New Story & Music CD Giveaway The Tortoise and the Hare
Deadline to enter to win: December 9th, 2009
Maestro Classics sent us their newest release, The Tortoise and the Hare with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the 8th in its award-winning Stories and Music CD series for narrator and symphony orchestra. - I haven’t been this excited about the orchestra since Bill Harley’s Peter and the Wolf performance last spring with the Pioneer Valley Symphony! Maestro Classics really does a lovely job of presenting an educational experience of the symphony orchestra through visual and audio means.
This delightful adaptation of the classic fable is set to an original score by Stephen Simon and performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra. Combining narration of this classic story with the complex patterns of classical music has great benefits on listening skills. This CD gives opportunities for children to expand their listening horizons by honing their listening skills, accumulating musical memories and encouraging families to listen together. Included are six supplemental tracks, including information about the tale, how the music is composed, and a Dixieland rendition of the Pretzel Vendor of Paris and concludes with a family sing-along.
Also included is a 24-page educational activity booklet that is a great educational supplement to the CD. The accompanying booklet includes an illustration of the instruments of an orchestra (pictured below), visual illustrations that explain notes and fraction, and time signatures. And the musical score and lyrics to the Pretzel Vendor of Paris are included, along with games and puzzles.
A great 24-page supplementary activity booklet included with CD!
Other titles from the Maestro Classics Stories and Music CD Collection definitely worth checking out include:
We have two copies of Maestro Classics newest release ,The Tortoise and the Hare, to give away to two lucky families! Entering to win is as easy as 1-2-3 (4)! To enter simply:
POST A COMMENT BELOW (one entry per household) and be sure to tell us your
FULL NAME and where you
LIVE (TOWN/STATE) You must include your town and state to be eligible.
ACCURATE EMAIL (we never share your email address).
We’ll randomly draw a winner and will share the results below.
IT’S THAT SIMPLE! — Deadline is Wednesday, 12/09/09 @ 7pm (EST).
Members of the Hilltown Artisans Guild Will Host
A Holiday Show in Worthington, MA
On Saturday & Sunday, December 5th & 6th, the Hilltown Artisans Guild will have their Holiday Show from 10am to 4pm in Worthington, MA at the Town Hall (Rt. 112 Worthington). Bring the family to meet local artisans while supporting local economy! Offering hundreds of handsome handmade items appropriate for gift giving created by the area’s finest artists and craftspeople. Refreshments served. For more info call 413-238-4418 (days of the show: 413-238-0173).
ABOUT THE GUILD
The Hilltown Artisans Guild is a network of diverse professional craftspeople and artists who reside in the hilltowns of western Massachusetts. Members benefit from shared market strategy and opportunities to exhibit and sell their work. Annual events include a juried summer show and a holiday celebration with demonstrations, entertainment and sale of handcrafted items appropriate for gift-giving.
To see a list of members of the guild and links to their web sites, go to www.hilltownarts.com.
Conway Village Holiday Arts Walk and Open Studio Tour
Sunday After Thanksgiving from Noon-7pm
Here is a perfect opportunity to gather the family for an arts tour of hilltown artists and artisans living in Conway, MA, while supporting local economy!
Conway artists and galleries will open their studios for a holiday celebration and sale. Additional artists will be located at the Town Hall along with children’s activities. Tour maps will be available the day of the event at The Conwaynian Artist Gallery, Town Hall and the Conway Historical Society. Lighting of the town Christmas Tree at 6pm. Read the rest of this entry »
The Williamsburg Schools have Four Fridays in January coming up and need a teacher/artist to volunteer their time. Four Fridays is a fundraiser for Arts Adventure Day. We have two visual artists so far. We need two more artists, especially in the performing arts! The gig is three Fridays in January and one in February, 3pm- 4:30. Any leads, please let me know-soon!
Four Fridays is a series of after-school, creative workshops available to Williamsburg school children. Teachers, parents and community members offer workshops in the creative arts. Examples of past workshops include dance, expressive yoga, digital photography & video production, theater, knitting and recycled crafts. Proceeds received from this program are the main source of funding for the hugely successful “Arts Adventure Day” that typically takes place in March. The Williamsburg Cultural Arts Committee is proud to be able to provide financial support to the artists who contribute their substantial, varied and culturally diverse talents to Arts Adventure Day.
