(PITTSFIELD, Mass.) – Authors and artists affiliated with Ferrin Gallery and the current exhibition The Birding Life will be on hand to discuss their artwork and writing on Saturday, November 19, 2011, from 3 to 5 p.m and to sign copies of their books. Immediately following the event at 6 p.m., Ferrin Gallery will host the final event in this year’s DISH + DINE series, the 3rd annual Thai Dinner prepared by chef/artist Joe Wheaton, to benefit St. Stephen’s Table.

The author/artist event is free and open to the public; the dinner is by advance reservation.

Authors and artists attending the afternoon event include Carol & Larry Sheehan, Kathryn Precourt,  Michael Boroniec, Michael Rousseau, Mara Superior, Laura Zindel, Morgan Bulkeley, Donald Clark, Karen Chase, Molly Hatch, Jason Houston, Cassandra Sohn.

The 3rd annual DISH+DINE Thai dinner cooked by chef and artist Joe Wheaton is a benefit for St. Stephen’s Table. All proceeds from the dinner and a percentage of sales directly benefits the program that feeds people in need with weekly dinners and lunches at St. Stephens Episcopal Church in Pittsfield. The evening concludes with a video and sound projection by Joe Wheaton featuring images gathered while traveling in South East Asia.  The dinner is $50 per person, limited to 40. Call 413.442.1622 to reserve seats.

The Birding Life is a group exhibition of art in all media by various artists who use bird imagery as implied or symbolic references including those featured in the book The Birding Life: A Passion for Birds at Home and Afield (Clarkson Potter Publishers).

Evocative and powerful, the marvelous beauty of the bird has long inspired artists to honor them in their artwork. Such bird-themed art and décor informs the homes and working spaces of the birders, artists, collectors, and conservationists alike. This exhibition features such inspired work in all medium from ceramic sculpture and pottery, paintings, prints and photographs.

Artists represented in the exhibition include Leonard Baskin, Michael Boroniec, Morgan Bulkeley, Bernadette Curran, Walton Ford, Paul Graubard, Molly Hatch, Christy Hengst, Giselle Hicks, Jason Houston, Matthew Metz, Melanie Mowinski, Lynn Peterfreund, Gregory Scheckler, Ven Voisey and Red Weldon Sandlin.

The book The Birding Life: A Passion for Birds at Home and Afield features text by Laurence Sheehan, photographs by William Stites with Carol Sama Sheehan and Kathryn George Precourt. Through more than twenty delightfully written stories and two hundred gorgeous color photographs, the authors of The Birding Life capture the beauty, intrigue, and fun of birding – at home, in the country, in the city, and out in the field – with a special focus on the nostalgic memorabilia that signals devotion to birds of all kinds.

Artists featured in the book include Mary Anne Davis, Steve Godfrey, Michael Kline, Middle Kingdom, Susan Mikula, Hannah Niswonger, Michael Rousseau, Mara Superior, Sam Taylor, and Laura Zindel.

Ferrin Gallery, established in 1979, is nationally known as a contemporary gallery specializing in figural sculpture and studio ceramics. The gallery works closely with private collectors, institutions and the media as a source for works by both established and emerging artists. Located in the Berkshires of Massachusetts, it is equidistant from New York City and Boston.

Phone: 413.442.1622