Art & Garden Trips

AUTUMN IN THE BERKSHIRES                       Wednesday, October 15

   …featuring scenic spots along the Mohawk Trail & MassMoCA

In mid-October, the beauty of the Berkshire Hills beckons once again, as we travel northward on one of the most scenic beauty spots of the world, the Mohawk trail. We’ll drive over the same road that the Mohawk Indians traveled westward in the olden days, today a state road which was completed but a short time ago (1914), but which is still unsurpassed for natural beauty.  Meandering along the Deerfield River, far below like a tiny silver line, the curving road travels on and on through sections cut from solid rock which seem to be at the edge of virgin forests. This fall we’ll follow the trail which once traveled always leaves fond memories - and which will ever be a treat in store for those who have yet to enjoy the beauties of this remarkable road. An included breakfast at a sugar house, a look at a unique civic beautification project, autumn color, and other surprises await on this scenic tour of the Berkshires at the height of fall foliage splendor.

 

Contemporary ideas of exploration, population of the wilderness, land usage, environmental politics and the relativity of aesthetic beauty are the focus of Badlands: New Horizons in Landscape, a special exhibition at the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art, our ultimate destination. The exhibition focuses on the artistic legacy of landscape, with works which look beyond vast beauty to address current environmental issues. A guided tour at this remarkable museum will include the special exhibition and other parts of the collection.  Barrington departure will be at 6:45 AM, followed by a Providence pickup at 7:10; return will be approximately 6:30 PM.

FEE: $72. Includes admission and docent-led tour at MassMoCA, sugar house breakfast, BCS escort, motorcoach transportation and driver tip.

Co-sponsored by BCS and Barrington Garden Club

 

PAYING A CALL on the BELLE of AMHERST            Friday, October 24

Explore the world of Emily Dickinson as we uncover the roots of her enduring legacy as one of America’s pre-eminent poets. A guided tour of the Emily Dickinson Museum, composed of the Dickinson Homestead and The Evergreens in Amherst, tells the story of a strikingly original writer and the world in which she lived. Her quiet life at the Homestead, where she was born in 1830, was infused with a creative energy that produced almost 1800 poems and a succession of vibrant letters. Next door, the fashionable Italianate house in which her brother and sister-in-law lived became a center of social cultural life in 19th-century Amherst. During her early years, she was lively, witty and sociable, but from her mid-20s, she gradually withdrew into an inner world, eventually, in her 40s, refusing to leave her home and avoiding all contact with strangers. While the tour will reveal her to a good degree, we will have the benefit of further illumination and interpretation through the eyes of Dr. Richard Tyre, who will lecture on Dickinson and her work en route to Amherst. After lunch in Amherst, (included) we will visit the Dickinson family grave before setting out for home with a new appreciation of just how brilliant or eccentric she really was.

 

Please note: although intended as a field trip to complement the 4-session course on Dickinson (see page 8 ) the trip is open to all interested individuals. Barrington departure at 7:45 AM will be followed by a Providence pickup at 8:05; return approximately 5:30PM.

FEE: $ 80. Includes admission to both houses, lecture, lunch, BCS escort, motorcoach transportation and driver tip.

                                                

Also available: Course and field trip @ $95.

 

ART and EMPIRE:  TREASURES FROM ASSYRIA

in the BRITISH MUSEUM                                             Wednesday, November 5

This encore trip to Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts features timed-entry tickets to this fall’s spectacular exhibition which focuses on the rich heritage of the Assyrian empire. From the ninth to the seventh centuries BC, the Assyrians emerged as the dominant power in the Near East, controlling all of present-day Iraq, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Israel, and Egypt, as well as large parts of Turkey and Iran. It was the largest empire known until that time. In their homeland in northern Iraq, in the area of Mosul, the kings built splendid palaces, their gates flanked by colossal human-headed bulls and lions, their walls lined with great stone slabs intricately carved in relief with scenes memorializing the king’s exploits in warfare and in hunting, palace life, and court rituals.

 

After the fall of Assyria, the kings’ palaces were deserted and covered with sand, their names and those of the kings who built them remembered only in the Bible and by Greek historians. In the 1840s and 1850s, French and British explorers dug up the mounds covering these palaces, revealing the glory of ancient Assyria and the fabled cities of Nimrud and Nineveh. British archaeologist Austen Henry Layard excavated literally miles of reliefs and sent the most interesting to the British Museum. After the Second World War, excavations were carried out and the finds were divided between England and Iraq; as a result, the British Museum today holds the largest collection of Assyrian art outside of Iraq itself.

