The word for a spring and an eye are the same in Arabic, says Nasser Alzayani in his new work at Mass MoCA, a lament for a historic water source now gone dry. As I come back for the first time after the shut-down, new artists across the museum are offering a determination to preserve something beautiful, and human, and natural.
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Mass MoCA re-opens as the Covid-19 shut-down eases
Mass MoCA re-opens on July 12, after four months of the Covid-19 pandemic, with new work in the galleries including Kissing through a Curtain, a new group show exploring the idea of translation.
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An anonymous artist creates a summer treasure hunt
It turns out the Berkshires has an stealth artist who creates gifts and leaves them quietly in public places — the Guerilla Bunny paints eggs by hand with dragons and phoenixes.
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MCLA calls for places where diverse voices can rise
Art can become a powerful tool for understanding, for MCLA’s new Institute for the Humanities, and MCLA has set out to create experiences and open spaces where diverse voices can share stories.
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MCLA and Berkshire museums bring energy in hard times
This spring, museums in the Berkshires are moving online. Cultural and creative places have faced abrupt disruption, and they are cutting back, but at the same time they are reaching out.
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Berkshires in Covid-19
Even in a time of coronavirus, the Berkshires are a deeply creative place. Actors and dancers are creating new work. Artists are teaching workshops. Farmers markets are moving online. BTW has been gathering them in one virtual space.
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From the summit of Berlin Mountain I can see across 24 years
Last time I climbed Berlin Mountain was 24 years ago at dawn. It was my first week in the Berkshires, in the first days of my first year at Williams College, and this weekend I stood on the summit again.
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Local shops and makers are moving online
At the holidays, my sister and I were talking about the challenges of finding local businesses online— but we didn’t expect this kind of trial by fire. The coronavirus pandemic has suspended local shops in the Berkshires, but they are adapting.
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Mass MoCA cuts back to weather the pandemic
The coronavirus pandemic is putting a strain on many artists and museums and creative spaces. Last week Mass MoCA laid off 120 of their 160 staff. It shakes me as a writer in the Berkshires, and I’ve been thinking about why.
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10×10 Upstreet Arts Festival warms up downtown
The 10×10 Upstreet Arts Festival is in town, and Pittsfield is at play. Every year in late February, downtown Pittsfield holds a weeklong celebration with art and music, new plays, independent film and more.
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