The Williamsburg CAC is currently in need of new members to continue. Their meetings are very casual and productive. Please contact Tom Adams at tomadams@gmail.com if interested in joining the Williamsburg CAC.
The Worthington Cultural Council (WCC) invites you to a meeting on Nov. 11, 7pm to discuss the formation of a comprehensive Hilltown arts alliance. Worthington Historical Society building (looks like a church), corner of 143 and 112.
Explanation: the WCC members began a process that we hope will ultimately result in a coalition of HIlltown artists…we sent out a questionnaire and received 30 replies…
Our current goal is to create a website that will contain a calendar of events, classes, concerts, shows, etc. We plan an “artist of the month”, list classes, open studios, venues available for performances, shows, lectures, and readings. We are in the beginning stage and would appreciate input from you about content and local artists’ needs. We believe that such a website could bring more people to Hilltown events and more revenue to the local, often underserved Hilltown artists working in all disciplines.
We are looking for people from all Hilltowns who would like to be involved in the planning and implementation of this project. We hope you will be among them. Your input and participation is important to us.
If you would like to participate, please let us know. If you want to bring a friend who is interested in the arts, please do.
Thank you ,
Jan Roby, 238-5593
Mary Pulley, 238-7747
Kate Ewald, 238-5556
If you are interested in this event, please reply to the contact people above; they need to ensure they’ll be enough folks attending in order to have it at the Worthington Historical Society building. (They will have it at someone’s house if there is only a small group).
HOW TO MAKE MEXICAN SUGAR SKULLS
A Culinary Folk Art for Day of the Dead
By Sienna Wildfield
In the studio with Hilltown Families Guest Artist Marie Westburg of ArtStar in Williamsburg, MA making Mexican Sugar Skulls for Day of the Dead. (Photo credit: Sienna Wildfield)
What better avenue for children to explore and discover different cultures than FOOD?! Right? … We all eat. And whether it’s a yearly birthday cake, fish on Friday, pancakes on Sunday, or a couple of loaves of challah on a Friday night, most of us routinely and joyfully participate in different food traditions. The culinary experience of exploring food customs from around the world can bring families an integrated course of study on cultural traditions and arts.
This time of year in Central and Southern Mexico, in preparation for the Mexican holiday El Diá de los Muertos (Day of the Dead), mounds of Sugar Skulls are sold in open air markets. The Day of the Dead is on November 2nd and we’ve explored this Mexican holiday in a previous post: El Diá de los Muertos (Video & Resources). Making Mexican Sugar Skulls with your kids is a creative hands-on project that can aid in the exploration of this traditional Mexican Folk Art while affording an opportunity to discuss and participate in one of the various customs of this Mexican celebration.
Hilltown Families Guest Artist Marie Westburg of ArtStar, an art enrichment studio in Williamsburg, MA, recently invited us over to make this sweet Mexican culinary folk art. In her cozy studio our girls got together and crafted skulls out of sugar and meringue powder and decorated them with bags of colorful icings, beads and sequins. It’s a fun project to make with a group of friends, but give yourself enough time. The skulls take 12-24 hours to harden before they can be decorated. To follow is a DIY for this fun seasonal activity: Read the rest of this entry »
Nearly every day I add recommended links to the Hilltown Families bank of on-line resources. Some of you might find these links well suited for your family, others, maybe not so much. But it’s a fun and useful list worth perusing! If you have a link you’d like to share, post it in our comment box.
Where are these links? You won’t find them on your blog reader nor via email if you subscribe to our newsfeed. But if you visit the blog on-line and scroll half way down, on the left you will find the column, “Links We Recommend,” with a list of our most recent recommended links. If you haven’t been visiting the site regularly to peruse these great resources, not to worry – below is the last 100 links we’ve posted in the past two months: (you will need to use the “back” button to return to this page).
Archived Lists of 100 Links: If you’d like to peruse our List of 100 Links from months past, click HERE and then scroll up or down.
Chesterfield Cultural Council Seeks Funding Proposals
Proposals for community-oriented arts, humanities, and science projects due October 15th.
The Massachusetts Cultural Council has set October 15th, 2009 as the deadline for organizations, schools and individuals to apply for grants that support cultural activities in the community. The Chesterfield Cultural Council in Chesterfield, MA is encouraging area groups to take advantage of this opportunity.
