Marguerite "Marge" Bride — Opening Reception, Sat, Aug 3rd
2019-08-03 14:00 - 16:00 (America/New_York) | Sandisfield Arts Center, 5 Hammertown Road, Sandisfield, MA, 01255, United States
Free opening reception Saturday, August 3rd, 2:00 – 4:00 PM.
After the opening reception, the show will run until August 28, and can be seen before performances or by appointment. Call 413-258-4100.
Artist’s Statement:
“Wherever I go I cannot help but see the colors and scenes around me as a painting. Watercolor always provides a fun surprise … no matter how I may initially visualize the finished painting; the medium always tells me who is really the boss here. Often those little unplanned-for happenings are the most interesting part of the painting. When that happens, I just let the water do its thing.
“Creating painterly architectural images is most intriguing for me. I enjoy painting the old buildings and the lovely town centers here in the Berkshires and New England, and of course, lighthouses and house portraits. I’ve waited many years before permitting myself to become immersed in art. The time spent in other professions has made this one all the more precious.”
Bride is a Berkshires resident and works out of her studio in Pittsfield, where she also gives lessons and meets with clients. Visit her website (https://margebride-paintings.com) or Facebook page for updates on her exhibit schedule.

Berkshire Opera Festival
2019-07-21 16:00 - 18:00 | Sandisfield Arts Center, 5 Hammertown Road, Sandisfield, MA, 01255, United States
Have you ever wondered how a fully-staged opera is brought to life? Have you wondered if opera was something you’d enjoy? Berkshire Opera Festival co-founders Brian Garman and Jonathon Loy will answer all your questions through an interactive presentation on their summer 2019 production of the comic opera Don Pasquale, which will be performed at the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center. Brian and Jonathon will introduce Donizetti’s Don Pasquale, a riotous comic opera sung in Italian with projected English translation, to the audience through video, audio, and discussion. They will also describe the process of how they bring a fully-staged production to the stage. If you have never been to the opera and want to try it out, this is the perfect opera to start with. Don Pasquale is also a great introduction to opera for children because it is so much fun. So, before you go see the opera, make your experience deeper by coming to Jonathon and Brian’s presentation.

Frederick Moyer Piano Recital
2019-07-20 20:00 - 22:00 | Sandisfield Arts Center, 5 Hammertown Road, Sandisfield, MA, 01255, United States
We are thrilled to bring back Frederick Moyer after his wonderful recital (and the debut of our Stainway) last year.
Moyer is equally at home with Bach, Rachmaninoff, and Schoenberg as well as Ellington and Peterson. His recitals are engaging and generally include time-honored favorites. His MoyerCam is a projection system that allows the audience to see his hands as he plays. Audience members at his 2018 Arts Center recital raved about how much this brought them into the music as he played it, and garnered some converts to classical music.
Get your tickets early, this event is likely to fill the house!
Mr. Moyer will perform a program of classical piano masterpieces. Here is the 2019 program lineup as we have it.
Bach’s “Prelude in B Minor BWV 855A” (Siloti arrangement)
Beethoven’s “Sonata in C Major, Op 53” (“Waldstein”)
Debussy’s “Suite Pour le Piano”
Intermission
Schubert’s “Impromptu in G flat Major, Op. 90, No. 3
Art Tatum’s arrangement of Get Happy by Arlen/Koehler
Oscar Peterson’s “Blues Etude”
Gershwin Rhapsody in Blue for Piano and Orchestra (Plovdiv–Bulgaria–Philharmonic Orchestra, conductor, Nayden Todorov, used with the permission of Music Minus One.

About Fred Moyer
In his more than thirty years as a full-time concert pianist, Moyer has established a vital musical career that has taken him to forty-three countries and to such far-flung venues as Suntory Hall in Tokyo, Sydney Opera House, Windsor Castle, Carnegie Recital Hall, Tanglewood, and the Kennedy Center.
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.

This introduction to Ravel’s “Ondine” with an introduction by Moyer captures his engaging approach to making the music accessible and alive.

Words Matter - Fun with Crossword Puzzles for All Ages with Michelle Arnot
2019-07-13 10:30 - 12:30 | Sandisfield Arts Center, 5 Hammertown Road, Sandisfield, MA, 01255, United States
Michelle is the author of Crossword Puzzles for Dummies and Four Letter Words: Secrets of a Crossword Insider.
She is also an official at the annual American Crossword Puzzle Tournament in Stamford, CT, and a resident of Sandisfield. Michelle’s crossword workshop last season drew a packed (and passionate) house, so reserve early!
Late-breaking news! This event is now free. If you already purchased tickets, we’ll have your refund when you come in.

