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 (America/New_York) | 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.

Gypsy Layne Cabaret & Company
2018-10-13 16:00 - 18:00 | Sandisfield Arts Center, 5 Hammertown Road, Sandisfield, MA, 01255, United States
Gypsy Layne Cabaret & Co, has been hailed as “a sexy highpoint of classic burlesque entertainment in the Berkshires” by Berkshire Magazine. Gypsy Layne’s hallmark of bawdy humor, live singing, dynamic dance routines, and cheeky sex appeal are prominently featured in their sizzling shows. Bigger, bolder, and better than ever, this tantalizing crew of saucy ladies and strapping gents will tease their way into your hearts (and other areas) with their outrageous artistry and vivacious charms.
www.gypsylayne.com

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.
Not recommended for children.

Gallery of Artists Susan Crofut
2018-10-06 10:00 - 13:00 | Sandisfield Arts Center, 5 Hammertown Road, Sandisfield, MA, 01255, United States
October In the Gallery
Opening Reception : 6th Oct 2018 02:00 PM
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.”

Soil and Shul in the Berkshires: Untold Story of Sandisfield's Jewish Colony by Lorraine German with music by Klezmer East
2018-09-29 15:30 - 17:30 | Sandisfield Arts Center, 5 Hammertown Road, Sandisfield, MA, 01255, United States
Celebrate the publication of Soil and Shul in the Berkshires as the author Lorraine German speaks about the development of the book and shares some of the stories of the lives of the Jewish farm community in the Berkshires.
Clarinetist Paul Green and keyboard artist/arranger Bob Weiner and their Klezmer group will perform both traditional Klezmer classics from Europe, and more contemporary Jewish pieces from the United States. Green’s group will play 2 musical sets (a half-hour each) with the first set played following Lorraine German’s presentation, and the second half-hour set performed after a 20 minute break while people can purchase the new book and the author can sign copies.
Reserve a copy of the book with your pre-order here.

Shakespeare Unchained: An Afternoon of Comedy with the Bard
2018-09-23 11:00 | Miners’ field, Cronk Road and West Street, Sandisfield, MA, 01255, United States
Repeat, matinee performance in Great Barrington at St James Place!
Four comic Skits; Five Actors; Costumes, and a very funny afternoon of what might have happened to Will Shakespeare and his plays.
“Groundlings”
“My Horse, My Horse”
“Waiting on Will”
“It’s a Tragedy”
Performed by The Sandisfield Players; Directed by Ben Luxon and Jesse Howard
Since making the move to Sandisfield, author Steven Otfinoski has had his plays performed in the Berkshire Playwrights Lab’s first Radius Playwrights Festival, two BPL Writers’ Workshop Showcases, Ventfort Hall in Lenox, and most recently at the International Playwrights Festival at the Warner Theatre in Torrington, Connecticut. Steve divides his time between the Berkshires and Stratford, Connecticut, where some twenty of his short plays have been performed with the playwrights group Squarewrights, in their “Quickies in the Stacks” series. Steve reviews theater in the Berkshires for the New England Theatre Journal and teaches composition and creative writing at Fairfield University in Fairfield, Connecticut. He is also the author of more than 190 Young Adult (YA) books.
This show will also be presented on Saturday evening September 22 in Sandisfield at the Arts Center.

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.

Shakespeare Unchained: An Evening of Comedy with the Bard by Steve Otfinoski
2018-09-22 16:00 | Sandisfield Arts Center, 5 Hammertown Road, Sandisfield, MA, 01255, United States
Premier performance! Also presented Sunday September 23 as a matinee at St James Place in Great Barringon.
Four comic Skits; Five Actors; Costumes, and a very funny evening of what might have happened to Will Shakespeare and his plays.
“Groundlings”
“My Horse, My Horse”
“Waiting on Will”
“It’s a Tragedy”
Performed by The Sandisfield Players; Directed by Ben Luxon and Jesse Howard
Since making the move to Sandisfield, author Steven Otfinoski has had his plays performed in the Berkshire Playwrights Lab’s first Radius Playwrights Festival, two BPL Writers’ Workshop Showcases, Ventfort Hall in Lenox, and most recently at the International Playwrights Festival at the Warner Theatre in Torrington, Connecticut. Steve divides his time between the Berkshires and Stratford, Connecticut, where some twenty of his short plays have been performed with the playwrights group Squarewrights, in their “Quickies in the Stacks” series. Steve reviews theater in the Berkshires for the New England Theatre Journal and teaches composition and creative writing at Fairfield University in Fairfield, Connecticut. He is also the author of more than 190 Young Adult (YA) books.

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.

Abraham Lincoln presented by Val Coleman
2018-09-15 12:00 - 14:00 | Sandisfield Arts Center, 5 Hammertown Road, Sandisfield, MA, 01255, United States
Val Coleman will argue that the American constitution, indeed the United States itself, was finally secured and ratified by a rail-splitting prairie intellectual named Abraham Lincoln.
Val is generally acknowledged as the poet laureate of Sandisfield, regularly publishing poems in The Sandisfield Times and elsewhere. His previous presentations on the history of poetry, and also the rise and persistence of fascism in the 20th century provided a concise long view on both subjects, and encouraged a vigorous discussion with members of the audience. This subject is sure to do the same.