According to Council spokesperson Leslie Charles, these grants can support a variety of artistic projects and activities in Chesterfield — including exhibits, festivals, short-term artist residencies or performances in schools, workshops and lectures.
The Chesterfield Cultural Council will also entertain funding proposals from schools and youth groups through the PASS Program, a ticket subsidy program for school-aged children.
Nearly every day I add recommended links to the Hilltown Families bank of on-line resources. Some of you might find these links well suited for your family, others, maybe not so much. But it’s a fun and useful list worth perusing! If you have a link you’d like to share, post it in our comment box.
Where are these links? You won’t find them on your blog reader nor via email if you subscribe to our newsfeed. But if you visit the blog on-line and scroll half way down, on the left you will find the column, “Links We Recommend,” with a list of our most recent recommended links. If you haven’t been visiting the site regularly to peruse these great resources, not to worry – below is the last 100 links we’ve posted in the past two months: (you will need to use the “back” button to return to this page).
Archived Lists of 100 Links: If you’d like to peruse our List of 100 Links from months past, click HERE and then scroll up or down.
The Eric Carle Museum in Amherst, MA invites friends, families, and schools throughout the country and abroad to create their own butterflies to flutter in the Museum. Celebrate the caterpillar, who for 40 years has crept into the hearts of millions of readers through his journey of hope from “a tiny and very hungry caterpillar” to a “beautiful butterfly.”
How it works:
Create your butterfly out of 8 ½ x 11 card stock
Design your butterfly using color, shape, and/or messages of hope
Mail to The Carle: Batches of Butterflies, The Eric Carle Museum, 125 West Bay Road, Amherst, MA 01002
All butterflies received by March 15, 2009 will flutter throughout our Great Hall from March 20 to May 31, 2009.
Making a Family Museum Visit Fun …
By Marilyn Anderson and Patricia Sullivan
More Art, Please!
Museums are places of wonderment, exploration, learning, and fun for the entire family. Just ask Jean L. Sousa, associate director of museum education, The Art Institute of Chicago. “Don’t be intimidated or worry that your children will cry or misbehave at the museum…and don’t worry that you need a degree in art history,” she said. “If the museum offers family programs, these are non-issues.” Sousa said that parent workshops at museums build on issues in child development and learning theory to make family visits more comfortable.
Today, many museums are interactive learning centers that give families an opportunity to explore, learn, create their own art, and, yes, even touch some exhibits. With all of this variety and activity, how can parents ensure that their children won’t become overwhelmed, tired, or too distracted to enjoy the experience? The key is in the planning.
A Look at Art Museums
“It’s important for children to distinguish between beautiful, masterfully rendered art and mass-produced art or what you see on television,” Sousa said.
For children’s first art museum experiences, she recommends that parents keep the visit simple. “See three pictures and then have lunch,” she said. Be flexible. When the children start becoming restless, do something else.
Dr. Seuss Sculpture Garden at Springfield Museums. (Photo credit: Sienna Wildfield)
Following are suggestions from Sousa and The Art Institute of Chicago on how to cultivate your children’s curiosity through art.
Look for recognizable things.
Simply identifying things in a painting can be fun for families with young children. Parents can ask their children how many people and animals they see, how many fruits are in a still life, what kind of activity is taking place, and what colors and shapes they see.
Find visual clues that uncover meaning.
Ask older children to describe what they see and help them determine the meanings the artist intended. For instance, ask your children to determine the time of day, season, or which person is oldest in a painting. Then ask them to explain how they came to their conclusions.
Imagine the work of art coming to life.
Let children’s active imaginations run wild by asking them to make up a story for a picture. “In some ways not knowing much is an advantage,” Sousa said.
Modern art offers plenty of room for interpretation, too.
Parents can ask, what just happened? What’s going on now? What will happen next? What sounds or smells do you imagine while looking at the painting?
Listen and respond to each other.
Sharing time with your children at a museum also means communicating well. Be sure to ask your children why they feel a certain way or made certain comments about a piece of art.
Eric Carle Museum in Amherst, MA.
How to prepare for a museum visit
“A child is going to get out of an experience what the adult is willing to put in,” said Nancy Kolb, president and chief executive officer of Please Touch Museum in Philadelphia. “The parent has to be patient.”