FREE Family Movie Night
2019-07-12 17:30 - 20:00 | Sandisfield Arts Center, 5 Hammertown Road, Sandisfield, MA, 01255, United States
It’s Friday night at the movies at the Arts Center. This month’s selection for the whole family is Guardians of the Galaxy vol 2. Popcorn and snacks are provided.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is a 2017 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics superhero team Guardians of the Galaxy, produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. It is the sequel to 2014’s Guardians of the Galaxy and the fifteenth film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Written and directed by James Gunn, the film stars an ensemble cast featuring Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper, Michael Rooker, Karen Gillan, Pom Klementieff, Elizabeth Debicki, Chris Sullivan, Sean Gunn, Sylvester Stallone, and Kurt Russell. In Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, the Guardians travel throughout the cosmos as they help Peter Quill learn more about his mysterious parentage.

Patricia Hogan — Opening Reception Sat, July 6
2019-07-06 14:00 - 16:00 | Sandisfield Arts Center, 5 Hammertown Road, Sandisfield, MA, 01255, United States
Free opening reception Saturday, July 6th 2:00 – 4:00 PM.
After the opening reception, the show will run until July 27, and can be seen before performances or by appointment. Call 413-258-4100.
Artist’s Statement:
Pat Hogan specializes in paintings inspired by nature. Recent works reflect her respect and love for our beautiful Berkshires, the mountains and sea coast of Maine, and the vanishing islands of the Chesapeake Bay. She is passionate about watercolor and the illusions created through the transparency and luminescence of the medium. New work includes figure drawings and mixed media pieces. Her paintings are in private collections in England, Sweden, and throughout the United States.
Hogan offers painting and drawing instruction for novice and experienced artists. For sixteen years she taught at IS183, previously known as Interlaken School of Art in Stockbridge where she served as Department Head, Drawing and Painting.

Blackstone Valley String Quartet
2019-06-29 16:00 - 18:00 | Sandisfield Arts Center, 5 Hammertown Road, Sandisfield, MA, 01255, United States
The Blackstone Valley String Quartet gets its name from the quaint small-town area of Central Massachusetts where owner and founder Sylvia DiCrescentis has lived and worked for most of her life. For fifteen years, the members of the BVQ have played together in various orchestras and small groups honing their skills and developing a unique bond as professional performing musicians.
Today’s performance will feature “Dvorak’s American String Quartet.”
This event is made possible with the generous support of Steve and Lynn Rubenstein.

“Grit” a film by Cynthia Wade with Q&A tik
2019-06-23 15:00 - 17:00 | Sandisfield Arts Center, 5 Hammertown Road, Sandisfield, MA, 01255, United States
It is happening tonight, Sat, the 22nd. Date mix up on website, tickets are available!
Saturday: plenty of tickets, Website tix broken
Please walk in!
Shot over the course of six years and co-directed by Academy Award-winning director Cynthia Wade and award-winning director Sasha Friedlander, Grit has been met with critical acclaim at international film festivals. This cinematic documentary captures a hardly known yet massive environmental disaster: an unstoppable mudflow in Indonesia believed to be caused by natural gas drilling. The story follows Dian, an Indonesian girl in East Java, as she grows up in the shadow of gigantic mud explosions, yearning for her childhood home buried deeply under 60 feet of cracked mud. As Dian matures into a young woman, she challenges the drilling company with gritty determination. The run time is 80 minutes.
After this feature documentary, we will have a Q&A with director Cynthia Wade. John Stanmeyer, founder of the VII Photo Agency, and for the last ten years photographing almost exclusively for National Geographic will join Cynthia in the Q&A.

“Charlie and the Chocolate Factory”— the musical performed by the Sandisfield Players, directed by Jesse Howard and Ben Luxon.
2019-06-16 11:00 - 13:00 | Sandisfield Arts Center, 5 Hammertown Road, Sandisfield, MA, 01255, United States
A musical at the Arts Center – a first for the Sandisfield Players!
Don’t miss this musical version of Roald Dahl’s famous children’s story Charlie and the Chocolate Factory!
This is the Sunday 3 PM matinee. Other performances are Friday at 7 PM and Saturday at 7 PM .
$20 adults; children 12 and under $5
NOTE: If no tickets are available, we regret to say that it means we’ve sold out. There may be a few seats left for walk-ins if you want to come to the Arts Center and try your luck.
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.

