At Home in Stockbridge

Journal Entry - 11 November 2024

By Ramelle Pulitzer

What a weekend! In 18 hours, I drove less than four miles to an international cutting edge art exhibition opening reception, a seminar on best practices for my garden and what impact I can have on this environment, then on to a musical performance to benefit the library! Only in the Berkshires!

I had spent Saturday at home doing chores inside and out in preparation for winter and recovering from earlier events in the week....la de da ....and then it all started with Saturday evening at the Norman Rockwell Museum. Canadian artist Anita Kuntz held a conversation with Chip Kidd, editor of her book from New York City. The gallery was packed with friends and artists in celebration of the opening of "Original Sisters; Portraits in Tenacity and Courage". The exhibit is curated by a new member of our community, Jane Dini, PhD. for the Museum. As new curator, she is a welcome breath of fresh air from Santa Barbara with experience in the Brooklyn Art Museum, Harvard and the MET. On view in three galleries are portraits of women throughout history: "To create the series, award-winning illustrator Anita Kunz carefully researched, wrote about, and portrayed each subject." A short biography of accomplishments in 4 lines explains each exceptional woman. Many of the subjects were completely unknown - until now. In some cases the women's images had to be invented! No record of them. (What did Joan of Arc really look like?) This exhibit is not to be missed, an ingenious premise that welcomes all. I'll be revisiting often!

Early Sunday, I headed out for a full agenda of talks at the Berkshire Botanical Gardens' annual symposium, "Rooted in Place" held at the garden. Every speaker was introduced by one of the capable staff at BBG, a very nice way to demonstrate and appreciate the hard work that is going on to make these small landscapes examples for us. I heard Eloise Geyer, gardener from the Morris Arboretum in Pennsylvania speak on healthy garden strategies in those historic formal gardens (you might have one?); Tim Brothers, manager of MIT's Astrophysics Observatory (near I 495) spoke on Light Pollution, an unregulated problem we can and know how to address. (Yes we can! locally!) Another local view was gracefully presented by Brittany Ellington of BEAT (Berkshire Environmental Action Team). Her farm is in Sheffield. Her strategies to minimize pollution in the food grown here are manageable, accessible. (Yes, we can do this!) Another presentation came to the audience, a room full of gardeners, (and me!) on zoom from Wisconsin. The plant medicines that grow here in Stockbridge were the focus of Misty Cook's program. I had to buy her book!

I broke away early afternoon for a special violin concert by Gil Shaham. This unique event was arranged in support of the Stockbridge Library at the Linde Center on the Tanglewood Campus. The maestro performed a solo spectacular violin concert at the invitation of Stockbridge friend, John Perkel, who had a career as a music librarian and is now a member of the library Board. Shaham played two Bach pieces, each in five sections, that he announced to us from the stage, listing the Italian names of each section. He explained there would be an intermission, which was most appreciated as the pieces were complex, intense and digital athletic achievements! Shaham then introduced us to a modern work he heard recently and had to learn. It was equally challenging with extended minor notes and flourishes. To finish, a rondo of some sort, this, the first one that I had heard before, another one by Bach. It was simply an exceptional gift to hear the violin solo in the acoustically perfect auditorium of the new performance space. That Shaham took the time in his internationally packed schedule to be with us was an opportunity I will never forget.

This journal entry is shared to say thank you to all the women and men, recognized and unrecognized, who made these three events possible within four miles over 24 hours. I am one grateful citizen in Stockbridge,Mass.

Pots on the kitchen wall at Hancock Shaker Village, part of the tour before the monthly dinner event held in the main house of the property. Photo: Patrick White