Turning Points in Mathematics
2026-05-30 10:00 - 12:00 (America/New_York)
Celebrate math for our country’s 250th?
Find out why in this spirited, enlightening look at how we went from the practical math of the Sumerians to the Greeks and the Euclidean Geometry we study today — and how that was foundational to our Declaration of Independence!
Mathematician Jack Sanders ties culture and mathematics together to explain the first major turning point in mathematics, from the Sumerians’ practical math to the deductive math of the ancient Greeks creating Euclidean geometry and number theory we still study today — as did Ben Franklin and Thomas Jefferson.
As a professor of mathematics, Jack Sanders, PhD, taught classes in the history of mathematics. He retired as an IBM system architect.
A Sumerian tablet applying the Pythagorean theorem about 1000 years before Pythagoras
Limited number of reduced price community tickets @ $10.
SPACE IS AVAILABLE FOR WALK-INS.

The Poetry of Kinship: Joan Barasovska, Jayne Benjulian, & Hilde Weisert - Free
2026-06-06 14:00 - 16:00
Pictured: Joan Barasovska, Jayne Benjulian, Hilde Weisert
A reading and conversation with three award-winning poets on the many forms of kinship: with family, community, heritage, and the natural world.
Jayne Benjulian is the author of Five Sextillion Atoms (Saddle Road Press, 2016). Her collection, said David Wojahn, is a “highly distinctive and gripping book notable for the ways in which it combines the stories of family history with larger matters of public history.”
Her poems, widely published, have been shortlisted for the James Hearst Poetry Prize, the Fish Poetry Prize and the Bridport Prize. She served as chief speechwriter for Apple and investigator for the Public Defender in King County, WA. She lives in the Berkshire Hills where she edits the work of prose writers and poets.
Jayne was an Ossabaw Island Project Fellow; teaching fellow at Emory University; lecturer in the Graduate Program in Theater at San Francisco State University; and Fulbright Teaching Fellow in Lyon, France. www.jaynebenjulian.com
Joan Barasovska is a poet living in Chapel Hill, NC. In lyrical, accessible poetry, Joan contemplates the lifetime of a woman: as a girl, a daughter, a young woman in despair, and a wife and mother. At the brink of old age, living in welcome solitude, she revisits memory with broadened perspective.
Joan hosts a poetry series sponsored by the North Carolina Poetry Society at independent bookstore McIntyre’s Books. Joan was selected by the Poetry Society as their 2026 Pinesong Dedicatee. She has been nominated for Best of the Net and four times for a Pushcart Prize. Her books have been reviewed in numerous literary journals. She is the author of Birthing Age (Finishing Line Press, 2018); Carrying Clare (Main Street Rag, 2022); Orange Tulips (Redhawk Publications, 2022); and Unblessed, Unsung (Main Street Rag, 2025) www.joanbarasovska.com
“In Unblessed, Unsung, Joan Barasovska carries us from the Eastern European shtetl to a Philadelphia tailor shop, from a bright baseball star to his businessman brother, from father to son, from mother to daughter. Drawn from photographs and family history, these poems form a steady line of family through dark times. Reading them is like standing in a darkroom watching images emerge, silver on paper, under a red safelight: fragile magic.” —Mimi Herman, author of The Kudzu Queen
Hilde Weisert’s 2015 poetry collection The Scheme of Things was published by David Robert Books. Her work has appeared in LIBER: A Feminist Journal, Cold Mountain Review, Plume, Paterson Literary Review, the Journal of the American Medical Association, The Hudson Review, The Cincinnati Review, Prairie Schooner, The Sun, and elsewhere. Awards: 2017 Gretchen Warren Award (NE Poetry Club), 2016 Tiferet Poetry Award, 2008 Lois Cranston Prize, and three Virginia Center for the Creative Arts fellowships. She is co-president of the Sandisfield Arts Center She is co-president of the Sandisfield Arts Center.. www.hildeweisert.com
“Hilde Weisert’s quiet, versatile poetic voice, fully at ease in narrative and lyric, is distinguished by vivid accuracy of thought and speech, modest but absolute courage in choice of subject, a dry, sweet humor, and a generosity of spirit that brings me back to her book again and again.”
– Ursula Le Guin

