For Immediate Release
August 1, 2023
CLARK ART INSTITUTE HOSTS WRITING EVENT
WITH WILLIAMSTOWN RURAL LANDS
Williamstown, Massachusetts—In partnership with local land trust Williamstown Rural Lands and local publisher Tupelo Press, the Clark Art Institute hosts a pop-up write-in program on Monday, August 7 from 3–6 pm. Producing an arts and literature review focused on the northern Berkshire natural environment, Williamstown Rural Lands and Tupelo Press invites artists and writers of all skill and experience levels to submit work for consideration.
Writing prompts and dedicated spaces are provided in the Clark’s Manton Research Center. What do we seek in nature, and in nature-writing? Is it regaining or accessing a sense of wonder about the natural world? Can a connection with our surrounding environments help us connect with others? Consider these and other questions while spending time on the Clark’s 140-acre campus for an immersive writing experience.
Free. Admission to the Clark’s summer exhibition of contemporary art, Humane Ecology: Eight Positions, is included for participants from 3–5 pm. Humane Ecology is presented in the Clark Center and the Lunder Center at Stone Hill. Participants must check in at the Manton Research Center Reading Room or the Lunder Center for complimentary tickets. For more information, visit clarkart.edu/events.
This pilot initiative is supported in part by a grant from the Northern Berkshire Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency, and by Tupelo Press.
ABOUT WILLIAMSTOWN RURAL LANDS
Williamstown Rural Lands is a member-supported land trust located in Williamstown, Massachusetts on the ancestral homelands of the Stockbridge-Munsee Community. Founded in 1986, their mission is to conserve and promote the forests, fields, farms and natural habitats of our region for the benefit of our communities and future generations. They also offer nature-based education programs, workshops and events for children and adults to learn about our natural and cultural heritage, and to encourage participants to experience the land firsthand. They have helped preserve over 3500 acres of prime land in Williamstown, steward over 950 acres and maintain about 60+ miles of public access trails. Their offices are located at Sheep Hill (671 Cold Spring Road, Williamstown), where the Dietze Interpretive Center is located. This free exhibit is open Monday through Friday from 9 am to 5 pm during the summer and fall seasons. For more information, visit rurallands.org or call 413 458 2494.
ABOUT TUPELO PRESS
Celebrating its 25th anniversary, the mission of Tupelo Press has been to publish, promote and advance urgent contemporary poetry and literary prose by emerging and established writers of diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds, foregrounding, especially, women and writers of color. Tupelo Press aims to expand the audience for the literary arts by inviting a dialogue that fosters multicultural understanding while making and distributing visually, emotionally, and intellectually stimulating books, eBook, and readers guides. Launched as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit company in 1999, Tupelo Press released its first five books of poetry in 2001, all by women, and has gone on to publish and distribute more than 335 titles in the ensuing years, so many of them prize-winning, all of them, important. Physically housed in North Adams, Massachusetts, Tupelo distributes in every state of the Union, plus Canada, Europe, South America, India, New Zealand and Australia. Its readers include a broad spectrum of literature lovers, as well as those just introduced to the pleasures of reading widely. Tupelo Press publishes between twelve and fifteen books per year (traditional and electronic) including poetry, translations, anthologies, creative nonfiction, memoirs, and literary fiction. It has privileged emerging writers, and also, and especially, women and writers of color (women authors comprise 67% of our backlist). Over time, its list has also grown to include many of the world's most distinguished, established writers as well. Tupelo Press has devoted itself rigorously to building audiences through reading tours, special events, and through extensive educational outreach, including seminars, retreats, and residencies. Importantly, seven years ago, the Tupelo Press promoted Kristina Marie Darling as Editor-in-Chief, both of Tupelo Press and Tupelo Quarterly, the online literary magazine. She is one of the very few women in America acting as Editor of an established literary press.
ABOUT THE CLARK
The Clark Art Institute, located in the Berkshires of western Massachusetts, is one of a small number of institutions globally that is both an art museum and a center for research, critical discussion, and higher education in the visual arts. Opened in 1955, the Clark houses exceptional European and American paintings and sculpture, extensive collections of master prints and drawings, English silver, and early photography. Acting as convener through its Research and Academic Program, the Clark gathers an international community of scholars to participate in a lively program of conferences, colloquia, and workshops on topics of vital importance to the visual arts. The Clark library, consisting of some 300,000 volumes, is one of the nation’s premier art history libraries. The Clark also houses and co-sponsors the Williams College Graduate Program in the History of Art.
The Clark, which has a three-star rating in the Michelin Green Guide, is located at 225 South Street in Williamstown, Massachusetts. Its 140-acre campus includes miles of hiking and walking trails through woodlands and meadows, providing an exceptional experience of art in nature. Galleries are open 10 am to 5 pm Tuesday through Sunday, from September through June, and daily in July and August. Admission is free January through March and is $20 from March through December; admission is free year-round for Clark members, all visitors age 21 and under, and students with a valid student ID. Free admission is also available through several programs, including First Sundays Free; a local library pass program; and EBT Card to Culture. For information on these programs and more, visit clarkart.edu or call 413 458 2303.
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