 

“Art and Empire: Treasures from Assyria in the British Museum” includes the most powerful and moving of these reliefs. Military dress and equipment and horse trappings and harnesses illustrate life in the army. Carved ivories, furniture fittings, and metal vessels showcase the luxurious, cosmopolitan lifestyle enjoyed by the king and his court. An array of three-dimensional objects—figures of deities, clay tablets, clay seals and sealings—address the administration of the empire, trade, legal and social issues, and interrelationships between religion, magic, and medicine. Exorcisms, omen texts, mathematical texts, and literary compositions from the royal library (where the king sought to gather together all the world’s learning in one place) enshrine the wisdom of ancient Mesopotamia, the cradle of western civilization.

 

Also on view at the time of our visit will be the portrait photography of Yousuf Karsh in Karsh 100: A Biography in Images, Zen Mind/Zen Brush, and Rachel Whiteread. Participants will have the opportunity to view woks in the permanent collection, visit the shop and have lunch at one of the museum’s restaurants. Barrington departure will be at 8:15, followed by a Providence pickup at 8:35; return will be approximately 5:00 PM. For those interested in exploring this subject in more depth,  two lectures on the rich legacy of Assyria will be presented by Dr. Richard Tyre on October 29 and November 12 at St. John’s Church, 191 County Road, Barrington, from 10:00AM-Noon. (See Fine Arts section, page 5 for details).

 

FEES: Trip only: $58. Includes museum admission and timed-entry ticket at 10:30 AM to Art & Empire, brief lecture en route to the museum, BCS escort, motorcoach transportation and driver tip. Note: Museum members may deduct $20 from the trip fee, but must take responsibility for ordering their own tickets for the exhibition.

Also available: Trip and both lectures on October 29 and November 12 (see page 5) @ $75.

 

RE-VISITING MoMA                                                              Wednesday, December 10

Museum of Modern Art, New York

The rich and varied collection of The Museum of Modern Art constitutes one of the most comprehensive and panoramic views into modern art. From an initial gift of eight prints and one drawing, MoMA’s collection has grown to include over 150,000 paintings, sculptures, drawings, prints, photographs, architectural models and drawings, and design objects. True to its mission to maintain an active schedule of exhibitions addressing a wide range of subject matter, mediums, and time periods, MoMA is presenting two exciting special exhibitions which we will view this winter.  Van Gogh and the Colors of Night, presents new insight into his depictions of night landscapes, interior scenes, and the effects of gaslight and natural light on their surroundings. Representing all periods of the artist’s career, the exhibition focuses on over two dozen works of superlative quality, including the iconic The Starry Night, and several which have never been seen together, although they were clearly conceived with each other in mind.

 

Joan Miró: Painting and Anti-Painting 1927-1937 begins with the remarkable series of works on unprimed canvas singled out as collage avant la lettre, and concludes with Miró’s return to realism in Still Life with Old Shoe. Acidic color, grotesque disfigurement, purposeful stylistic heterogeneity, and the use of resistant, readymade materials are among the key “tactics of aggression” explored in the exhibition. By assembling in unparalleled depth the interrelated and oppositional series of paintings, collages, objects, and drawings of this decade, this tightly focused examination reveals underappreciated aspects of an artist.

 

Participants will have the opportunity to visit the vast permanent galleries in the museum’s recently enlarged exhibition space; not to be missed are such superb works of art as Cezanne’s landscapes and still life paintings including Still Life with Fruit Dish; Seurat’s Evening, Honfleur; Rousseau’s The Sleeping Gypsy and The Dream; Rodin’s Monument to Balzac; Munch’s The Storm;  Hope II by Klimt; Les Demoiselles d’Avignon, one of the most important paintings to be created by Picasso, Chagall’s iconic I and the Village,  and countless other masterpieces of modern art. Time to visit the superb shop and dine in one of the museum restaurants will complete a full day at one of NY’s most important cultural attractions. We will spend the entire day at the museum, but participants who wish may leave the museum to pursue other interests. Barrington departure will be at 7:00, followed by a Warwick pickup at 7:25; return will be approximately 8:00 PM. For those interested in exploring the van Gogh and Miro exhibition material in more depth,   three pre-trip lectures will be presented by Dr. Richard Tyre on  November 19, December 3 and December 17 at St. John’s Church, 191 County Road, Barrington, from 10:00AM-Noon. (See Fine Arts section, page  for details).

FEES:

Trip only: $85 . Includes museum admission, lecture en route to the museum, BCS escort, motorcoach transportation and driver tip.

Also available: Trip and 3 classroom sessions (see page 6) @ $120.

