Churches of Sandisfield - Talk and slide show by Ron Bernard
2024-04-27 10:00 - 12:00 (America/New_York)
Sandisfield historian Ron Bernard opens our season with “Churches of Sandisfield,” a talk and slide show. For 250 years churches shaped community life in Sandisfield. Come meet the pastors and notable personalities whose fascinating biographies are in Ron’s new Sandisfield history book, The Little Brown Church of New Boston, Mass. and the Lives of Its Pastors : 150 Years of Heritage and Revival. In many ways the history of our churches is the history of our town.
Full of interesting and often surprising anecdotes, Ron’s book finds, as Bernard Drew wrote in the Eagle, “stories that go beyond buildings and liturgical matters.” From Drew’s review: “The book chronicles the lives of those who stood at the pulpit of the congregation that broke away from the Congregational Church at the Centre in 1874 (that building burned in 1908) because of the uphill distance for New Bostoners to attend services. The South Sandisfielders similarly put up their own chapel in 1909; it’s now home to the Sandisfield Historical Society. The Baptist Church in Montville became Congregation B’Nai Brith and is now Sandisfield Arts Center.
“The New Boston Church has had 47 pastors (including seven students) since the first, Elbridge Bradbury. Most served short terms, departing for more prosperous settings. Yet today, under the leadership of the Rev. Eric Kriebel, it has a growing attendance, according to one parishioner I spoke with.”
You’ll be able to purchase a signed copy of the book at this talk, or write to Ron at PO Box 91, Sandisfield 01255.

Simon Reads - Free!
2023-11-25 16:00 - 18:00
Join us for a reading by Simon Winchester and a discussion of his 2023 book, Knowing What We Know: The Transmission of Knowledge from Ancient Wisdom to Modern Magic.
“A delightful compendium of the kind of facts you immediately want to share with anyone you encounter . . . . Simon Winchester has firmly earned his place in history . . . as a promulgator of knowledge of every variety, perhaps the last of the famous explorers who crisscrossed the now-vanished British Empire and reported what they found to an astonished world.” — New York Times
Free!

An Evening with Carol Burnett - POSTPONED -
2023-11-11 19:00 - 21:00
Unfortunately due to the availability of our actors, this event is POSTPONED until next season. Join us next year to roll with laughter when you relive the magic and hilarity of Carol Burnett’s comic genius as the Sandisfield Players present her classic comedy sketches.

Connected: A group show featuring artists with ties to the region - Free Opening Reception
2023-11-04 16:00 - 2023-12-02 18:00
Featured image is Red Room, monoprint on paper, by Jess Cofrin.
Join us for the free opening reception November 4, 4 to 6 pm.
The show runs to December 3.

Connected is a presentation of artists who, by way of place, share ties to southern Berkshire County. In this day and age it’s important for all of us to remember how connected we are as humans – to each other and to the nature that surrounds us. The exhibition will showcase 12 artists whose work is as diverse and interesting as the landscapes that we occupy. The exhibition will ask what connections we can make to further foster a community in our corner of the world. We look forward to your joining us at the Sandisfield Arts Center to connect with the art, the artists, and neighbors and friends.
“We cannot live only for ourselves. A thousand fibers connect us with our fellow men; and among those fibers, as sympathetic threads, our actions run as causes, and they come back to us as effects.”
― Herman Melville

Featured artists include: Peter Baiamonte, Jess Cofrin, Susie Crofut, Jacob Fossum, Falcon Laina (2023 Daniel Manacher Prize Winner), Josie Miner, Linda Mironti, Jaye Alison Moscariello, Daisy Noyes, Abbe Stahl, Setsuko Winchester, June Wink

Le Jardin I by Jaye Moscariello

Le Jardin II by Jaye Moscariello

Sandisfield without the Trees
2023-10-28 10:00 - 11:30
What would Sandisfield look like if all the trees were magically removed? What did it look like when it was more farms than forest? See for yourself and learn about LIDAR (light detection and ranging) with Professor Will Ouimet of U Conn.
The image shown here is a very reduced view — you’ll see and hear much more in Professor Ouimet’s talk.
Followed by cider, donuts, Riiska Brook Orchard apples and general awe.
About LIDAR: Lidar systems allow scientists and mapping professionals to examine both natural and manmade environments with accuracy, precision, and flexibility. NOAA scientists are using lidar to produce more accurate shoreline maps, make digital elevation models for use in geographic information systems, to assist in emergency response operations, and in many other applications.