Ye Trodden Path: A History of the Knox Trail
2026-06-13 10:00 - 12:00
Picture above shows a section of the trail including Sandisfield and Otis.
In this new book, published by the Berkshire County Historical Society and the Knox Trail 250th Committee, a panel of local history authors traces the history and of the trail that Col. Henry Knox took to bring captured British cannons to Gen. Washington in Boston, including fascinating original research.
The work is the collaboration of five local historian-authors: Bernard Drew of Great Barrington, a foremost authority on both Berkshires history and the Knox Trail; Gary Leveille of the Great Barrington Historical Society; Rob Hoogs, Monterey Historical Society; Ron Bernard, Sandisfield Historical Commission; and Tom Ragusa, Otis Historical Commission.
Books will be available for sale and signing.
From the Sandisfield Times:
Two chapters of the book concentrate on the seven-mile, mostly undeveloped segment through Otis State Forest in Sandisfield, extending into the town of Otis. This is the longest surviving original stretch of the one-time colonial “military road” that connected Boston and Albany.
The impetus for the book was a true map of this unspoiled section compiled by long-time DCR employee Tom Ragusa. Tom devoted more than two decades of meticulous research including early documents he discovered in State archives together with modern survey techniques. The result is a definitive map of the road as it was in the 17th and 18th centuries.
A chapter is devoted to Tom’s fascinating journey and why what he did is important.
His map will be included in the book, in color, as a six-foot fold-out!
Ron Bernard writes about the history of the former Indian trail before it was a military road and its many colloquial names. Also included are his original research findings about five Sandisfield taverns along the “Great Road” which welcomed the Knox teamsters as they passed through on January 12-13, 1776.
Limited number of reduced price community tickets @ $10.

Ari & Mia: New England Roots Music
2026-06-13 19:00 - 21:00
TICKET SALES HAVE CLOSED BUT PLENTY OF ROOM FOR WALK INS!
Ari & Mia, New England’s chamber-folk sister duo, combine the styles of Southern and Northeastern fiddle music and the early American songbook with their “strikingly beautiful harmonies” and sophisticated Americana sound.
“The two have blended a strong — yet dainty — mix of fiddle, banjo, and cello with percussion sprinkled to taste. Their whimsical vocals intertwine with each other and sometimes it’s hard to decipher the two voices apart from each other. The duo would easily be seen/heard on the same bill as Ani DiFranco, Regina Spektor, Rasputina and Jewel.” — Valley Advocate
This concert is a celebration of the release of their brand new album, Learning Your Name—a collection of eight songs that captures the awe and joy of raising young children.
As Ari says, “…this particular album of ours is special and not in a way that calls attention to ourselves but in a way that asks other people to pay attention, to listen deeply, to access the wonderment of caregiving often buried beneath layers of burnout and exhaustion. In the words of our older sister Rabbi Shoshana Friedman, these songs are ‘caregiving as liturgy.’”
About Community tickets: We make available a limited number of Community tickets @ $10. (on a first come, first served basis) to most paid events to make our events affordable for more members of the community. Honor system, no proof required.
To buy tickets, press the + for the number you want – then Get Tickets will work (as long as tickets are available).

Four Fabulous Fridays: Open Mic Series - Free
2026-06-19 19:00 - 21:00, 2026-07-17 19:00 - 21:00, 2026-08-21 19:00 - 21:00, 2026-09-18 19:00 - 21:00 | Sandisfield Arts Center, 5 Hammertown Road, Sandisfield, MA, 01255, United States
June 19, July 17, Aug. 21, Sept. 18.
Seasoned performer or just starting out, come and share your talent—Music, poetry, comedy. drama, or whatever! Or just come enjoy some live entertainment.
Performers please arrive 15 minutes early to sign up.

Introduction to Drawing - Session 1 of 3
2026-06-20 10:00 - 23:30
Photo: Michael O’Rourke in his studio
In this three-session class series, participants will develop observational skills through the act of drawing. Each session will work from a simple still-life setup. Techniques introduced will include: contour-line drawing with pencil; linear perspective; conveying volume through shading using charcoal, graphite and pencil; combining contour-lines and shading in a single drawing.
Max 10 students, age 16 and up. All materials provided
Sessions in this 3-session series on 6/20, 6/27, 7/11. $75 fee covers the 3-series class.
Michael O’Rourke has been a professional artist for fifty years. He was a professor of digital art for thirty years at Pratt Institute, NYC and is now Emeritus.
For samples of his drawing see http://michaelorourke.com/dwg/dwg.htm.