“Charlie and the Chocolate Factory”— the musical performed by the Sandisfield Players, directed by Jesse Howard and Ben Luxon
2019-06-15 15:00 - 17:00 | Sandisfield Arts Center, 5 Hammertown Road, Sandisfield, MA, 01255, United States
A musical at the Arts Center – a first for the Sandisfield Players!
Don’t miss this musical version of Roald Dahl’s famous children’s story Charlie and the Chocolate Factory!
This is the Saturday 7 PM show. Other performances are Friday at 7 PM or Sunday matinee at 3 PM.
$20 adults; children 12 and under $5
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.

“Charlie and the Chocolate Factory”— the musical performed by the Sandisfield Players, directed by Jesse Howard and Ben Luxon
2019-06-14 15:00 - 17:00 | Sandisfield Arts Center, 5 Hammertown Road, Sandisfield, MA, 01255, United States
A musical at the Arts Center – a first for the Sandisfield Players!
Don’t miss this musical version of Roald Dahl’s famous children’s story Charlie and the Chocolate Factory!
This is the Friday 7 PM (opening!) show. Other performances are Saturday at 7 PM or Sunday matinee at 3 PM.
$20 adults; children 12 and under $5
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.

An Evening of Jazz & Bossa Nova with Vita Kay
2019-06-08 16:00 - 18:00 | Sandisfield Arts Center, 5 Hammertown Road, Sandisfield, MA, 01255, United States
Vita grew up in a Soviet republic of Kazakhstan studying classical piano and singing Soviet pop and patriotic hymns. She later sang in a variety of choirs, from classical to gospel, in Russia and UK. She got introduced to Jazz, Bossa Nova and traditional Indian call & response devotional singing (kirtan) in London, which is still her primary base.
She currently divides her time between the UK, USA, and Greece performing, sharing her yoga practice, offering therapeutic bodywork, swimming in the ocean, taking photos and enjoying the moment.
Vita Kay on Facebook
Vita Kay singing Antonio Carlos Jobim’s “Wave” (from Soundcloud).

Forest Bathing with Hannah Fries
2019-06-08 06:30 - 08:30 | Sandisfield Arts Center, 5 Hammertown Road, Sandisfield, MA, 01255, United States
Join Hannah Fries for a slide show, reading, and discussion about her new book, Forest Bathing Retreat: Find Wholeness in the Company of Trees. People have been retreating to the woods for quiet, meditation, and inspiration for centuries, and recent research finds that time spent in the forest doesn’t just feel good but is, in fact, good for you. Inspired by the Japanese concept of shinrin-yoku, or forest bathing, Hannah combines her own reflections and guided mindfulness exercises with a curated selection of inspirational writing from poets, naturalists, artists, scientists, and thinkers throughout the centuries and across cultures, including Japanese haiku masters, nineteenth-century European Romantics, American Transcendentalists, and contemporary environmentalists.

Hannah will read selections from the book accompanied by a slide show of stunning photos. She’ll also talk about the pleasure of working across disciplines and the deep joy that comes from a simple practice of attentiveness.
Hannah will be signing copies of the book, which is also available at local bookstores or online at Indiebound.

Free Family Movie for June
2019-06-07 13:30 - 16:00 | Sandisfield Arts Center, 5 Hammertown Road, Sandisfield, MA, 01255, United States
It’s Friday night at the movies at the Arts Center. The June selection is Walt Disney’s “The Little Mermaid”.
Free popcorn!

Olwen Dowling “The Past is Present”: Oils, Watercolors, Monoprints — Opening Reception. Show runs through June 30.
2019-06-01 10:00 - 12:00 | Sandisfield Arts Center, 5 Hammertown Road, Sandisfield, MA, 01255, United States
Free opening reception Saturday, June 1st 2:00-4:00 PM.
After the opening reception, the show will run until June 30th, and can be seen before performances or by appointment. Call 413-258-4100.
Artist’s Statement:
Olwen works in both oils and watercolors in her depictions of the west of Ireland as well as North Chester where she lives in the Berkshires. She is a printmaker in Intaglio and a Member of the Zea Mays Printmaking Studio. Olwen is also a member of the National Association of Women Artists.
Olwen’s paintings are in private collections in the United States and Europe. Her work has been shown at The James Joyce Gallery and The Hallward Gallery in Dublin, Smith College Alumnae Gallery, Hosmer Gallery and the Watkins Gallery both in Northampton, MA. Olwen’s intaglio artwork is represented by the Zea Mays Flat File Project. “I am interested in painting in oil on canvas using the same layered patterns that I have used in my watercolors.”

