February 10, 2026
CLARK ART INSTITUTE ANNOUNCES CALL FOR ART FROM BERKSHIRE COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS IN COLLABORATION WITH LIVING THE CHANGE BERKSHIRES AND COOLER COMMUNITIES
Juried exhibition opens April 18
Williamstown, Massachusetts—The Clark Art Institute, Living the Change Berkshires, and Cooler Communities invite Berkshire County high school students to participate in a juried installation of student art about climate change. Submissions are due March 6, 2026.
The exhibition, How Shall We Live: Berkshire Youth Artists Explore Their Relationship with the Earth in the Time of Climate Change, is on view April 18–25 at the Clark. In its fourth year, the initiative encourages local youth to pair art with the environment as they consider ways to appreciate and protect the natural world. Following the closure of the show at the Clark, it will be on view at Pittsfield’s City Hall and Sheffield’s Dewey Hall from late April through June.
Submissions can be 2-D or 3-D but must express students’ ideas on climate change and inspire others to care for the environment. Both individual and collaborative submissions are accepted. Students are asked to respond to one or more elements in the following prompt:
In the age of climate change,
- What does nature provide?
- What are the earth’s needs?
- What matters most?
- What is resilience?
- Where do you find guidance and inspiration?
For further submission information, visit clarkart.edu/education or call 413 458 0429.
The Clark hosts a free, public reception to celebrate the opening of the show and the work of participating student artists on April 18 from 2:30–5 pm in the Lunder Center’s Hunter Studio. Advance registration is encouraged. Register at events.clarkart.edu.
This student art show is co-organized by the Clark, Living the Change Berkshires, and Cooler Communities.
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 nearly 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 to all from January through March. From April through December, admission is $22 for adults, $20 for seniors (65+), $10 for young adults (18–25) and college students, and free for all visitors under 18. Admission is free year-round for Clark members. 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.
ABOUT LIVING THE CHANGE BERKSHIRES
Living the Change Berkshires is a group that creates community events around sustainable living, energy efficiency, and climate resilience. The group’s mission is to address climate change and climate justice with urgency, creativity, hope, and optimism—primarily on a local level. The organization supports a variety of local projects to promote climate change education, such as expos and fairs, community council meetings, and youth art shows.
ABOUT COOLER COMMUNITIES
Cooler Communities is an organization with a mission to work toward a world in which all young people are informed and engaged in climate change issues and solutions, and are empowered to become change makers in their families and communities. Cooler Communities supports climate education through school grants, professional development, in-classroom support, and free K-5 books. The organization’s staff brings together expertise in education, climate science, and community engagement. They work alongside schools and partners to turn climate learning into meaningful, local action. All of Cooler Communities’ programs meet the recommendations for age-appropriate climate education: they are place-based, solution-centered, and teach students how they can help.
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