The Mount

Williams has announced the appointment of Katy Kline, former director of Bowdoin College Museum of Art (1998-2008), as interim director of the Williams College Museum of Art. She will serve from early August until the permanent director is in place.

During the tenure of Carl Belz as director of the Rose Art Museum I frequently reviewed the exhibitions and interviewed him for Art New England and other publications. During an extended dialogue Belz spoke in depth about presiding over one of the great collections of modern and contemporary art in the New England area.

With the arrival of June, The Mount kicks into its summer season and an exciting array of events including a two-day publishing workshop, weekly ghost tours, daily exhibits, and the opening of the Terrace Café.

The Mount, the historic estate of Edith Wharton, has announced its 2011 summer season. The official opening day is Saturday, May 7. The Mount will be open daily from 10 am to 5 pm through October 31, 2011.

With affordable rent in a rural setting Leslie Ferrin has sustained a successful gallery through a difficult economy. But she is now faced with the decision to sell the space in Pittsfield. She plans to focus more on the major art fairs and working with artists whose careers have really taken off with global opportunities. That is measured against a retail business that is only viable during the busy Berkshire summer season.

Several months ago Williams College Art Museum announced its director, Lisa Corrin, will resign as of June. Today we learned that deputy director, John R. Stomberg, at the museum for the past nine years, is also leaving. As of August he takes over as director of the Mount Holyoke College Museum of Art. Come the fall semester it begs the question of who will be in charge at Williams in a transition that may take at least a year.

This summer, in partnership with the Berkshire Theatre Festival and The Colonial Theatre, The Mount--the historic estate of Edith Wharton--is introducing family friendly outdoor theatre. Nightly performances of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs will run from July 20 through July 30.

The newspaper is called The Eagle and the town names sound like Stockbridge, Pittsfield and Lee. Edith Wharton set her only story about poor people in the Berkshires. That she so well understood their world is one of the miracles of Ethan Frome. At the :Lookingglass Theater in Chicago through April 17.

Under dynamic executive director, Susan Wissler, The Mount, the former estate of author Edith Wharton, has struggled to stabilize the National Historic Landmark. While there has been progress in debt reduction a tipping point is approaching. In May a $1 million principal repayment is due. In this tough economy that's a daunting amount to raise in the next few months. When news of the crisis was reported an anonymous donor stepped forward with a donation of $300,000. Hopefully that will inspire further giving to meet the imminent deadline.

The Mount, the historic estate of Edith Wharton, has announced a call for entries for the 2011 Edith Wharton Writing Competition. High school students in Berkshire County and surrounding areas are invited to participate in the annual contest, which was created by The Mount to honor Wharton’s remarkable achievements.

With three days of programming the arts and the creative community were underplayed in the recent Berkshire Forum. Although the arts are a major employer and drive the economy of the Berkshires just one session was devoted to this essential agenda. The too few seats at the table excluded any representatives from the four major theatre companies, or even Jacob's Pillow. Mass MoCA director Joe Thompson was included in another panel where he commented on the important Wilco Festival this summer.

The founders of the first Berkshire Forum Tina Chase and Mary Collins George intend to move forward with planning next year. Despite a thin attendance for the three days of lectures, panels and performances they report nearly breaking even. A daunting range and depth of information and insights was provided. It evoked expanding and redefining the branding of the Berkshires. A highlight among many was the dialogue with Boston Globe editor Martin Baron.

The season at Edith Wharton's historic home The Mount in Lenox, Mass. remains open with programming through October 31. There are many reasons to visit during the fall foliage season.

While struggling to overcome debt that threatened The Mount with bankruptcy its director, Susan Wissler, is moving forward with programming and development. Recently Edith Wharton's mansion and estate was the site for the first annual Berkshire WordFest at the Mount.

Edith Wharton's Estate & Gardens in Lenox, Massachusetts held its first annual writer's conference: WORDFEST. It was a rich experience by any measure and had surpassed high expectations at the end, on July 25th. Poets, writers and all who came and supported the event mingled easily and shared of themselves. It was a celebration of the written English language then and now.

Tickets go on sale Monday, June 21, for Edith Wharton’s bittersweet coming-of-age story, performed by the Wharton Salon August 18-29 at The Mount. Following last summer’s sold-out run of “Xingu,” The Mount is pleased to welcome the Wharton Salon back this season for Summer, adapted by Dennis Krausnick and directed by the Salon’s founder, Catherine Taylor-Williams. The play, based on the 1917 novella Wharton fondly called her “hot Ethan,” is the story of a young woman who loses herself in the passion of a summer love affair.

The Mount announces the launch of its first annual literary festival, Berkshire WordFest, to be held at Edith Wharton's historic estate in Lenox during the weekend of July 23-25, 2010. The festival will bring nearly twenty nationally acclaimed writers to The Mount for sixteen public events over three days.

The Mount, the stately home of Edith Wharton in Lenox, Mass.. reopens for a season of new programs and audience favorites. Highlights include the launch of The Mount's first annual writers festival, Berkshire WordFest (July 23-25); the return of theatre for the second year running in partnership with Wharton Salon (August 18-29); the seventeenth season of The Mount's popular Biography Series (July 12-August 30); and a new exhibit on adaptations of Wharton's works for stage and screen (opens June 5).

Mandalay is Burma's cultural and economic heart. It teems with royal. colonial and sacred landmarks. Its buildings, rich craft industry and accessible location on Irrawaddy River for trade make it a lively metropolis.

After a period of practising corporate law in New York Susan Wissler arrived at The Mount in 2001. When Stephanie Copeland resigned during the fiscal crisis of 2008 Wissler took over as executive director. Since then debt has been reduced from $8 million to $5.1 million with an annual operating budget of $2 million. The new season that starts on May 1 will entail expanded programming and the First Annual Literary Festival.

In 2008, with $8 million in debt and missed payments, Berkshire Bank initiated foreclosure on Edith Wharton's Lenox estate The Mount. Under executive director, Susan Wissler, that debt has been reduced to $5.1 million with an annual budget of $2 million. The Mount is about to launch a new season with expanded programming. While The Mount is back on track it faces daunting challenges.

On Saturday, March 13, at 4:00 p.m., The Mount will present a special performance of Edith Wharton's Parisian salon, featuring the Cantilena Chamber Choir. The concert is similar to those given by Edith Wharton in her Parisian salon to raise money for the Belgian war relief effort in World War I.

William Shakespeare (1564-1616) wrote 38 plays and 154 sonnets. Starting 15 years ago, Tina Paker has been creating a cycle of five compilations which she calls Women of Will. There will be a preview on February 28. From the end of May through the fall she and Nigel Gore will perform the five parts at Shakespeare & Company. It is an undertaking of epic depth and historic importance.

There were books strewn about in the libarary, ice on the floors and broken shutters when Tina Packer and Shakespeare & Company moved into Edith Wharton's The Mount 32 years ago. There was an increasingly contentious relationship with Edith Wharton Restoration Inc. In 2000 S&Co purchased and moved to its current Lenox campus.

In June, Tina Packer turned over the day to day operation of Shakespeare & Company to the new Artistic Director, Tony Simotes. Recently she discussed 32 years at S&Co. as well as plans this fall to perform at the Publick Theatre in Boston and the Mercury Theatre Company in Great Britain. She will return to S&Co. next season as its Designated Hitter.