Before the visit
Get the information. Explore the museum’s website to learn about the permanent and special exhibits, hours of operation, accessibility, admission fees and discounts, and family programs. Request a brochure or activity sheet that is used for school groups. (More than half of museums are free to the public. Of those that charge fees, nearly 60 percent have free days.)
Ask your children what they’re interested in and what they’re studying in school. Then try to build upon their responses.
If you have a book at home that’s related to one of the exhibits you plan to see, sit down and leaf through the book with your children. It will help build their excitement.
Consider becoming a member if you plan to visit several times during the year. Museum memberships often provide discounts for the museum store, food vendor, and special museum programs. (The median museum admission for a family of four is $15. The median membership fee for families is $25.)
Determine how long you will spend at the museum. Ninety minutes to two hours should be enough
At the museum
Find the information desk and ask, “What do you recommend for families?”
Help children figure out how things work, but don’t do it for them. Use open-ended questions and try to get to the how and the why of things. For example, while at a dinosaur exhibit, ask, “How do you think they ate? Where did something that big sleep?”
Keep the visit simple and don’t try to see everything. Take a break.
After the visit
Ask your children what they liked or didn’t like, and why. Ask what they enjoyed the most.
Have them share their experiences with friends and relatives.
Help your children find the answers to their unsolved questions.
Talk about items in your home and have them relate what they learned to everyday objects.
The Northampton Arts Council is excited to present the third annual YouthFilm in 2009! Due to the great success of the 2007 and 2008 events, we will continue to produce Northampton’s only film festival to feature the works of local children and teenagers. The third YouthFilm showcase will be held in February 2009, so start planning and creating your films!
The Northampton Arts Council is now accepting submissions. The deadline for applications and films is Friday, November 28, 2008. Filmmakers will be notified of the YouthFilm 2009 decisions the by the end of December.
All genres and styles of films in DVD format are welcome. Films should be no longer than 30 minutes. We are very excited to continue this wonderful opportunity to give our youth a voice in the arts community. Please contact The Northampton Arts Council with any questions and for an application form.
Whole Children seeking contributions of original works of art for THE ART OF GIVING fundraiser
Whole Children is doing a fundraiser in November where they’re getting 100 artists to donate a painting, photo, print, etc. and are selling as many tickets as they have art.
They are seeking contributions of original works of art for their first annual THE ART OF GIVING fundraiser on November 15, 2008 at 7:00 PM at Northampton Center for the Arts. This event will include the works of artists such as Eric Carle, Olwen Dowling, Amy Ernst, Hillary Price, Betsey Garand, and Jeannie Birdsall and will support the work of Whole Children, Inc. Read the rest of this entry »
All contestants will be honored and prizes will be awarded at the Be Kind to Animals Week Reading and Art Show Celebration on Saturday, May 10 at 3:00 pm at The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art. Entries will be on display at the Eric Carle Museum on May 5-10, 2008.
By the time my daughter asked me this question, she was four and I had been preparing for a couple of years by collecting Russian nesting dolls. I had been picking them up at tag sales and white elephant sales and they’ve become one of my favorite tools for addressing this simple yet complex question. I start with the big doll, her Great Great Grandmother, open her up and pull out her Great Grandmother, open her up and pull out her Grandmother, open her up and pull out her mother, open her up and pull out, well, her. It has proven to be an effective illustration.
“The name [Matryoshka] wasn’t chosen by accident… Matryona (lovingly Matryosha, Matryoshenka) was a very popular and common Russian name for a woman. Also, the word was derived from the Latin “mater” (mother) which was perfectly suited for the toy. “* The first time I demonstrated the concept of maternal lineage to my daughter she stared at the dolls, the little gears turning inside her head… “How did I get in there?” I then did it backwards, replacing the dolls, working back in lineage: this is you, you came from me, I came from Gram, and so on. It was the backwards method that got her engine going and put the concept of lineage into form, and gave me some more time to figure out how to answer THAT question.
UPCOMING WORKSHOP
MATRYOSHKA MADNESS: Discovering World Cultures in the Hilltowns
Not only can this traditional Russian icon be used to educate your kids about fertility and motherhood, it can also be used to teach them about world culture and customs too. As with our Sand Mandala Workshop that offers explorations of Tibetan culture, Hilltown Families and CAM will be offering a workshop for families to discover Russian culture through the traditional Russian Folk Art of painted Matryoshka Dolls: Matryoshka Madness.
