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The Mount Announces Season

Events May 3 through October 31

By: - Apr 27, 2014

This summer, The Mount is pleased to announce a full schedule of lectures, readings, performances, music and more. The Mount will be open daily starting May 3rd through October 31st.

“There is truly something for everyone this season,” said Susan Wissler, executive director of The Mount. “There are exhibits and lectures for our Wharton fans, theater, music, art…we even have a children’s camp on the grounds. Our programming is more robust and varied than ever before.” Opening day is Saturday, May 3rd.

The Mount will be kicking off the season with a special members preview sale for its popular Monday Lecture Series. This year’s series will feature Rebecca Mead speaking about her book My Life in Middlemarch; J. Michael Lennon discussing Norman Mailer and his latest book on the divisive cultural icon, Norman Mailer: A Double Life; and Thomas Maier speaking about his book, Masters of Sex, which was the inspiration for theShowtime television series of the same name.Tickets are $25 for members and $30 for the general public. Public sales start June 1. For additional information and to purchase tickets, visit EdithWharton.org or call 413-551-5100. For memberships, please call Johanna at 413-5551-5112.

Additional Highlights of the 2014 season include:

  • The Backstairs Tours - Learn about the daily routines of the men and women who ran The Mount. Ticket includes admission for the day, the tour, and glass of champagne. Sundays & Thursdays starting May 25.
  • Kitchen Stories - An exhibit exploring the workings an early twentieth-century kitchen. Opens May 2014.
  • A revamped WordFest featuring writer and cultural commentator Kate Bolick in conversation with noted writers including Andre Dubus III as well as a reading by Pulitzer-Prize winning poet Sharon Olds. Friday evenings, August 8 – September 12.
  • Common Ground - A new exhibition of outdoor sculpture set in one of the most breathtaking settings in the Berkshires. Presented in partnership with SculptureNow. June 15 – October 31
  • The Nutrition Center and The Mount present Food Adventures at The Mount, a one-week half-day camp for children ages 7-14. Campers will take advantage of the bounty of local produce and have fun with food and the joy of entertaining. Two sessions: June 30-July 3rd and July 7-July 11.

In addition to a full schedule of special events and exhibitions, The Mount will continue to offer summer audiences traditional seasonal programs that include the Music After Hours series on Fridays and Saturdays evenings in July and August as well as Wharton on Wednesdays starting June 4th.

For additional information, including our full Calendar of Events, please visit EdithWharton.org.

Full 2014 Season

2014 MONDAY LECTURE SERIES

Mondays, July 7 – August 25; 4:00 p.m.

Members $25; General $30

Miss Anne in Harlem: The White Women of the Black Renaissance

Carla Kaplan

July 7

Miss Anne in Harlem is the first book to tell the story of the spirited white women who crossed race lines to play seminal roles in the great black cultural movement of the early twentieth century.

A Life of Barbara Stanwyck: Steel-True 1907-1940

Victoria Wilson

July 14

Wilson’s A Life of Barbara Stanwyck: Steel True, 1907-1940, is the first volume of her remarkable biography of the brilliant, enigmatic and complex actress whose life spanned the richest and fastest changing period of the motion picture business.

Bernard Berenson: A Life in the Picture Trade

Rachel Cohen

July 21

Bernard Berenson: A Life in the Picture Trade, investigates the development of the great art connoisseur who began life as a penniless Lithuanian immigrant and made his career in the world of Gilded Age finances and prejudices.

My Life in Middlemarch

Rebecca Mead

July 28

In Mead’s new book- a combination of biography, reporting, and memoir-she explores her relationship with George Eliot's Middlemarch. Both a fascinating reading of Eliot's biography and an exploration of the way aspects of Mead's life uncannily echo that of Eliot herself.

Norman Mailer: A Double Life

J. Michael Lennon

August 4

Lennon met Mailer in Illinois when he was on a college speaking tour for his book St. George and the Godfather in1972 and later became Mailer’s archivist and authorized biographer. His books on Mailer include Norman Mailer: A Double Life, the official biography, and Norman Mailer: Works and Days.

Masters of Sex: The Life and Times of William Masters and Virginia Johnson, the Couple Who Taught America How to Love

Thomas Maier

August 11

Maier’s most recent book chronicles the lives of researchers William Masters and Virginia Johnson who pioneered research into the nature of human sexual response. The book is the inspiration for the Showtime television series of the same name starring Michael Sheen and Lizzy Caplan. 

Amy Lowell Anew: A Biography

Carl Rollyson

August 18

Rollyson’s new biography of Amy Lowell, the first in forty years, presents a complete portrait of the controversialpoet, examining her work, her personal life, and her legacy in an era that is beginning to appreciate the contributions of gays and lesbians to American’s cultural heritage

Clouds of Glory: The Life and Legend of Robert E. Lee

Michael Korda

August 25

Korda paints a vivid and admiring portrait of Lee, perhaps the most famous and least understood legend in American history and one of our most admired heroes, recognized today as the nation's preeminent military leader.

HONORING WHARTON:

Screening of Edith Wharton: The Sense of Harmony with filmmaker Elizabeth Lennard

Sunday, June 1, 3:00 pm

$10 general; free for Mount members and BIFF pass holders

This one-hour documentary includes interviews, rare documents, and archival footage including a brief glimpse of Wharton herself. A talk-back with film-maker Elizabeth Lennard immediately follows the screening. Presented in partnership with the Berkshire International Film Festival.

