by artist and architect Liane Nouri.

Hop on Route 41 south for the short drive to Great Barrington, where 19th-century writers Nathaniel Hawthorne and Herman Melville

once explored nearby Monument Mountain.

Just off Route 7 is L’Atelier Berkshires, a contemporary art gallery owned by sculptor Natalie Tyler. During May and June (check atelierberks.com for dates), the gallery features Luster, an exhibition of paintings, sculpture and custom furniture by master artists and craftsmen.

Highlights include allegorical paintings of nature and animals, juxtaposed with enigmatic narratives by Lisa French; “golden skies” paintings by Duke Wilson that depict street scenes with illuminating gold leaf skies; and large, outdoor metal sculpture by Robert Wilk as well as glass and bronze sculpture by gallery owner Natalie Tyler.

Continue north on Route 7 to Stockbridge, home of the Norman Rockwell Museum, which celebrates its 50th anniversary this summer with three special exhibitions—each opening June 8 and running through October 27—that explore Rockwell’s art, life, legacy and the year 1969 (the year the museum was founded). Woodstock to the Moon: 1969 Illustrated features illustrators’ portrayals of news events and popular culture in 1969, including Rockwell’s depictions of the first moonwalk, events in the civil rights movement, presidential portraits, images of the Vietnam War and works by other illustrators and designers (including Arnold Skolnick’s famous Woodstock concert poster). Norman

71 Spring Street, Williamstown, MA 01267 413.884.6926 / greylockgallery.com

S P E C I A L

A D V E R T I S I N G

S E C T I O N

May/June 2019

| Art New England 59

BERKSHIRES & BEYOND

THE BERKSHIRE ART SCENE FROM THE INSIDE OUT

Rockwell: Private Moments for the Masses is a behind-the-scenes look at Rockwell’s carefully constructed art that revealed the inner workings of his personal and professional life. Inspired: Norman Rockwell and Erik Erikson examines Rockwell’s relationship with psychoanalyst Erik Erikson, who, at one point, was his therapist as well as an artist. The museum also features an installation of photographs, new media, and artifacts commemorating its original location, the Old Corner House in Stockbridge.

A short drive from the Norman Rockwell Museum is sculptor Daniel Chester French’s grand home and studio, Chesterwood, which also celebrates its 50th anniversary this year as

a National Trust for Historic Preservation site.

America’s most prominent 20th-century public sculptor, French is best known for the Minute Man in Concord, MA and the seated figure of Abraham Lincoln for the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. On the grounds of the estate, from June 29 to October 27, visitors can tour One Impulse from Vernal Wood: Outdoor Contemporary Sculpture by Rick and Laura Brown, large, site-specific sculptures created from aging and fallen trees. “The installation is a response to nature, the eternal cycles of life and a recognition of ‘the end’ as a beginning,” says executive director Donna Hassler. Chesterwood has extended its

Painter / Illustrator You don’t even have to leave your hotel to sample some of the Berkshires’ greatest works of art.

Inside The Red Lion Inn you’ll discover an unsurpassed display of art ranging from Norman Rockwell originals to an acclaimed collection of china dating back to the Colonial era. And when you’re ready to head out, nationally recognized cultural attractions such as The Norman Rockwell Museum and Berkshire Theater Festival are right around the corner.

|

May/June 2019

By Appointment Only

Step inside the historic home, studio and gardens of America’s foremost sculptor of monuments, Daniel Chester French

30 Main Street, Stockbridge, MA redlioninn.com

60 Art New England

978.621.4986 ilene.richard@gmail.com ilenerichard.com facebook.com/pages/Ilene-RichardIllustratorPainter/109216825770985

Stockbridge, MA | 413-298-3579 | Chetserwood.org | Weekends in May | Daily June - October

|

Celebrating 40 Years!

S P E C I A L

A D V E R T I S I N G

S E C T I O N

BERKSHIRES & BEYOND

season, too: The estate is open seven days a week beginning May 25 through October 27. Opening in July is Margaret Moulton Photography: Seasons at Chesterwood, featuring photographs of the landscape by artist-inresidence Margaret Moulton.

If you’re looking for lodging, mosey over to the Red Lion Inn, a local landmark whose warmth and character evoke the best of the Berkshires (the property includes Maple Glen, a 17-room mountain-country-style guesthouse that offers a different lodging appeal). Guests can enjoy the inn’s special Norman Rockwell Museum package, which includes a choice of accommodation, a $50 dining credit per room per

night (valid toward food and drink purchases at any Red Lion Inn restaurant) and two tickets to the Norman Rockwell Museum, per night.

