EVENT: Folk art fun at Clark Art Family day Sept. 25

Posted Friday, Sept. 2, 2005 on behalf of Sarah Hoffman (458-0471) at the Clark Art Institute
<shoffman@clarkart.edu>

WILLIAMSTOWN -- Celebrate the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute's exhibition, Little Women, Little Men: Folk Art Portraits of Children from the Fenimore Art Museum and all things folk during a family day on Sunday, September 25 from 1 to 4 p.m. Folk music, art projects, dress-up, a gallerytalk, and outdoor games will delight visitors young and old, in the Clark's galleries and on the grounds. Gallery admission and most activities are free
on this day.

Art activities, including painting wooden fruit magnets, coloring reproductions of folk children, and creating felt hands wall hangings, will be available all day for those inspired by the art in nature experience of the Clark. Try on circa 1850's attire, on loan from the Williamstown Historical Society, and, for a small fee, take home a snapshot.

The Williams College Volleyball team will lead games, popular in the 19th-century, on the Clark's expansive grounds. Try croquet, lawn tennis (badminton) and volleyball at any time during the afternoon.

A 2 p.m. gallery talk, "Here's Looking at You, Kid: Meet the Kids in the Art at the Clark" will introduce visitors to young subjects in the Clark's permanent collection. Make friends with pictures such as Ammi Phillips's Harriet Campbell, Renoir's Bérard Children, Gainsborough's Elizabeth and Thomas Linley, and others.

The early American folk music sounds of Tim Van Egmond, musician and storyteller, by can be heard at 1, 2, and 3 p.m. during three 45 minute sets. Van Egmond will use a hammered dulcimer during his performances. A Friends of the Clark members' lounge will be available in the Penthouse
from 1 to 3 pm.

Little Women, Little Men: Folk Art Portraits of Children from the Fenimore Art Museum will run through Saturday, October 15. The exhibition features 11 paintings and one piece of sculpture, all depicting children in the folk art tradition. The pieces, on loan from the Fenimore Art Museum in Cooperstown, NY, were originally collected by Stephen C. Clark, brother of Clark founder Sterling Clark.

In May, the Clark began celebrating its 50th anniversary with a year-long program of special exhibitions and initiatives, including the establishment of a new prize for arts writing and the first national tour of masterpieces from its permanent collection. The program featured or will feature several special exhibitions including Jacques-Louis David: Empire to Exile (June 5 to September 5, 2005), the first exhibition examining the artist's post-Revolutionary years, and The Clark Brothers Collect Renoir to Matisse, Homer to Hopper (June 3 to September 4, 2006), which will explore the collecting history of Sterling Clark and his brother Stephen, bringing together works from their acclaimed collections for the first time. Celebrations and programs are planned for area residents and visitors throughout the 18-month festivities, including the public's selection of 50 favorite works of art.

The Clark is located at 225 South Street in Williamstown, Massachusetts. The galleries are open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (daily in July and August.) Admission June 1 through October 31 is $10 for adults, free for children 18 and under, members, and students with valid ID. Admission is free November through May. For more information, call 413-458-2303 or visit www.clarkart.edu.

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