On Sunday, February 10th from 10am-12:30pm, families are welcome to come spend the morning making a family heirloom by painting your own Matryoshka Doll. Stories about the Matryoshka Doll will be read and kids can discover Russian tradition and customs while learning about this traditional Russian Folk Art at the Children’s Art Museum in Shelburne Falls, MA. All ages are welcome. Pre-registration is required by JANUARY 20TH, 2008 ($). Click here to reserve your spot, or call 413.625.2030.
MATRYOSHKA’S BIRTHDAY
Russia Today did a short piece during Moscow’s International Craft Fair on the Matryoshka Doll that takes a look at the dolls history and origin:
Last week Rob Taft made allegations that Nan Parati was loose with her change.
Rob Taft said that he was “used to dealing with change.”
Well Rob Taft has seen a change all right: Rob Taft went from being a healthy, up-right walking man to a weakling, stricken with the flu. Rob Taft lies around in bed all day and people have to bring him soup. What kind of leader lies in bed all day? A weak leader, that’s what kind.
(Female Cheerful voice):
Nan Parati has had to work all of Rob’s shifts for him for the last two days and no one sees that trend changing! She’ll probably have to work all his shifts for him all the way through February 5th, which incidentally, is voting day!
Vote for Nan Parati for President of the United States! Because, as Rob Taft found out, some change isn’t good!
I’m Nan Parati and I approve this message.
VALENTINE’S DAY
Hey guess what! For Valentine’s Day we’re going to have a special Thursday night dinner on February 14th! (We’ll also have our regularly scheduled dinner on Friday, February 15th, but without the added love.) Our Valentine’s Day Dinner will be Reservation Only. Call us at (413) 628-4003 to make your reservations.
The Kennedy Center has a fantastic web site for teaching art called ArtsEdge. Discover an abundance of arts-integrated resources that both teachers and homeschooling parents with kids of all ages will appreciate. Resources include featured lessons, how-to highlights, national standards for arts education and a fantastic list of recommended links. Check it out at ArtsEdge: Teach.
Berkshire Museum to Present Public Programs at Lichtenstein Center, the YMCA, and the Berkshire Community College While Closed for Renovations in January & February
The Berkshire Museum will be closed for construction from January 1 through March 28, 2008. During this time Phase II of the renovation project, which includes the long-awaited installation of a climate control (HVAC) system, will be completed. During the construction period, the Berkshire Museum will present several public programs at other locations in Pittsfield, including an exhibition devoted to the Mohican people at the Lichtenstein Center for the Arts.
Over at Kids Craft Weekly Hilltown Families (that’s us!) is featured in their Holiday Favourites Issue. Editor Amber Caravan has selected our DIY: Christmas Spider Holiday Cards project which includes a video of Persephone (age 5) demonstrating how to draw a Christmas Spider – and we’re thrilled! And we’re in good company too. Other featured projects for this issue include Gwyn from My Kids Art’sPaper Plate Holiday Decoration, Meg McElwee from Montessori by Hand’sHoliday Accordion Cut-Out, and Jessica Wilson from scrumdilly-do!’sPaper Sack Holiday Cards. All fun projects to do with the kids this holiday season, and great web sites worth checking out if you’re looking for some inspiration.
If you like doing craft projects with your kids, definitely check out Kids Craft Weekly. Amber Caravan, a mother of two who lives in Australia, is the heart and soul behind KCW. She does an excellent job of putting together ideas and projects for inspiring both parents and young artists to create. Each project is illustrated in a pictorial “How to” style with a list of supplies and directions. She writes:
Each issue of Kids Craft Weekly outlines a selection of activities for young kids. The ideas are intended to be cheap, educational and fun and can be used as suggested, or simply as a starting point from which you can develop your own plan of attack. Every issue draws inspiration from a particular theme because I’ve found that my kids seem to love the focus and sense of continuity that it provides. Also, from a learning perspective it reinforces key ideas and helps little minds to put two and two together.
The Holiday Favourites newsletter is Issue 46. Click here to see all her archived issues.