It’s a short drive north from Great Barrington to Lenox, a town that boasts it has the highest concentration of galleries in the Berkshires. Sohn Fine Art, a downtown gallery founded by local photographer Cassandra Sohn, is hosting open studios, an art treasure hunt and an Instagram photo contest as part of its participation in Massachusetts’ ArtWeek, from April 26 to May 5. The gallery, featuring works by international and local artists, hosts several exhibitions over the summer. Running through May 19 is Icing on the Cake, a group exhibition of photography

by local and international artists (on May 4, three photographers in the show—John Clark, John Atchley and Denise B. Chandler—open their Lenox studios to the public). Later in the summer (check sohnfineart.com for dates), the gallery features Tides and Tempests, a solo show

by British photographer Rachael Talibart. Her images, primarily of water, are “technically beautiful and very emotional,” says Sohn.

Minutes from the Sohn Gallery is the Frelinghuysen Morris House and Studio, one-time home and studio of American abstract artists and collectors George L.K. Morris and Suzy Frelinghuysen. Abutting Tanglewood, the stucco and glass home

ART. MUSIC. ICE CREAM. BBQ. EXP

GE ERIENCE IN M NIU OTI S O N

ON VIEW THROUGH SEPTEMBER 8

FEIGENBAUM innovative experience

OPEN DAILY

39 South Street, Pittsfield, MA 413.443.7171 Berkshiremuseum.org

S P E C I A L

A D V E R T I S I N G

S E C T I O N

MUSEUM HOURS: 10am–6pm, open late some nights | North Adams, Mass. | massmoca.org

May/June 2019

| ART NEW ENGLAND 61

BERKSHIRES & BEYOND

houses abstract masterpieces by Braque, Léger, Gris, Matisse and Picasso as well as Morris and Frelinghuysen. This summer, the Frelinghuysen pays tribute to American Abstract Artists (AAA), a group formed in 1936 when American abstract art struggled to be critically recognized. Morris was a founding member.

“After World War II, a lot of these painters morphed into abstract expressionism,” says director Linda Frelinghuysen. “We’re showing some of the works by AAA members that Morris collected.” Works include paintings by Morris and Frelinghuysen as well as Ray Eames and Burgoyne Diller. The Frelinghuysen is open June 20 through Columbus Day.

MODERNISM. INSIDE AND OUT.

Lenox is home to many lavish Gilded Era summer “cottages.” Among them, a few minutes’ drive from the Frelinghuysen, is The Mount, built in 1902 by novelist Edith Wharton, who also designed the home’s interiors and formal gardens. From June 1 through October 27, through a collaboration with SculptureNow, The Mount’s grounds are a lush backdrop for a diverse collection of outdoor sculpture. “This is the seventh year we’ve had an exhibition at the Mount,” says SculptureNow executive director Ann Jon. This year’s installation includes sculptures of all sizes and mediums, including works by Ricky Bernstein, William Carlson, Albert Paley and Robin Tost. An opening reception with participating artists is June 9.

Head south out of Lenox and head east on the Mass Pike, to Route 20, then turn north onto Route 112 into the small town of South Worthington, listed on the National Register of Historic Places for its 19th-century homes and buildings. Here you’ll discover artist Peggy Klineman’s studio in an 1840, country capestyle home. Her studio is open to the public June 22 and 23, from 10 am to 5 pm, as part of the annual Hilltown Open Studio Tour. Klineman is showcasing many examples of her work, including her shredded paper paintings, inspired by her shredded personal documents. “While I was shredding those documents I realized the shreds were great material to use making art,” she says. Klineman’s other abstract work—including

mixed-media assemblage, contemporary oil and wax paintings as well as her meditation paintings (works created after her morning meditation)— will also be for sale.

After this scenic detour, drive back to Lenox and turn north to Pittsfield, the largest city in Berkshire County. Downtown, in the Greylock Building, is NUarts, featuring the studios of over 20 local artists, musicians and performers which are open to the public during Pittsfield’s First Fridays Artswalk. Be sure to stop by the studio of painter and children’s book illustrator Ilene Richard. A former jewelry designer, Richard strives to create a connection with viewers. Her colorful figurative paintings—her pet paintings are especially fun—are based on her observations of people and animals in everyday settings. On May 3, during ArtWeek, she demonstrates her gouache painting techniques for visitors. Richard’s latest children’s book, Ten Hungry Turkeys, was published last September.