To Please the Palette - Opening Reception - Free
2026-06-21 16:00 - 18:00
“Peony”: plate by Adrienne Miesmer
Opening reception 4 – 6 PM. Show continues most weekends 11-3 or by appointment, contact gallery@sandisfieldartscenter.org.
Watercolors by Susie Crofut, ceramics by Adrienne Miesmer.
To Please the Palette is a unique art show that combines the fluidity of watercolors and the tactile beauty of ceramics. Together, the works create a rich sensory experience where color, texture, and creativity merge to showcase the talents of two artists who share a lifelong bond.
Gallery shows and opening receptions are free.
Show closes August 9.
Blue Vase by Susie Crofut

To Please the Palette
2026-06-21 16:00 - 2026-08-09 18:00
“Blue Vase”, watercolor by Susie Crofut
Opening Reception June 21 4-6 PM. Show continues Sundays through August 9, 1-3 or by appointment, contact gallery@sandisfieldartscenter.org.
Watercolors by Susie Crofut, ceramics by Adrienne Miesmer.
To Please the Palette is a unique art show that combines the fluidity of watercolors and the tactile beauty of ceramics. Together, the works create a rich sensory experience where color, texture, and creativity merge to showcase the talents of two artists who share a lifelong bond.
Gallery shows and opening receptions are free.
Show closes August 9.
“Peony,” plate by Adrienne Miesmer
More pictures from the show

Introduction to Drawing - Session 2 of 3
2026-06-27 10:00 - 23:30
Second session of this three-session class series. Sign up before the first class – for tickets see Introduction to Drawing – Session 1 of 3
Sessions in this 3-session series on 6/20, 6/27, 7/11. $75 fee covers the 3-series class.

Romantic Rhapsody: Masterworks for Cello and Piano
2026-06-28 16:00 - 18:00
Photo: Wendy Sutter, cellist; Anita Castiglione and Paul Posnak, pianists
Online sales end at 2 PM, but we can accommodate walk-ins.
A special evening of musical virtuosity with internationally renowned cellist Wendy Sutter and acclaimed resident artists Paul Posnak and Anita Castiglione performing timeless sonata masterpieces by Johannes Brahms and Claude Debussy and two passionate Spanish works, Siete Canciones Populares of Manuel De Falla and the brilliant, humorous Requiebros of Gaspar Cassado..
About Wendy Sutter: Heralded as “one of the great leading cellists of the classical stage” by the Wall Street Journal, Wendy Sutter has proven herself as one of the foremost and diverse soloists of her generation. Having performed widely on five continents, she has been acclaimed by critics in all major publications including The New York Times, Strad Magazine, The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, and The San Francisco Chronicle.
Sandisfield Arts Center audiences are familiar with pianist Paul Posnak and Anita Castiglione from their thrilling four-hand piano concert here last year.
Paul Posnak’s international career as a concert pianist, recording artist, transcriber and sought-after teacher began as a child prodigy with a full scholarship to the Juilliard Preparatory School of Music at the age of eight. Recipient of Bachelors, Masters and Doctoral degrees at Juilliard, and of the Loeb Prize (Juilliard’s highest award), he won First Prizes in the International J.S. Bach Competition and the Concert Artists Guild Competition in New York. He has performed at the White House, The Supreme Court, and The Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., at Carnegie Recital and Tully Halls in New York, and throughout Europe, South America, and Asia to critical acclaim.
Anita Castiglione’s career as a soloist, collaborative pianist, and music educator began with piano studies in Massachusetts at the age of six. She holds a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Miami and a Master’s degree from The Juilliard School, both in piano performance. She was the recipient of the prestigious Juilliard Alumni Award. She earned her Doctorate in Collaborative Piano from the University of Miami. She is an active pianist in the Miami and West Palm Beach areas and is adjunct faculty and choral pianist for the Frost Chorale, Bella Voce, and Chamber Singers at the University of Miami Frost School of Music.
Program preview:
Sonata for Cello and Piano in D Minor, L. 135 by Claude Debussy (1862–1918)
Suite populaire espagnole by Manuel de Falla (1876–1946). Transcribed for cello and piano by Maurice Maréchal
Sonata No. 1 for Cello and Piano in E Minor, Op. 38 by Johannes Brahms (1833–1897)
Requiebros by Gaspar Cassadó (1897–1966)
About Community tickets: We make available a limited number of Community tickets @ $10. (on a first come, first served basis) to make our events affordable for more members of the community. Honor system, no proof required.
To buy tickets, press the + for the number you want – then Get Tickets will work (as long as tickets are available). Make sure the correct number are selected before you press the Get Tickets button. If you make a mistake, you can go to your cart and change the quantity.