Foraging for Mushrooms - Cancelled due to death in family
2023-10-22 14:00 - 16:00
Very sorry to announce this event is cancelled unavoidably due to a death in the family.
We have issued refunds to everyone who purchased an online ticket. You will also receive an email.
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Join mushroom expert Matt Glushien for a walk to gather mushrooms, then continue for a cooking demonsration and optional natural wine tasting.
We will meet not at the Arts Center but at a good location for mushroom gathering, which Matt will select a few days before the event. We will post that here and also email the registrants.
As in previous years, bring a basket, a pair of gloves, and a suitable knife.
Attendance closed.

Folk Duo Ari and Mia in Concert
2023-10-14 19:00 - 20:30
Come hear New England’s Americana sister act, folk duo Ari and Mia, perform music that honors the sounds of Appalachian cottages, rural dance floors, and urban concert halls. Their own compositions cross paths with older traditions making for a captivating sound.
Ariel Friedman is a multi-genre cellist and composer. A winner of the Women Composers Festival of Hartford’s 2020 call for scores and a recipient of New England Conservatory’s 2018 Alumni Award, she is steeped both in the music of American roots traditions and a broad range of classical repertoire as both a performer and composer.
Mia Friedman is a virtuosic fiddler and singer as well as a composer and educator. Her song “Across the Water” won the 2010 John Lennon Songwriting Contest in the folk category, and she was the 2006 New Hampshire Highland Games Scottish Fiddle Champion.
“Ari & Mia blend a traditional rootsy grounding with a clear background of classical training. Their own works are soothing and fresh, tasteful and accomplished. This duo is taking the classical study of a conservatory program and bringing it alive in folk touring circles.”
— SingOut! Magazine
This program is supported in part by a grant from the Sandisfield Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency.

Award-winning Andre Lambertson Documentary Photography
2023-10-01 16:00 - 2023-10-22 18:00
Sunday October 1 (rescheduled from Saturday September 23) in the Gallery from 4 to 6 pm is the free opening reception for “Andre Lambertson Documentary Photography.” Be sure to be there at 5 pm to hear Lambertson talk about his powerful work.
The show runs until October 22.
Andre Lambertson is an award-winning photojournalist, and filmmaker committed to documenting stories of transformation of resilient people around the globe. Lambertson received five Picture of the Year awards, the World Press Photo award, an OSI George Soros Media Fellowship, The Nation Investigative grant, and five separate Pulitzer Center grants on Crisis Reporting including one for work on child soldiers in West Africa. He received another Pulitzer Center grant in 2010 for a yearlong reporting project in Haiti. Lambertson and his colleagues at the Pulitzer Center were awarded the National Press Club’s Joan Friedenberg Award for Online Journalism for their work in Haiti.
Visit Lambertson’s website to see his extraordinary work: https://www.andrerlambertson.com/
Horn Man by Andre Lambertson

Film: "Vow from Hiroshima" - Free
2023-09-23 19:00 - 20:30
Showing of a spectacular, tragic film marking the 75th anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima. An intimate portrait of Setsuko Thurlow, a survivor of the US atomic bombing of Hiroshima, who has devoted her life to ridding the world of nuclear weapons, as seen through the lens of her friendship with second generation survivor Mitchie Takeuchi.
We are honored that Mitchie Takeuchi, who is also producer of the film and whose grandfather was a doctor at the time of the attack, will be with us for an introduction and discussion.

Postponed to 2024 - An Evening of Dance with Olivia Idella Martin
2023-09-16 19:00 - 21:00
This event has been postponed to 2024. If you bought tickets, your payment will be refunded. Watch for the announcement of the 2024 schedule.
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Presented by choreographer and teacher Olivia Idella Martin, a collective of work created by local dance artists showcasing a variety of styles.
Wine and dessert to follow.