Just down North Street from NUarts is the Berkshire Museum, an art, history and natural science museum. Founded in 1903, the museum offers visitors an inspiring variety of experiences. A highlight is Leonardo da Vinci: Machines in Motion, an interactive exhibit continuing through the summer that features 40 meticulously crafted, full-size mechanisms constructed from designs in the Renaissance artist’s notebooks. “It’s clicked with visitors of all ages,” says Craig Langlois, the museum’s chief experience officer. “You can really see

GALLERY 51 51 Main Street North Adams, MA 01247

MCLA SENIOR ART THESIS SHOW: AN INQUIRY INTO

April 25 – May 19, 2019

Opening Reception: Thursday April 25, 5pm – 7pm

ANINA MAJOR: THE RHYTHM OF HYBRID INTERATIONS May 23 – June 22, 2019

Opening Reception: Thursday May 23, 5pm – 7pm

OPENING JUNE 21 20

JON VERNEY

Featuring Cubist masterworks, including pieces

by Picasso, Braque, Gris & Leger

June 27 – August 24, 2019

FRELINGHUYSEN MORRIS HOUSE &STUDIO

92 Hawthorne St | Lenox | 413 637 0166 | Thursday–Sunday | Tours | frelinghuysen.org

62 ART NEW ENGLAND

|

May/June 2019

|

Celebrating 40 Years!

MCLA.EDU/GALLERY51

Opening Reception: Thursday June 27, 5pm – 7pm

S P E C I A L

A D V E R T I S I N G

S E C T I O N

BERKSHIRES & BEYOND

how da Vinci thought and also where his design skills may have been lacking—though, given extra time and materials, he probably would’ve figured things out.” Opening June 8 is an exhibition of large drawings by New York artist Amy Myers, whose works are inspired by particle physics and the subatomic world.

After a full day of cultural sightseeing, consider an overnight stay at Hotel on North, within walking distance of the Berkshire Museum. Housed in a pair of historic 19thcentury buildings (once a menswear and sporting goods store), the 45-room boutique hotel combines period detail—exposed brick walls, tin ceilings, decorative columns—with modern amenities (including casual dining at Eat on North). A changing calendar of special events includes on-site exhibits by local artists, live music and themed food nights.

Wake refreshed and ready to continue your art adventure by following Route 7 north out of Pittsfield to North Adams, an industrial mill town that’s been transformed in the last 20 years into a contemporary art mecca. The town’s cultural cornerstone is the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (MASS MoCA), one of the United States’ largest centers for contemporary visual art and performance. Within the repurposed 19thcentury industrial buildings that make up MASS MoCA are spacious galleries encompassing more than 200,000 square feet of space. There’s a breathtaking amount of art to see, from Sol

FAY WOOD

LeWitt’s wall drawings to multimedia artist Laurie Anderson’s virtual reality experiences.

Toys make recurring appearances in upcoming exhibitions (“We have the most toys you can see in the Berkshires this summer,” jokes senior curator Denise Markonish). They include Mind of the Mound: Critical Mass, a solo show by Texas artist Trenton Doyle Hancock that features interactive “mounds” (Markonish calls them “Candyland-esque”) whose interiors combine pop culture, toys and art. Artist Jarvis Rockwell’s exhibition Us, uses toys and figurines as avatars for ourselves. On May 25, the museum opens Annie Lennox: ‘Now I Let You Go…,’ an exhibition about the passage of time and nostalgia that traces the singer’s life in music and social activism. Lennox will perform on opening day, helping kick off the museum’s 20th anniversary, by sharing stories and her music in a solo performance.

Within the sprawling MASS MoCA grounds are a variety of galleries and arts-related businesses. ROAM: A Xtina Parks Gallery, is a fine art, African wildlife and nature photography gallery owned by Chrystina (Xtina) Geagan Parks, a wildlife photographer and filmmaker. Parks, who lives in nearby Williamstown and has a home in Botswana, is also a conservationist working to save habitats and protect wildlife in Africa, primarily in Botswana, South Africa, Ethiopia, and Kenya.

