Related Events
OUTDOOR SUMMER CONCERT SERIES
July 2, 9, 16, 23 & 30, 6 pm
Reflecting Pool Lawn, unless otherwise noted.
This summer, the Clark presents a series of free outdoor concerts with thematic connections to the Ground/work 2025 exhibition!
All outdoor summer concerts are free. Bring a picnic and your own seating.
Inclement weather moves events to the Manton Research Center auditorium.
For accessibility questions, call 413 458 0524.
JULY 2: BALLA KOUYATÉ
Balla Kouyaté’s lineage goes back more than 800 years to Balla Faséké, the first of an unbroken line of djelis in the Kouyaté clan. The word “djeli” derives from the Mandinka language, meaning the oral historians, musicians, and performers who celebrate the history of the Mandé people of Mali, Guinea, and other West African countries. Kouyaté’s musical virtuosity on the balafon (the West African antecedent of the xylophone) brings the sounds of West Africa to Williamstown, honoring the roots of Ground/work 2025 artist Aboubakar Fofana.
JULY 9: GABY MORENO
Singer-songwriter-producer Gaby Moreno has released eight albums and earned four Grammy nominations for her albums. Over her career, Moreno has shared the international stage with music luminaries such as Tracy Chapman, Nickel Creek, Buena Vista Social Club, Calexico, Los Lobos, Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings, Taj Mahal, and Jackson Browne. Her talent and breadth matches well with the Ground/work 2025 architect and artist Javier Senosiain.
JULY 16: CHINOBAY
Hailing from the rich musical traditions of Uganda, Chinobay is a musician, cultural ambassador, and educator, spreading the vibrant rhythms and melodies of Africa everywhere. As a child, he embraced the folk tunes he gleaned from his elders. As time unfolded, he undertook the task of revitalizing these classic songs, all while mastering an array of traditional instruments. Just as Ground/work 2025 artist Aboubakar Fofana’s artistic practice is rooted in the traditions of West African dyeing and weaving, Chinobay’s musical practice connects to the past and to the inherited teachings of his ancestors.
JULY 23: SONIA DE LOS SANTOS
Note: This concert takes place on the Fernández Terrace.
Sonia De Los Santos shares her Mexican heritage with Ground/work 2025 artist Javier Senosian and has been singing in Spanish and English for audiences of all ages since 2007. She brings her joyful music to the Clark for a family-friendly concert geared towards the young and the young at heart.
Generously supported by Allen & Company.
JULY 30: CEDRIC WATSON
One of the brightest young talents to emerge in Cajun, Creole, and zydeco music over the last decade, Cedric Watson is a four-time Grammy-nominated fiddler, singer, accordionist, and songwriter. Although he comes from a very different part of Texas than Ground/work 2025 artist Hugh Hayden, he underscores how traditional, folk, and popular music in the United States is interwoven with the history of Black America.
COMMUNITY DAY: ART IN ACTION
July 13, 11 am–4 pm
It's time for our biggest bash, Community Day at the Clark! Celebrate vibrant artwork, the lush summer campus, and the remarkable women artists highlighted in the exhibitions open this season—A Room of Her Own: Women Artist-Activists in Britain, 1875–1945; Berenice Abbott's Modern Lens; and Mariel Capanna: Giornata. Enjoy free admission to the permanent collection and special exhibitions all day, as well as special activities, art-making, artist demonstrations, and entertainment inspired by these special exhibitions.
From 11 am–4 pm, pose for a photo-portrait like Berenice Abbott's subjects, explore fiber arts like May Morris, and paint in the style of Mariel Capanna's artworks. Throughout the day, experience live music performances, delicious food from a variety of local vendors, and even more fun surprises. This all-ages event is sure to lift your artistic spirits!
Free and open to all. Refreshments available for purchase. Held rain or shine.
Family programs are generously supported by Allen & Company.
MORNING OPENING LECTURE: GROUND/WORK 2025
July 19, 11 am
Manton Research Center auditorium
Exhibition curator Glenn Adamson explores the theme of craft and its different cultural expressions within the Ground/work 2025 exhibition. The talk also features recent photography highlighting the unique round-the-clock experience of appreciating the works of art across the Clark's grounds. A Q&A session follows.
Free. Accessible seats available; for information, call 413 458 0524.
AFTERNOON OPENING WALK: GROUND/WORK 2025
July 19, 2 pm–4:45 pm
Join us for a walking tour of the outdoor sculpture exhibition, with each artist stationed beside their work to present a ten to fifteen-minute talk with exhibition curator Glenn Adamson. Ground/work 2025 artists include Yō Akiyama (Japan), Laura Ellen Bacon (UK), Aboubakar Fofana (Mali), Hugh Hayden (USA), Milena Naef (Switzerland), and Javier Senosiain (Mexico). The exhibition explores global interpretations of craft—the ways artists transform their surroundings through materials and techniques. There will be a fifteen-minute window (with two exceptions) between each talk, providing time to walk between sites.