Sold Out! Gala Annual Dinner with showing of "Two Gentlemen Folk"
2023-09-09 18:00 - 21:00
Thursday September 7: We’re sorry (but also happy) to say we are sold out for this event. Please join us at other events this fall!
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Enjoy a delicious dinner prepared by master chef Adam Manacher followed by a special showing of the PBS film, “Two Gentlemen Folk,” with Bill Crofut and Ben Luxon in a performance of British and American music.
UPDATE on timing: The event begins at 6, please arrive by about 6:15 to get settled upstairs, enjoy a beverage and salad. Main source is served at about 6:30.
Two Gentlemen Folk was recorded at Jacob’s Pillow in Becket, Massachusetts, and features Crofut and Luxon performing folk songs that go back hundreds of years. Crofut and Luxon share with their live audience the joys, drama, fun and beauty of British and American folk music.
All of that is wonderfully captured in the film produced by Bill Cosel for PBS in 1987. Bill Cosel and Ben Luxon will be on hand to talk about the making of the film and behind-the-scenes stories.
Reviewers have described the film as “all about the delight of making music together,” delighting the audience with such songs as “Sweet Nightingale” accompanied by the 12-string guitar, bass, mandolin, and muted banjo. “White-haired Cassidy” is a penny-whistle solo and “The Flowers of the Forest” track includes vocals, tenor recorder, handbell, and Sruti-peti (a small box that works on a system of bellows and is used to provide the drone accompaniment).
Also featured are:
Fiddle – Maggie Holtzberg
Lute – Carver Blanchard
Mandolin – Jim Cowdery
Recorder – Jim Cowdery
Sruti Box – Lauren Cowdery
Trombone – Chris Brubeck

Open Mic Night - Free
2023-08-05 19:30 - 21:00
It’s August, so it’s time for an Open Mic Night at the Sandisfield Arts Center.
Bring your talent, or your receptive ears for the talents of your neighbors.

Two Saturdays Mah Jongg Workshop
2023-07-22 10:00 - 12:00, 2023-07-15 10:00 - 12:00
Come for two successive Saturdays to learn the intricacies of Mah Jongg from local teacher Sandy Balayan.
Reserve a spot and purchase your ticket for Saturday July 15 here. If you also attend the second Saturday on July 22, purchase your ticket at the door.

People and Places - New paintings by Jaye Alison Moscariello - Free
2023-07-16 16:00 - 2023-08-19 18:00
Closing reception August 19 4 – 6 pm.
The painting above is Blue House.
Jaye Alison Moscariello has had shows throughout Berkshire County after moving to Sandisfield a few years ago. Her show here in 2022 was one of the hits of the season, and this year she is presenting new work.
Ben

Romance in the Afternoon: A Piano Recital - Free!
2023-07-16 16:00 - 18:00
Pianist Joshua Luxon-Robinson will perform the following Romantic pieces. The program is about an hour.
JS. Bach Prelude and Fugue in C# Minor, WTK Book 1
Frederic Chopin Berceuse, Op. 57
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Rondo in D Major, K 485
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Meditation, Op. 72 No. 5
Sergei Rachmaninoff Prelude in G Major, Op. 32 No. 5
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Dumka, Op. 59
Sergei Rachmaninoff Prelude in B Minor, Op. 32 No. 10
Sergei Prokofiev Piano Sonata No. 1, Op. 1
Josh played here last year at the very well-received “Enoch Arden: Tennyson poem for speaker and piano – set to music by Richard Strauss,” with Benjamin Luxon reading the poem.
We are delighted to offer this recital free to the Arts Center community.

Film: "A Stage of Twilight" with Karen Allen
2023-07-08 19:30 - 21:30
Hailed as “an intimate, real drama,” this love story is set in the final chapter of Cora and Barry’s lives. The film was shot in New Milford, Connecticut and was shown at the Sedona Film Festival and the Woodstock Film Festival.
Please note the date change from the printed brochure.
Cora is played by Karen Allen, who will speak following the showing.
Barry is played by William Sadler.
Written and directed by Sarah T. Schwab.
Sandisfield’s own Peter Baiamonte was the photographer for this photo and will be your host for this showing.

