Clark Art Closing to Complete Expansion Project

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The Clark Art is looking toward summer and the opening of the newly expanded campus. This is the last chance to visit the galleries until July.

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — The Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute will be closed the next three months to complete the final phases of its three-year expansion project.

The last glimpses of the galleries will be offered this weekend before the museum closes Sunday, March 23, at 5 p.m.

It won't open again until July 4, when the ribbon will be cut on the $145 million project, welcoming back elements of the permanent collection that have been on a round-the-world tour the last few years and a slew of new summer exhibitions.

The library remains open and the auditorium will continue to host a limited schedule of public programs throughout the early spring. The Stone Hill Center will also be accessible Tuesday through Sunday.

"We are entering the most intense and exciting phase of our campus expansion program," said Clark Director Michael Conforti. "It's necessary to close the galleries temporarily in order to begin the complex process of readying multiple exhibition spaces. During the next few months we will be focused on preparing our buildings and grounds for our opening. We look forward to welcoming our friends and neighbors to the new Clark on July 4."


The opening will include the new visitor center designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Tadao Ando from Osaka, Japan.

The museum building will open with a new installation of works from the Clark's permanent collection in renovated and expanded galleries designed by New York-based Selldorf Architects.

The visitor center adds 11,000 square feet of gallery space and will open with two special exhibitions, "Make It New: Abstract Painting from the National Gallery of Art, 1950–1975" and "Cast for Eternity: Ancient Ritual Bronzes" from the Shanghai Museum. The Stone Hill Center galleries will feature "Raw Color: The Circles of David Smith."

Gallery space in the renovated museum building has been expanded by 15 percent, as a reconfiguration of former back-of-house areas adds some 2,200 square feet for an expanded presentation of the permanent collection.

This weekend will also be the last free weekend of the season; once the museum reopens in July, admission will be $20 through October.


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Simon's Rock Awarded Freedom to Read Grant

GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. — Bard College at Simon's Rock was awarded a Freedom to Read Grant by the Newburger Schwartz Family Foundation. 
 
The grant was awarded to support the Alumni Library and Bard Queer Leadership Project in building a more robust collection of queer scholarship, starting a Queer Book Club, and hosting Drag Story Time events in partnership with Drag Story Hour of the Berkshires.
 
According to a press release:
 
In response to current educational threats with book bans affecting schools and libraries across the country and further proposed legislation against LGBTQ+ people's access to basic rights and education, Simon's Rock is actively seeking to create inclusive and equitable spaces for queer individuals. 
 
The Bard Queer Leadership Project and Alumni Library will utilize the grant funding to expand the library's current collection of queer books in order to fully enable the longevity of the Queer Book Club and the Bard Queer Leadership Project. The Queer Book Club will be an intergenerational space, open to local middle school students through rainbow seniors and will partner with local community organizations, to discuss queer books and learn about LGBTQ+ issues and experiences. Bard Queer Leadership Project students will eventually help lead this initiative as part of their leadership project training. 
 
The Queer Book Club will host their first meeting on April 6 at 3:00 p.m. at the Alumni Library, with following meetings on April 27 and May 11. This semester, the selected books are "Obie is Man Enough" and "He/She/They," both by Schuyler Bailar, inspirational speaker and first openly transgender NCAA Division swimmer, who was a guest speaker in the inaugural Queer Leaders Vision Forum in fall 2023 at Simon's Rock. Schuyler Bailar will return to campus for a book signing and pool party at the Kilpatrick Athletic Center on April 19 at 7:00 p.m. Participants in the Queer Book Club will receive a free copy of either book of their choice. 
 
The first Drag Story Time will be on Saturday, March 30 at 2:00 p.m. at the Simon's Rock Alumni Library and is open to all LGBTQ+ affirming individuals. The event is in partnership with Drag Story Hour of the Berkshires with local drag queens JV and Poppy DaBubbly. The second Drag Story Time will be Saturday, April 27 with drag queen Poppy DaBubbly and drag king Sativo Green.
 
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