 

Alexander Calder – Two Views                    Thursday, January 15

Whitney Museum of American Art

& Metropolitan Museum of Art

American-born artist Alexander Calder (1898-1976), one of the most beloved, important and critically-acclaimed artists of the twentieth century, is celebrated for his mobiles, stabiles, paintings and objets d’art. This winter, two of New York’s most important museums will focus on his work in uniquely different ways. Our first stop will be the Metropolitan Museum, which will present a landmark exhibition, the first to be dedicated solely to his extensive output of inventive jewelry. During his lifetime, Calder produced approximately 1,800 pieces of silver, brass and gold body ornaments, often embellished with found objects, such as beach glass, ceramic shards and wood. Calder Jewelry will feature nearly 100 works – bracelets, necklaces, earrings, brooches and tiaras - many of which were made as personal gifts for the artist’s family and friends. We’ll spend the morning at the Met, where you will have the opportunity to visit other exhibitions on view at the time of our visit, such as:

•  Art and Love in Renaissance Italy, with paintings, jewelry, majolica and glassware for brides, and works of art on paper, created to glorify love and marriage in the Italian Renaissance.

•  Royal Porcelain from the Twinight Collection, bringing together some 95 extraordinary objects produced in the renowned porcelain factories of Sevres, Berlin and Vienna

•  The Philippe de Montebello Years, which unites some 160 masterpieces that have entered the Museum’s collection during the Director’s tenure.

After time for lunch and a visit to the museum shop, we’ll travel the short distance to the Whitney Museum, where a highly focused exhibition features the spirit of a young artist’s first retrospective. Alexander Calder: The Paris Years, 1926-1933 explores a time when, from the ages of 27-34, Calder created his first wire drawings in space, performed his Circus (made in Paris 1926-1931 and now part of the Whitney’s permanent collection), and invented his signature mobiles.

 

The Whitney houses one of the world’s foremost collections of American 20th century art, with over 12,000 works encompassing paintings, sculptures, multimedia installations, drawings, prints and photographs. All major American artists of the last century are represented, with extensive holdings of major works by such artists as Hopper, de Kooning, Nevelson, Oldenburg, Stuart Davis, Georgia O’Keeffe Fairfield Porter and many others. Participants will have time to visit many of the museum’s galleries before afternoon departure. Barrington departure will be at 7:00, followed by a Warwick pickup at 7:25; return will be approximately 8:00 PM.

FEE: $85. Senior citizen reduction is $5. Includes admission to both museums, BCS escort, motorcoach transportation and driver tip.

 

HOLIDAY TRADITIONS IN THE PIONEER VALLEY :

Historic Deerfield , Yankee Candle & Bright Lights                             

                                                                                                        Wednesday, December 3

The combination of American history, decorative arts and holiday cheer provide the elements for a great excursion to Massachusetts’ Pioneer Valley.   An orientation program introduces us to the history of Historic Deerfield before setting off to tour one of the historic homes in the complex, the Williams House. A tour of The Street, with commentary by one of the museum’s docents precedes a visit to Historic Deerfield’s 27,000-square foot Flynt Center of Early American Life; this museum has dramatically enhanced public access to the museum’s nationally acclaimed decorative arts collections. Set back from the village street at the edge of a pumpkin field, and in line with several 19th century barns, the Flynt Center  contains a multitude of artifacts in its permanent collection as well as special temporary exhibitions. On view at the time of our visit will be exhibits related to early American furniture, clothing of the period, and a new textile exhibit. “Engraved Powder Horns from the French and Indian War and the American Revolution: The William H. Guthman Collection,” will also be on view.

 

A superb buffet luncheon follows at the historic 1884 Deerfield Inn, which welcomes us with a glass of warm, mulled cider before a seasonal luncheon in the beauty and elegance of one of the original historic inns of New England.  Following lunch, we’ll drive just a few minutes away to visit the Yankee Candle Company, a huge magical store filled with handmade scented candles, a delightful Bavarian village, Santa’s toyshop, the Yankee Candle Car Museum, and much more.  Late afternoon will find us en route to Springfield ’s historic 750-acre Forest Park , a perfect backdrop for “Bright Lights”, bigger and brighter than ever.  With more than 300,000 twinkling lights that create Seuss Land , Victorian Village, Toy Land , or Giant Poinsettia Candles among the many incredible displays along this two-and-one-half mile driving tour on our heated coach…this is an enchanting way to end our magical outing.  Barrington departure at 7:45 AM, followed by a Providence pickup at 8:10.  Return to Barrington approximately 8:00 PM.  Co-sponsored by Barrington Community School and the Barrington Preservation Society.

FEE: $75.  Includes admission to Historic Deerfield and tours, Flynt Center, 3-course luncheon with choice of entrée, Bright Lights Tour, BCS Escort, motorcoach and driver tip.

 

Fine Arts, Gardens, Museums and more!

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Barrington Community School

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PO Box 256, Barrington, RI 02806

(401) 245-0432

 Fax: (401) 247-0325

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