Ticket sales end at 7 PM on the day of the event.
Click + to select the number of tickets you want, then click Get Tickets.

Second Bi-Annual Outdoor Sculpture Show
2023-07-02 16:00 - 2023-07-30 18:00 | Miners’ – 2023 Sculpture Show, Cronk Road at West Street, Sandisfield, MA, 01255, United States
Opening reception Sunday July 2, 4 – 6 pm. Show continues through July 30, other weekends by appointment (contact gallery@sandisfieldartscenter.org).
Suggested donation $10.
Sculpture above is “Large Complex” by Bob Osborne.
On beautiful Sandisfield private grounds at the Miners’ residence at the intersection of Cronk and West Streets (40 Cronk Rd, Sandisfield) featuring regional artists. Some of the artists confirmed so far:
Robert Adzema
Bill Carlson
Jaye Moscariello
Bob Osborne
Karl Saliter
Peter Thorne
Natalie Tyler
Peter Vacchina

“Changes 2023” by Peter Vacchina

Introduction to Handmade Rugs - Free!
2023-06-24 10:00 - 12:00
An overview of the art and history of oriental rugs by expert John Balayan.
See a demonstration of knotting on a loom.
Bring photos of the front and back of your rug for an appraisal.
Free refreshments!
At the Sandisfield Arts Center, 5 Hammertown Rd, Sandisfield, MA

When It Was - Josie Miner Photography - Closing Reception Saturday July 8 - Free
2023-06-18 16:00 - 2023-07-08 18:00
Opening reception – free. Sunday June 18, 4-6 pm. Show runs to July 8, 2023 with a closing reception 4-6 pm.
The Gallery is open before and after performances and by appointment. To arrange an appointment, please contact Jess Cofrin gallery@sandisfieldartscenter.org
The image featured above is Museum of Natural History, Cambridge, 2011.
About the artist
Josie Miner grew up in Chicago, studied art history at Reed College, and went on to work for photographers Leo Rubinfien, Walter Rosenblum, and David Armstrong. Her work has appeared in Elle, Harpers Bazaar, Vogue, and W. Clients include Proenza Schouler, Pamela Love, and Ulla Johnson. She has taught photography at the International Center of Photography and Harlem School of the Arts in New York City. Josie shoots and prints ongoing projects and personal work. Currently, she lives in Sandisfield with her husband and 3 kids.
Examples of her work
Bovina, New York, 2010
La Selva, Belalcazar, 2012
Palatine Hill, Rome, 2008
Instagram montage

Telling Dad Stories: Performance - Canceled
2023-06-17 14:00 - 16:00
This event has been canceled.
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In this free afternoon performance participants in the morning’s workshop (Telling (Your) Dad Stories) will present their Dad stories for your enjoyment, amusement, and perhaps surprise.
A nice way to honor Father’s Day on Father’s Day eve.
History of Father’s Day
The idea of Father’s Day can be traced back to 1910. It is believed that Mrs. Sanora Smart Dodd is the brain behind this day. Sanora, along with her five siblings were brought up by his father after their mother died in childbirth. His father neither remarried nor placed his children under the care of others.
Because of this, Dodd was grateful to his father, William Jackson Smart-a civil war veteran, and he wanted to honor him.
Her noble idea of Father’s Day came about after hearing a sermon about Mother’s day by Anna Jarvis at Central Methodist Episcopal Church. She later approached her pastor and proposed there be a day honoring fathers, which would mirror Mother’s Day. Dodd proposed to have Father’s Day observed in June, which happened to be his father’s birthday month.
In 1913, Congress received a bill aiming at recognizing Father’s Day. In 1916, Congress rejected the move to have the day made official for fear that it would become just another commercialized holiday. However, the campaign to have Father’s Day recognized as a federal holiday went on for many years until 1966, when President Lyndon B Johnson issued a proclamation designating Father’s Day USA to be observed on the third Sunday in June. In 1972, President Richard Nixon signed it into law as a permanent national holiday.

