A major survey of Rodin’s sculptures comes to Williamstown

The Clark Art Institute

225 South St., Williamstown, 413-458-2303, clarkart.edu

This summer, The Clark considers the influence and legacy of Auguste Rodin in America, from 1893 to the present, with an exhibition of some 50 sculptures and 25 drawings, presenting both the artist’s familiar masterpieces and lesser-known works of the highest quality. Upcoming exhibitions include the caricatures and satirical imagery of José Guadalupe Posada; works by Community Access to the Arts participants, and a pairing of new works by Tauba Auerbach and Yuji Agematsu.

Exhibitions

Through Dec. 31: “Tomm El-Saieh: Imaginary City.” The large-format, abstract paintings of Tomm El-Saieh (b. 1984, Port-au-Prince; lives and works in Miami) teem with dense and dynamic marks that evoke ornament, language and architecture. By variously layering and erasing his linework and using vibrant color to optically push or pull his pictures, El-Saieh creates rhythmic, all-over compositions from which larger forms appear to emerge — testing both the limits of perception and expectations about abstraction. June 18-Sept. 18: “Rodin in the United States: Confronting the Modern.” While there has been much consideration of Auguste Rodin’s (1840–1917) reputation in France and throughout Europe, less attention has been paid to his reception in America. This exhibition tells the story of the collectors, art historians, critics, gallerists and philanthropists — many of whom were women — who endeavored to make Rodin known in the United States.

July 2-Sept. 5: “CATA: I Am Part of Art.” Community Access to the Arts and The Clark Art Institute join forces to present an exhibition of artworks by participants in CATA’s programs, which focuses attention on the ability within disability.

July 16-Oct. 10: “José Guadalupe Posada: Symbols, Skeletons, and Satire.”A tireless producer of caricatures and satirical imagery for the penny press, José Guadalupe Posada (1852–1913) built his career in an era of political repression and lived to see the profound social changes brought by the Mexican Revolution of 1910. His pictorial contributions to broadsides, or ephemeral news sheets, provided a daily diet of information and entertainment to a public for whom images needed to tell the story since literacy was not widely prevalent at that time. Posada’s highly varied images of Noticias — lurid crimes, current scandals and other sensational stories — constitute only a part of his extensive output. Posada is best known for his sheets of Calaveras (skeletons), which figured in popular rituals around the Day of the Dead but were also adapted into satires of political figures and other individuals.

July 16-Oct. 16: “Tauba Aueberbach and Yuji Agematsu: Meander.” This exhibition pairs new work by Tauba Auerbach and Yuji Agematsu, across parallel galleries united under the rubric of the meander, as both noun and verb, motif and method. For Auerbach, this twisting, self-avoiding line traces global traditions of ornament as much as physical waveforms and space-filling curves in geometry. For Agematsu and his practice of walking, collecting and archiving, meander implies drift — both his own paths through New York City and those of other people and things.

Events

June 14,16, 18 and 30: Hand-building Hands, a four-part ceramics workshop series for ages 16 and up, exploring the expressive qualities of hands in Auguste Rodin’s sculptures and drawings. Explore the exhibition “Rodin in the United States,” sketch, discuss how hands convey emotion, discover techniques and vocabulary of ceramics, and create meaningful personal sculptures from clay. Each participant will leave the workshop series with a hand-built glazed hand and a new understanding of Rodin and his work. $25 includes material and instruction. 2 to 4 p.m. Registration and participation in all four sessions is required: clarkart.edu/events.

Sunday, June 19: Bring your father to the Clark and enjoy a self-guided walk through the galleries focused on fathers and father figures. Father’s Day self-guide is available all day at the admissions desk in the Clark Center. After you get inspired by the collection, make a card or a bookmark for someone special in the Clark Center’s lower lobby anytime between 1 and 4 p.m. With admission. Family Programs are generously supported by Allen & Company.

June 30, July 28, Aug. 15: Summer Book Club, works by Honoré de Balzac, Marino Azuela, and Rebecca Solnit provide new insights into the summer’s special exhibitions “Rodin in the United States: Confronting the Modern,” “José Guadalupe Posada: Symbols, Skeletons and Satire,” and “Tauba Auerbach and Yuji Agematsu: Meander.” Free. 7 p.m. Capacity limited, register at clarkart.edu/ events for book information.

Tuesdays, July 5-Aug. 30: Community yoga, led by certified instructor Natasha “Tasha” Judson of Tasha Yoga in Williamstown, for all abilities. Free. 9 to 10 a.m. Rain cancels this event.

Thursdays, July and Aug.: Drop-in Sand Casting. In this weekly art-making activity, learn about sand-casting, a traditional method for making sculptures that Rodin and his team used for some of the works on view in “Rodin in the United States.” Using sand and plaster, you can create your very own 3-D work of art to take home. With admission. 1 to 4 p.m. Family Programs are generously supported by Allen & Company.

Wednesday, July 13: Highlights Talk: “Sculpture in Two Dimensions.” Anne Leonard explores a selection of works on paper that directly engage with 19th-century French sculpture. Free. 1 to 1:30 p.m. Capacity limited; first-come, first-served.

Saturday, July 16: Art for All: Community Day, free, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. On this opening day for “José Guadalupe Posada: Symbols, Skeletons, and Satire” and “Tauba Auerbach and Yuji Agematsu: Meander,” take advantage of free admission to all special exhibitions and the permanent collection galleries. Plus, enjoy free art-making, entertainment and more. Make a miniature figure sculpture, design a personalized Calavera, watch amazing physical feats by acrobats from Nimble Arts, enjoy live music, take a thoughtful meander to the Lunder Center, and more. Rain or shine. Family Programs are generously supported by Allen & Company.

