North Adams Happenings: May 4-10

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North Adams Happenings: 
May 4 - May 10
Brought to you by the MCLA Berkshire Cultural Resource Center
and the North Adams Office of Tourism & Community Events
 

Wednesday May 4

Free on the 4s - MASS MoCA Free Day for North Adams Residents
1040 MASS MoCA Way
413-662-2111
11 AM – 5 PM
Free
for more information

MASS MoCA offers free admission to its neighbors in North Adams, on May 4. Simply bring an official ID or a utility bill with your current address and come check out your hometown museum for free. Everyone with a 01247 zip code is eligible.

Uncanny Valley:
Photography Workshop for Teens
MASS MoCA | 1040 MASS MoCA Way
(413) 664-4481
For teens 13-19 years of age
4 - 7 PM
Free
for more information

Learn photographic techniques from Walk in My Shoes artist Jamie Diamond. Blur the boundary lines between real and artificial, and explore the “uncanny valley” through doll and human portraiture. Pizza will be served. Interest in the arts mandatory; experience optional.

NBCC Spring Neighborlies
Congregation Beth Israel Synagogue | 52 Lois St
(413) 663-7588
5 - 6:30 PM
Free
for more information

Twice a year, nbCC's Northern Berkshire Neighbors welcomes residents to consider people of all ages who have performed acts of kindness or made a positive difference in their lives, in their neighborhoods or in their community. Anyone may nominate individuals or groups in one or more of the following categories: neighborly acts, young people taking the lead, business/agency support, groups pulling together on a project or health and wellness. Each nominee will receive a certificate of appreciation presented by Mayor Richard Alcombright and Coalition staff. Nominations will be accepted through May 2nd.

HEADS UP:
Upcycled Headband Workshop
Makers’ Mill | 73 Main St
(413) 749-2073
6 - 8 PM
$31.74
for tickets and more information

Bring a few of your beloved clothes that you refuse to throw away but never seem to wear. Using very basic sewing skills, you will learn how to cut, sew and refashion them into cute headbands that will spice up your look and speak to your sentimental and eco-conscious side. If you have extra time and material, you can make matching headbands for your daughter, niece, sister, mom or friend.

 

Friday May 6

Music and Movement Playgroup
at Freedom Dance Studio
40 Main Street
413-664-4821
10 – 11 AM
Free
for more information

Families with young children will enjoy creative movement, music, and free play. The group will end with a “Circle Time” of songs, finger plays and a story. Snacks will be served. Thank you to studio owner Olivia Moran. Drop in or Call 664-4821 for more information.

Mayor’s Fitness Challenge Kickoff
66 Main Street
5:30 PM
Free
for more information
 
This 10-week challenge will encourage and motivate the community to move more, be mindful of what you eat and work to improve overall health!
Each participant will receive a calendar providing a variety of options to be physically active and nutritional opportunities to help build points. These calendars will also be available on the North Adams Mayor’s Fitness Challenge Facebook page and the Northern Berkshire Community Coalition web site www.nbccoalition.org/, and the Be Well Berkshires web site www.bewellberkshires.org
 

 

Saturday May 7

 

St Vincent de Paul
Annual Turkey Dinner
68 Marshall St
(413) 664-4835
4 - 7 PM
$13 Adults | $12 Seniors | $8 Children 12 and under
for more information

https://www.facebook.com/svdpnb

Please come and support our community through the local chapter of the St Vincent de Paul Society. Great food, Great Fun and Raffles! Buy tickets at St. Elizabeth's rectory Monday through Thursday between 8:30 am - Noon & 1 - 4 p.m or at the door.

New Sh@t 
Press Studio | 49 Main St
wearecommonfolk@gmail.com
7 PM
Free
for more information

Come share your never before performed work. Songs, poems, stories, thoughts, ideas...whatever goes, but it just has to be new. Covers are welcome only if you've never performed them before.
Open Mic sign ups will be limited. Come early to fetch your spot on the list. Hosted by Mike Vogt of Flannel Dan and the Panhandle Band

BOOM TIC BOOM!
MASS MoCA | 1040 MASS MoCA Way
(413) 662-211
$10 Students | $16 Advance | $22 Day-of | $28 Preferred
8 PM
for more information

Allison Miller, “a drummer of fierce clarity and bold imagination” (London Guardian) who was here last summer with Toshi Reagon, returns with her smoking hot band—which includes Jenny Scheinman, Myra Melford, Todd Sickafoose, Ben Goldberg, and Kirk Knuffke—for a night of propulsive rhythm and melody.

