The Vermont Film Festival Continues
On April 25 at 7pm , the Vermont Film Festival will present Hallelujah the Hills at the South Londonderry Depot on Route 100 . Filmed in Londonderry , VT in 1963 , Hallelujah the Hills is an absolutely madcap , wacky romp that won acclaim at that year ’ s NY Film Festival . It was not widely distributed but garnered critical respect for mocking the New Wave Cinema of that era .
The story is about two city boys who take to the woods to find the girl they both love , Vera , and find out which of them she will marry . When Vera ’ s father gleefully tells them that she married Gideon two months ago because she was tired of waiting for them to ask , the boys take to the wintry woods trying to recall in their flashbacks the reasons for their obsessive attraction to her , while never losing sight of their rivalry .
There is no cost to attend ; voluntary donations gratefully accepted . The Vermont Film Festival is a joint venture of the Friends of the West River Trail , the Londonderry Arts & Historical Society , and the Weston Historical Society .
Clark Art Institute Events
Screening & Artist ’ s Talk : On April 25 at 6pm , the Clark presents an exclusive event with Warner Friedman , a prominent artist in the Berkshires for over fifty years . After screening the 2023 short documentary directed by Diane Crespo , Warner Friedman : A Postmodern Journey ( Run time : 21 minutes ), the artist and the filmmaker join in a conversation and Q & A session . The event takes place in the Clark ’ s auditorium , located in the Manton Research Center ( MRC ). Renowned as a contemporary landscape painter , Friedman is celebrated for his vibrant scenes framed by fences , gates , windows , and doors . Free .
Spring Music : The Clark presents a three-part lineup of performances in the MRC . The Concert Series features Myriam Gendron and P . G . Six on April 26 at 7pm , Eddie Henderson on May 4 at 6pm , and Constant Smiles and Ava Mirzadegan on May 5 at 5pm . Tickets are $ 10 ($ 8 members , $ 7 students , $ 5 children 15 and under ).
Gallery Tour : On April 27 at 2pm , the Clark hosts a gallery tour exploring works of art made in 1874 . The first Impressionist exhibition in Paris took place in 1874 ; that same , significant year , the Williamstown Public Library was founded . Led by art historian Jock Brooks , the gallery tour is presented as part of the Williamstown Public Library ’ s 150th anniversary celebration . The tour meets in the Clark ’ s Museum Pavilion . Free with gallery admission . Capacity is limited . Visitors may pick up a ticket at the Clark Center Admissions desk on a first-come , first-served basis .
Poet Reading : On April 27 at 4pm , the Clark hosts a reading and conversation with poets Jessica Fisher and Mary Ruefle in its auditorium , located in the MRC . The free event is presented in celebration of their new books , Daywork and The Book , respectively . Fisher ’ s third book of poetry , Daywork ( Milkweed Editions , 2024 ), takes its title from the giornata — the fresco painting term for the section of wet plaster that can be painted in a single day . Fisher is an associate professor of English at Williams College . Mary Ruefle is a prolific writer of poetry and prose , including most recently The Book ( Wave Books , 2023 ) and Dunce ( Wave Books , 2019 ), which was a finalist for the 2020 Pulitzer Prize . She is the poet laureate of Vermont . Free .
For more on all these events , visit : clarkart . edu .
The ARTS
Photographer Elle Pérez
Bennington College ’ s Spring 2024 Visual Arts Lecture Series ( VALS ) welcomes photographer and educator Elle Pérez as the Adams-Tillim Lecturer on April 30 . All lectures are free , open to the public , and will take place from 7pm to 8:30pm in Tishman Lecture Hall on the College ’ s campus .
Working closely with peers from the LGBTQIA + community as their subjects , Pérez visualizes the complexities of gender identity : the scars left behind on a subject ’ s chest after surgery , intertwined limbs after a moment of intimacy , a worn and tattered breast binder . Imbued with desire and a profound sense of care for their subjects , the photographs depict the traces of queer experiences and reflect the ever changing nature of identity .
Pérez ’ s work has been exhibited nationally and internationally with current and recent solo shows in Mass MoCA , the Baltimore Museum of Art in 2022 , and as a part of the 59th International Venice Biennale and is included in the permanent collections of The Museum of Modern Art and The Whitney Museum of American Art in New York and The Los Angeles County Museum of Art , among others .
Pérez is a Bronx , New York-born Puerto Rican artist and photographer living and working in Brooklyn , New York . They received their Bachelor of Fine Art in Photography from the Maryland Institute College of Art and their Master of Fine Art from Yale School of Art in 2015 . They are an Assistant Professor of Photography at the Yale School of Art and have previously held appointments at the Visual Studies Department at Harvard University , Williams College , and The Cooper Union . They have completed residencies at MacDowell , Vermont Studio Center , and many more . bennington . edu .
April 22 , 2024 Vermont News Guide 21