Hartsbrook School Art Exhibit – Opening Receiption
Hartsbrook Waldorf School will have an art exhibit in Northampton, MA, at the New Gallery at Cooley Dickinson Hosptial, exploring the connection between art and academics.
An exhibit of fine arts from students in the elementary grades through high school will feature oil and watercolor paintings, stipple and fine line drawings, pastels, wood and linoleum cut prints. The show will be up from September 1st through the 30th.
A discussion on the importance of art in academics led by a faculty member of the Hartsbrook School will be conducted during the opening reception from 4:30pm-6:30pm on September 6th, followed by a Q & A. Read the rest of this entry »
[Pittsfield, 06/22/07] – On a slightly rainy Thursday evening on North Street, when shops are usually closed, the sidewalks are usually empty and the traffic is light, there was music in the air, dancing and dining on the sidewalks, and smiling faces everywhere.
“It’s so nice to see North Street alive again,” one woman was heard saying to her friend.
It was a sentiment that seemed to be common among the people walking up and down the street and the shopkeepers who remained open late to take part in the city’s inaugural Third Thursday. There are four more Third Thursdays, scheduled every month through October.
My 4yo daughter and I have watched this video a couple dozen times. She is fascinated by it. I love it. The first time she saw it she asked, “Mommy, are they angels?”
The video is truly other-worldly. Cello music by Bach plays while portraits of women painted over the past 500 years by many great painters are morphed from one into the other:
The Nields will be performing a special, private kids show in Northampton on June 10th. The performance is by invitation only. Now I know some of you are thinking, “How can I get on THAT guest list?” It’s easy. All it requires is a little creativity by your kids and a donation to Safe Passage. Read the rest of this entry »
Eat Your Art Out in Northampton
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Hey hilltown families – have plans to have dinner in the “city” Thursday evening? Take your family and have a great meal at one of your favorite restaurants and, at the same time, help support the arts in Northampton. And it just so happens that Take your Daughter/Son to Work Day is on the same day. If you work in Noho, have lunch together too for a double duty lesson on civic support along side the balancing act of work and family.
This past Saturday morning at The Children’s Art Museum (CAM) in Shelburne Falls, my family joined several hilltown families to decorate eggs in celebration of Spring & Easter. CAM offered several ways to create and decorate, creating a festive and rich atmosphere to explore art with my daughter.
One method we were shown was batik egg art, using wax to draw patterns and words, then dipping into colors for a reverse affect. On wooden eggs we used stickers to decorate, an easier project for the very young kids. But my favorite was placing strips of colored tissue paper around an egg, creating a blended collage look.
Western Mass elementary schools honor national Read Across America Day with Dr. Seuss
Gateway elementary schools held another successful “Seussabration”, to honor national Read Across America Day on March 7th. This is the 10th year that Gateway has participated in this event, which typically involves students, staff, parents and high school volunteers.
In our area there are two great place to get a closer look at the work of Dr. Seuss. The National Dr. Seuss Memorial in Springfield, MA, and the R. Michelson Galleries in Northampton, MA. The R. Michelson Galleries exhibits many of Dr. Seuss’s original draws and limited editions. Both places offer an educational experience for children.
We’ve all met them, and, silently, some of us are them … modern day treasure hunters who find all sorts of unique loot at flea markets, transfer stations and curbside on trash day. Donald Knaack, affectionately known as The Junkman, has made an art form out of this pastime, and has been able to contribute amazing music while promoting eco-friendly habits by creating Junk Music.
On Friday night, as part of the free opening events for the Beyond Green: Toward a Sustainable Art exhibit at Smith College Museum of Art in Northampton, MA, one of the goals of this exhibit is to help transform the ways we make use of things in everyday life. The Junkman showed how recycled items can be used to make “music people want to hear performed on objects they don’t want.”
With clear winter skies and no snow in sight, you couldn’t have asked for a better day to explore all the family activities happening on Sunday afternoon for Northampton (Noho) First Night. The day’s program of activities was filled with nearly 40 venues of entertainment, including dance, theater and music at 18 different performance halls, churches and public spaces in Northampton. Well worth the trip down from the hills with something for everyone, especially families!
