Clark Art Outdoor Concert by Lakou Mizik

08:00AM / Monday, July 22, 2024Print Story | Email Story

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — On Wednesday, July 24, the Clark Art Institute concludes its July Outdoor Concert Series with a performance by Lakou Mizik.

This year, the July Outdoor Concert Series celebrates the French Caribbean with some musicians from Guadeloupe and Haiti. The free concert takes place at 6 pm on the Clark's Reflecting Pool Lawn.

According to a press release:

Lakou Mizik is a multigenerational collective of Haitian musicians united in a mission to spread awareness about traditional Haitian culture. In Haitian Creole, the word lakou carries multiple meanings. It can mean a backyard or a collective place where people gather to play music and dance. It can also be an extended community, or a connection to one's ancestors. As a band, Lakou Mizik embodies a little of each meaning—bringing music, community, and spiritual connection to backyards (and festivals) across the globe. Lakou Mizik also incorporates elements of Rara, a form of Carnival music based in Vodou, in which drummers and horn players lead joyous processions through the streets. The group formed in Port-au-Prince in 2010 in response to the combined catastrophes of a devastating earthquake, an epidemic, and a political crisis.

Free. Bring a picnic and your own seating. Rain moves the performance to the Clark's auditorium, located in the Manton Research Center. For accessibility concerns, call 413 458 0524.

Tags: Clark Art,

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Williamstown Housing Trust Agrees to Continue Emergency Mortgage, Rental Programs

By Stephen DravisiBerkshires Staff
04:14AM / Tuesday, December 30, 2025

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — The board of the town's Affordable Housing Trust at its December meeting voted to extend its mortgage and rental assistance programs and discussed bringing in some consultants early next year before embarking on any new programs.

Chair Daniel Gura informed the board that its agreements with Pittsfield's Hearthway Inc., to administer the Williamstown Emergency Rental Assistance Program and Williamstown Emergency Mortgage Assistance Program was expiring at the end of the year.

Gura sought and obtained a vote of the board to extend the programs, born during the COVID-19 pandemic, through the end of January 2026, at which time the board plans to sign a new long-term agreement.

"In 2024, we distributed $80,000," through the programs known as WERAP and WEMAP, Gura said. "This year, to date, we gave $16,000, and Ihere's $17,000 left. … It's a little interesting we saw a dropoff from 2024 to 2025, although I think there were obvious reasons for that in terms of where we are in the world."

Gura suggested that the board might want to increase the funding to the programs, which benefit income-qualified town residents.

"If you look at the broader economic picture in this country, there's a prospect of more people needing help, not fewer people," Thomas Sheldon said in agreeing with Gura. "I think the need will bump up again."

The board voted to add an additional $13,000 to the amount available to applicants screened by Hearthway with the possibility of raising that funding if a spike in demand is seen.

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