Workshop: Telling (Your) Dad Stories - Canceled
2023-06-17 09:30 - 13:00
This event has been canceled.
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In this storytelling workshop, you’ll learn from experienced storyteller Linda Storms how to tell your “dad stories” whether humorous or touching or both — from having a father (stepfather, grandfather, big brother who filled in) to being one.
A great way to prepare for Father’s Day!
After the morning’s workshop, we’ll provide a light lunch where you can do final polishing, and then at the 2 pm free performance, Telling Dad Stories, you’ll have an opportunity to present your stories to each other and members of the Sandisfield Arts Center community, such as your own invited guests.
Limited to 8 participants, so sign up soon.
History of Father’s Day
The idea of Father’s Day can be traced back to 1910. It is believed that Mrs. Sanora Smart Dodd is the brain behind this day. Sanora, along with her five siblings were brought up by his father after their mother died in childbirth. His father neither remarried nor placed his children under the care of others.
Because of this, Dodd was grateful to his father, William Jackson Smart-a civil war veteran, and he wanted to honor him.
Her noble idea of Father’s Day came about after hearing a sermon about Mother’s day by Anna Jarvis at Central Methodist Episcopal Church. She later approached her pastor and proposed there be a day honoring fathers, which would mirror Mother’s Day. Dodd proposed to have Father’s Day observed in June, which happened to be his father’s birthday month.
In 1913, Congress received a bill aiming at recognizing Father’s Day. In 1916, Congress rejected the move to have the day made official for fear that it would become just another commercialized holiday. However, the campaign to have Father’s Day recognized as a federal holiday went on for many years until 1966, when President Lyndon B Johnson issued a proclamation designating Father’s Day USA to be observed on the third Sunday in June. In 1972, President Richard Nixon signed it into law as a permanent national holiday.

Zoë Lewis Returns!
2023-06-11 14:30 - 16:00 | Sandisfield Arts Center, 5 Hammertown Road, Sandisfield, MA, 01255, United States
Fun, heartwarming, thoroughly entertaining show for all ages. Multi-talented Zoë Lewis performs in a wide variety of styles on instruments ranging from traditional to funky. Her show is perfect for all ages, full of songs and stories of slow boats to China, Bollywood dreams, box car jumping, elephant orchestras, and all the wonderful people she’s met along the way!
When Zoë performed here at the Arts Center in 2021, many people asked us to bring her back when a larger audience could enjoy her — and now we have!
Free for families of artists participating in the One-Day Kids Art Show.
About Zoë Lewis (from her website)
Affectionately known as “a band in a body” Zoë plays vintage jazz and world beat grooves on anything from the piano to the spoons! Originally from the UK, she’s called Provincetown her home for the last 28 years. She’s traveled to over 70 countries picking up musical grooves and stories along the way, released ten albums of original material, toured with Judy Collins, the Indigo Girls, Richie Havens, Nanci Griffiths and has even opened for Pat Benetar on the ukulele!
Her “Small is Tremendous” CD was signed to Judy Collins’ Wildflower record label, another song was signed to Putumayo records and became #1 in the satellite radio kids charts for 18 weeks, she has won numerous songwriting awards and her songs have appeared on Broadway, in documentaries, movie soundtracks and in commercials. She has 9 CDs of original material and has written 2 musicals; SNAIL ROAD and ACROSS THE POND which were staged in Provincetown to packed houses . She also leads a theatrical 1920’s SPEAKEASY which has become a big hit with the Cape Cod summer crowds performing prohibition era jazz.
See Zoë’s website for videos of recent performances.
This program is supported in part by a grant from the Sandisfield Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency.

One-Day Kids Art Show
2023-06-11 13:00 - 17:00
Come see the work of talented local young artists at this one-day show, then stay for Zoë Lewis Returns.
Free reception 1 pm to 2:30 pm where you can meet the artists, discuss their inspirations, and encourage their budding careers. The show will also be open for about a half hour after the Zoë Lewis Returns performance.