Wednesday, July 20: Highlights Talk: “Renaissance Afterlives.” Yuefeng Wu presents a look at printed works after Paolo Veronese, Leonardo da Vinci, and other Italian Renaissance artists. Free. 1 to 1:30 p.m. Capacity limited; first-come, first-served. Sunday, July 24: Artists in Conversation: Sculptor Virginia Overton speaks about her process, use of materials and relationship to Auguste Rodin. Free. 2 p.m.

José Guadalupe Posada’s “Calavera Catrinaca,” 1890-1913 Relief print. Amon Carter Museum of American Art, Fort Worth, Texas.

PHOTO PROVIDED BY THE CLARK ART INSTITUTE

Wednesday, July 27: Highlights Talk: “Tissot’s Etchings of Summer.” Alexis Goodin explores the summertime activities — from boating parties to lazy afternoons reading in a hammock — depicted in etchings by James Tissot. Free. 1 to 1:30 p.m. Capacity limited; first-come, first-served.

Sunday, July 31: Diane Miliotes, Ph.D., discusses graphic artist and illustrator José Guadalupe Posada and the historical context of his image production. Posada’s career spanned profound social and political changes in Mexico. Miliotes pays special attention to a number of key characters in Posada’s printmaking practice. Free. 2 p.m. Registration required: clarkart.edu/events.

Sunday, Aug. 7: Artist’s Talk: Tauba Auerbach, one of the contemporary artists whose work is presented in the “Meander” exhibition, shares stories from a winding path of research on the mathematician Giuseppe Peano. Free. 2 p.m. Registration required: clarkart.edu/events.

Wednesday, Aug. 10: Highlights Talk: “Caricature in Callot and Goya.” Sophie Kerwin presents a close look at the inventive etchings of French artist Jacques Callot (1592–1635) and Spanish artist Francisco de Goya (1746–1828). Free. 1 to 1:30 p.m. Capacity limited; first-come, first-served.

Thursday, Aug. 11: “Designing Rodin: A Conversation About Exhibition and Book Design,” Free, noon, via Zoom and Facebook Live. Registration required: clarkart.edu.

Friday, Aug. 12: Catch a special evening view of “Tauba Auerbach and Yuji Agematsu: Meander.” Stroll under the full moon on Stone Hill and meet up with fellow art-lovers for s’mores and conversation around a campfire. Free. 9 to 11 p.m. Rain cancels this event.

Auguste Rodin’s Fallen Caryatid is one of 50 sculptures and 25 drawings in “Rodin in the United States: Confronting the Modern,” on view June 18 through Sept. 18 at the Clark Art Institute in Williamstown.

PHOTO PROVIDED BY THE CLARK ART INSTITUTE

Saturday, Aug. 27: “Rodin’s Thinkers.” Emmalynn Butterfield-Rosen sketches Rodin’s path between two of his great monumental works, “The Thinker” and the “Monument to Balzac.” Free. 2 p.m. in the auditorium. Register at clarkart.edu/events.

Performing Arts

Saturday, June 11: The Met: Live in HD, “Hamlet,” $25, $22 members, $18 students, $7 kids under 10, 12:55 p.m. Reservations at clarkart.edu/events.

Saturday, June 18: Soundings: New Music at the Clark, “The Other Mozart,” $12, $10 members, 7 to 8:15 p.m. The Other Mozart is an award-winning play telling the true, forgotten story of Nannerl Mozart, the sister of Amadeus. Nannerl was a prodigy keyboard virtuoso and composer, who performed throughout Europe with her brother to equal acclaim, but her work and her story faded away, lost to history. Reserve tickets at clarkart.edu/events.

Sunday, July 17: Flutist Emi Ferguson and violinist Rachell Ellen Wong join the continuo band Ruckus in Fly the Coop! Bach / Sonatas and Preludes, a wild technicolor romp through some of Bach’s most playful and transcendent works, reimagined and realized for 21st-century fans of 18th-century performance practice. Free. 3 p.m.

Tuesday, July 19: Grammy Award-winning folk musician Aoife O’Donovan plays a free outdoor concert on The Clark’s grounds; bring a picnic and your own seating. Free. 6 p.m.

Saturday, July 23: Jacob’s Pillow’s alumni Jonah Bokaer performs a solo choreography inspired by Auguste Rodin’s sculpture, “Fallen Angel,” $10, $5 members, 3 to 4 p.m. Reservations at clarkart.edu/events.

Wednesday, July 27: Mukana is a globally eclectic gathering of world-class musicians hailing from Chile, Haiti, Zimbabwe, Brazil and the United States. Fusing traditional songs and rhythms with jazz mastery and sublime arrangements, Mukana creates music that compels you to your feet in a joyful celebration of our global community. Free. 6 p.m. Bring a picnic and your own seating.

Saturday, Aug. 6: The Angkor Dance Troupe takes Auguste Rodin’s thrilled, feverish response to the royal dancers of Cambodia — an inspirational encounter that led to Ro din making about 150 watercolors of the costumed dancers — as an opportunity to explore the history of preserving Cambodian dance over the intervening 116 years, and a chance to connect across war and the diaspora. Free. 4 p.m.

Wednesday, Aug. 24: Stephane Wrembel. Wrembel and his band mix nonchalance with joyful virtuosity, carrying on the genre-breaking traditions of jazz guitar. Free. 6 p.m. Bring a picnic and your own seating.

Outdoor Film Series

Wednesday, June 8: “Kiki’s Delivery Service,” 8:30 p.m.

Wednesday, June 22: “The Iron Giant,” 8:30 p.m.

Wednesday, June 29: “Night of the Hunter,” 8:30 p.m.

Wednesday, Aug. 10: “The Wizard of Oz,” 8:30 p.m.