Ventfort Hall's 2024 Season: Reviving the Spirit of Festival House
LENOX, Mass. — Ventfort Hall is preparing for its 2024 season with a theme inspired by the 1950s Festival House era.
The 2024 season at Ventfort Hall takes inspiration from the work of Bruno and Claire Aron and their daughters Madeline and Judy during the 1950s. A Jewish family, the Arons transformed Ventfort Hall into an inclusive resort, welcoming individuals from all walks of life and making it a hub for cultural expression.
The Aron family embarked on this venture after experiencing a marked exclusion from Berkshire society as Jews.
"I'm thrilled Ventfort Hall is honoring my family's vision and the era of Festival House," Madeline Aron, daughter of Bruno and Claire said. "It was clear there was a vacuum in the area for places that were welcoming to anyone and everyone. Festival House became a magnet for diverse community and cultural expression. It was such an enriching time and its impact planted a seed for expanded accessibility to the beauty of the Berkshires and its cultural gems like Tanglewood.”
Season Highlights Include:
- An exhibit titled "Breaking Glass & Breaking Barriers: An Obscured History of Baseball in the Berkshires," curated by Larry Moore, running from June 1 to September 20. This exhibit focuses on the stories of women and people of color in Berkshire baseball history.
- The Ventfort Hall Artist in Residence 2024 program, in partnership with the Berkshire Art Center, will provide a residency for a local Berkshire Artist, giving access and resources to an artist from a marginalized community within the Berkshires.
Public Events Schedule for 2024:
- May 12: Mother's Day Tea
- May 18-19: Community Weekend (Free Days!)
- June 11: Tea & Talk with Louise Levy on "Mary Todd Lincoln- Hostess & Housewife" (2023 Encore and part I of II)
- June 18: Tea & Talk with Victoria Ross on "The Lenox Bachelors: The Misses Kate Carey, Heloise Meyer, and Mary Depeyster Cary"
- June 25: Tea & Talk with Kathy Sheehan on "The Fox Sisters"
- June 27: Concert: Piano Extravaganza by Prima Music Foundation
- July 2: Tea & Talk on the History of Festival House
- July 3, 4 & 5: Events to be announced
- July 9: Tea & Talk with Elizabeth Winthrop on "Daughter of Spies, Wartime Secrets, Family Lies"
- July 13: Paranormal Investigation with David Raby
- July 16: Tea & Talk with Larry Moore on "Baseball in the Berkshires"
- July 23: Tea & Talk: Claire Shomphe & Chelsea Gaia on "Beautiful But Deadly"
- July 30: Tea & Talk: Victoria Christopher Murray presents "The Personal Librarian"
- August 1: Concert: Prima Music Foundation's Jazz of the Gilded Age
- August 6: Tea & Talk: Eleanor Martinez Proctor on "Untold Lives: Recovering the Histories of Eustis Estate Workers"
- August 13: Tea & Talk: Chelsea Gaia on "Floriography, The Language of Flowers"
- August 15: Concert: Prima Music Foundation's Chamber Music Soiree
- August 20: Tea & Talk: Kate Baisley on "Hair and Makeup Through the Eras of Ventfort Hall.”
- August 24: Special Event: Michelle LaRue in "Someone Must Wash The Dishes: An Anti-Suffrage Satire"
- August 27: Tea & Talk: Louise Levy on “The Haunting of Mary Lincoln” (Mary Todd Lincoln Part II)
- August 29: Concert: Opera Meets Hollywood by Prima Music Foundation (Fundraiser & Season Closer)
Tickets, Memberships & More:
To purchase tickets and memberships, or to learn about Volunteer opportunities and upcoming events, visit GildedAge.org.
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