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Clark Art Institute, Night at the Clark
Whether you’re diving into world-class art, meeting new people, or just enjoying a laidback evening, there’s something for everyone!
Free. No registration needed—just show up and explore! Select timed activities require a free ticket, available during the evening at the Clark’s main admissions desk. Food from the outdoor grill is available for purchase until 8 pm. For accessibility questions, call 413 458 0524.
NIGHT AT THE CLARK ACTIVITIES
On Air with WCFM 91.9 and Belltower Records
5–7 pm | Reflecting Pool Lawn
Join a collaborative vinyl session hosted by WCFM 91.9 and Belltower Records. Choose records from WCFM 91.9 and Belltower Record’s collection for a live-mixed set.
Print Room Pop-Up Exhibition: Paper Trails of the Clark’s Collection
5–7 pm | Manton Study Center for Works on Paper
Enjoy a special display of prints, drawings, and photographs selected from the Clark’s collection of 6,500+ works on paper. From Albrecht Dürer to Doris Ulmann, this drop-in showcase spans more than 500 years of creativity and craftsmanship over a wide range of artistic techniques on paper.
PRESS on the MOVE! with Melanie Mowinski
5–7 pm | Bold by Design: Mid-century Modern Graphic Art, Manton Research Center
PRESS on the MOVE! is a traveling letterpress studio and an offshoot of artist Melanie Mowinski’s project PRESS: Letterpress as a Public Art Project. Be inspired by the works featured in Bold by Design: Mid-century Modern Graphic Art and create prints using vintage type and presses—no experience needed!
Mowinski is an artist and professor at the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA) in North Adams. She holds an MFA from The University of the Arts in Philadelphia and an MAR from Yale University. Examples of her unique letterpress and book art (under PRESS • 29 PRESS) are held in collections around the world.
Pages to Pins: Button-Making Workshop
5–7 pm | Manton Research Center Reading Room
Repurpose dust jackets, periodicals, and other extras from our library into one-of-a-kind buttons!
From Ground to Cup: Lemon Balm, Milky Oats, and Catnip
5:30–7 pm | Schow Pond
Join herbalist Rebecca Guanzon to learn about wild herbs, then brew your own custom tea as you enjoy the sunset by Schow Pond.
Berenice Abbott’s Modern Lens Curator-led Tour*
5:45 pm, 6:30 pm & 7:15 pm | Eugene V. Thaw Gallery for Works on Paper
Exhibition curator Grace Hanselman presents a tour of Berenice Abbott’s work, focusing on her portraits of the Parisian avant-garde and her visual chronicles of New York City’s dynamic urban landscape.
Mariel Capanna: Giornata Rapid Painting*
6 pm, 6:30 pm, 7 pm & 7:30 pm | Family Room
Try fast-paced, collaborative painting inspired by this artist’s practice—one minute per round, endless creativity. Guided by Williams College Museum of Art SPA interns, respond in paint for one minute to abstract visuals or found footage before passing the canvas on for others to add their own interpretation.
A Room of Her Own Embroidery Workshop
6–8 pm | Clark Center Lower Lobby
Join us in the gallery for a hands-on embroidery workshop inspired by A Room of Her Own: Women Artist-Activists in Britain, 1875–1945. Learn foundational stitches—French knots, herringbone, chain stitch, and satin stitch—featured in the exhibition and described in May Morris’s Decorative Needlework (1893), and create your own embroidered bookmark in homage to the era’s craft revival. Draw inspiration from a pop-up from the Clark library, featuring English Embroidered Bookbindings by Cyril Davenport and Embroidered Textiles by Sheila Paine, that highlights the rich connection between needlework and literature.
Works in Progress: Astral Sea Performance with Tsedaye Makonnen and Williams College
7:15 pm | Fernández Terrace
Watch an experimental in-progress performance directed by visiting artist Tsedaye Makonnen with Williams’ dance faculty member Sandra Burton. Featuring students from Kusika, the Williams College African dance and percussion ensemble that performs, studies, and creates new work in dance, music, and storytelling.
Performers include:
Luna Luna ’28
Charlotte Chen ’27
Natalie Ginsberg Grad Art (MA ’26)
Diego Mongue ’25
Ian Dominic ’27
Jerry Hensure Lewouo Nizegha ’28
The full-length performance will debut as part of the Clark’s programming on Saturday, October 4 at 4 pm on the grounds.
Outdoor Film: Night at the Museum (2006)
8–10 pm | Reflecting Pool Lawn
Watch the ultimate museum adventure under the stars with popcorn. Presented by Images Cinema.
Stargazing & S’mores
8–10 pm | Thomas Shütte’s Crystal, Stone Hill
Gaze at the night sky with PULSAR Astronomy Club while enjoying s’mores by the bonfire.
*Berenice Abbott’s Modern Lens Curator-led Tour and Mariel Capanna: Giornata Rapid Painting require a free ticket that can be collected by students at the main admissions desk. Tickets are available on a first come, first-served basis starting at 5 pm.
