A highly selective preview of cultural events taking place this weekend in the greater Berkshire region, including a New York Times film critic; a new dance festival; Andy Warhol’s nephew; doggie films; an Elvis impersonator; and a tete-a-tete between Gregory Crewdson and Rick Moody. Plus more.
Gregory Crewdson (photo Daniel Karp)
GREGORY CREWDSON in CONVERSATION with RICK MOODY at MAHAIWE
(GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass.) – Photographer Gregory Crewdson will discuss the making of his most recent body of work, Cathedral of the Pines, in conversation with author Rick Moody at the Mahaiwe on Monday, August 15 at 7pm. The evening will include the first-ever projected slideshow presentation of Cathedral of the Pines in its entirety, set to Yo La Tengo’s “Night Falls on Hoboken,” remixed specially for this event by Grammy Award-winning producer/engineer Drew Brown.
A.O. Scott (photo Carmen Henning)
NYT CRITIC A.O. SCOTT KICKS OFF 2016 AUTHOR SERIES at THE MOUNT
(LENOX, Mass.) – Critic A.O. Scott, essayist Katie Roiphe, and novelist Emma Straub will be featured guests in the annual Touchstones series at The Mount, which kicks off on Thursday, August 11, at 5:30pm, with Scott in conversation with cultural critic Kate Bolick, who hosts the series. The Thursday night series continues with Roiphe on August 18 and concludes with Straub on August 25.
Riot Dance, ‘Views of the Fleeting World’ (photo Basil Childers)
RIOULT, CHASE BROCK, HEGINBOTHAM, and PARSONS in CHATHAM DANCE FESTIVAL at PS21
(CHATHAM, N.Y.) – The Chase Brock Experience, Dance Heginbotham, and Parsons Dance are featured artists in the third annual Chatham Dance Festival, a month-long celebration of American dance at PS21’s 100-acre outdoor venue. The festival, which kicks off with performances by RIOULT Dance on Friday and Saturday, August 12 and 13 at 8pm, includes evening dance performances, afternoon children’s programs, dance workshops and discussions.
James Warhola
CHILDREN’S ILLUSTRATOR JAMES WARHOLA – ANDY WARHOL’S NEPHEW – at NORMAN ROCKWELL MUSEUM
(STOCKBRIDGE, Mass.) – James Warhola, nephew of artist Andy Warhol and the illustrator of such children’s picture books as “Uncle Andy’s Cats,” will discuss his work and sign books at Norman Rockwell Museum on Saturday, August 13, from 1 to 5pm, as part of “Uncle Andy’s Cats and Other Pet Stories,” a family day filled with storytelling, art making, and talks. Uncle Andy Warhol’s work can currently be seen in the museum’s exhibition, “Rockwell and Realism in an Abstract World.”
DOUGLASS TRUTH PERFORMS ‘DEATH, HERSELF’ at LAUREN CLARK FINE ART
(GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass.) – Performance artist Douglass Truth will present his one-woman show “An Intimate Evening with Death, Herself,” at Lauren Clark Fine Art from Thursday, August 11, through Sunday, August 14. In the show, Dorothy, a middle-aged waitress, meets Death in a bar. He’s unhappy, bored, and ready for something new. So is she. They repair to a Denny’s Restaurant for a snack. And, after 49 solid days in a back booth at a Denny’s restaurant, she replaces him.
William Wegman, ‘Hardly Boys’
DOG FILM FESTIVAL PLAYS at MAHAIWE
(GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass.) – The first-ever nationally touring Dog Film Festival stops at the Mahaiwe on Sunday, August 14, for a family oriented screening at 11am and a different program at 1:30pm. The festival celebrates the remarkable bond between dogs and their people and will benefit Berkshire Humane Society with 50% of net proceeds and a 10,000-bowl donation of natural pet food.
Ginkgoa
GINKGOA BRINGS ELECTRO-DANCE RHYTHMS to HELSINKI HUDSON
(HUDSON, N.Y.) – Ginkgoa brings is unique blend of vintage Paris chic and New York City cool to Club Helsinki Hudson on Friday, August 12, at 9pm. With Nicolle Rochelle (American singer, author, and dancer) and Antoine Chatenet (French composer and producer) at the core of the group, Ginkgoa composes French songs with an American vibe, and American songs with a French touch, where time periods would cross and inspirations would collide: catchy melody from pop music, to the swing of old New York, with a mix of electro-dance floor beats. They only have one idea in mind: to make generations of people dance, sway, and sing along to melodies that stay in your head.
For an instant dose of the group’s catchy, melodic dance music that spans generations within a few bars and boasts Nicolle’s incredibly infectious vocals and alluring personality, check out this live performance of the group’s “Don’t Give a Damn.” And then watch them perform one of their signature tunes, “Queen of Swing,” from last month’s Montreal International Jazz Festival.
Elvis impersonator Joe Borelli
ELVIS IMPERSONATOR KICKS OFF NEW SERIES at NORMAN ROCKWELL MUSEUM
(STOCKBRIDGE, Mass.) – Elvis Presley impersonator Joe Borelli and his band will perform songs from the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s in a tribute to the King and early rock ‘n’ roll at the Norman Rockwell Museum on Thursday, August 11, at 5:30pm, as part of the “Real or Imagined? Adventures in Visual Culture” Thursday night series of lectures and programs inspired by the museum’s newest exhibition, “Rockwell and Realism in an Abstract World” and the persuasive power of visual imagery in its many forms.