Williams Grads Present Art History at the Leading Edge

Print Story | Email Story

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. On Friday, May 31, 2024, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., the Williams College Graduate Program in the History of Art will host public presentations at the Clark Art Institute's Manton Research Center by the Program's graduating Masters students. 

The presentations, timed in conjunction with Williams' 2024 Commencement weekend, will address a variety of topics in the history of art, including the gendering of seventeenth-century sculpture, late eighteenth-century abolitionism in painting, nineteenth-century electrotypes and imperial power, early cinema and death, cultural anthropology and cybernetics at the Museum of Modern Art in the 1940s, Andy Warhol’s computer art during the early years of the AIDS crisis, and contemporary photography and race. All presentations are free and open to the public. 

Presentations will be approximately twenty minutes each, in groups of three or four, with discussion following each group of presentations. Presenters include:

Duomi Chen [Shenzhen, China]

Jessica Chen [Sunnyvale, CA]

Ella Comberg [Philadelphia, PA]

Eva Dailey [Pownal, VT]

Jordan David [Twinsburg, OH]

Eliza Dermott [Middletown, DE]

Joanna García Cherán (Purépecha) [San Diego, CA]

Evan Garza [Houston, TX]

Nicholas Liou [Sunnyvale, CA]

Ricardo Mercado [Dallas, TX]

María Minuesa Sicilia [Madrid, Spain]

Alexandra Nicome [Minneapolis, MN]

Destini Ross [Indianapolis, IN]

Nathan Swift Sorscher [Birmingham, AL]

 

At 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, June 1, the public is also invited to attend the Program's annual hooding ceremony, honoring the students' accomplishments. 

The symposium and hooding ceremony will both take place in the auditorium at the Clark Art Institute's Manton Research Center, 225 South St., Williamstown, MA.

The Graduate Program in the History of Art, operated jointly by Williams and the Clark, is one of the most respected programs in its field. Alumni have gone on to become influential scholars and leaders of renowned museums and arts institutions, among other organizations. Visit http://gradart.williams.edu/ for more information.

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

Williamstown Fire District Expects Slightly Lower Tax Rate

By Stephen DravisiBerkshires Staff
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — A rise in operating expenses for the Williamstown Fire Department will be offset by lower debt service payments on the new fire station, resulting in a slightly smaller tax bill from the district, officials noted last week.
 
One week after the Prudential Committee, which oversees the district, reviewed the fiscal articles it will send to May's annual district meeting, the fire chief explained that while operational funding is up by by nearly $125,000 from the current fiscal year to FY27, a drop in principal and interest payments will make up the difference.
 
Currently, the tax rate for the district — a separate taxing entity apart from town government — is projected to be $1.15 per $1,000 of valuation in the fiscal year that begins on July 1. The current rate is $1.24.
 
In FY26, district taxpayers paid $1.9 million toward principal and interest for the Main Street fire station. The draft warrant for the May 26 annual district meeting calls for $1.7 million to be raised for that capital expense, a drop of just more than $198,000.
 
"The impact of the new debt and, indeed, the entire budget is offset by certain revenue items, particularly the $5.5 million in gifts from Williams College and the Clark [Art Institute]," Chief Jeffrey Dias wrote in an email discussing the proposed budget.
 
The $500,000 pledge from the Clark and the $5 million donated by Williams College are being utilized at the start of the payback period for the bonds that fund the station's construction — when those payments are higher.
 
Melissa Cragg, chair of the Fire District's Finance Committee, explained that the use of those gifts early in the process will not necessarily mean a sticker shock down the road.
 
View Full Story

More Williamstown Stories