Evening of Song - Canceled
2018-09-08 16:00 - 18:00 | Sandisfield Arts Center, 5 Hammertown Road, Sandisfield, MA, 01255, United States
An Evening of Song has been postponed to 2019.

Gallery of Artists J. D. Logan
2018-09-01 10:00 - 13:00 | Sandisfield Arts Center, 5 Hammertown Road, Sandisfield, MA, 01255, United States
September In the Gallery
Opening Reception : 1st Sep 2018 02:00 PM
Date of Show : 1st Sep 2018 – 30th Sep 2018
Artist’s Statement:
Since I began painting, I have always tried to keep my images simple and uncluttered. Leaving people or animals out of my work creates a sense of stillness and peace. Because of this, people have always found my work to have a calming effect on them. I have been focusing on trees as my main subject matter. I find them interesting to observe at different times of the day and year. Trees are constantly changing and no two are alike, and they present me with endless artistic possibilities.
The gallery is open during performances. Private showings are available by appointment with the artist.

Test event
2018-08-22 04:00 - 13:00
Description

Looking Back: Those Who Cannot Remember the Past Are Condemned to Repeat It
2018-08-18 12:00 - 13:00 | Sandisfield Arts Center, 5 Hammertown Road, Sandisfield, MA, 01255, United States
“THOSE WHO CANNOT REMEMBER THE PAST ARE CONDEMNED TO REPEAT IT”
George Santayana
1863-1952
Our resident historian, Bill Cohn, focusses his remarks on this legendary statement from philosopher George Santayana’s as well as historian Stephen Engle’s observation that today “we live in a world in which what people believe happened is all that matters” – facts are not relevant.
Many people argue that we can’t rewrite the past. “What happened, happened”, they say. Cohn will dispute that point of view and argue that the search for a usable past produces inspired versions of the American experience and its history that indeed lead to a rewriting of the past.
Cohn is a retired college professor and administrator who taught History and American Studies at Trinity College in Hartford, CT, European History at Carnegie-Mellon University in Pittsburgh, PA, was executive assistant to the president of George Mason University in Fairfax, VA and served as Associate Dean of the Business School at the University of Hartford, CT.

Summer Open Mic Night FREE
2018-08-17 15:00 - 18:00 | Sandisfield Arts Center, 5 Hammertown Road, Sandisfield, MA, 01255, United States
Open Mic Night Comes to the Arts Center!
Our free Summer Open Mic Night is a BYOT event—Bring Your Own Talent.
What better way to spend a summer evening than with friends singing your favorite songs, and enjoying a tasty libation. If singing isn’t your thing, come and share a joke or read a poem, or just come and watch the fun.

FRIDAY FAMILY FREE MOVIE NIGHT!
2018-08-10 04:00 - 13:00, 2018-08-03 13:30 - 15:30 | Sandisfield Arts Center, 5 Hammertown Road, Sandisfield, MA, 01255, United States
It’s family Friday night at the movies at the Arts Center with free popcorn too. This month’s selection will be posted on the website, and in the Sandisfield Times.

Gallery of Artists Linda Mironti and Marcella Smith
2018-08-04 10:00 - 14:00 | Sandisfield Arts Center, 5 Hammertown Road, Sandisfield, MA, 01255, United States
August in the Gallery

Opening Reception : 4th Aug 2018 02:00 PM
Date of Show : 4th Aug 2018 – 26th Aug 2018

Artists’ Statements:
Marcella—Two years ago during a photography workshop in Venice, I was inspired by the light and the water, and began to see the possibility of abstracts in the ordinary. Some of the work here reflects that vision.
Linda—In 1995 I was able to combine my career in music and as a chef when I joined with Michael Mele to create Il Chiostro Arts Workshops in Italy. Over the years as I observed the instructors and students developing their skills, I too began to paint and photograph.
The gifts that Italy and art have given me, I now enjoy sharing with others in song and photos.

A Piano Recital to Celebrate the Arts Center's New Piano
2018-07-28 16:00 - 18:00 | Sandisfield Arts Center, 5 Hammertown Road, Sandisfield, MA, 01255, United States
Frederick Moyer is one of the most exciting pianists before the public today. Equally at home with Bach, Rachmaninoff, and Schoenberg as well as Ellington and Peterson, his recitals are engaging and generally include time-honored favorites. A special feature is his MoyerCam, a projection system that allows the audience to see his hands as he plays.
Mr. Moyer will perform a program including works by Beethoven, Mendelssohn, Chopin, Rachmaninoff, Gershwin and Oscar Peterson.
During over thirty years as a full-time concert pianist, Frederick 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.
Visit his website at www.frederickmoyer.com
