WCMA Celebrates Fall With Weekend of Programs

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — The Williams College Museum of Art (WCMA) will kick off the fall semester with a weekend of celebrations on Friday and Saturday, Sept. 27 and 28.

On Friday, Sept. 27, from 5 to 7 p.m. visit WCMA to view fall exhibitions, including Teddy Sandoval and the Butch Gardens School of Art, curated by C. Ondine Chavoya and David Evans Frantz; Cracking the Cosmic Code: Numerology in Medieval Art, curated by WCMA Assistant Curator Elizabeth Sandoval; SO-IL/WCMA: Building a New Museum, organized by WCMA and SO-IL, the architects designing the new museum building; Pallavi Sen: Colour Theory, curated by former WCMA Mellon Curatorial Fellow Nicholas Liou and Roz Crews, Associate Curator of Programs; Object Lab; and Remixing the Hall, featuring the museum's collection "remixed" in new ways by the entire curatorial team.

Curators and artists will be visiting from near and far to join in the festivities, which will include refreshments, music, and more.

The following day, on Saturday, Sept. 28, take a deeper dive into Teddy Sandoval and the Butch Gardens School of Art with "Play and Inquiry: Celebrating Latinx and Queer Art Communities." This daylong celebration of Latinx and queer art includes a tour of the exhibition with the curators at 11 a.m.; a Spice Root lunch buffet at noon with short presentations by representatives from the Queer Men of the Berkshires and the Berkshire Queer History Project (BQH), information from Latinx and LGBTQIA+ student groups, as well as students collecting very brief oral histories of queer folks on behalf of BQH (all are welcome, reservation required); a hands-on mail art workshop led by Erick Ramos-Jacobo, Program Research Assistant and Workshop Leader from 1 to 3 p.m.; and a panel discussion moderated by Associate Professor of Art Mari Rodriguez Binnie featuring short presentations by exhibition artists, Joey Terrill, Troy Montes-Michie, and Moises Salazar Tlatenchi, followed by a dialogue delving into the topics of experimental graphics, queerness, and Latinx and Chicanx identities from 3:30 to 5 p.m.

"It's our absolute pleasure to welcome WCMA's many communities to the museum for a day of ‘play and inquiry' inspired by Teddy Sandoval and the Butch Gardens School of Art," said Roz Crews, Associate Curator of Programs. "In addition to learning from and with the local artists, students, activists, and scholars who make the Berkshires so vibrant, audiences will have a special opportunity to hear directly from the exhibition's visiting curators, David Evans Frantz and C. Ondine Chavoya, as well as artists in the show. 

"This event is a sharing platform for folks who do the daily work of honoring the queer and Latinx stories of our society."

Programs are free and open to the public. Registration is required for the lunch on Sept. 28. For more information, visit artmuseum.williams.edu.

Williamstown Board Opts to Negotiate with College on Water St. Lot

By Stephen DravisiBerkshires Staff
05:04AM / Tuesday, June 09, 2026

Newly elected board member Nate Budington, far left, participates in his first in-person meeting along with, from left, Matt Neely, Stephanie Boyd, Peter Beck, Shana Dixon and Town Manager Robert Menicocci.

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — The Select Board on Monday decided to enter into negotiations with Williams College on the sale of the vacant town-owned lot at 59 Water St.

 

But the board members made it clear that the college's proposal to acquire the lot is a starting point, not a final deal that the elected officials would accept.

 

"For the sake of continued conversation, I'm in favor of [awarding Williams the site], but if this process wasn't continued with the opportunity for further negotiation, I wouldn't vote to continue this," Peter Beck said. "I think that next step is necessary for us to get to a yes on this."

 

"I think there's wide agreement on that," Matthew Neely said just before the 5-0 vote to enter talks with the college.

 

Williams was the sole respondent to a town-issued request for proposals to develop the former town garage site, currently a dirt lot.

 

The college's stated intent is to build a new Facilities office and create up to 170 parking spaces at 59 Water Street. That use will allow the college to redevelop the current Facilities building site and parking lot as part of a reconception of the school's indoor athletic and recreation facilities.

 

Under the terms of the RFP, the college's proposal was subjected to review by an ad hoc advisory committee to the town manager, who brought the question to the Select Board. That board will have the final say on any purchase and sales agreement.