America’s Lost Playwright: Edith Wharton’s Writing for the Stage with Scholar Laura Rattray

Thursday, June 12, 6:00 pm

$10 general; free for Mount members

Drawing on papers from the Wharton’s archives, this talk explores Edith Wharton’s largely forgotten work for the theatre and its impact on her career. For tickets, visit EdithWharton.org.

What They Wore to War: Dressing American Relief Workers in the Great War

Thursday, July 31, 4:00 pm

$12 general; $10 Mount members

In honor of the 100th anniversary of World War I, Dr. Alan Price will tell the story of three important American charities in France and the dress of their three extraordinary leaders: Edith Wharton, Nina Duryea, and Isabel Lathrop.

Summer Marathon Reading

Tuesday, August 12, 1:00-6:30 pm

Free

Come enjoy Wharton’s incredibly modern coming of age tale set against the backdrop of the Berkshire Hills. If you’d like to read part of the story, contact email kmullen@EdithWharton.org by August 1!

The Artistic Lure of the Gilded Age, a panel discussion

Thursday, August 28, 6:00 pm

$20 general; $15 MASS MoCA and Mount members

Artist Darren Waterston will join Wharton scholar Roxana Robinson and Rachel Dickstein, director of a stage adaptation of The House of Mirth, to discuss what can be learned from investigations of the Gilded Age today.

ART & DESIGN:

George Stacey and the Creation of American Chic with author Maureen Footer

Sunday, May 18, 4:00 pm

$12 general; $10 Mount members

Footer will discuss how Stacey modernized The Decoration of Houses to fit the evolving American aesthetic of the 20th century. Book signing to follow.

A Sense of Place: Private Gardens of the Hudson Valley with author Jane Garmey

Thursday, June 19, 6:00 pm

$12 general; $10 Mount members

Jane Garmey shares her insider’s view of twenty-six gardens that are the subject of her latest book. Book signing to follow.

COMMUNITY EVENTS

Garden Party at The Mount

Sunday, June 29, 11:00 am – 4:00 pm

Free

Bring the family and spend the day at The Mount! Tour the house, explore the gardens and trails, and enjoy the surroundings. Activities throughout the day. Sponsored by the Massachusetts Culture Council, its local affiliates and WGBY.

Bingo Night

Thursday, July 17, 5:00-8:00 pm

Free

Lenox residents are invited to walk the grounds at twilight and enjoy a rousing game of Bingo on the Terrace. Presented in partnership with the Lenox Community Center and Council on Aging.

HANDS-ON WORKSHOPS, CAMPS, AND INTENSIVES

IS 183 presents: Interpret Marginalia

A Painting Intensive at The Mount

June 9 –June 13, 9:30 am-12:30 pm

$190 for IS 183 members, $205 general. $15 materials fee

Prompted by Edith Wharton’s scribbling in the end pages of her vast collection of books, each day artists will get a kernel of inspiration from staff of The Mount with their favorite Whartonian trivia.

The Nutrition Center presents Food Adventures at The Mount

Session 1: June 30-July 3, 9:00 am-1:00 pm

Ages 7-14, $215 general; $200 for Mount members

Session 2: July 7-11, 9:00 am – 1:00pm

Ages 7-14, $275 general; $250 for Mount members

The Nutrition Center will take advantage of the bounty of local produce and the historic setting, embracing the fun of food and joy of entertaining.

The Mystery of Mobiles Revealed

Saturday, July 12, 10:00 am – 12:00 pm

$25 general; $22 for Mount members

Ages 8-16

Inspired by kinetic sculptures on the grounds, SculptureNow director Ann Jon will lead a hands-on workshop exploring the fine art of balance.

THEATER

Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet

July 17 – August 23

Adults $15; Children and Students $5

The most timeless tale of love, Romeo and Juliet, is performed ‘bare Bard’ style with only 6 actors playing all the roles and trimmed to 90 minutes, you won’t want to miss our Northeast Regional Tour of Shakespeare when it comes home for the summer! Bring your own seating and blanket for this 90-minute performance of Shakespeare’s beloved comedy performed outdoors in the Dell. For more information and tickets, visit: www.shakespeare.org.

2014 WORDFEST

Sponsored by Canyon Ranch, The Amy Clampitt Fund, and the Xeric Foundation.

Touchstones at The Mount with Kate Bolick

Fridays, August 8 – August 29

6 pm (Doors open 5:30)

$18 general; $15 Mount members

Journalist and cultural commentator Kate Bolick will host a series of interview with leading writers.

August 8 – Kate Bolick in conversation with Andre Dubus III, author of six books, including House of Sand and Fog, The Garden of Last Days and his memoir, Townie.

August 15 – Kate Bolick in conversation with Joanna Rakoff, author of the novel The Fortunate Age and the soon-to-be-released memoir My Salinger Year.

August 22 - Kate Bolick in conversation with Scott Stossel, editor of The Atlantic magazine and the author of My Age of Anxiety: Fear, Hope, Dread, and the Search for Peace of Mind and Sarge: The Life and Times of Sargent Shriver

Coming Alive: Storytelling on Stage

Friday, September 5, 7 pm (Doors open at 6)

$18 general; $15 Mount members

In partnership with massmouth, inc., The Mount presents riveting narrative in its oldest, most intimate and revealing form: the human voice.

The Amy Clampitt Memorial Reading with Sharon Olds

Friday, September 12, 7 pm

Free

Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Sharon Olds will read from her selected works. Followed by a book signing, the reading will be free and open to the public.

The Mount is located at 2 Plunkett Street in Lenox, MA. For additional information about The Mount and to purchase tickets for events please visit EdithWharton.org.