Introduction to Drawing - Session 3 of 3
2026-07-11 10:00 - 23:30
Third session of this three-session class series. Sign up before the first class – for tickets see Introduction to Drawing – Session 1 of 3
Sessions in this 3-session series on 6/20, 6/27, 7/11. $75 fee covers the 3-series class.

Conversation and Book Signing with Ellen Meeropol and Gail Gelburd - Free
2026-07-18 10:00 - 12:00
Join local authors Ellen Meeropol and Gail Gelburd for a conversation on their recent books, two powerful takes on survival and resilience:
Ellen Meeropol’s sixth novel, Sometimes an Island, is “a gorgeous and immersive story of family and circumstance, tragedy, and the hard work that leads to triumph” (Booklist starred review).
In The Liberation of Sue Moody, local artist and writer Gail Gelburd draws on the real-life Otis resident Sue Moody’s writings to tell the story of a journalist who carved her own path through personal and professional struggles, including Nazi occupation in France.
Books will be available for sale and signing.
About Ellen Meeropol:

From Ellen’s website:
Ellen Meeropol is the author of six novels (Sometimes an Island, The Lost Women of Azalea Court, Her Sister’s Tattoo, Kinship of Clover, On Hurricane Island, and House Arrest) and the guest editor for the anthology, Dreams for a Broken World. Her work has been honored by the Sarton Women’s Prize, The Women’s National Book Association, and the Massachusetts Center for the Book.
After a career as a pediatric nurse practitioner, Ellen Meeropol began seriously writing fiction in her fifties. She was a literary late bloomer, although her first publications came much earlier. At age twelve, her essay, “I am a Square Dance Orphan,” was published in a national square dance magazine and she wrote a monthly feature column for her high school newspaper in the Washington, D.C. area. Ellen studied art at Earlham College and the University of Michigan.

About Gail Gelburd:

From Gail’s website:Dr. Gail Gelburd is an art historian, professor, museum director, and writer of over a dozen books—primarily about artists and the stories behind their work. Her fascination with personal histories led her to the forgotten papers of Sue Moody, discovered in an abandoned home in Otis, Massachusetts.
Inspired by Sue Moody’s letters and manuscripts, Gelburd turned this archival discovery into a vivid reconstruction of a woman’s life shaped by art, war, and survival.

Chris Brubeck's Triple Play
2026-07-25 19:00 - 21:00
Chris Brubeck’s Triple Play featuring Joel Brown on Guitar, Peter Madcat Ruth on harmonica is (to quote the Los Angeles Times ) ”rollicking fun, led by bassist, trombonist and pianist Chris Brubeck the vocal trio stole the show with their flair and virtuosity!” The group met decades ago when they all recorded and performed with the unique banjo player and singer Bill Crofut. The Seattle Times wrote “Triple Play is what jazz always was and always should be about, good times, unbridled joy and the sweet release of the blues.”

Get your tickets early for this season highlight!

A limited number of community tickets are available at a reduced price.

This program is supported in part by a grant from the Sandisfield Cultural Council and the Otis Cultural Council, local agencies which are supported by the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency.

To buy tickets, press the + for the number you want – then Get Tickets will work (as long as tickets are available).
Please note: Seating is unassigned, first come, first served. Doors open at 6:30.

Stardust: The Perseids Are Coming! Free
2026-08-08 10:00 - 12:00
Where does the dust that comes into the Earth’s atmosphere come from? Join us as astronomer Carol Ivers helps us delve into the world of star stuff as seen from Earth on Saturday morning.
Followed by Stardust: The Perseids Are Here – Meteor viewing at Sandisfield Orchard Wednesday Aug 12 at 8:30 pm
The Perseid meteor shower is an annual, prolific celestial event, usually peaking around August 12-13 with up to 100 bright, swift meteors per hour. Known for producing fireballs, they are best viewed in the Northern Hemisphere after midnight. They originate from Comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle and appear to radiate from the Perseus constellation
Pre-registration is not necessary but will ensure your place at this free talk.

