Clark Art Hosts Opening Talk With Artist Sónia Almeida

07:54AM / Tuesday, March 10, 2026Print Story | Email Story

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — On Saturday, March 14 at 11 am, the Clark Art Institute celebrates the opening of its latest installation, "Sónia Almeida: Stages," with a conversation between artist Sónia Almeida and exhibition curator Robert Wiesenberger, curator of contemporary projects.

The free talk takes place in the Clark's Manton Research Center auditorium.

Sónia Almeida: Stages presents three major installations by the artist in public spaces at the Clark. The year-long exhibition is free and open to the public. Almeida (b. 1978, Lisbon; lives and works in Boston) is professor of fine arts at Brandeis University. Through her work, she studies the circulation of images and the status of painting in a post-digital age. The exhibition's subtitle, "Stages," reflects Almeida's interest in the theatricality of artworks and the choreography they imply for viewers. It also implies process, and the steps and layers in Almeida's mixed media work, which often adopts the visual language of diagrams and instructional materials.

Free. Accessible seats available; for information, call 413 458 0570. For more details, visit events.clarkart.edu.

Sónia Almeida: Stages is organized by the Clark Art Institute and curated by Robert Wiesenberger, curator of contemporary projects.

Support for this exhibition is provided by Margaret and Richard Kronenberg.

Tags: Clark Art,

iBerkshires.com Text Ads

rk MILES Blding Materials

Are You Ready to Update Your Home? Start With rk MILES. 4 Locations (800)670-7433

www.rkmiles.com

RIBCO Supply

Check out our great lineup of Boss Plows, and spreaders. 2 Locations Clarksburg & Pittsfield!

ribcosupply.com

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

Williamstown Fin Comm Hears from Police Department, Library

By Stephen DravisiBerkshires Staff
10:10AM / Friday, March 06, 2026

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — Police Chief Michael Ziemba last week explained to the Finance Committee why an additional full-time officer needs to be added to the fiscal year 2027 budget.

The 13 officers in the Williamstown Police Department are insufficient to maintain the department's minimal threshold of two officers on patrol per shift without employing overtime and relying on the chief and the WPD's one detective to cover patrol shifts if an officer is sick or using personal time, Ziemba explained.

Some of that coverage was provided in the past by part-time officers, but that option was taken away by the commonwealth's 2020 police reform act.

"We lost two part-timers a couple of years ago," Ziemba told the Fin Comm. "They were part-time officers, but they also worked the desk. So between the desk and the cruiser shifts, they were working 40 hours a week, the two of them. We lost them to police reform.

"We have seen that we're struggling to cover shifts voluntarily now. We're starting to order people to cover time-off requests. … We don't have the flexibility when somebody goes out for a surgery or sickness or maternity leave to cover that without overtime. An additional position, I believe, would alleviate that."

Ziemba bolstered his case by benchmarking the force against like-sized communities in Berkshire County.

Adams, for example, has 19 full-time officers and handled 9,241 calls last year with a population just less than 8,000 and a coverage area of 23 square miles, Ziemba said. By comparison, Williamstown has 13 officers, handled 15,000 calls for service, has a population of about 8,000 (including staff and students at Williams College) and covers 46.9 square miles.

View Full Story