Art events in The Berkshires in 2023 brought community members out of their homes and into public spaces to take in live spectacles, join in on fascinating discussions, and meet notable trailblazers in their field.
In the spring, Housatonic Valley Regional High School in Falls Village showcased the imaginative outsider art of then-senior Theda Galvin. Her solo exhibition opened at the school’s Kearcher-Monsell Library gallery wall, showcasing dolls with magnified eyes inspired by internet fandom. Recognized for her talent, Galvin received an $80,000 scholarship from the Jasper Johns-led Foundation for Contemporary Arts later in the school year for her education at The Cleveland Institute for Art.
Alexander Wilburn
Public art was also a trend this year for area schools. Artist Ben Keller transformed HVRHS’ cafeteria with a mural reflecting the school’s evolving demographics. Inspired by street art, Keller's piece was unveiled in May. Similarly, Sharon Center School initiated a project with artist Morgan Blair, translating students’ floral designs into a public mural.
Local theater shined bright throughout the summer, with audiences returning in significant numbers after the limitations of the pandemic. Under the new leadership of Rod Christensen and Carl Andress, the managing director and artistic director, The Sharon Playhouse produced a vibrant range of productions, including “Something Rotten!” a snarky musical directed by Amy Griffin with a spotlight-stealing turn by Jen Cody that made the Shakespearean romp a must-see, and the family-friendly “Oliver!” directed by Michael Kevin Baldwin. Staying true to Lionel Bart’s 1960 adaptation, it was a zippy rendition of Dickens’ classic, featuring standout performances by Indian Mountain student Ivan Howe as Oliver and Gina Naomi Baez as Nancy. In another offering, the Playhouse presented “Our Town,” directed by Andrus Nichols, featuring an ensemble of many locals led by Jane Kaczmarek. Closing the season, The Sharon Playhouse presented “The Lifespan of a Fact,” directed by Marcia Milgrom Dodge. The tension-filled play explored the complexities of fact-checking and truth in storytelling. Renaldo Piniella, Jennifer Van Dyck, and Jonathan Walker delivered compelling performances and provided a thought-provoking conclusion to the Playhouse’s season under new leadership.
Ivan OweAly Morrissey
In other audience news, this summer, the release of “Barbie” and Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer” sparked a national cinematic celebration termed “Barbenheimer,” turning it into an impromptu holiday for moviegoers and marking the highest-grossing opening weekend since 2019. Amid the challenges faced by the struggling movie theater industry, The Moviehouse, overseen by David Maltby and Chelsea Altman, has been actively revitalizing its connection with the local film-going community. The theater’s initiatives include one-night-only programming and live events, such as a unique production of Tennessee Williams’ “A Streetcar Named Desire.” This year’s programming also had actress Kyra Sedgwick screening her directorial debut, “Space Oddity,” and board member and actress Gretchen Mol hosting a screening of her Sundance film, “Palm Trees and Powerlines.”
Thanks to a dedicated group of film-loving residents, the Triplex Cinema in Great Barrington reopened its doors in November. After the movie theater closed in June, a grassroots effort raised over $1 million to purchase the theater from its longtime owner.
Audiences were also seated for the many in-person author talks, a change from the Zoom broadcasts during the pandemic. In John Sayles’ novel “Jamie MacGillivray: The Renegade’s Journey,” the Academy Award-nominated screenwriter took readers at The White Hart Inn in Salisbury on a bloody odyssey from Scottish Highlands’ Jacobite battles to the 18th-century colonies of The New World. Jenny Jackson’s debut novel, “Pineapple Street,” was set against the backdrop of unprecedented inherited wealth for millennials. Jackson, a vice president and executive editor at Alfred A. Knopf, wrote the novel based on observations of Brooklyn’s 1%.