Stardust: The Perseids Are Here! Free
2026-08-12 20:30 - 22:30
Join us on the hill behind the Sandisfield Orchard on New Hartford Road beginning at 8:30 pm to see the Perseids meteor shower. Bring bug repellent, blanket and binoculars if you have them.
Be sure to come to the previous Saturday’s talk by asronomer Carol Ives, The Perseids Are Coming!
The Perseid meteor shower is an annual, prolific celestial event, usually peaking around August 12-13 with up to 100 bright, swift meteors per hour. Known for producing fireballs, they are best viewed in the Northern Hemisphere after midnight. They originate from Comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle and appear to radiate from the Perseus constellation

Daniel Manacher Prize for Young Artists 2025 and 2026 Prize Winners - Opening Reception - Free
2026-08-16 16:00 - 18:00
Image: Swoopy Loops by Daniel Manacher
Opening reception 4 – 6 PM.
We are very excited to showcase the winners of the 2025 and 2026 Daniel Manacher Prize for Young Artists in this biennial show.
The 2026 contest was judged by Virginia Overton. Overton is a distinguished American artist known for her site-specific and sculpture works that often incorporate found or readymade objects. In 2018 she was the first female artist to have a solo exhibition at the Socrates Sculpture Park in Long Island City, Queens, New York. She has work in the collections of the Whitney Museum of American Art and the Museum of Modern Art, New York.
Show closes August 30.
2026 winners
Mari Maeve Brennan
Tamar Byl
Moira Ford
Katie Maier
2025 winners
The 2025 contest was judged by Josephine Halvorson, an accomplished artist and the Chair of the MFA Program in Painting at Boston University’s College of Fine Art. She has a studio here in Sandisfield.
Elizabeth Cheng
Enaya A. Ogletree
Website: https://ejahnaestudios.univer.se/blank
Annie Scott
Website: annniescottt.com
Evelyn Vollmer
More about the prize and past recipients.

The Big Myth: How American Business Taught Us to Loathe Government and Love the Free Market
2026-08-22 10:00 - 12:00
Book talk with celebrated historian and Harvard University professor Naomi Oreskes examining the enduring myth advanced by business elites and media allies to promote hostility to “big government” and faith in unfettered markets.
Naomi Oreskes
Naomi Oreskes is Henry Charles Lea Professor of the History of Science, Affiliated Professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences at Harvard. A world-renowned earth scientist, historian and public speaker, she is the author of the best-selling book, Merchants of Doubt (2010) and a leading voice on the role of science in society, the reality of anthropogenic climate change, and the role of disinformation in blocking climate action.
She’ll be speaking on her latest book, with Erik Conway, The Big Myth: How American Business Taught Us to Loath Government and Love the Free Market.
“[A] scorching indictment of free market fundamentalism . . . and how we can change, before it’s too late.”-Esquire
“The bestselling authors of Merchants of Doubt offer a profound, startling history of one of America’s most tenacious-and destructive-false ideas: the myth of the “free market.”
Oreskes is author or co-author of 7 other books, and over 150 articles, essays and opinion pieces, including Merchants of Doubt (Bloomsbury, 2010), The Collapse of Western Civilization (Columbia University Press, 2014), Discerning Experts (University Chicago Press, 2019), Why Trust Science? (Princeton University Press, 2019), and Science on a Mission: American Oceanography from the Cold War to Climate Change, (University of Chicago Press, 2021). Merchants of Doubt, co-authored with Erik Conway, was the subject of a documentary film of the same name produced by participant Media and distributed by SONY Pictures Classics, and has been translated into nine languages. A new edition of Merchants of Doubt, with an introduction by Al Gore, was published in 2020.

The American Story in Song - A Program by Jon and Li Waterman - Free
2026-08-29 19:00 - 21:00
The Sandisfield Arts Center is pleased to host this Sandisfield Cultural Council-sponsored event.
Donations welcome.

Poetry Reading with Amy Dryansky and Hannah Fries
2026-08-30 14:00 - 16:00
Pictured: Amy Dryansky and Hannah Fries
Amy Dryansky’s third book, Ambergris is forthcoming in August 2026. She has two prior collections; Grass Whistle (Salmon Poetry) which won the Massachusetts Book award, and How I Got Lost So Close to Home (Alice James Books). Her poetry is included in several anthologies and individual poems appear in Adroit, Harvard Review, New England Review, Memorious, MER, Orion, The Sun, Tin House, and other journals.
”Amy Dryansky’s poems open the moment of experience for fresh possibilities of understanding. By this, I mean the impact of her language, her vision, and her quest bring us to the point of moving beyond the poems. We are given more in this book than in most collections because the poet has not held anything back. We find ourselves on the other side of the book–that place any poet and her reader wishes to be.”
—Ray Gonzalez

As a writer and editor, Hannah Fries often works at the intersection of poetry, science, and the wonder and mystery expressed in both. Her new book, A Forest Language, a collection of lyrical essays, will be released September 30th of this year from Storey Publishing. She is also the author of Being with Trees and the poetry collection Little Terrarium. She grew up in the woods of New Hampshire and now lives in Sandisfield with her family.

