Williamstown - In the last decades of the 20th century American artists created a new and distinctive language of ruin, from ghost towns to Planet of the Apes.
In his lecture, "The Ruins of America," Christopher Woodward, author of the best-selling book In Ruins and director of the Museum of Garden History, London, asks why the cult of the ruin has emigrated from Europe to the New World. This free lecture takes place on Sun. March 11 at 2 pm at the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute.
Woodward was previously director of the Holburne Museum in Bath, England, and worked as assistant curator at Sir John Soane's Museum. His book In Ruins (2002) takes readers on a 1,000-year journey from the plains of Troy to the monuments of ancient Rome, from the crumbling palaces of Sicily, Cuba, and Zanzibar to the rubble of the London Blitz. Readers encounter the teenage Byron in the rotting Newstead Abbey, Flaubert watching the buzzards on the pyramids, Henry James in the Colosseum, and Freud at Pompeii.
Two exhibitions currently on view at the Clark relate to the subject of ruins. A section of Claude Lorrain-The Painter as Draftsman: Drawings from the British Museum depicts how the 17th century French artist Claude Lorrain embraced the modern world while still evoking the Arcadian past. Many idyllic and pastoral scenes that include ancient Roman ruins are on view. In Search of Lost Time: Ruins in Photography features 12 European photographs of ruins, ranging from Egypt to Italy, Britain and southern France, dating to the 1850s.
The Clark is located at 225 South Street in Williamstown. The galleries are open Tuesday through Sunday from 10 am to 5 pm (daily in July and August). Admission is free November through May. Admission June 1 through October 31 is $12.50 for adults, free for children 18 and younger, members, and students with valid ID. For more information, call 413-458-2303 or visit www.clarkart.edu.
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Williams College Receives Anonymous $25M Gift to Support Projects
Staff Reports
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — Williams College has received a $25 million gift commitment in support of three major initiatives currently underway on campus: constructing a new museum building, developing a comprehensive plan for athletics and wellbeing facilities, and endowing the All-Grant financial aid program.
The donors, who wish to remain anonymous, say the gift reflects their desire to not only support Williams but also President Maud S. Mandel's strategic vision and plan for the college.
"This remarkably generous commitment sustains our momentum for WCMA, will be a catalyst for financial aid, and is foundational for athletics and wellness. It will allow us to build upon areas of excellence that have long defined the college," Mandel said. "I could not be more appreciative of this extraordinary investment in Williams."
Of the donors' total gift, $10 million will help fund the first freestanding, purpose-built home for the Williams College Museum of Art (WCMA), a primary teaching resource for the college across all disciplines and home to more than 15,000 works.
Each year, roughly 30 academic departments teach with WCMA's collection in as many as 130 different courses.
The new building, designed by the internationally recognized firm SO-IL and slated to open in 2027, will provide dedicated areas for teaching and learning, greater access to the collection and space for everything from formal programs to impromptu gatherings. The college plans to fund at least $100 million of the total project cost with gifts.
Another $10 million will support planning for and early investments in a comprehensive approach to renewing the college's athletics and wellbeing facilities.
The donors, who wish to remain anonymous, say the gift reflects their desire to not only support Williams but also President Maud S. Mandel's strategic vision and plan for the college.
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The Select Board has agreed to remove the town flag a year after town meeting established a bylaw restricting the use of flags on public property.
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