Clark Art Hosts Free Evening For Educators

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WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — On Thursday, May 1, the Clark Art Institute hosts a free creative professional development event for educators from across the region. 
 
Participants will explore ways to strengthen their students' social and emotional learning through the arts. Evening for Educators is recommended for Pre-K through Grade 12 educators, including school counselors and administrators. Educators can earn professional development points through participation. The program runs from 5 pm to 8:15 pm.
 
The evening commences with a keynote address by Käthe Swaback, the Massachusetts Cultural Council's program officer for creative youth development and health. Swaback is a visual artist, art therapist, and arts administrator with an M.A. in expressive therapy.
 
A series of workshops, developed by local educators who are members of the Clark's new Teacher Advisory Group, provide educators with inspiring methods to enliven social and emotional learning in the classroom. Participants can choose to attend two of the five workshops, which range from gallery engagement activities to hands-on art making and align with state standards.
 
The event begins in the Clark's auditorium, located in the Manton Research Center.
 
Program Details:
 
5 pm: Arrival and Check-in
 
5:15 pm: Keynote Address
Presented by Käthe Swaback, Massachusetts Cultural Council
 
5:55 pm: Complimentary Buffet Dinner
 
6:45- 8:15 pm: Workshop Series
 
Select two:
 
Artful Yoga
  • Engaging with Art to Build Self-Management and Relationship Skills
  • Exploring Empathy through Sculpture
  • Handmade Books as Self Portraits
  •  Art-Inspired Letter writing, Storytelling, and Empathy
Advance registration is strongly encouraged. To register, visit clarkart.edu/events or email Dana Schildkraut, School Specialist, at dschildkraut@clarkart.edu. The program, all supplies, and dinner are provided free of charge to all professional educators.

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Williamstown Board Hears Concerns About 'Hometown Heroes' Banners

By Stephen DravisiBerkshires Staff
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — Kurt Durocher told the Williamstown Select Board that he had received nothing but positive feedback from the North County communities where he proposed participation in the Hometown Heroes banner program.
 
Then Williamstown residents started to weigh in.
 
Durocher was before the board Monday evening to seek its blessing to put banners recognizing living and deceased military veterans on utility poles in Williamstown, an initiative that has been embraced in all but one of the other municipalities in the district where he serves as Veterans' Service Officer.
 
"The only negative I've had right now, and it's not really negative, [the Town of ] Florida doesn't want banners to go on Route 2, the Mohawk Trail, for safety reasons, understandably," Durocher said. "So we're trying to figure out an alternate way to make that work in Florida."
 
By and large, though, the reception to the program has been encouraging, Durocher said.
 
"I'll use Adams as an example," he said. "They've had a program for many, many years, but it's only for [military personnel] killed in action. Now that I've been allowed to take over that program … there's been a huge outpouring of support, because now we get living veterans on the poles as well.
 
"The only negative I've had is certain people want their banners in certain locations. So what we did in North Adams is we just did a random draw. I can't please everybody. I've got people who want a banner in a certain location, but three other people want that same location.It was a straight random draw for them."
 
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