“A Forest Language is an exquisite cabinet of arboreal wonders, where each term becomes a story and each story a portal into the secret lives of trees, written with the precision of a naturalist and the tenderness of a poet.” —Diane Ackerman, author of A Natural History of the Senses

Amy and Hannah each have special and deep connections to Sandisfield. Amy is the daughter of a Sandisfield Arts Center’s founder Leonard Dryansky and spent many summers here growing up. Hannah is a longtime resident whose writing about “arboreal wonders” draws on her Sandisfield surroundings.

Papier-Mâché Workshop - Session 1 of 2 - Free - Reserve your space
2026-09-05 10:00 - 13:00
Create vibrant, tactile sculptures in a fun and fast-paced Papier Mâché workshop led by Christine Novak and Jaye Moscariello.
This is the first of two class sessions — the second is Saturday September 12, 10 AM – 1 PM.
Open to ages 12 and up, this hands-on session invites you to craft colorful 3D pieces for the “Touch Me, Gently” exhibition opening on Saturday, September 19, 1–4 PM.
Class size limited to 12, reserve your space with a free ticket below. Parents accompanying a child (12 and up) don’t need a ticket.
Bring your imagination and leave with a unique, touchable creation.

Papier-Mâché Workshop - Session 2 of 2 - Free
2026-09-12 10:00 - 13:00
Second session of 2. Space is limited, sign up before the first session https://sandisfieldartscenter.org/event/papier-mache-workshop-session-1-of-2-free/
Create vibrant, tactile sculptures in a fun and fast-paced Papier Mâché workshop led by Christine Novak and Jaye Moscariello.
Open to ages 12 and up, this hands-on session invites you to craft colorful 3D pieces for the “Touch Me, Gently” exhibition opening on Saturday, September 19, 1–4 PM.
Bring your imagination and leave with a unique, touchable creation.

Touch Me, Gently, Group Show - Opening Reception - Free
2026-09-19 13:00 - 16:00
Dolls by Susan Flex Gilbert
Touch Me, Gently invites you to experience three-dimensional art through touch.
This tactile exhibition features fabric arts, papier-mâché, and other touchable sculptures designed to soothe during turbulent times. Gently explore textures and forms with your hands, engaging with art in an intimate, calming, and multi-sensory way.
Artists include Bonnie Cordova, Susan Flex Gilbert, Christine Novak, Jaye Alison and participants in the two-session Papier-Mâché Workshop (Sept 5 and 12).
About the artists (more to come)

Christine Novak
By nature, I am both an artist and an educator. My now-ancient undergraduate degree is in studio art with an emphasis in printmaking. Later in life, while teaching elementary school, I returned for a Master’s Degree in Curriculum Development Using the Arts. This inspired me to teach the academic subjects using the arts. For example, this allowed me to explore American history using music and recipes; to investigate math using dance and rhythm; or to create poetry as we examine science and nature. For me, it was the perfect blend of lifelong learning and a creative process. At 73, I haven’t stopped. Often, I just like to create for no purpose!
This past winter I created two papier-maché giraffes shown in the Knox Gallery Show in Monterey. They are on their way to being full-sized creations. The next step is to calculate and create a frame for the bodies. Then build out the bodies with pool noodles, wadded paper, foam, or whatever junk that works. Then cover them with papier-maché, paper-maché clay, adding painted features, finally finishing with a clear waterproof acrylic. Eventually I hope to add them to my backyard. If I could, I would create a whole LIFE-SIZE ark for people young and old to climb on!

Susan Flex Gilbert
As an artist I am a painter. I graduated from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston in 1981.
My work is about color, pattern and storytelling with a little humor and irreverence thrown in. It takes a couple of different forms, one being gouache on paper and the other 3D pieces constructed out of roofing aluminum and plywood painted with either gouache or oils. I work in a cartoony figurative style inspired by such artists as Red Grooms, Roger Brown and the Chicago Hairy Who. Other influences are outsider art, gothic religious art and indian miniature painting. My subject matter runs from observations about American popular culture to portraits of people I know or admire to rooms which depict exaggerated scenes from my own life.