Spring Fundraiser Dinner: Celebrate “The Best Little Performance Space in South County!” Gala Benefit Dinner, Auction, and Sneak Season Preview
2019-05-18 14:00 - 18:00 | Sandisfield Arts Center, 5 Hammertown Road, Sandisfield, MA, 01255, United States
Join us for cocktails at 6, followed by dinner, entertainment and auction.
Last year you helped us put a Steinway on our stage. This year, help us take the Arts Center to the next level as the best little performance space in South County with the missing pieces – a green room for performers, a storage nook for sets and costumes, and more.
While you enjoy a delicious dinner prepared by master chef Adam Manacher, we will preview our 2019 season including vignettes from the Sandisfield Players, Evening of Song, Neil Simon selections, and more.
A portion of your ticket is tax-deductible.

Ben and Charlie's Favorite Poems
2019-05-12 11:00 - 13:00
After your Mother’s Day celebration, come to the Sandisfield Arts Center to enjoy a total hodge-podge of fun and pleasure derived from reading and performing poetry. Great poems, melodramatic poems, beautiful, passionate, humorous poems. Serious poems, silly poems.

Join Ben Luxon and Charles Fidlar for an afternoon of fun and entertainment.

Its all in the reading – and anyone who has heard Ben and Charlie read knows that their love of poetry and appreciation for the spoken word will bring their selections off the page and into life.

Sunday, May 12th at 3 o’clock in the downstairs gallery of the Sandisfield Arts Center.

Reception afterwards.
Free!

Bill Stillinger and the Sir William Trio
2019-05-11 16:00 - 18:00 | Sandisfield Arts Center, 5 Hammertown Road, Sandisfield, MA, 01255, United States
We’re delighted to host the return of the popular and talented Bill Stillinger and his The Sir William Trio (double bass, piano, drums), a jazz group based in the CT and western MA area. The trio often performs with the addition of a singer and a horn player.
Their repertoire emphasizes classic jazz compositions, the American songbook, new works, and other quality material.

"Capturing Light": Photos by Thad Kubis - Opening Reception. Show runs through May 25
2019-04-27 10:30 - 12:00
Free opening reception Saturday April 27 2:30-4:00 PM
After the opening reception, the show will run until May 25, and can be seen before performances or by appointment. Call 413-258-4100.
Artist’s Statement
Trained as a visual communicator, I adapted my creative vision to designing aesthetically pleasing images of all aspects of life, creating a fusion of technology and my creative visions, offering something truly unique and appealing. My approach to photography has evolved into one that considers conventional and innovative ways of creating images using a myriad of traditional photographic tools and newer technologies to produce images that appeal to both to the consumer and to the business-based client. My mantra is “Stop taking photos and, start creating images.”
The reception follows a free workshop by the artist, An Introduction to Smartphone/Tablet Photography.

An Introduction to Smartphone/Tablet Photography - Free
2019-04-27 09:00 - 10:30
Spend time with local photographer and teacher Thad Kubis and learn the basics of smartphone photography (Android and iPhone) and then go way beyond the basics to fully use, control, and create with your smartphone or tablet camera. Thad will cover composition, HDR, Live mode, basic and more advanced editing functions, and a lot in between.
After the workshop, stay for the opening reception for Thad’s gallery show, “Capturing Light.”

Yuletide Extravaganza
2018-12-09 09:00 - 11:00 | Sandisfield Arts Center, 5 Hammertown Road, Sandisfield, MA, 01255, United States
Enjoy a celebration of Yuletide, as the Arts Center presents a variety of performances in the spirit of this festive season. The program will include offerings from the Sandisfield Players, the local Sandisfield choir and other special performances.

Yuletide Festival
2018-12-08 08:00 - 11:00 | Sandisfield Arts Center, 5 Hammertown Road, Sandisfield, MA, 01255, United States
To acknowledge the spirit of December, regardless of the way you celebrate, the Arts Center invites you to a festival with crafts, ornament-making, tree-trimming, crunchies, and caroling. And of course, there will be lots of refreshments.

Gallery of Artists Susan Crofut
2018-12-01 11:00 - 2018-12-09 13:00
December In the Gallery
Date of Show : 6th Oct 2018 – 9th Dec 2018
Artist’s Statement:
“My paintings are personal explorations of the world in which I live—the simple and mundane parts of daily life that often go unnoticed. I am inspired by my longtime love of gardening, animals, and the beautiful landscape of Western Massachusetts.
I enjoy the challenges of transferring our three-dimensional world onto a flat plane, and negotiating the realms of color and form to create a visually pleasing image, and fortunately for me, I never tire of the process.”

