Clark Art Lecture on Lusia Roldan

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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. 

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Williamstown Fire District Dedicates New Station

By Stephen DravisiBerkshires Staff

Chief Jeffrey Dias recognizes firefighter Alexandra Riggs, who will graduate from Williams College next week. See more photos here.
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — The Massachusetts fire marshal came to town Saturday to congratulate the local Fire District and the taxpayers of Williamstown for the "amazing" station they have built on Main Street.
 
"I travel around the state, and I've seen hundreds of firehouses around the state — some great, some not so great," Fire Marshal Jon Davine told a crowd gathered outside the station for its dedication. "And I think we saw what the previous station here was in Williamstown. I'll tell you, especially in Western Massachusetts, we have a really big problem with deteriorating firehouses throughout Western Mass. These buildings are collapsing around our firefighters.
 
"And, as the marshal, it's my job to advocate for the departments for more funding. We've been working with our state reps and local reps and the fire chiefs association, trying to come up with different funding streams, so that we can help these departments build new stations, do better, safer stations, so that they have the equipment and the building they deserve to do their job safely."
 
The chair of the Prudential Committee, which governs the Fire District, and the chief of the department both thanked Williamstown residents for the 2023 special district meeting vote that paved the way for the station that went into operation earlier this year.
 
"It's an honor and a privilege to join you today as we celebrate this grand opening of the new firehouse," Chief Jeffrey Dias said. "This facility is so much more than a building that houses fire trucks. It stands as a symbol of our community's commitment to safety, preparedness and public service. It's a place where our members will maintain our equipment. They will learn about our craft. They'll share meals and, yes, from time to time, they're going to share sorrow.
 
"This isn't a fire station. This is a firehouse. And people have heard me say this a million times already. And it houses the very best second family that one could imagine."
 
Dias was joined at the podium set up in the parking lot for the noon ceremony by Prudential Committee Chair David Moresi, state Rep. John Barrett III and the the Rev. William F. Cyr, who gave an invocation.
 
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