Tagged: berkshires

Futurity, an indie-rock song cycle about the Civil War, written and performed by the Brooklyn-based ensemble the Lisps, will be staged at MASS MoCA in North Adams on Saturday night at 8pm. A theatrically staged song cycle, Futurity fuses found text, experimental music, and the group’s own brand of quirky pop to tell the story of young Julian Munro, who spends his days breaking up Confederate railroad tracks as a soldier in the Union army. Julian copes with the destruction around him by imagining a far-fetched science fiction future. Guided by his brilliant mentor, the famous metaphysicist Ada Lovelace, Julian weaves an epic fantasy that folds a utopian, high-tech future into the dark reality of war. Together, Julian and Ada attempt to devise an all-powerful steam-powered machine destined to end war and all of humanity's miseries.

The open forum, held at a monthly meeting of the Northern Berkshire Community Coalition in North Adams, was attended by about 85 Berkshire County housing advocates and area residents.

Though the discussion was largely focused on the need for increased affordable housing in the Northern Berkshires, the lack of available housing stock for low income families is an ongoing issue throughout the region.

Berkshire Museum in Pittsfield is offering a fresh look at its diverse collection of fine artworks, historical artifacts and natural science specimens in a new exhibition called Objectify: A Look into the Permanent Collection. The new display includes some of the most significant and fascinating objects from the museum’s holdings. The exhibit draws from the over 50,000 objects in the museum’s possession, including its Asian art collection, twentieth-century abstract paintings, ancient Greek and Roman jewelry and glass, marble sculptures, its Egyptian mummy, and even the suit of furs worn by Matthew Henson on Admiral Richard Peary’s expedition to the North Pole.  An opening reception will be held today from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., and will be free and open to the public. The exhibition is part of the year-long celebration of the museum’s 110th anniversary. Two artists from the community, designer Peter Garlington and artist Leo Nash, are the guest curators; their ideas have resulted in an innovative exhibition that highlights the museum’s extensive collections in unexpected and surprising ways.  Visitors who have been to Berkshire Museum many times over the years will enjoy seeing favorite objects and artworks in a fresh setting, from Pahat the mummy to Bouguereau’s luminous painting The Shepherdess. Some fine examples of paintings from the Hudson River School will be included, as will many of the natural science specimens, from a crocodile skull to delicate shells and colorful minerals.

The death of a Berkshire County man who died in a canoe accident on the Housatonic River is being ruled an accident.

The Berkshire County District’s attorney’s office has called the death of 21-year-old Rupert Norris Vonbockbrader of Alford a “tragic accident.”

A group of grassroots volunteers in Western Massachusetts is working to identify where animals are more likely to be struck by passing vehicles.

As the weather warms, wildlife becomes more active, and you might be more likely to spot more animals by the side of the road. But before an animal can detect an approaching car, it might be too late. So a group of volunteers recently organized to help pinpoint roadkill hotspots across Western Massachusetts and the Berkshires.

A Berkshire town has received more than $6 million in federal funds to assist in relocating residents of a mobile home park  torn apart by Tropical Storm Irene in 2011, but there’s still much debate within the community on how the town should move forward with relocation plans.