Remember the Alamo: A Presentation by George Wheeler
2018-12-01 11:00 - 13:00 | Sandisfield Arts Center, 5 Hammertown Road, Sandisfield, MA, 01255, United States
The Alamo was conceived in the middle of the 18th century as a mission to convert native Americans to Christianity like several other contemporary missions along the San Antonio River.
The structure took its prominent place in history on 6 March 1936 when the several thousand strong Mexican army attacked the building complex and its inhabitants – killing all – including among others the famous frontiersman Davey Crockett. In the ensuing years much has changed at the Alamo and San Antonio, and the emblematic building is now surrounded by hotels and tourist attractions such as the well-known Riverwalk; but the building and its materials remain and in a fragile state. This presentation discusses the history of the Alamo and the nature of its construction and construction materials, how those materials have altered over time, how we understand them today, and how to preserve them for the future.

Simon Winchester on his new book, The Perfectionists
2018-11-24 11:00 - 13:00 | Sandisfield Arts Center, 5 Hammertown Road, Sandisfield, MA, 01255, United States
The Perfectionists How Precision Engineers Created the Modern World
The New York Times bestselling author, Simon Winchester, traces the development of technology from the Industrial Age to the Digital Age to explore the single component crucial to advancement—precision—in a superb history that is both an homage and a warning for our future.
The rise of manufacturing could not have happened without an attention to precision. At the dawn of the Industrial Revolution in eighteenth-century England, standards of measurement were established, giving way to the development of machine tools—machines that make machines.
Has the pursuit of the ultra-precise in so many facets of human life blinded us to other things of equal value, such as an appreciation for the age-old traditions of craftsmanship, art, and high culture? Are we missing something that reflects the world as it is, rather than the world as we think we would wish it to be?
Books will be available for purchase after the talk. The author will be available to autograph copies.

FREE FRIDAY MOVIE NIGHT for Grown-Ups with Potluck Dinner
2018-11-09 13:00 - 15:00 | Sandisfield Arts Center, 5 Hammertown Road, Sandisfield, MA, 01255, United States
It’s Friday night at the movies for grown-ups at the Arts Center. This month’s selection will be posted on the website, and in the Sandisfield Times. Bring your own dinner and a dish to pass.

Cancelled Release the Penguins Jazz Quartet (RTPJQ)
2018-11-03 16:00 - 18:00 | Sandisfield Arts Center, 5 Hammertown Road, Sandisfield, MA, 01255, United States
RTPJQ’s repertoire covers a wide spectrum of music from modern jazz standards to rare finds and originals. It’s Joe Gold on piano, Brian Burke, sax and drums, Gary Miller, vibraphone, and Richard Waldburger, bass.
You can follow the group on Facebook using the link here.
www.facebook.com/releasethepenguinsjazzquartet/

Tickets for events at the Sandisfield Arts Center are available online or may be purchased at the door on the night of the performance on a first come-first served basis. ONLINE TICKETS ARE RECOMMENDED TO INSURE A SEAT.
Children 12 and under are admitted FREE, unless otherwise noted, when space allows.

Gallery of Artists Susan Crofut
2018-11-01 04:00 - 13:00
November In the Gallery
Date of Show : 6th Oct 2018 – 9th Dec 2018
Artist’s Statement:
“My paintings are personal explorations of the world in which I live—the simple and mundane parts of daily life that often go unnoticed. I am inspired by my longtime love of gardening, animals, and the beautiful landscape of Western Massachusetts.
I enjoy the challenges of transferring our three-dimensional world onto a flat plane, and negotiating the realms of color and form to create a visually pleasing image, and fortunately for me, I never tire of the process.”

Pumpkin Decorating Event FREE
2018-10-27 09:00 - 11:00 | Sandisfield Arts Center, 5 Hammertown Road, Sandisfield, MA, 01255, United States
Come celebrate the bounty of the Fall season. This will be an easy Halloween craft activity allowing you to add your personal touch to our own Sandisfield grown pumpkins. Let’s create a Festive Flair and have some Frightful Fun!
Halloween costumes suggested. All decorating supplies will be provided including non-toxic paints. Pumpkins will be provided free of charge for the first 20 children. Lynn Rubinstein and Terry Spohnholz will provide tips for the decorators.

VIM (Volunteers in Medicine) in Action
2018-10-20 06:30 - 09:30 | Sandisfield Arts Center, 5 Hammertown Road, Sandisfield, MA, 01255, United States
Ilana Steinhauer, the current executive director of VIMBerkshires, speaks about the challenges facing VIM as it manages health care for the various populations it serves.