Evening of Song Returns!
2023-05-13 19:00 - 21:00 | Sandisfield Arts Center, 5 Hammertown Road, Sandisfield, MA, 01255, United States
Join us for our festive opening, the return of the popular Evening of Song cabaret, with sensational music, Prosecco, and special desserts.
A perfect special night out for a Mother’s Day eve celebration. You’ll be treated to eclectic song selections from the great American songbook and jazz to Broadway, with Linda Mironti and Brian De Lorenzo. Special guests: Anni Crofut, Kathy Lawrence and Ben Luxon.
About the performers
Linda Mironti
Linda Mironti has performed on various TV shows in Italy and recorded 2 albums that are still sold throughout Europe. She sang in Italy from Milan to Sicily for 10 years, and has been performing her one woman shows all across the US including NY, PA, NJ FL and in MA. She has produced The Evening of Song at the Sandisfield Art Center since 2016, to much acclaim. “Linda Mironti has found a sweet mix of story and song that includes a disarming candor which, when married to an old-fashioned glamorous voice, makes for a wonderful cabaret experience.”—Val Coleman, Sandisfield Times.
Brian De Lorenzo
Talent America’s 2001 “Performer of the Year” BRIAN DE LORENZO has appeared at The Metropolitan Room, The Iridium, Don’t Tell Mama, Eighty-Eight’s, the Cabaret Convention, and the International Cabaret Festival in New York and many more Come Fly with Me – Brian Celebrates Sinatra at 100 was named “Top Ten of New York Cabaret 2015.”

Linda and Brian are accompanied by pianist Stephen Page on our Steinway Model S. Stephen has studied with jazz luminaries Billy Taylor, Yusef Lateef, Kenny Werner and Charlie Banacos. He has performed extensively all over the eastern seaboard, and has shared the stage with many notable musicians. Stephen instructs music students at four schools, as well as in his home studio.

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

Note: Online tickets are limited to 60 and will say “Sold Out” if 60 are sold.

Spring Forward - Berkshire Artist Guild Group Show! Free
2023-05-07 16:00 - 2023-06-04 18:00
June 11: If you got to this page through a bad link from our eblast, here is the Zoe Lewis Returns page.
Opening reception – free. Sunday May 7, 4-6 pm. Show runs to June 4, 2023.
Picture above is Spring Celebration 40″ x 30″ ( colorful abstract) by Natasha Wein.
The Gallery is open before and after performances and by appointment. To arrange an appointment, please contact Jess Cofrin gallery@sandisfieldartscenter.org
We are delighted to present the works of these Guild of Berkshire Artists members:
Leslie Alfin
Karen Carmean
Gail Gelburd
Serena Weld Granbery
Carolyn Kelley
Thaddeus Kubis, who has generously offered photography workshops here in past years, both over Zoom and in person
Patti Lippman
Doane Perry
Amy Pressman
Bruce Shickmanter
Natasha Wein, who was one of the 2022 winners of our Daniel Manacher Award for Young Artists
About the Guild: (from their website)
The Guild of Berkshire Artists (GBA) is a vital, active, nonprofit visual arts organization that supports and promotes its members through education, exhibits and community events while contributing to the cultural life of the Berkshires.

The establishment of the Guild of Berkshire Artists (formerly the Richmond/West Stockbridge Artists Guild, Inc.), a Massachusetts Non-Profit Corporation, grew out of the successful, inaugural Fine Art Show held in September 2014 at The Richmond Congregational Church. That show organized by Helen Febbo drew more than 30 exhibiting artists from the area and hundreds of attendees. Helen and Howard Greenhalgh, our first president, organized regular plein air and live model painting and sketching programs that first fall. Since then artists have been gathering to enjoy creating and sharing art.
A sample of what you’ll see – come to the show to see more!

