Mass MoCA to Host Material Studies Workshop

Print Story | Email Story
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — A two-session workshop, "The Matière: Material Studies from the Bauhaus, Black Mountain College, and Beyond," will be offered at Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Arts on June 7 and June 14, 2025, at 10:30 AM. 
 
Taught by artist and Albers Foundation Education Director Fritz Horstman, the workshop is based on curricula developed by Josef and Anni Albers.
 
The workshop will focus on the tactile exploration of materials, utilizing primarily reclaimed materials and simple hand tools. Participants will create "Matières" to explore texture and design, engaging with everyday materials "to imbue them with new meaning while utilizing multiple sensory experiences." 
 
The second session builds on the first, though attendance at both is not required. Tickets are $25 and include museum admission; members receive a 10 percent discount.

Tags: mass moca,   

If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

Clarksburg Students Write in Support of Rural School Aid

By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff

Mason Langenback calculated that Clarksburg would get almost $1 million if the $60 million was allocated equally.
CLARKSBURG, Mass. — Eighth-graders at Clarksburg School took a lesson in civic advocacy this week, researching school funding and writing letters to Beacon Hill that call for fully funding rural school aid. 
 
The students focused on the hardships for small rural schools and their importance to the community — that they struggle with limited funding and teacher shortages, but offer safe and supportive spaces for learning and are a hub for community connections.
 
"They all address the main issue, the funding for rural schools, and how there's a gap, and there's the $4 million gap this year, and then it's about the $40 million next year, and that rural schools need that equitable funding," said social studies teacher Mark Karhan.
 
A rural schools report in 2022 found smaller school districts cost from nearly 17 percent to 23 percent more to operate, and recommended "at least" $60 million be appropriated annually for rural school aid. 
 
Gov. Maura Healey has filed for more Chapter 70 school aid, but that often is little help to small rural schools with declining or static enrollment. For fiscal 2027, she's budgeted $20 million for rural schools, up from around $13 million this year but still far below the hoped for $60 million. 
 
Karhan said the class was broken into four groups and the students were provided a submission letter from Rural Schools Advocacy. The students used the first paragraph, which laid out the funding facts, and then did research and wrote their own letters. 
 
They will submit those with a school picture to the governor. 
 
View Full Story

More North Adams Stories