Her gallery expands this summer to include contemporary and traditional arts

STUDIO

Fine Art Sculpture Collage

&

GALLERY

THE BERKSHIRE ART SCENE FROM THE INSIDE OUT

You don’t even have to leave your hotel to sample some of the Berkshires’ greatest works of art. Inside Hotel on North, you’ll discover Gallery on North – our own rotating exhibition of art, sculpture, photography, and other curated pieces. And when you’re ready to head out, notable cultural attractions such as Barrington Stage, the Colonial Theater and the Berkshire Museum are just footsteps away.

May 1–December 31 Or By Appointment faywoodstudio.com info@faywoodstudio.com

S P E C I A L

A D V E R T I S I N G

297 North Street, Pittsfield, MA hotelonnorth.com

S E C T I O N

May/June 2019

| Art New England 63

BERKSHIRES & BEYOND

from across Africa showcasing fair trade, sustainable, upcycled products, and handmade crafts, as well as jewelry and other unique gifts. “We want to make a difference to help places facing climate change, to help people sustain themselves ethically, and to encourage support of wildlife sanctuaries,” says Parks. “We work with local communities throughout Africa to help sell their trade goods, in order to alleviate human-wildlife conflicts faced by villages living within park boundaries.” ROAM staff are also doing hands-on conservation and data surveying of habitat to protect endangered species, detailed in an upcoming documentary film series.

In MASS MoCA’s Building 13 is another unique business, The Artist Book Foundation (TABF), a nonprofit foundation and publisher that celebrates the lives and works of contemporary and historic artists through scholarly publications. In addition to hosting events, exhibitions and educational programs, TABF donates art books to schools and libraries around the country. Through July 21, in its Louis and Susan Meisel Gallery, TABF features the Pop-influenced art of American painter, designer and illustrator Tom Slaughter.

In conjunction with the publication of an extensive monograph of Slaughter’s work, TABF transforms its gallery into a replica of Slaughter’s Manhattan studio, displaying his art alongside ephemera such as paint cans, crates, canvases and more. “The exhibit shows

many aspects of his art, from large canvases and smaller watercolors to figurative work,” says TABF executive director Leslie van Breen.

“Many of the pieces have never been exhibited.”

There’s also a mural paying homage to Slaughter in MASS MoCA’s Kidspace.

Nearby, also in MASS MoCA’s Building 13, is Cynthia Reeves, showing sculpture, site-based work, paintings and works on paper by artists from around the world. On June 1, the gallery premieres The Collector, a new documentary film about New Hampshire artist and horticulturist Donald Dreifuss. An accompanying exhibition includes Dreifuss’s artwork as well as artifacts from his collection,

including rare plants and terraria. A Q&A with Dreifuss and filmmaker Maria Alvarado follows the film. On June 29, the gallery hosts an opening and poetry reading for an exhibit of pastel landscapes by Ray Ruseckas, inspired by the poetry of Alice Fogel, New Hampshire’s poet laureate. Fogel, in turn, has written poems responding to Ruseckas’ work. She will read her poems during the opening reception.

Tom Slaughter and Trenton Doyle Hancock are inspirations for an early summer show at Ferrin Contemporary, also located on the MASS MoCA campus. Specializing in contemporary ceramic art and sculpture, the gallery features Fused, a solo exhibit by

Guild of Berkshire Artists

w Member shows: Lenox, July 1-28

West Stockbridge, Aug 22-Sept 1

w Artist Studio Tours, July-October

Jul 13 | Aug 10 | Sep 14 | Oct 12 | Previews: Thurs 4-7

w Plein Air, Daily 9:30-1, June-Sept

Come see us in the Berkshires, MA!

berkshireartists.org © Xtina Parks

This summer, the Berkshires are getting a little more wild...

x

2

coming soon Sustainable goods Fair trade imports Home decor Jewelry

African Wildlife and Nature Photography 230 Mass MoCA Way, B1, North Adams, MA www.roamgallery.photo 413.663.8000 @roamphotogallery

64 ART NEW ENGLAND

|

May/June 2019

|

Celebrating 40 Years!

