Clark Art Summer Outdoor Concert Series With Chinobay

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WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. —The Clark Art Institute presents the latest in a series of free outdoor concerts with thematic connections to the Ground/work 2025 exhibition with a performance by Chinobay on Wednesday, July 16 at 6 pm on the Reflecting Pool Lawn.

According to a press release:

Hailing from the rich musical traditions of Uganda, Chinobay is a musician, cultural ambassador, and educator, spreading the vibrant rhythms and melodies of Africa everywhere. As a child, he embraced the folk tunes he gleaned from his elders. As time unfolded, he undertook the task of revitalizing these classic songs, all while mastering an array of traditional instruments. Today, he stands as a seasoned songwriter, a dedicated educator, and a bridge-builder between cultures. Just as Ground/work 2025 artist Aboubakar Fofana’s artistic practice is rooted in the traditions of West African dyeing and weaving, Chinobay’s musical practice connects to the past and to the inherited teachings of his ancestors.

Free. Bring a picnic and your own seating. Inclement weather moves events to the Manton Research Center auditorium. For accessibility questions, call 413 458 0524. For more information, visit clarkart.edu/events.

 


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Mount Greylock School Committee Hears Budget Requests, Pressures

By Stephen DravisiBerkshires Staff
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — The Mount Greylock Regional School Committee Thursday heard the final rounds of fiscal year 2027 budget requests and heard why those — or any — discretionary increases in spending will be difficult in the year that begins July 1.
 
Williamstown Elementary Principal Benjamin Torres and middle-high school Principal Jake Schutz each presented the spending priorities formulated by their respective school councils. The requests followed a presentation by Lanesborough Elementary Principal Nolan Pratt at the January meeting.
 
Superintendent Joseph Bergeron then told the School Committee that state and federal aid to the district is going to be slightly lower than FY26 and reminded the panel that the district spent the last two years spending down its reserve accounts, as requested by the member towns, to the point where those reserves — School Choice, tuition and excess and deficiency — cannot be applied to the operating budget.
 
"Spending the exact same amount of money from this year to next year — that alone will mean a 4 percent increase [in appropriations] to each of our towns," Bergeron said. "That's the baseline on top of which everything else will happen.
 
"We know we're seeing an 8.75 percent increase in health insurance, but we also have an increasing number of employees who are taking our health insurance, so that health insurance line is increasing substantially. When it comes to out-of-district tuition as well as transportation, both of those are seeing marked increases as well."
 
District staff and the School Committee will further refine its FY27 budget over the next five weeks, with a budget workshop scheduled for Tuesday, March 3, and a public hearing and final budget vote on March 19.
 
The district's appropriations to Williamstown and Lanesborough, which each pay a proportional share of the prekindergarten-Grade 12 district's operating expenses, will face an up-or-down vote at each town's annual meeting, in May and June, respectively.
 
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