Williamstown, Mass. — The Clark Art Institute has launched a series of online programs to engage, entertain, and educate the public while the museum is temporarily closed due to the current public health crisis. This series, Clark Connects, is accessible through the Clark’s website at clarkart.edu/clarkconnects and through its social media platforms on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
The Clark Connects content involves virtual looks at works in the museum collection, storytelling, curator-led explorations of exhibitions and galleries, walks on the Clark campus, and new art-related projects. New video content is released on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, while art activities are updated weekly on Thursdays. In addition, the Clark’s Research and Academic Program (RAP) is hosting a new series, RAP in the Archives, which posts a lecture each Tuesday afternoon that was previously presented in its traditional series of Tuesday evening lectures by Clark Fellows.
“In this time when we must be distant socially, we believe these new projects are creating avenues for our friends and supporters to stay connected to the Clark,” said Olivier Meslay, Hardymon Director. “We have been deeply touched by the messages of support and interest from our audience and hope that these initiatives can help us to find interesting ways to share the Clark with them until we can welcome them back into our galleries.”
The schedule of programming includes games and artmaking activities, while the Clark Connects virtual program series includes a multitude of short programs. These projects have been created and hosted by the Clark’s curatorial and education departments, as well as members of its extended community.
New content is in continuous development and the Clark’s online viewer guide is updated regularly. Upcoming events and activities include:
Friday, April 24
-Video Highlights – Highlights from Lines from Life—French Drawings from the Diamond Collection, with exhibition organizer Kristie Couser discussing realism and scenes from contemporary life as shown in works by Charles Angrand and François Bonvin.
Monday, April 27
– Make It! – Bookmaking activity
– Video Highlights – Anne Leonard, Manton Curator of Prints, Drawings, and Photographs, looks at Foyer of the Comédie Française (Recollection of the Siege of Paris) by James Tissot.
Tuesday, April 28
– RAP in the Archives lecture – Clark Fellow Shira Brisman (University of Wisconsin–Madison) discusses “The Provisionality of Sixteenth-Century Designs” (originally presented at the Clark on April 17, 2018).
Wednesday, April 29
– Video Highlights – Editor Kevin Bicknell revisits the catalogue produced for the Orchestrating Elegance: Alma-Tadema and the Marquand Music Room exhibition and discusses how elements of the book’s design came to be.
Friday, May 1
– Video Highlights – Head of Public Programs Teal Baskerville takes you behind the scenes to discuss the challenges and joys of creating new programming for digital platforms.
Saturday, May 2
– Video Highlight – A narrated walk of the Clark’s campus with Grounds Manager Matt Noyes
ABOUT THE CLARK
The Clark Art Institute, located in the Berkshires of western Massachusetts, is one of a small number of institutions global that is both an art museum and a center for research, critical discussion, and higher education in the visual arts. Opened in 1955, the Clark houses exceptional European and American paintings and sculpture, extensive collections of master prints and drawings, English silver, and early photography. Acting as convener through its Research and Academic Program, the Clark gathers an international community of scholars to participate in a lively program of conferences, colloquia, and workshops on topics of vital importance to the visual arts. The Clark library, consisting of more than 275,000 volumes, is one of the nation’s premier art history libraries. The Clark also houses and co-sponsors the Williams College Graduate Program in the History of Art.
The Clark, which has a three-star rating in the Michelin Green Guide, is located at 225 South Street in Williamstown, Massachusetts. Its 140-acre campus includes miles of hiking and walking trails through woodlands and meadows, providing an exceptional experience of art in nature.