S P E C I A L

A D V E R T I S I N G

S E C T I O N

BERKSHIRES & BEYOND

Philadelphia-based artist Lauren Mabry, from May 4 through June 30. “She exploits color, abstraction, glaze and the material itself,” notes gallery owner Leslie Ferrin. “The show complements the Trenton Doyle Hancock show and the TABF exhibition.” Mabry uses drips, spills and dollops of colored glaze in her new ‘dimensional paintings,’ creating what Ferrin calls “a precise sense of ordered chaos.” In conjunction with the show’s opening weekend, Mabry will host an artist workshop at Project Art in nearby Cummington, MA. Leave the MASS MoCA campus for a short drive to the MCLA Gallery 51 in downtown North Adams. Run by the Massachusetts

College of Liberal Arts, the gallery shows work by emerging to mid-career contemporary artists. In early May, the gallery features the MCLA Senior Thesis Show, featuring works by graduating students. From May 23 to June 22, the gallery features the work of Bahamian-born artist Anina Major, whose art combines weaving with clay, inspired by the rituals and traditions of the Bahamas. From June 27 to August 24, the gallery features mixed media by Jon Verney, including framed photographs, altered Polaroids, lightboxes and video projection. Verney is “fascinated with the concept of things and using Polaroids that have meaning and were precious but over time have become lost or unremarkable,” says

THE BERKSHIRE ART SCENE FROM THE INSIDE OUT

contemporary ceramic sculpture

LAUREN MABRY May 4 – June 30, 2019

1315 MASS MoCA Way North Adams, MA

ferrincontemporary.com

CYNTHIA-REEVES THE COLLECTOR Donald Dreifuss, artist & horticulturist, is the subject of a new documentary by Maria Alvarado/PlusGreen Media.

ODYSSEY Ray Ruseckas, Pastels & Alice Fogel, New Poems: A unique collaborative between the artist and the Poet Laureate of New Hampshire.

Screening & Exhibition Reception Saturday, June 1, 6 p.m.

Exhibition runs through June 25 Artists’ Reception Saturday, June 29, 5–7 p.m.

Exhibition on view through August 15

1315 MASS MoCA Way [on the campus of MASS MoCA] North Adams, MA | 413 398 5257 | cynthia-reeves.com

S P E C I A L

A D V E R T I S I N G

S E C T I O N

You don’t even have to leave your hotel to sample some of the Berkshires’ greatest works of art. The Porches Inn takes its artistic inspiration from its vaunted neighbor – MASS MoCA – which is located directly across the street.

An eclectic mix of retro granny chic and unique works of art make this an art lover’s paradise. And when you’re ready to head out, discover the Clark Art Museum and the Williamstown Theatre Festival.

Both are just down the road.

231 River Street, North Adams, MA porches.com

May/June 2019

| Art New England 65

BERKSHIRES & BEYOND

MCLA curator Arthur DeBow. After a full day exploring North Adams, consider an overnight stay at The Porches Inn at MASS MoCA, a boutique inn right across the street from the museum. Named for its front porches, the inn comprises a series of 19th-century Victorian row houses, once homes for mill worker families. The Porches has a whimsical, homey décor featuring retro furniture and collectibles that range from vintage plates and paint-by-number pictures framed on the walls to vintage TV lamps. Travel + Leisure calls the iconic inn “earnestly homey

and at home with irony.” There are also special packages including overnight accommodations and tickets to MASS MoCA. After taking in North Adams’ cultural offerings, drive west along Route 2 to picturesque Williamstown, home to Williams College and a lively visual arts and cultural scene, including the Williams College Museum of Art and numerous galleries. Near the museum is the Greylock Gallery, specializing in traditional and contemporary art by 16 emerging and established artists. Featured artists in this season’s upcoming shows include evocative landscapes

by painters Mary Sipp Green, Tracy Helgeson, John MacDonald, Teri Malo and Stan Taft as well as whimsical sculpture by Susan Read Cronin (check greylockgallery.com for exhibition dates).

From contemporary galleries featuring internationally-renowned and regional artists, to grand historic homes and sculpture parks, the Berkshires could be the most culturally vibrant region in New England. And, with summer upon us, there’s no better time to explore it.

—Debbie Kane

SculptureNow

at The Mount 2019 An Outdoor Sculpture Exhibition June 1 - October 27 Lenox, MA

66 ART NEW ENGLAND

|

May/June 2019

|

Arnold Skolnick, Concert poster for the Woodstock festival, August 1969.

The Final Impossibility: Man’s Tracks on the Moon (detail), 1969. Norman Rockwell Family Agency. All rights reserved.

Stance by Albert Paley Photo by Paley Studio

EdithWharton.org SculptureNow.org

Lisa French, Influence, 2008, oil on paper and panel, 11 ½ x 16".

Courtesy of L’Atelier Berskshires.

5oyears of

illustration art

NRM.org • Stockbridge, MA

Celebrating 40 Years!

S P E C I A L

A D V E R T I S I N G

S E C T I O N