'The Art of the Opening' To Be Displayed In New WCMA Museum

Print Story | Email Story

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — The Williams College Museum of Art (WCMA) is hosting a monthly program series this spring called "The Art of the Opening" that will offer audiences a glimpse into specific works of art that will be on display when the new museum building opens in the fall of 2027.

On Feb. 4, March 18, and April 1 from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., curators from our curatorial engagement team will share an in-depth preview of a different object that will be on view in the inaugural installation, which aims to showcase WCMA’s global art collection guided by a liberal arts ethos. The audience will be invited to ask questions, and lunch will be provided for the first 12 people to register.

Kicking off the series on Feb. 4 will be Elizabeth Gallerani, our curator of Mellon Academic Programs, who will share information recently learned about a pichhwai (temple hanging) in the WCMA collection that depicts the Hindu god Krishna painted on a huge cotton cloth. Mellon Curatorial Fellow Rachael Nelson will present on March 18, and Senior Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art Dan Byers will present on April 1.

RSVPs are required here: https://airtable.com/appEgY2dFQZxVvJhJ/pagiusORQgIBjIM8k/form.

For more information, visit artmuseum.williams.edu.


Tags: WCMA,   

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

Williamstown's Cost Rising for Emergency Bank Restoration

By Stephen DravisiBerkshires Staff
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — The cost to stabilize the bank of the Hoosic River near a town landfill continues to rise, and the town is still waiting on the commonwealth's blessing to get to work.
 
Department of Public Works Director Craig Clough was before the Finance Committee on Wednesday to share that, unlike the town hoped, the emergency stabilization work will require bringing in a contractor — and that is before a multimillion dollar project to provide a long-term solution for the site near Williams College's Cole Field.
 
"I literally got the plans last Friday, and it's not something we'll be able to do in-house," Clough told the committee. "They're talking about a cofferdam of a few hundred feet, dry-pumping everything out and then working along the river. That's something that will be beyond our manpower to do, our people power, and the equipment we have will not be able to handle it."
 
Clough explained that the cofferdam is similar to the work done on the river near the State Road (Route 2) bridge on the west side of North Adams near West Package and Variety Stores.
 
"We don't know the exact numbers yet of an estimate," Clough said. "The initial thought was $600,000 a few months ago. Now, knowing what the plans are, the costs are going to be higher. They did not think there was going to need to be a coffer dam put in [in the original estimate]."
 
The draft capital budget of $592,500 before the Fin Comm includes $500,000 toward the riverbank stabilization project.
 
The town's finance director told the committee he anticipates having about $700,000 in free cash (technically the "unreserved fund balance") to spend in fiscal year 2027 once that number is certified by the Department of Revenue in Boston.
 
View Full Story

More Williamstown Stories