WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — On March 16, the Clark Art Institute offers Meet Me at the Clark, a free gallery talk program designed specifically for people living with dementia and their care partners.
Tours are held on select Mondays from 1–4 pm (when the museum is closed to the public) and meet in the Manton Research Center reading room.
Join specially trained educators for guided, open-ended conversations about art and how it celebrates our shared humanity. This program provides a calm, caring environment in which dementia patients and their caregivers have private access to the Clark's galleries to enjoy the benefits of sharing art together.
Free. Advance registration required. Capacity is limited. For accessibility questions or to register, call the Education Department at 413 458 0563. Accompanying care partners must also register.
If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.
Your Comments
iBerkshires.com welcomes critical, respectful dialogue. Name-calling, personal attacks, libel, slander or foul language is not allowed. All comments are reviewed before posting and will be deleted or edited as necessary.
No Comments
Williamstown Select Board Evaluates Town Manager
By Stephen DravisiBerkshires Staff
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — In 2022, the town still was recovering from the twin blows of a global pandemic and a lawsuit that exposed disturbing allegations against the town's police department.
The latter ultimately led to the resignation of the police chief and the town manager. To replace the manager, the Select Board at the time turned to Robert Menicocci.
Menicocci represented a break in style from his immediate predecessor, who was a more prominent voice in town government. That prominence, in part, was a product of the times: When town boards and committees were not meeting in-person and access to town hall itself was limited at the height of the pandemic, the manager's voice in Zoom meetings was more front and center.
In his four years in the corner office, Menicocci has helped shepherd the police department on its path to certification and helped the town weather the fiscal storm of skyrocketing costs linked to inflation – particularly sharp increases in the cost of health insurance that hit hard for a labor-intensive endeavor like municipal government. All the while, he has been a little more taciturn, while always willing to participate, when appropriate, with responsive answers in discussions of the Select Board and Finance Committee.
On Monday, the current Select Board – completely turned over from the 2022 edition – pushed Menicocci to be more of a cheerleader for the town.
"Do you see your role more as a behind-the-scenes guy and our role is to be out in public?" board member Matthew Neely asked Menicocci during the board's review of the manager's job performance. "Or is there more of a role for you in that? So many people, if I say your name, they're like, ‘Who?'
"I would have assumed your role would be more public facing as well, and more, for lack of a better word, leading the charge as opposed to running day-to-day operations. I feel you're strong running day-to-day. But something we all wish is we had a little more of a proactive [manager] …. Since we need development, need all these things in town so much. … I'd love to see more outward energy, I guess.
The Select Board's third-floor meeting to complete its evaluation process for the town manager will be televised by the town's public, educational and governmental television station. click for more
The park on Stetson Road “officially” opened with a ribbon cutting a little after 2 p.m., two hours after attendees started using their skateboards, bicycles, scooters and rollerblades at the Max Rothschild Memorial Skatepark. click for more
The single-vehicle accident left the operator of the motorcycle with, "serious injuries to his head, face and upper body," according to a news release from the Berkshire County District Attorney's Office. click for more
The town's two art museums were, collectively, before three town land-use boards over the last two weeks for approvals of an expansion and signage. click for more