Touch Me, Gently, Group Show - Free
2026-09-19 13:00 - 2026-10-11 16:00
Dolls by Susan Flex Gilbert
Touch Me, Gently invites you to experience three-dimensional art through touch. Show runs from Saturday September 19 through October 11, open most weekends 11-3 or by appointment, contact gallery@sandisfieldartscenter.org.
This tactile exhibition features fabric arts, papier-mâché, and other touchable sculptures designed to soothe during turbulent times. Gently explore textures and forms with your hands, engaging with art in an intimate, calming, and multi-sensory way.
Artists include Bonnie Cordova, Susan Flex Gilbert, Christine Novak, Jaye Alison and participants in the two-session Papier-Mâché Workshop (Sept 5 and 12).
About the artists (more to come)

Christine Novak
By nature, I am both an artist and an educator. My now-ancient undergraduate degree is in studio art with an emphasis in printmaking. Later in life, while teaching elementary school, I returned for a Master’s Degree in Curriculum Development Using the Arts. This inspired me to teach the academic subjects using the arts. For example, this allowed me to explore American history using music and recipes; to investigate math using dance and rhythm; or to create poetry as we examine science and nature. For me, it was the perfect blend of lifelong learning and a creative process. At 73, I haven’t stopped. Often, I just like to create for no purpose!
This past winter I created two papier-maché giraffes shown in the Knox Gallery Show in Monterey. They are on their way to being full-sized creations. The next step is to calculate and create a frame for the bodies. Then build out the bodies with pool noodles, wadded paper, foam, or whatever junk that works. Then cover them with papier-maché, paper-maché clay, adding painted features, finally finishing with a clear waterproof acrylic. Eventually I hope to add them to my backyard. If I could, I would create a whole LIFE-SIZE ark for people young and old to climb on!

Susan Flex Gilbert
As an artist I am a painter. I graduated from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston in 1981.
My work is about color, pattern and storytelling with a little humor and irreverence thrown in. It takes a couple of different forms, one being gouache on paper and the other 3D pieces constructed out of roofing aluminum and plywood painted with either gouache or oils. I work in a cartoony figurative style inspired by such artists as Red Grooms, Roger Brown and the Chicago Hairy Who. Other influences are outsider art, gothic religious art and indian miniature painting. My subject matter runs from observations about American popular culture to portraits of people I know or admire to rooms which depict exaggerated scenes from my own life.

The Poetry of Touch - Free
2026-09-20 14:00 - 16:00
Join local poets for an afternoon of original verse inspired by the “Touch Me, Gently” group art show running from Saturday September 19 through October 11.
These readings explore themes of tactile connection, comfort, and sensory experience. Discover how words can evoke touch, texture, and tenderness during challenging times.
Poets include Phillip Benevento, Linda Storms, Hilde Weisert, Jaye Alison, Ed Lent (first poet laureate of Madison, CT) and Bonnie Arkin Cordova reading her brother Bob Arkin’s work.

A Sparkling Evening Gala
2026-09-26 18:00 - 21:00
Celebrate life and all that the new Sandisfield Arts Center has to offer.
Enjoy a delicious meal prepared by chef Adam Manacher in our new kitchen.
Wine and dessert included, entertainment guaranteed to sparkle.

Nazi Town, USA. A Chilling Documentary Film by Peter Yost
2026-10-03 19:00 - 21:00
This film traces the rise and fall of the German American Bund, exposing the fascist threat in 1930s America. Nominated for an Emmy and a Columbia-Dupont Award.
We are thrilled to have Director/Producer Peter Yost here to lead a discussion afterward.
More about the film:
In February 1939, more than 20,000 Americans filled Madison Square Garden for an event billed as a “Pro-American Rally.” Images of George Washington hung next to swastikas and speakers railed against the “Jewish controlled media” and called for a return to a racially “pure” America. The keynote speaker was Fritz Kuhn, head of the German American Bund. Nazi Town, USA tells the largely unknown story of the Bund, which had scores of chapters in suburbs and big cities across the country and represented what many believe was a real threat of fascist subversion in the United States. The Bund held joint rallies with the Ku Klux Klan and ran dozens of summer camps for children centered around Nazi ideology and imagery. Its melding of patriotic values with virulent anti-Semitism raised thorny issues that we continue to wrestle with today.
A limited number of reduced price community tickets are available.