Schedule
2:00pm: Introduction at the Senosiain sculpture
2:05–2:20 pm: Artist conversation between the curator and Javier Senosiain
2:35–2:50 pm: Artist conversation between the curator and Aboubakar Fofana
3:05–3:20 pm: Artist conversation between the curator and Laura Ellen Bacon
3:35–3:50 pm: Artist conversation between the curator and Milena Naef
4:00–4:15 pm: Artist conversation between the curator and Hugh Hayden
4:20–4:35 pm: Artist conversation between the curator and Yō Akiyama
4:35–4:45 pm: Closing remarks
Please note: tour attendees must be able to walk our trails, which cover varied terrain. Due to limited cart availability, the Clark is not able to make special accessibility accommodations for this event. However, if you are unable to participate in the walking tour, we encourage you to watch the video tour of Ground/work 2025, which will be made available this summer.
Free. Meet at Schow Pond, the site of Javier Senosiain's sculpture. In the case of inclement weather, the artists will offer a panel discussion with exhibition curator Glenn Adamson in the Manton Research Center auditorium.
GROUND/WORK 2025: A CLOSE LOOK—LAURA ELLEN BACON'S "GATHERING MY THOUGHTS"
July 26, 1:00 pm
A Clark educator leads a close examination and in-depth discussion around the outdoor sculpture Gathering My Thoughts by British artist Laura Ellen Bacon. Using willow branches that are tied, looped, and woven together, Bacon's process evokes basket-weaving and the nest-building of birds. Through guided conversation and reflection, participants consider how the artist's work is in active dialogue with the Clark's natural environment.
Free. Requires a moderate hike on uneven and occasionally steep terrain. Held rain or shine; extreme weather cancels the event. Meet at the Lunder Center at Stone Hill.
GROUND/WORK 2025: A CLOSE LOOK—ABOUBAKAR FOFANA'S "BANA YIRIW NI SHI FOLOW"
August 2, 1:00 pm
A Clark educator leads a close examination and in-depth discussion around the outdoor sculpture Bana Yiriw ni Shi Folow (Trees and Seeds of Life) by artist Aboubakar Fofana. The artist, who has redefined and reinvigorated West African indigo dying techniques, includes spirals of handwoven, hand-dyed cloth made from plants grown on his farm in Mali in his sculpture, a "tree of life." Through guided conversation and reflection, participants consider how Fofana's work is in active dialogue with the Clark's natural environment.
Free. Requires a moderate hike on uneven and occasionally steep terrain. Held rain or shine; extreme weather cancels the event. Meet at the Lunder Center at Stone Hill.
GROUND/WORK 2025: A CLOSE LOOK—MILENA NAEF'S "THREE TIMES SPANNING"
August 9, 1 pm
A Clark educator leads a close examination and in-depth discussion around the outdoor sculpture Three Times Spanning by Swiss artist Milena Naef. Born into a family of stone carvers, Naef's sculpture combines two interlocking marble slabs. The first with a fallen tree passing through it, and the other bearing the imprint of the artist's body. Through guided conversation and reflection, participants consider how Naef's work is in active dialogue with the Clark's natural environment.
Free. Requires a moderate hike on uneven and occasionally steep terrain. Held rain or shine; extreme weather cancels the event. Meet at the Lunder Center at Stone Hill.
GROUND/WORK 2025: A CLOSE LOOK—YŌ AKIYAMA'S "OSCILLATION: VERTICAL GARDEN"
August 16, 1 pm
A Clark educator leads a close examination and in-depth discussion around the outdoor sculpture Oscillation: Vertical Garden by Japanese artist Yō Akiyama. Akiyama has spent a lifetime exploring the physical properties of clay as a material, creating massive sculptural ceramics. Anchored to the ground and reaching towards the sky, the artist's sculpture is inspired by the trees in the Clark's landscape. Through guided conversation and reflection, participants consider how Akiyama's work is in active dialogue with the Clark's natural environment.
Free. Requires a moderate hike on uneven and occasionally steep terrain. Held rain or shine; extreme weather cancels the event. Meet at the Lunder Center at Stone Hill.
GROUND/WORK 2025: A CLOSE LOOK—HUGH HAYDEN'S "THE END"
August 23, 1 pm
A Clark educator leads a close examination and in-depth discussion around the outdoor sculpture the End by American artist Hugh Hayden. The artist, best known for his works in salvaged wood with protruding, preserved natural branches, transforms local hemlock trees into a massive upside-down ribcage, a form that suggests the remnant of some giant's life. Through guided conversation and reflection, participants consider how Hayden's work is in active dialogue with the Clark's natural environment.
Free. Requires a moderate hike on uneven and occasionally steep terrain. Held rain or shine; extreme weather cancels the event. Meet at the Lunder Center at Stone Hill.
GROUND/WORK 2025: A CLOSE LOOK—JAVIER SENOSIAIN'S "COATA III"
August 30, 1 pm
A Clark educator leads a close examination and in-depth discussion around the outdoor sculpture Coata III by Mexican architect Javier Senosiain. The artist, the leading proponent of organic architecture in Mexico, creates animate structures of polychrome glass mosaic, rooted in Mesoamerican mythology but exemplifying the power of pure imagination. Senosiain's serpentine sculpture dips in and out of Schow Pond like a giant water snake. Through guided conversation and reflection, participants consider how the artist's work is in active dialogue with the Clark's natural environment.
Free. Held rain or shine; extreme weather cancels the event. Meet in the Museum Pavilion.