Clark Art Institute Presents Artist's Talk with Laura Ellen Bacon

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass.— The Clark Art Institute will host an artist's talk with British artist Laura Ellen Bacon on Thursday, May 29, at 4 p.m. Bacon is one of the artists participating in the upcoming "Ground/work 2025" exhibition.

Bacon will be on the Clark's campus in May to construct a sculpture using willow branches. Attendees are invited to join her outdoors at the sculpture's location, situated beyond the bridge from the Lunder Center where the Nan Path and Woodland Trail intersect, to learn about her creative process as it unfolds. This event offers an opportunity to hear directly from the artist during the creation of her work.

"Ground/work 2025", curated by independent art historian Glenn Adamson, will feature outdoor installations by international artists Y? Akiyama, Laura Ellen Bacon, Aboubakar Fofana, Hugh Hayden, Milena Naef, and Javier Senosiain. The installations will be on display for over a year, allowing visitors to observe the artworks in varying conditions of light and weather.

The "Ground/work 2025" exhibition is organized by the Clark Art Institute and curated by Glenn Adamson.

The exhibition is supported by Denise Littlefield Sobel, with major funding from the Edward and Maureen Fennessy Bousa Fund for Contemporary Projects, Karen and Robert Scott, and VIA Art Fund. Additional support is provided by Girlfriend Fund, Agnes Gund, and the National Endowment for the Arts.

The artist's talk is free and will take place regardless of weather conditions. Attendees are advised to dress accordingly. For accessibility inquiries, call 413-458-0524. 

Williams College Lone Suitor for Development of Water Street Lot

By Stephen DravisiBerkshires Staff
11:15AM / Thursday, April 16, 2026

Williams College hopes to replace the current Facilities Services building on Latham Street and use that space for a new  athletics complex. 

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — If the town accepts an offer from Williams College, a 1.27-acre lot that long has been eyed as a possible venue for housing and economic development instead will find a use similar to its history.

 

The college was the lone respondent to the town's request for proposals to purchase and develop 59 Water St., a dirt lot known around town as the "old town garage site." This was first reported Wednesday by Greylock News. 

 

If successful, the college plans to use the former town garage property for the school's Facilities Services building. Or it could be turned back into a parking lot.

 

Williams' offer includes a $500,000 upfront payment and a 10-year agreement to make $50,000 annual donations to the Mount Greylock Regional School District according to the proposal unsealed on Wednesday afternoon.

 

If it closes the deal, the college said it will explore development of a three- to four-story Facilities Services building with "a structured parking facility providing approximately 170 spaces."

 

"[I]f site constraints impact our ability to develop both structured parking and the Facilities Services building, our backup proposal is to develop the parking structure with approximately 170 spaces, also with capacity to support institutional and public needs," the college's proposal reads.

 

The college's current Facilities property at 60 Latham St. has an assessed value — for the .42-acre lot only — of $113,000 and an annual property tax bill of $1,606, according to the town's website.