 

Sunday May 8

 

Monday May 9

Baby and Me Group
Haskins Center, 210 State St
413-664-4821
11 AM – Noon
Free
for more information

Come meet other moms and dads and make new friends. Share your experiences, thought and ideas with others. Get out of the house, socialize and make connections with other parents in your area.  This is a FREE drop in group for moms and dads with children ages infants to walking. For ALL parents. Transportation is available.
Figure Drawing Collective
Makers' Mill
73 Main Street
(413) 749-2073
7-9PM
$5/members, $10/drop-in
for more information

Be part of the figure drawing collective at Makers’ Mill. Sessions run every Monday and will focus on long poses, and include a warm up consisting of several short poses.
We’ll be bringing in local models and a local, figure drawing instructor who will drop-in as available. Get in as at the ground level to shape the direction this collective takes. Bring your own lap board, paper, pencils, and creative energy!
 

Opportunities

Deadline May 31st.


Thinking about making the move to North Adams? There has never been a better time to join our creative community! A4A's North Adams Project is offering incentives and special programming for artists who relocate to North Adams before the end of 2016. See website for details and build your artistic practice in our happening hometown!

Fundraisers

 


The Next Step – Documentary KICKSTARTER
Contact - www.JoeAidonidis.com
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/thenextstep/the-next-step-documentary
On August 2nd, 2008, a drunk driver slammed into Clara Gardner and pinned her against another car. The accident would take both of her legs above the knee and change her life forever. Joe Aidonidis and Augusta Rose, locally settled artists and arts advocates, as well as affiliates with Common Folk artist collective, have been documenting the process of rehabilitation and daily life for Ms. Gardner over the past few years, and have been focusing on her new potential surgery to make her prosthetics more comfortable and livable. Since it is not available in the United States, Clara will be traveling to Sydney, Australia to have this revolutionary surgery. The team will travel with her to document her surgery, recovery, and rehabilitation, as well as speak to doctors, professionals, and fellow amputees. This campaign will support our efforts by raising funds for travel, living accommodations, and other production expenses related to the trip.
 
CSA Share Raffle Fundraiser for the North Adams Farmers Market
Now through June 11 – Purchase a ticket for a chance to win a full season share of fresh local veggies from either Square Roots Farm or Many Forks Farm, valued at $500-550!!  Tickets $20 each and are available for purchase by calling 413-664-6180 or email: tourism@northadams-ma.gov or messaging the North Adams Farmers Market facebook page.
 

 

From Our Neighbors

 
Wednesday May 4

Hands-on Pastel Workshop for Adults
Milne Public Library | 1095 Main St, Williamstown
(413) 458-5369
6 - 8 PM
Free
for more information

In this new, highly researched two-hour workshop, participants have fun producing their own still life pastel paintings. Gregory Maichack is a seasoned pro at teaching pastel techniques, as recognized by the Museum of Fine Arts (MFA) Boston; Massachusetts Cultural Council (MCC), and hundreds of libraries and local cultural councils. Maichack demonstrates how beginners to accomplished artists can paint a still life while applying techniques applied by masters such as van Gogh, O’Keeffe, Monet & Maichack himself.

The still life is a genre chosen by famous artists throughout history as a subject. Participants benefit from the techniques culled from these masters as reflected in their individual painting approaches in historical context. As always, all will keep their pastel paintings and use hundreds of his professional-grade pastels, paper, and materials, all supplied.

Friday May 6

First Fridays Artswalk
Whitney Center for the Arts | 42 Wendell Ave, Pittsfield
(413) 443-0289
5 - 8 PM
Free
for more information

The May 6th First Fridays Artswalk will encompass more than a dozen different art shows featuring work by more than a dozen accomplished regional artists in Pittsfield’s bustling Upstreet Cultural District, with venues as far south as the Whitney Center for the Arts and as far North as Berkshire Medical Center. The May First Fridays Artswalk will kick off with opening receptions and artists present throughout the “walk” from 5 to 8 p.m. There will be a free guided walking tour beginning at 5 p.m. at the Intermodal Center at BRTA, 1 Columbus Ave. The evening will culminate with a family-friendly Afterwalk Party featuring live music from 8 to 10 p.m

Friday May 6

Sounds and Tones Records Concert

Adams Elks | 63 Center St, Adams
Doors 6 PM | Concert 7 PM
$5
for more information

Featuring performances by: Maple Cap, Heart of Gold, A Day Without Love, Francesca Shanks and Christopher Tate

Saturday May 7

Living the Change Climate Action & Sustainability Fair

Shire City Sanctuary
40 Melville St, Pittsfield
(413) 329-3514
11 AM - 11 PM
Free
for more information

The fair features a full day of activities, including presentations, community dialogue sessions, youth art and activities, music and food, as well as vendor and non-profit booths. An environmental film entitled “This Changes Everything” will also be shown, followed by a dance party in the evening!