Penguin Random House,
Hernan Diaz won the Pulitzer Prize in 2023 for “Trust” and discussed his novel’s polyphonic exploration of wealth at the Morton Memorial Library in Rhinecliff. In a conversation with agent, Sharon-native Bill Clegg, Diaz highlighting the rejection he faced preceding his success. The Haystack Book Festival in Norfolk celebrated its fifth year with the theme of “New York Stories,” exploring modernism in various art forms. At one of House of Books’ intimate “dinner with an author” salons in Kent, Adrienne Brodeur’s novel “Little Monsters” examined familial resentments in Cape Cod. WAMC’s Joe Donahue interviewed Michael Cunningham on his new book, “Day,” at The White Hart Inn. The Pulitzer-Prize-winning author’s first novel in a decade explored an unconventional New York family’s changes over three years, delving into the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Alexander Wilburn
Ivan OweAly Morrissey
Penguin Random House,
"They had this in mind from last year," girls varsity head coach Les Funk of Pine Plains said. Funk said the young team wanted the sectional title and "never gave up," until they won it Wednesday, March 5, at Mount Saint Mary College.Photo by Nathan Miller
Naveah Rennie, no 34 of Pine Plains, was the Bombers' dominant scorer, racking up 20 points by the end of the matchup against S.S. Seward Institute during the Section IX Class C finals at Mount Saint Mary College on Wednesday, March 5.Photo by Nathan Miller
Lent: Time to consider social gospel movement
We are entering the annual Christian season of Lent this week.With its 40 days of contemplation and “little Easter” Sundays, it is a time to remember the healing ministry and the sacrifice of Jesus.During this season, we are invited to think deeply about our role as agents of grace and love in our hurting world.
There is a long history of making sacrifices and commitments for Lent, modeling our discipleship and hopes for a more heavenly world. It is through this lens that I invite you to join us in considering what gifts and services the community needs that we can commit to bringing forth in the weeks leading up to Easter.While many lean into solitary introspection during Lent, it may be particularly advantageous to use our meditations and sacrifices for the greater good this year.
John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, advised his followers centuries ago that “The gospel of Christ knows of no religion, but social; no holiness but social holiness. Faith working by love is the length and depth and breadth and height of Christian perfection.”These words are connected to the firm belief of Wesley that a Methodist was fundamentally one who loved God with all their heart, mind, strength, and soul, along with loving one’s neighbor as oneself.He believed that being in love with God naturally also required loving other people, as every person was a beloved soul coming from the same source of life that we are.
Consequently, Wesley stood against slavery long before it was a popular view, prioritized caring for those who were poor and imprisoned, and made a point to do good to as many as he could for as long as he was physically able.
Indeed, the Methodists are not the only Christians who believe such things.These thoughts are primary messages of the Christian faith.In more recent history, we can note that during the time of the Golden Age, at the end of the late 19th century, the Christians mobilized to counteract the abject poverty, child labor, dangerous working conditions, and lack of education of the time.Famous theologians such as Washington Gladden, Walter Rauschenbusch, and W.E.B. DuBois began the Social Gospel movement, enacting with new verve the passion of Christ that empowers the community toward building the Kingdom of God.As Christians, they believed in uplifting the downtrodden and creating a community where all had a chance to thrive.Child labor laws were enacted, better working conditions were secured, Sunday School helped provide education, settlement houses were created, and the Salvation Army was born.
The social gospel movement continued in another wave of reforms and empowerment through the Civil Rights era.Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his intellect, energy, and life to help secure the reforms that enabled persons of color to vote, go to non-segregated schools, and have the right to share public spaces without discrimination.Like Christ, he paid the ultimate price for his prophetic vision.However, his impact on our society was formidable, lasting far beyond his short lifetime.
As Christians, it is very clear what to do in times of hardship, crisis, or challenge.Throughout the centuries, our call has been to help heal the world, doing whatever we can to uplift and transform loneliness into community, reminding each one how precious they are and how important it is to unite for the sake of the whole.Individually, the challenges can be overwhelming, even too much to bear.Collectively, we can do all things through the One who strengthens us.As they say, “We have the receipts!” We can do it again.
This Lent, let us give up our pessimism and fear, replacing it with a commitment to community and hope.Yes, things can seem dreadful, but our souls are not served by allowing ourselves to descend into the dark.We are keepers of the light.Let us do all within our power to create brightness so that its warmth may strengthen all as we live into the Social Gospel movement for our time.Chin up, friends, we can do this.We simply must be willing to get serious about doing it together.
Rev. Dr. Anna Crews Camphouse is pastor of Canaan, Lakeville, Millerton, and Sharon United Methodist Churches
Lead Pastor of the Northwestern Hills Cooperative
Parish UMC