‘CURIOUS GEORGE’ EXHIBITION at ROCKWELL REVEALS CREATORS’ ESCAPE FROM NAZIS
H. A. Rey, final illustration for "This is George. He lived in Africa"
Curious George Saves the Day: The Art of Margret and H.A. Rey, a traveling exhibition created by the Jewish Museum in New York City on display at the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, Mass., from November 12, 2011 through February 5, 2012, reveals the little-known story of how the popular children’s book character was both born of and influenced by his creators’ escape from the Nazi occupation of Paris. Opening events on Saturday, November 12, include a public opening from 1 to 4 p..m., and a curator’s talk and reception at 6:30 p.m. The events will also mark the opening of the exhibit Pop-Up! The Magical World of Movable Books.
ANI DIFRANCO RETURNS to the COLONIAL THEATRE
Ani DiFranco
Folk-rock singer-songwriter Ani DiFranco performs at the Colonial Theatre in Pittsfield, Mass., on Wednesday, November 9, 2011, at 7:30 pm. Singer-songwriter Melissa Ferrick will warm up the crowd for DiFranco, who gave a triumphant concert at the restored theater in April 2009. (Read Seth Rogovoy’s review of that concert here.)
Ani DiFranco has written hundreds of songs, played thousands of shows, captured the imaginations of legions of followers and jammed with folkies, orchestras, rappers, rock and roll hall-of-famers, jazz musicians, poets, pop superstars, storytellers and a martial arts legend. She has “fixed up a few old buildings” and minimized her carbon footprint before it was trendy – from installing a geothermal heating and cooling system in the renovated church that her label calls home to using organic inks on all the t-shirts she sells. But nothing she’s done in her 18-year career has garnered more attention than her now legendary business decision.
DUO EXHIBITION FEATURES SCULPTURE, COLLAGE, PAINTINGS
Work by Bart Gulley
On Saturday, November 12, 2011, Architecture for Art Gallery in Hillsdale, N.Y., opens a show of works by artists Martha Bone of New York City and Bart Gulley of Chatham, N.Y. Opening reception for the artists is Saturday from 6 to 8 pm. The show will run through December 11.
BIFF SCREENS SHAKESPEARE THRILLER ‘ANONYMOUS’ with SCREENWRITER JOHN ORLOFF
The BIFF’s REEL Friends Film Society presents a special screening of Roland Emmerich’s latest film, Anonymous, which will include a special Q&A and conversation with the movie’s screenwriter, John Orloff, who lives in nearby Columbia County, N.Y., immediately following the film on Thursday, November 10, 2011, at 6:30 p.m. at the Triplex Cinema.
THE FEELIES REUNION TOUR STOPS at MASS MOCA
The Feelies
Indie rock legends the Feelies, who updated the sound of the Velvet Underground and like their forebears, inspired a whole new generation of minimalist art-rock guitar bands in the late 1970s, bring their historic reunion tour on Friday, November 11, 2011 at MASS MoCA’s Hunter Center in North Adams, Mass.
Noted for their influential blend of guitar-heavy minimalist indie rock, the Feelies influenced countless bands with a string of records that defined the 1980s post-punk/new wave sound. Formed in New Jersey in 1976, the Feelies gained quick notoriety in the New York club scene and were dubbed by the Village Voice as “The Best Underground Band in New York” as early as 1978.
BERKSHIRE SYMPHONY OFFERS ‘A PORTRAIT OF NEW ENGLAND’
The Berkshire Symphony
The Berkshire Symphony offers an all-American program, rooted in the soil of New England, including the music of three living composers, on Friday, November 11, 2011, at 8 p.m. at the MainStage of the ’62 Center of Theatre and Dance on the Williams College campus in Williamstown, Mass.. Composers represented include Charles Ives, Leonard Bernstein, John Adams, and Williamstown composers David Kechley and Stephen Dankner.
POETS CHARLES COE, MICHELLE GILLETT AND LESLIE HARRISON TO READ AT THE MOUNT
Poet Charles Coe
Charles Coe and Berkshire poets Michelle Gillett and Leslie Harrison will read their poetry at The Mount, Edith Wharton’s Estate and Gardens, in Lenox, Mass., on Saturday, November 12, 2011, at 4 p.m., in “Picnic with Poets,” a co-presentation by Close Encounters With Music and The Mount. Tickets for this event are $15. Refreshments courtesy of Chocolate Springs are included following the reading.