The Thistles Quartet
2026-10-04 15:00 - 17:00
Pictured: Jaye Alison Moscariello, Bill Taylor, Lesley Rosenthal, Terry Keevil
The Thistles quartet is Terry Keevil oboe and duduk (Armenian oboe), Lesley Rosenthal electric violin, Jaye Alison Moscariello vocals, and Bill Taylor piano. Their sound blends classical, jazz and show tune influences in a unique and often unexpected way that is inspiring and a joy to hear. In addition to many of Bill Taylor’s works, they play works by Paul McCandless, Terry Keevil, and other composers and songwriters.
While the musicians have each performed for decades, this ensemble got together in 2024 and Rosenthal joined in 2025. Taylor’s music is inspired by classical greats like Schumann, Debussy and the “3 B’s”, and by his exposure to jazz, show tunes, and other music of our times. Keevil has several albums including one for the Duduk (Armenian oboe) which appears in Thistle concerts. Rosenthal is a poet as well as musician, and directs The Julliard School. Our name comes from the energizing, liver-supporting thistle drink Jaye makes and which some of us drink before performances and all of us at other times. With thistle, lemon and apple, it alkalinizes the body.
Terry Keevil (oboe, duduk) has been a member of the Manhattan Chamber Orchestra and Choir of Sacred Music, and performed with Lazar Gosman’s Tchaikovsky Orchestra as well as the Bach Aria Group. For over thirty years he was a member of the chamber group, North Shore Pro Musica. Terry was also part of the Constellation Trio with Linda Wetherill, flute and Steve Salerno, guitar. Terry has performed and recorded with cellist David Darling and released a CD of original duduk music titled “Duduk Creations”. He received a DMA in oboe performance from SUNY/Stony Brook where he studied with Steve Taylor, and an MM from SUNYSB where he studied with Ronald Roseman. As an undergraduate, he attended Amherst College for two years and received a BA from Sarah Lawrence College, where he studied with Ronald Roseman. Terry and his wife, Sarah, moved to West Stockbridge from Long Island in the Summer of 2023. Terry performs regularly in a variety of ensembles and solo appearances.
Jaye Alison Moscariello (vocals) is a visual artist and singer who recorded on both of Bill’s albums, trained with Rosa D’Acri and performed at Durham (CT) Grange and with Anderson Valley Chorus, led Laura Nyro tributes, and numerous concerts with Bill. She has been a professional painter in a variety of media since 1973, shows internationally as well as locally, directed several short films including From the Ashes about fire recovery in California. She’s a volunteer on the Gallery committee of the Sandisfield Arts Center (organizer of their International Film Festival and Art Show) and New Marlborough Meeting House Gallery.
Lesley Rosenthal plays in several groups and is an accomplished electric violinist based in New York and Otis MA. She is Chief Operating Officer and Corporate Secretary of The Juilliard School. Previously she served as EVP, General Counsel & Secretary of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York. Rosenthal graduated from Harvard College and Harvard Law School, served a six-year term on the Harvard University Board of Overseers and chaired its Arts & Humanities committee. She is the author of the bestselling book, Good Counsel: Meeting the Legal Needs of Nonprofits (John Wiley & Sons 2012) and co-librettist of the jazz opera, Dear Erich. As immediate past President of the NY Bar Foundation, she led the organization through a 3-year strategic plan period with the Rule of Law as its central theme. Together with the Nigerian actress Omotola Jalade Ekeinde, she co-presented a panel on arts and the rule of law at the 2017 World Justice Forum. Rosenthal is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the founding board chair of Friends of the Afghanistan National Institute of Music, which in 2021 galvanized international support for the rescue of all 273 members of the Afghan music school from peril at the hands of the Taliban.
Bill Taylor (Piano) is a composer, pianist, and market gardener/farmer and radio show cohost with Jaye, living in Sandisfield MA. Members of the Ukiah Symphony, with Bill on piano, performed several of his works in March 2019. He played in the Soul Purpose Band from 2012 to 2020, was church pianist and organist from 2004 to 2020 in northern California and from 2022 to present in West Stockbridge, MA. While in California he performed and recorded with wind player Paul McCandless and jazz flautist George Husaruk. His farming and environmental awareness and involvement inform his compositions. He studied composition at Cornish School and with composer Ken Benshoof, piano with his father Arnold Taylor, Harriet Shirvan in Boston, and jazz pianist Jerry Gray in Seattle. His music was featured in several films produced by Jaye Alison Moscariello. In June 2023 and again in 2024 he was a composer at the Mostly Modern Festival (MMF) where his chamber pieces Regenerate, Heal, Cool, Normalizing Evil and others were performed. He attended the Screen Music Program in Pavia, Italy in August 2025, an introduction to writing for film and video games.
Limited number of reduced price community tickets @ $10.
