performances, paintings, and sculpture that elevate and provide visibility to queer and Indigenous communities, whose cultural narratives have been historically marginalized.
Multimedia performance artist MX Oops, who was invited by Jeffrey Gibson to present in POWER FULL BECAUSE WE’ RE DIFFER- ENT, hosts a sound bath turned DJ set in Gibson ' s exhibition that dives into the world of their recent work, UnFiNiShEd aNiMaL, and uses the vibrant aesthetics of queer nightlife culture to reveal how cognitive bias connects us all. MX Oops Dance Party will be held Saturday, August 30, at 8 p. m. The exhibition, Jimena Sarno: Rhapsody, will open with a celebration on October 18 at 5:30 p. m., preceded by a 4 p. m. conversation between the artist and curator Alexandra Foradas. Sarno engages craft traditions to imagine a future built on values of collectivity, reconfiguration, and repair. For Rhapsody, the title of the exhibition and the installation at its core, Sarno collaborated with artists and makers from the Global South, combining filmmaking, sound, and sculpture with contemporary and traditional craft practices. Within a global context of extreme violence, fragmentation, and destruction, the artists share time, space, and resources to deepen solidarity through making, repairing, and the collective production of alternative forms of knowledge. Sarno’ s project is framed as an alternative to modernism’ s utilization of cultural production as a tool to imagine utopian futures while reinforcing global systems of coloniality. The central installation features a group of objects made using techniques – including weaving, felting, woodworking, and pottery – that rely on bodies of knowledge passed from maker to maker. These objects are tools – at once utilitarian and utopian – designed for a hoped-for, not-so-distant future built on solidarity and mutual care. New York State of Mind is the latest rotation of music photography at MASS MoCA, featured in the August issue of Berkshire Magazine. The exhibition provides a snapshot of New York from 1969 to 1992, a span that gave us Bob Gruen’ s iconic image of revelers at Woodstock, before depicting clubs such as Max’ s Kansas City where we see Johnny Thunders, Iggy Pop, Lou Reed, David Bowie, Joan Baez, and Bruce Springsteen. We then go downtown to the Bowery to see Alex Chilton, the Cramps, and Patti Smith before finding Television in St. Mark’ s Place and Tom Waits presiding over Times Square. And don’ t forget the outer boroughs, where Madonna had her first show on Long Island, and an uncharacteristic Joey Ramone walks the beach in Coney Island with a surfboard. Celebrate Día de los Muertos( Day of the Dead) MASS MoCA style on November 1 at 4 p. m. The Mexican holiday of remembrance is for those who have passed away. Bring your friends and family to the museum for free admission to Vincent Valdez: Just a Dream … The remembrance continues under Spencer Finch: Cosmic Latte, where visitors can contribute to an altar with their own ofrenda( offering) including photos or tokens of past loved ones and dance to local Berkshire County musicians. MASS MoCA ' s Kidspace is open all evening for art-making in the spirit of life and death, and a special-edition Family Storytime will start at 5:15 p. m.
Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center Great Barrington mahaiwe. org
Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center will have several film screenings, music, and dance performances. On September 11 at 7 p. m., the center will screen the cult classic comedy The Big
Lebowski( 1998) as part of its“ 100 Years of Movies” series with film director and educator Deborah Reinisch. On September 26 at 7 p. m., there will be a screening of London’ s National Theatre in HD: Inter Alia, in which a smart Crown Court Judge is at the top of her career. Behind the robe, she is a karaoke fiend, a loving wife, and a supportive parent. When an event threatens to throw her life completely off balance, can she hold her family upright? In October, comedian Josh Blue takes his Berserker Tour to the Mahaiwe on October 3 at 8 p. m. His stand-up routine is in a constant state of evolution and his off-the-cuff improvisational skills guarantee that no two shows are alike. On October 4 at 8 p. m., guitarist and composer Pat Metheny, winner of 20 Grammy ® Awards in 10 different categories, gives an intimate concert like no other Metheny performance before. On October 5 at 4 p. m., David Sedaris, one of America’ s pre-eminent humor writers and a master of satire, visits the Mahaiwe. On October 18 at 1 p. m., Rennie Harris Puremovement American Street Dance Theater performs Nuttin’ but a Word to lay down his three laws of hip-hop— individuality, creativity, innovation. On October 31 at 8 p. m. and November 1 at 8 p. m., Natalie Merchant and Erik
Della Penna bring their Autumn Acoustic Tour to the Mahaiwe. On November 8 at 7 p. m., Silkroad Ensemble featuring Wu Man performs American Railroad, a compelling reimagining of Silkroad’ s acclaimed American Railroad program— now with an intimate, powerhouse ensemble of eight world-class musicians led by the internationally acclaimed pipa master, Wu Man. And on November 15 at 8 p. m., bluegrass group Dan Tyminski Band performs.( See interview on page 28.)
Berkshire Theatre Group Pittsfield and Stockbridge berkshiretheatregroup. org
Berkshire Theatre Group( BTG) is holding a benefit concert supporting local food initiatives. On September 20, Rock the Pantry features a benefit concert supporting local food initiatives. The stage will come alive with performances by some of the region’ s most celebrated musicians, including Berkshire’ s beloved The Wanda Houston Band; soul-stirring indie-folk artist Billy Keane; 14-year-old sensation Jackson DuCharme; and captivating jazz and Latin American artists Natalia Bernal and Jason Ennis, along with percussionist Manu Uriona. Ticket proceeds go directly to the South Community Food Pantry.
Folk-rock favorites Adam Ezra Group perform on September 26, followed by Satisfaction: The International Rolling Stones Tribute Show on September 27, channeling the sound and swagger of the iconic rockers. At the Unicorn Theatre in Stockbridge, BTG presents Metamorphoses, Mary Zimmerman’ s visually inventive take on Ovid’ s myths, running September 25 to October 26 at The Unicorn Theatre in Stockbridge.( All other performances in the section for BTG are at The Colonial Theatre in Pittsfield.)
October continues with The Eagles Experience on October 4, offering pitch-perfect renditions of the band’ s greatest hits. On October 17, The Vagabond Ball returns, blending genres and spectacle with performances by Bella’ s Bartok, The Slambovian Circus of Dreams, and The Picky Bastards. The next night, October 18, features Yesterday Once More: A Tribute to The Carpenters, bringing softrock nostalgia to life. November opens with Green River: The Ultimate Creedence Clearwater Revival Tribute Show on November 1, offering fans a chance to revisit CCR’ s iconic sound. On November 8, Strange Magic NY: The ELO Experience pays homage to the symphonic rock of Electric Light Orchestra with dazzling
48 // BERKSHIRE MAGAZINE Fall 2025