COMMUNITY CELEBRATION AT CLARK ART INSTITUTE CELEBRATES RETIRING DIRECTOR MICHAEL CONFORTI

For Immediate Release
July 13, 2015

Williamstown, MA—The Clark Art Institute invites the community to a free celebration honoring Felda and Dena Hardymon Director Michael Conforti on Tuesday, July 21 at 6 pm, in conjunction with the free performance by fifties band Daddy-O! on the hill adjacent to the Clark Center. Free ice cream will be served. Visitors may bring a picnic or purchase barbecue fare.

Conforti, who has served as director since November 1994, has been widely credited for his transformational leadership of the Institute and is recognized as a leading innovator and advocate in the museum community. Under Conforti’s direction, the Clark has grown in both size and stature and has established an international reputation as a leader in the generation of new ideas and critical thinking in the field. Interim director Francis Oakley, former Williams College president and a long-time member of the Clark’s Board of Trustees, steps in September 1.

Note: The date of the community celebration was incorrectly listed as June 28 in the Clark’s print calendar.

ABOUT THE CLARK

The Clark Art Institute, located in the Berkshires of western Massachusetts, is one of a small number of institutions globally 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, open to the public with more than 240,000 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 is located at 225 South Street in Williamstown, Massachusetts. Galleries are open daily in July and August, 10 am to 5 pm; open September through June, Tuesday through Sunday, 10 am to 5 pm. Admission is $20; free year-round for Clark members, children 18 and younger, and students with valid ID. For more information, visit clarkart.edu or call 413 458 2303.

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