ArtWeek to Launch Across Massachusetts
PITTSFIELD, Mass. - Presented by Highland Street Foundation and produced by the Boch Center, ArtWeek will present its largest season lineup ever.
The award-winning creative festival will offer more than 500 events from April 27-May 6 — more than double the size of the 2017 festival. For the first time, ArtWeek events will take place across the commonwealth, with a presence in 155 neighborhoods and towns across all six regions of the state.
The festival aims to provide participants with new ways to get creative and make art and culture more accessible to everyone. This season, more than 70 percent of all ArtWeek events are free. Visit the website to view the full calendar of events.
Many institutions in the Berkshires are taking part in the celebration. Following are some highlights; find the full schedule online here.
Lenox
* Art Lenox will present its debut with a series of events during the statewide arts and cultural festival. Art Lenox is a newly launched art gallery association in Lenox supported by Visit Lenox / The Lenox Chamber of Commerce, the Lenox Cultural Council and the Massachusetts Cultural Council. This is the first of many collaboratively curated exhibitions and events that Art Lenox will offer to the public year round. Events include a day-long Gallery Art Walk (April 28), where visitors will have the opportunity to participate in artist talks, discussions and demonstrations with artists and gallery directors. Sohn Fine Art will present two events in collaboration with ArtWeek and Art Lenox, in conjunction with the exhibit "Domestication." The first "The Answer is Never the Answer" (April 28, immediately following the exhibition’s reception) is an artist talk and slideshow presentation with Bill Wright. The second, "Cleanliness is Next to Godliness," is a taking care performance and discussion with Artist Anne Mourier (April 29). DeVries Fine Art’s event "Meet Sculptor Andrew DeVries" will be held on April 29. An open studio tour will take place May 5. Five featured local artists in and around Lenox will open their studios for a behind-the-scenes look at their processes and intimate discussions about the creation of their works. Visit Art Lenox on Facebook.
* The Mount will host New York Times bestselling author Julia Pierpont alongside her editor Caitlin McKenna as part of the ArtWeek festival on Thursday, May 3, at 6 p.m. Pierpont and McKenna’s conversation will focus around the creation of "The Little Book of Feminist Saints," in which Pierpont and artist Manjit Thapp match short and vibrant biographies with stunning full-color portraits of secular female "saints." Ticket are $10; advance registration recommended.
Monterey
* The Bidwell House Museum will present a new guided walk titled "Retracing Native Histories on the Landscape" as part of ArtWeek from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturday, April 28. This free talk will be held at the museum, located at 100 Art School Road.
North Adams
* Building 13 is hosting its second open house on Saturday, April 28, to kick off the summer season on the campus of Mass MoCA. There will be new and ongoing exhibitions on view in the galleries from Cynthia Reeves and Ferrin Contemporary, artists to meet and work in progress to see at The Studios at MASS MoCA, as well as an artist panel and discussion at The Artist Book Foundation. This Building 13 Open House is a part of ArtWee and will run from 3 to 7 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.
Williamstown
* The Clark Art Institute will hold two free events as part of ArtWeek. On Sunday, April 29, the Clark invites visitors to drop by a free open house from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Manton Study Center for Works on Paper, located in the Manton Research Center. Curatorial Assistant Kristie Couser presents a selection of prints, drawings, and photographs from the permanent collection. On Sunday, May 6, the Clark presents a free day centered around "Clark Buzz," the institute's honeybee sustainability initiative. Free bee-themed activities include making native seed bombs or a beeswax candle and tasting the Clark's first batch of honey produced from its own bees. At 2 p.m., Clark Director Olivier Meslay joins Clark Grounds Manager Matthew Noyes, Massachusetts Chief Apiary Inspector Dr. Kim Skyrm, and local beekeeper Dave Thayer for a one-hour discussion about the Clark’s ongoing commitment to sustainability. All events are free, and admission to the galleries is free all day.
