at 7:30 p . m ., you ’ ll be Running on Jackson : The Premier Jackson Browne Tribute . ( berkshiretheatregroup . org )
The next town over , in Dalton , the rock keeps rolling with The BrokenHearted – Tom Petty tribute band on March 9 from 7:30 to 10 p . m . at The Stationery Factory . The band ’ s goal is to produce the vibe of a Tom Petty show . Johnny Clifford insists he is not Petty , but rather a really big fan who loves the music . If you ’ re a Petty fan — and who isn ’ t ?— you will fully enjoy the show . Clifford ’ s voice is uncanningly similar to Petty , and his on-stage presence is spot-on . Then on April 20 from 7:30 to 10 p . m ., Back In Black : The True AC / DC Experience comes rolling into The Stationery Factory . The True AC / DC Experience show has been touring the United States since 1990 , entertaining audiences with their replication of AC / DC ’ s music old and new — an impressive song list of over 80 songs . ( stationery-factory . com )
On April 27 , Siudy Garrido ’ s Flamenco intimo will be co-presented with Jacob ’ s Pillow at MASS MoCA , a suite created by Siudy Garrido , with original music by composer and award-winning Flamenco guitarist Jose Luis de la Paz . This work has had a life of its own since its premiere in 2016 and continues to evolve . Flamenco íntimo boldly explores the range of colors , sensations , and emotions of flamenco . The different styles of this art form are displayed with gusto . And don ’ t miss MASS MoCA ’ s new exhibition Eluding Capture : Three Artists from Central Asia , which features the works of Saodat Ismailova , Alexander Ugay , and Gulnur Mukazhanova , who explore the conditions of belonging in Central Asia through photography , textile , film , and video . Typically defined as modern-day Kazakhstan , Kyrgyzstan , Uzbekistan , Tajikistan , and Turkmenistan , Central Asia has been ruled by indigenous Khanates , the Russian Empire , and the Soviet Union at different points in time . The artists interrogate what it means to dwell in and on the region . Their works seek pictorial , material , and metaphysical agency from colonial legacies , a search for self-definition that acknowledges the incoherency of the past .
Award-winning Afro-Cuban jazz singer Daymé Arocena will be performing at MASS MoCA ’ s Club B10 on March 9 . Arocena has been described by The Guardian as Cuba ’ s “ finest young female singer .” Frequently compared to Celia Cruz , Aretha Franklin , La Lupe , and Ella Fitzgerald , she draws inspiration from the intertwining musical legacies of her native Cuba . On April 6 , Antonio Sánchez ’ s “ Birdman Live ” will be performed at MASS MoCA ’ s Hunter Center . Experience the explosive Birdman film , accompanied live by composer Antonio Sánchez with his Grammy ® Award-winning percussion score that provides the heartbeat of Alejandro González Iñárritu ’ s Oscar ® -winning film .
The 12th Annual Teen Invitational ’ s opening night is on April 12 at 6 p . m . in
ANDRÉS ALVARADO
Building 5 at MASS MoCA . A collaboration with high school art teachers and students in the northern Berkshires , this event brings the artistic work of students and their art instructors to the public for one long weekend . Celebrate on opening night and see the extraordinary talent of our local teens . ( massmoca . org )
In conjunction with the 160th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation , the Williams College Museum of Art ( WCMA ) presents newly commissioned and recent works by Sadie Barnette , Alfred Conteh , Maya Freelon , Hugh Hayden , Letitia Huckaby , Jeffrey Meris , and Sable Elyse Smith in an exhibition visualizing Black freedom , agency , and the legacy of the Civil War today and beyond . The seven installations featured in Emancipation : The Unfinished Project of Liberation — spanning sculpture , photography , and paper and textile fabrications — react to the legacy of John Quincy
Daymé Arocena at MASS MoCA on March 9 .
Adams Ward ’ s bronze sculpture The Freedman ( 1863 ) from the collection of the Amon Carter Museum of American Art and will highlight the diversity of materials and forms in sculpture , installation , and mixed media today . Co-organized by WCMA and the Carter , the exhibition demonstrates how historical art collections can serve as a resource and inspiration for contemporary artistic practices . Emancipation opened at the Carter in Fort Worth , Texas , in the spring of 2023 and traveled to the Newcomb Art Museum at Tulane University this past fall . The exhibition will be on view at WCMA through July 14 before traveling to its last destination at the Telfair Museums in Savannah , Georgia . ( artmuseum . williams . edu )
Discover another new exhibition at the Norman Rockwell Museum , where Mystery and Wonder : Highlights From the Illustration Collection is on view from March 2 to June 16 . Explore this exhibition featuring highlights from the Norman Rockwell Museum ’ s permanent collection , which now holds almost 25,000 illustrations by prominent artists working across genres and time periods . On display are cover art for award-winning novels and mysteries , children ’ s book illustrations inspired by classic tales , fantastical anthropomorphic drawings , and editorial images . Specific selections include Teresa Fasolino ’ s colorful , clue-filled mystery
DAVID KAPTEIN
novel cover illustrations ; Thomas Woodruff ’ s ethereal book jacket art for bestselling novels by Anne Tyler and Gabriel García Márquez ; lighthearted visual puns for Stewart Edelstein ’ s Dubious Doublets by James Grashow ; luminous watercolors for The Wizard of Oz and other stories by Thea Kliros ; steamy pulp illustrations by Everett Raymond Kinstler and Mort Kunstler ; mystical three-dimensional illustrations for books and magazines by Joan Hall ; fictional American histories by Julian Allen ; a fun and engaging Rockwell Who-Dun-It ; and a brandnew Rockwell acquisition that offers mysteries of its own .
Many of our favorite smaller venues also are filling up their calendars , such as The Egremont Barn with many highlights such as Peter Mulvey on March 8 at 7:30 p . m . At The Foundry in West Stockbridge , check out Rees Shad and The Conversations ' Galahad Blues album release party on March 8 for starters . ( theegremontbarn . com , thefoundryws . com )
And just over the county line is Spencertown Academy Arts Center , which is presenting The Ninth Hour : A Beowulf for the Modern Age in collaboration with Millay Arts on March 9 at 2 p . m . at the Academy ’ s Blanche Grubin Auditorium . Created and performed by Shayfer James and Kate Douglas , this rock-noir musical is a reimagining of the epic poem Beowulf that explores the intricacies of humankind ’ s relationship with power and violence . ( spencertownacademy . org )
In nearby Northampton , renowned songwriter and guitarist Richard Thompson will headline Signature Sounds ’ Back Porch Festival , which will be held March 15 to 17 and include 50 performers playing in 10 different venues . Other headliners include the Preservation Hall Jazz Band , a New Orleans institution since the 1960s , and an evening dedicated to the songs of Willie Nelson performed by varied artists . ( backporchfest . com ) n
Richard Thompson on March 17 at the Signature Sounds ’ Back Porch Festival in Northampton .
Spring 2024 BERKSHIRE MAGAZINE // 19