At twelve noon the festivities kicked off at the Northampton Center for the Arts with a Caribbean Street Carnival, presented by the Enchanted Circle Theater (ECT). ECT has been infusing arts and education for 30 year! At Noho First Night they put on a spirited performance of music, dance and storytelling. Read the rest of this entry »
Farming in the Hills
A photo exhibit by Cynthia Poirier
A reception for a photographic exhibition by Cynthia Poirier was held at the Cummington Community House on Saturday evening. Children ran around and played while parents and community members gathered to discuss the larger issues and challenges of farming in the hilltowns.
Poirier did a terrific job of presenting images of local farming families with short bio’s of their experiences and history of being a farmer. Her works depict hilltown agriculture as a dynamic and vital way of life. The Thayer Sheep Farm, Crabapple CSA Farm, Waryjasz Potato Farm and the Joyner Dairy Farm were a few of the farms to chronicled in this exhibit.
Welcome to Hilltown Families, a grassroots communication network for families living in Western Mass, established in 2005 by hilltown mother and long time activist Sienna Wildfield.
"Hilltown Families keeps us connected with all the amazing educational and cultural activities and resources that abound here in W. Mass and curates them in a way to let us know just what’s out there for the many varied interests of our young families and communities,while creating networks of support and growth." - Kara Kitchen (Plainfield, MA)
The Hilltown Family Variety Show (HFVS) airs Saturday mornings on Valley Free Radio, 103.3FM WXOJ, Northampton, MA from 9-10am with encores on Sunday from 7-8am. Playlist and podcasts are posted immediately following broadcast. Listen to our archived shows at any time: HFVS Archived Shows.
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disclaimer
Information provided on Hilltown Families (HF) is for informational and entertainment purposes only. Reasonable efforts are made to provide the most accurate information, but no guarantees of any kind can be made. Information can be changed without prior notice. Please check with 3rd parties to confirm all listings for date/time, cost, location and age appropriateness before attending. Opinions expressed on HF are that of the writer and not necessarily that of HF. In no event shall HF be liable (directly or indirectly) for any losses or damages causes (or allegedly caused) in connection with HF. All health and wellness related information is for entertainment purposes only and should not be used to substitute for professional medical advice or diagnosis. All provided links are provided as a courtesy and not as an endorsement.
The exhibit will be on display at the Forbes Library in Northampton for the month of February 2013, and at the City Hall Gallery in Easthampton from Sept 13-Dec 11, 2013. - We're currently booking shows for the Spring/Summer of 2013 and for 2014. Each exhibit is a unique showcase of images that correspond with the season and venue. Contact us to inquire about hosting this fundraising exhibit for Hilltown Families in your town/venue.
On Saturday & Sunday, December 5th & 6th, the Hilltown Artisans Guild will have their Holiday Show from 10am to 4pm in Worthington, MA at the Town Hall (Rt. 112 Worthington). Bring the family to meet local artisans while supporting local economy! Offering hundreds of handsome handmade items appropriate for gift giving created by the area’s finest artists and craftspeople. Refreshments served. For more info call 413-238-4418 (days of the show: 413-238-0173).
Four Fridays is a series of after-school, creative workshops available to Williamsburg school children. Teachers, parents and community members offer workshops in the creative arts. Examples of past workshops include dance, expressive yoga, digital photography & video production, theater, knitting and recycled crafts. Proceeds received from this program are the main source of funding for the hugely successful “
The Massachusetts Cultural Council has set October 15th, 2009 as the deadline for organizations, schools and individuals to apply for grants that support cultural activities in the community. The Chesterfield Cultural Council in Chesterfield, MA is encouraging area groups to take advantage of this opportunity.
MATRYOSHKA MADNESS: Discovering World Cultures in the Hilltowns
The Kennedy Center has a fantastic web site for teaching art called ArtsEdge. Discover an abundance of arts-integrated resources that both teachers and homeschooling parents with kids of all ages will appreciate. Resources include featured lessons, how-to highlights, national standards for arts education and a fantastic list of recommended links. Check it out at 
Over at 
Berkshire Eagle writes:
Hey hilltown families – have plans to have dinner in the “city” Thursday evening? Take your family and have a great meal at one of your favorite restaurants and, at the same time, help support the arts in Northampton. And it just so happens that 
A reception for a photographic exhibition by Cynthia Poirier was held at the Cummington Community House on Saturday evening. Children ran around and played while parents and community members gathered to discuss the larger issues and challenges of farming in the hilltowns.
