Clark Art Lecture on Lusia Roldan

Print Story | Email Story
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — On Tuesday, March 4, the Clark Art Institute's Research and Academic Program presents a talk by Marjorie (Holly) Trusted (University of Glasgow, Scotland / Center for Spain in America Fellow) titled "Who Was Luisa Roldán?" 
 
This free event takes place at 5:30 pm in the Manton Research Center auditorium.
 
According to a press release:
 
In recent years, the extraordinary wood and terracotta sculptures of Luisa Roldán (1652–1706) have attracted much attention; a number have been acquired by major museums in the United States. However, questions of attribution and her own identity as an artist can be complex. Her training and stylistic development in Seville and Cádiz, as well as her later activity at the court in Madrid, reveal a web of interconnections. She nevertheless remains an enigmatic figure; her statues and groups arguably affected the evolution of sculpture in baroque Spain, yet many details of her life are still unknown. As a woman sculptor, she was clearly exceptional. This lecture discusses her work, as well as the challenges of studying such an artist, many of whose works are still in enclosed convents in Spain.
 
Marjorie (Holly) Trusted, Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries (London), was the longstanding senior curator of sculpture at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London until 2019. She has published and lectured widely on sculpture. Currently a Senior Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Glasgow, she was previously Senior Research Fellow at Durham University in England (2022–23). Trusted is collaborating with specialist Catherine Hall-van den Elsen on a scholarly study of the Spanish baroque sculptor Luisa Roldán. At the Clark, Trusted will continue her work on Roldán.
 
Free. Accessible seats available; for information, call 413 458 0524. A 5 pm reception in the Manton Research Center reading room precedes the event. 

Tags: Clark Art,   

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

Q&A Williamstown Fire Chief Looks Back on 37 Years of Service

By Stephen DravisiBerkshires Staff

Williamstown Fire Chief Craig Pedercini waves to the crowd during an Independence Day parade.
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — Craig Pedercini can only hope that his retirement party will not be as memorable as that of his predecessor.
 
"The day of Chief [Ed] McGowan's retirement party, which was the 17th of January, we had a structure fire kind of early afternoon if I remember right," Pedercini recalls. "I was here, and I remember running out the door, and Chief McGowan happened to be popping in to say hi or whatever.
 
"I said, 'If you want to talk to me, you're going to need to get in the car because I'm going to a fire.' He jumped in, and we had a fire at what at the time was called the Chimney Mirror motel, which is now the Williamstown Motel. They had a laundry room fire. It wasn't terrible. We went in and put it out pretty quickly.
 
"But it was freezing out. We had water coming out of the truck because the hydrant was pushing so much to us, and the water was skating down the driveway out onto Route 2, and it created this big thing of ice. Having to deal with all that and getting a sander out there to make the road safe again and things like that.
 
"As you can see, I can remember the day and date. That was kind of memorable because it was my first one as a fire chief."
 
But certainly not his last.
 
Of course, he hopes he has had his last fire as the days count down to his retirement after 37 years with the Williamstown Fire Department — the last 22 as its chief.
 
View Full Story

More Williamstown Stories