 

Thursday May 5
 
Watchers of the Sky - a Film about the Fight Against Genocide
Jewish Federation of the Berkshires
196 South St, Pittsfield
(413) 442-4360
10:45am
$2 suggested donation Seniors 60+ | $7 all others

Inspired by Samantha Power’s Pulitzer Prize-winning book, A Problem From Hell, Watchers of the Sky is a provocative journey from Nuremberg to The Hague, from Bosnia to Darfur, from criminality to justice, and from apathy to action.  The film depicts the journey of lawyer Raphael Lemkin and his efforts in lobbying the United Nations to establish the Genocide Convention. The movie also focuses on four people inspired by Lemkin: Samantha Power, United States Ambassador to the United Nations; Benjamin B. Ferencz, Chief Prosecutor in the Einsatzgruppen trial at Nuremberg; Luis Moreno Ocampo, first Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court; and Emmanuel Uwurukundo, head of operations for refugee camps in Chad set up by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in the War in Darfur.

Friday May 6

2016 BerkChique!
First Dibs Party & Sale

The Sationary Factory
63 Flansburg Ave. | Dalton
5:30 -  8 PM
$25/ticket, $40/ for 2 tickets
for more information

The Berkshires’ highly anticipated premier used clothing sale is back for a fifth year, and just in time for Mother's Day! BerkChique! is THE place to find quality fashions at affordable prices, with proceeds benefiting 1Berkshire, Community Access to the Arts, IS183 Art School of the Berkshires, WAM Theatre, and others. Many fashion-forward items can be found at BerkChique! including gently-used and affordable trendy, designer, vintage, and artful clothing and accessories for men and women, as well as items from local upscale boutiques and consignment shops and Vicki Bonnington's unique and infamous booth!

Saturday May 7
 
2016 BerkChique
The Sationary Factory
63 Flansburg Ave. | Dalton
9 AM – 4 PM  & Sunday 10 AM – 2 PM
Free
for more information

The Berkshires’ highly anticipated premier used clothing sale is back for a fifth year, and just in time for Mother's Day! BerkChique! is THE place to find quality fashions at affordable prices, with proceeds benefiting 1Berkshire, Community Access to the Arts, IS183 Art School of the Berkshires, WAM Theatre, and others.

Sunday May 8

Spring Flowers Search of Field & Forest
Lime Kiln Farm Wildlife Sanctuary
568 Silver St, Pittsfield
(413) 637-0320
9 - 11 AM
Free
for more information

Lime Kiln Farm has a variety of habitats, from recovering farm fields and forested ridges to swamps and abandoned lime quarries. We’ll explore these natural communities through the seasons, getting to know the interesting flora and fauna of this beautiful sanctuary in the southern Berkshires.

 

If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

Macksey Updates on Eagle Street Demo and Myriad City Projects

By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff

The back of Moderne Studio in late January. The mayor said the city had begun planning for its removal if the owner could not address the problems. 
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The Moderne Studio building is coming down brick by brick on Eagle Street on the city's dime. 
 
Concerns over the failing structure's proximity to its neighbor — just a few feet — means the demolition underway is taking far longer than usual. It's also been delayed somewhat because of recent high winds and weather. 
 
The city had been making plans for the demolition a month ago because of the deterioration of the building, Mayor Jennifer Macksey told the City Council on Tuesday. The project was accelerated after the back of the 150-year-old structure collapsed on March 5
 
Initial estimates for demolition had been $190,000 to $210,000 and included asbestos removal. Those concerns have since been set aside after testing and the mayor believes that the demolition will be lower because it is not a hazardous site.
 
"We also had a lot of contractors who came to look at it for us to not want to touch it because of the proximity to the next building," she said. "Unfortunately time ran out on that property and we did have the building failure. 
 
"And it's an unfortunate situation. I think most of us who have lived here our whole lives and had our pictures taken there and remember being in the window so, you know, we were really hoping the building could be safe."
 
Macksey said the city had tried working with the owner, who could not find a contractor to demolish the building, "so we found one for him."
 
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