Tea And Talk: Artificial Women

11:01AM / Thursday, August 01, 2024Print Story | Email Story

LENOX, Mass. — Julie Wosk, Author and Professor Emerita of English, Art History, and Studio Art at State University of New York, Maritime College will speak at Ventfort Hall on Thursday, Aug. 8 at 4 pm.

A tea will be served after the presentation.

According to a press release

In America's Gilded Age and in Europe, clockwork female dolls decorated fashionable parlors. These mechanical wonders came in many guises---from demure women with their parasols to a dying Cleopatra in her harem outfit. Today there is a burst of fascination with simulated females, as seen in films, novels, art, and AI-enhanced dolls. They appear as companions, pleasure dolls, healthcare aides, artificial friends, and even fictional duplicates of deceased loved ones. Drawing on her new book Artificial Women, Berkshire author Julie Wosk highlights these lifelike copies of real human beings.

Julie Wosk is the author of several books including "Women and the Machine: Representations from the Spinning Wheel to the Electronic Age;" "My Fair Ladies: Female Robots, Androids," and "Other Artificial Eves;" and her most recent book "Artificial Women" (2024).

She is also an artist, photographer, and an independent museum curator whose exhibit "Imaging Women in the Space Age," first shown at the New York Hall of Science, is now on view at the Berkshire Museum in Pittsfield through September 8, 2024. An exhibit of her own photographs and paintings will be at the Art on Main Gallery in West Stockbridge from August 15-25.

Tickets are $40 for members and with advance reservation; $45 day of; $22 for students 22 and under. Ticket pricing includes access to the mansion throughout the day of this event from 10 am to 4 pm. Reservations are strongly encouraged as seats are limited. Walk-ins accommodated as space allows. For reservations visit https://gildedage.org/pages/calendar or call(413) 637-3206. Note that all tickets are nonrefundable and non-exchangeable. The historical mansion is located at 104 Walker Street in Lenox.

Tags: Ventfort Hall,

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Great Barrington Public Theater Appoints Artistic Director

09:57AM / Monday, December 29, 2025

GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. — Great Barrington Public Theater announced that Associate Artistic Director Judy Braha will now join Jim Frangione at the helm as Artistic Director of Great Barrington Public Theater.

"We at Great Barrington Public Theater are thrilled that Judy Braha will assume the role of Artistic Director alongside myself. I couldn't have asked for a better partner to help advance the interests of the theater as we move into the next phase of growth as the region's premiere developmental theater," Founder & Artistic Director Jim Frangione said. "Judy brings a tremendous amount of experience and value to our company and has, in just a few short years, grown and greatly enhanced GB Public Theater's signature program, Berkshires Voices, where playwrights develop their work, leading to public readings and in some cases workshops and full productions. I look forward to working more closely with Judy to select the next generation of plays to be presented under the GB Public banner. It's a "Bear" of a job! But we feel great about the direction of our theater."

Judy Braha joined the GB Public artistic leadership team in 2023 as the Associate Artistic Director after 2 years directing for the company. She has since then been collaborating with Founder and Artistic Director Jim Frangione on the selection of new work for readings and full productions in the summer season. Her impressive portfolio of credits and accomplishments strengthened Great Barrington Public's creative programming and offered new perspectives to the body of works and events produced each year.

Judy Braha has been a career director, actor, teacher and artist for social justice for over four decades with directorial credits in theaters and universities throughout New England. She led the M.F.A. Directing Program at Boston University's School of Theater, retiring in 2022 after 29 years of service at BU.

"Judy has the strength of commitment, leadership and passion for theater and how it affects communities that fit hand-in-glove with our founding mission and core beliefs," Founder and Producing Director Deann Halper Simmons explains. "Her artistic integrity, sense of stage esthetic and ability to make important choices that craft life from the script continues to be a great asset to our company and growth."

"Judy's distinguished artistic voice has significantly contributed to the exceptional growth of GB Public in recent years," Managing Director Serena Johnson added. "We are truly excited to have her stepping into this leadership role in the 2026 season."

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