Clark Art: Call For Community Artists

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — The Clark Art Institute seeks local emerging artists to facilitate a collaborative mural activity as part of its summer art-making program, Guided by Glass: Weekly Drop-In Art-Making.

Artists have the opportunity to develop mural designs and facilitate collective mural-making with the public. On Thursdays in July and August between 1 and 4 pm, museum visitors are invited to join the artist to create temporary murals on the Clark's Fernandez Terrace in celebration of summer exhibition, Fragile Beauty: Treasures from the Corning Museum.

According to a press release:

On view July 4 through October 27 in the Clark's Michael Conforti Pavilion and drawn from the vast collection of the Corning Museum, Fragile Beauty demonstrates how makers across time and around the globe have taken inspiration from plants, animals, and other aspects of nature to create dazzling objects. Highlights of the selection include glass from the legendary Venetian island of Murano; enameled glass from early modern Europe and India; Art Nouveau glass by artists including Louis Comfort Tiffany, René Lalique, and Steuben; and contemporary works.

The exhibition serves as the inspiration for the Clark's individual and collaborative art activities. In connection to the exhibition, artists are invited to submit mural designs that are inspired by images of nature, and to engage with light, color, and transparency. This program draws participants of all ages and serves a mix of local and visiting museum goers. When creating designs, artists should consider imagery and techniques that are accessible to a broad audience.

Guided by Glass takes place outdoors on the Fernandez Terrace, weather permitting.

Williams Grads Reminded of Community that Got Them to Graduation

By Stephen DravisiBerkshires Staff
05:14PM / Sunday, June 02, 2024

The graduates heard from two speakers — Phi Betta Kappa speaker Milo Chang and class speaker Jahnavi Nayar Kirtane. The keynote speaker, Lonnie Bunch, the secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, was unable to attend and recorded his speech for playback. See more photos here.

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — Williams College said goodbye Sunday to its graduating seniors.

 

And a representative of the class of 2024 took the time to say goodbye to everyone in the community who made students' journey possible.

 

Milo Chang, the Phi Beta Kappa speaker for the class and one of two students to speak at Sunday's 235th commencement exercises, explained that the term "Williams community" applies to more than those who get to list the school on their resumes.

 

"It includes everyone who has shaped our experiences here, from loved ones back home to the dedicated staff members who make campus their second home," Chang told his classmates. "During my time at Williams, we've seen this community step up in remarkable ways to support us."

 

Chang talked about the faculty and staff who gave their time to operate the COVID-19 testing centers and who greeted students before they could take their first classroom tests in the fall of 2020, and the dining services personnel who kept the students fed and somehow understood their orders through the masks everyone was wearing when this class arrived on campus.

 

And he shared a personal story that brought the message home.

 

"We often underestimate the power of community until we experience a taste of its absence," Chang said. "I remember staying on campus after our first Thanksgiving at Williams, after most students went home to finish the semester remotely. I remember the long hours sitting in empty common rooms. I remember the days you could walk through campus without seeing another student.