Clark Art Screens 'Berlin: Symphony of a Great City'

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WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — On Thursday, April 11, the Clark Art Institute kicks off its three-part film series exploring lyrical depictions of cities in films that resonate with the Paper Cities exhibition. 
 
The Clark shows "Berlin: Symphony of a Great City" at 6 pm in its auditorium, located in the Manton Research Center.
 
According to a press release:
 
This emblematic "city symphony" film is structured to follow the life of Berlin and its inhabitants across the course of a single day, from dawn to dusk, to create “a symphonic film with the thousandfold energies that make up the life of a great city,” as described by the director, painter Walter Ruttman. Berlin: Symphony of a Great City still speaks volumes about how German Expressionism crossed into every artistic medium. (Run time: 1:05)
 
On view in the Eugene V. Thaw Gallery for Works on Paper, located in the Manton Research Center, Paper Cities examines representations of cities in works on paper created from the late fifteenth to the early twentieth century. The exhibition asks the following questions: Which cities or sections of cities are these artists presenting? Are they emphasizing specific architectural or social elements, and if so, what motivates these choices? What roles do the cities play in advancing the narratives of the overall artworks?
 
Free. Accessible seats available; for information, call 413 549 0524. 

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Williamstown Planners Eye Consultant Help on Mixed-Use Proposal

By Stephen DravisiBerkshires Staff
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — The Planning Board has decided to seek more input before moving ahead with a proposal that would encourage more mixed-use development in the town's business zones.
 
For months, the board had acknowledged that a lot of work needed to go into putting a full-fledged zoning overlay district proposal before town meeting but was optimistic the task could be completed in time for May's annual meeting.
 
But last Tuesday, the town planner suggested that the board could benefit from the work of consultants which the town could hire if it receives a couple of grants from the commonwealth.
 
One of those grants could help fund a study to look at what sorts of business development might be possible if the town code is changed to encourage the construction of buildings that combine commercial and residential uses in its Limited Business and Planned Business zoning districts.
 
"[The town has] done housing needs assessments a couple of times, what about a market needs assessment?" Community Development Director Andrew Groff asked the board rhetorically at its monthly meeting. "That undergirds the whole rezoning program. And then you build the form-based [zoning] on top of that."
 
Groff told the board that he started thinking about the need for studies to support the mixed-use zoning initiative after conversations with officials from the Berkshire Regional Planning Commission and preliminary talks with the type of consultant who might be able to help the town get the data it could use.
 
The planner also suggested that the creation of overlay districts could be done in phases.
 
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