Spring Celebration 40″ x 30″ ( colorful abstract) Natasha Wein

Chaos Quilt 22″ x 22″ (quilt) Leslie Alfin

Fiery Sunset 20″ x 16″ (color photograph) Doane Perry

Tree Death Valley -16″ x 20″ (black and white photo) Thaddeus Kubis

Daniel Manacher Prize for Young Artists - Call for Artists Extended!
2023-05-06 - 2023-07-16
Call for artists is now through July 15, with notification by July 25.
The image above is Shwoopy Loops, 2013 by Daniel Manacher.
JULY 15 DEADLINE TO APPLY FOR 2nd ANNUAL PRIZE FOR YOUNG ARTISTS
The Sandisfield Arts Center is pleased to announce the 2nd annual Daniel Manacher Prize for Young Artists.
Three artists will be selected as finalists and each will receive $350 in support of their art practice, as well as a group show of their work at the Sandisfield Arts Center with an opening reception on August 19, 2023 – the show runs through September 17.
The prize was created by Adam Manacher and Carol Birnbaum, the parents of Daniel Manacher, in memory of their son and his passion for art.
“Daniel worked on different surfaces, always hand-drawn,” said his father, Adam Manacher. “He loved interacting with people in their love for art. We hope, with the Daniel Manacher Prize for Young Artists, to inspire other young artists and to assist them as they reach for their dreams.”
About Daniel Manacher.
We are thrilled to say that Natasha Wein, one of the 2022 award winners, has work in our Berkshire Artists Guild group show opening May 7 and running through June 4.
APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS
Eligible artists are those 17-26 years of age living or attending school in Berkshire County. There is no fee associated with the application and all entrants will be judged based solely on the merit of the work presented. Past winners are not eligible to apply.
This year, applications will be accepted from those working in painting, drawing, mixed media, sculpture, digital paintings, and digital drawings. The entry deadline is June 30. The applications will be reviewed by a juror and artists will be notified no later than July 25.
Please use this Google form link to submit your application. Please direct any questions to gallery@sandisfieldartscenter.org.

Gallery Reception and Show: Matt Glushien Paintings
2022-12-11 16:00 - 18:00, 2022-12-10 16:00 - 18:00
Matt Glushien is a Sandisfield resident and studied painting at Massachusetts College of Art and Design. He has spent much of his career teaching art to children and is a seasoned mushroom forager who has offered two workshops this season for the Arts Center.
His work can be viewed here
The show runs through November 12 and can be viewed before other events or contact gallery@sandifieldartscenter.org to arrange a viewing.
Artist statement:
” I am a contemporary painter by context, but very traditional in the way I paint. I like to paint and draw everything and anything that is in front of me. That way the answer can always be found by looking at the subject. I am relieved when the subject is chosen, and am ready to start. I don’t have much interest in any part of the process that is not putting the brush to the canvas. For me, the real root is, and will always be the action of using the paint to record or recreate an image and feeling. When I paint outside or from a model, my observation time is limited by the sunset or the model leaving. I don’t mind the light changing or the model moving. This only leads to me depending on the true essence of the subject and how to attain that in other ways. In recent years I’ve painted extensively in Switzerland and Thailand, as well as France. Knowing that my time is limited puts a certain kind of pressure and acuteness on the experience, I seem to be able to tune in better. If it is a very short, as in Paris, I am able to take home with me a sense of the place and not have my own thoughts or emotions effect it. Over time, as I build a relationship to my surroundings, and the new gets old, my feeling begin to override the initial impression. Throughout the years I have practiced acquiring this information as well as the execution of the picture making process. This needs to happen naturally so that I don’t have to think while I paint and can enjoy the process. If the act of painting is not fun for me, then I won’t do it. I believe that a list of influences can do more for the viewers understanding than I can do in writing, so in no particular order: Alice Neel, Van Gogh, Picasso, Matisse, Klimt, Schiele, Bonnard, Monet, Manet, Degas, Braque, Diebenkorn, DeKooning, Hartley, Ingres, Mucha, Kandinsky, Ben Shawn, Jacob Lawrence, Pissaro, Vulliard, Japanese woodcuts, Fauves, Art Noveau, Impressionism, and Expressionism.”
Gallery receptions are always free.

Christmas Poetry for the Family! (and some carols) - Free
2022-12-11 16:00 - 17:30
Come together with your neighbors to hear wonderful Christmas and seasonal poetry read by Benjamin Luxon and to join in singing some of your favorite carols! Ben will accompany the carols on the keyboard.
This event is free!
