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'Reimagining Haiti' runs through the beginning of September.

'Reimagining Haiti' to Open as Part of DownStreet Art

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NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Starting Thursday, July 29, Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts’ Berkshire Cultural Resource Center will present the second in a series of exhibits at Gallerie Haiti, “Reimagining Haiti.”

Gallerie Haiti is a Downstreet Art gallery featuring contemporary Haitian and Haitian American Artworks. “Reimagining Haiti” will begin with an opening reception on Thursday, July 29, from 6 to 9 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.

“Reimagining Haiti” is comprised of four artists: Rejin Leys, Robert Henriquez, Vladimir Cybil Charlier and Andre Juste. These artists focus on the role of theology, iconography, symbology and ways that artists use these motifs and “ologies” to communicate their ideas about identity, politics and nationalism.

The styles of these artists differ greatly, but the concepts come from a similar symbolic source.

Henriquez uses vibrant colors to juxtapose words and images from contemporary society and Haitian Laos or gods in Creole.

Charlier takes mainstream cartoons and superimposes them onto line and watercolor compositions. She sews the characters from sequins and beads, creating a piece that is no longer two dimensional. Her work with her husband and collaborate Andre Juste takes a different approach. They paint landscapes on woven strips of paper made to look like toilet paper or paper towel rolls, as if to say we are wiping clean of environmental and political trash that surrounds us. The images differ from piece to piece. One will look like a wasteland and another is the tree of life, covered in trash –  an exchange of environmental and political views.


Leys creates drawings that take the concept “what came first, the chicken or the egg” to a whole new level.

In many ways, all of the artists in this show look at the push/pull and the divides between classes, culture and politics that is prevalent, especially in Haiti, but in other parts of the world as well, including the United States.

According to Melanie Mowinski, the gallery’s curator and a professor of visual art at MCLA, “Gallerie Haiti features contemporary Haitian and Haitian-American art. It strives to raise awareness about Haitian culture that goes beyond the stereotypic tourist depictions and to encourage dialogue about current issues in Haiti inspired by the artworks exhibited. Thirty percent of all sales will go directly to Haitian relief efforts.”

“Reimagining Haiti,” runs through the beginning of September. Gallerie Haiti is at 49 Main St. and is open Wednesday through Friday, noon to 6 p.m.; Saturday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; and Sunday 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.  For more information, call 413-664-8718, or go to www.mcla.edu/galleriehaiti. The exhibition is part of DownStreet Art, a city-wide celebration of the arts and culture of North Adams. For more information, go to www.downstreetart.org.
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Armed North Adams Man Arrested Following Domestic Standoff

Staff Reports

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Matthew Parker, a 44-year-old North Adams man, is set to face multiple counts of attempted murder and weapons charges in Northern Berkshire District Court on Friday morning following an hours-long, armed standoff at a Houghton Street home.

The defendant is being arraigned for:

  • Domestic Assault and Battery
  • Assault with the Intent to Murder (3 counts)
  • Carrying a Firearm While Under the Influence of Alcohol (3 counts)
  • Possession of a hi-capacity firearm (4 counts)
  • Improper Storage of a hi-capacity firearm (2 counts)
  • Improper Storage of a firearm (6 counts)

According to a report, on June 10, at approximately 8:42 p.m., officers responded to 365 Houghton St. following a report of a domestic assault and battery. The caller said she and her husband had been involved in a physical altercation.

She said her husband was intoxicated, making suicidal statements about shooting himself, and had access to both a shotgun and a pistol.

Upon arrival, officers made contact with both the caller and Parker. During the encounter, Parker threatened to shoot officers before retreating into the home and refusing to exit.

Officers believed that Parker was armed.

To ensure public safety, police established a perimeter around the home and requested assistance from the Berkshire County Special Response Team (SRT) and North Adams Police crisis negotiators. The Brien Center was also contacted and promptly provided an emergency mental health clinician to assist with the incident.

Special Response Team personnel deployed drones to monitor the residence and provide aerial illumination. During the operation, officers saw Parker exit the house carrying a rifle. He pointed it at the drones, stated a report. Parker subsequently pointed the rifle toward several officers positioned behind their cruisers. After officers attempted to de-escalate the situation, Parker returned inside the residence.

Trained crisis negotiators maintained communication with Parker for several hours in an effort to peacefully resolve the situation. At approximately 2 a.m., Parker ceased communication with negotiators.

Drone operators later observed Parker unconscious in a recliner on the first floor of the residence, with a rifle and shotgun on the floor nearby.

Members of the Berkshire County SRT then executed a coordinated operation. Diversionary devices were deployed through a window while an entry team simultaneously entered the home, secured the firearms, and took the defendant into custody.

A search warrant was executed after Parker was in custody. North Adams Police seized four shotguns, six rifles, two handguns, and thousands or rounds of ammunition from the home.

During the operation, one SRT member sustained a minor injury related to a less-lethal bean bag deployment. Parker also sustained non-life threatening injuries during the arrest and was transported to Berkshire Medical Center for medical evaluation.

"We thank the community for its patience and cooperation throughout this incident, particularly residents in the affected area who complied with temporary shelter-in-place requests," Police Chief Mark Bailey said.  "The North Adams Police Department extends its sincere appreciation to the agencies that provided mutual aid and assisted by handling calls for service during this incident. We are especially grateful to the Berkshire County Special Response Team for its professional and decisive response, the Brien Center for the rapid deployment of a mental health clinician, and our crisis negotiators whose efforts helped maintain dialogue and contributed significantly to the safe resolution of this incident."

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