RELATED EVENTS
SUMMER OPENING RECEPTION: GUILLAUME LETHIÈRE
June 14, 7:30 pm
Clark Center
Join in a community-wide celebration, enjoy light refreshments, and be among the first to view the Clark’s major summer exhibition.
Free. Advance registration required. Register at clarkart.edu/Lethiereopening or call 413 458 0524.
OPENING LECTURE: GUILLAUME LETHIÈRE
June 15, 11 am
Manton Research Center auditorium
Exhibition co-curators Esther Bell and Olivier Meslay introduce the Guillaume Lethière exhibition, providing an inside look at the development of this ambitious project.
Free. Accessible seats available; for information, call 413 458 0524.
MINETTE AND EIGHTEENTH-CENTURY FRENCH CARIBBEAN MUSIC
June 19, 6 pm
Manton Research Center auditorium
Kaiama L. Glover, professor of African American Studies and French at Yale University, discusses the theatrical life of the eighteenth-century French Caribbean, focusing on artists of African descent including the noted violinist, Joseph Bologne, the Chevalier de Saint-George, and celebrated soprano Minette. Glover’s talk is illustrated by short musical performances by the American-Brazilian soprano Ariana Wehr, who sings excerpts from works that Minette would have performed, accompanied by the harpsichord. This event celebrates the vibrant culture of colonial France and the vital contributions of Black performers.
Free. Accessible seats available; for information, call 413 458 0524.
CONCERT: DANCING ON A VOLCANO—OPERA LAFAYETTE PERFORMS MUSIC FROM THE EIGHTEENTH-CENTURY FRENCH CARIBBEAN
June 26, 6 pm
Manton Research Center auditorium
The soprano Minette was one of the great stars of theatrical life in colonial Saint-Domingue in the 1780s. Unlike almost all the actors and actresses of the time, she was a woman of African descent. The title of Marie Chauvet’s novel about Minette, Dancing on a Volcano, aptly suggests the tensions swirling around this contemporary of artist Guillaume Lethière and composer Joseph Bologne, the Chevalier de Saint-George.
Soprano Ariana Wehr joins the musicians of Opera Lafayette to present music from the operas of Gluck, Philidor, Gretry, and others (which Minette performed in the years leading up to the Haitian Revolution), as well as music from the Chevalier de Saint-George.
Free. For accessibility concerns, call 413 458 0524. This event has been moved into the auditorium, located in the Manton Research Center, out of a desire to provide our audience with the best acoustic experience of the Opera Lafayette's delicate period instruments.
EXHIBITION TOUR: GUILLAUME LETHIÈRE
Twice Daily: July 1–13, July 15–31, and August 1–31 | 10:15 am and 3:45 pm
Meet in the Clark Center lower level
Explore paintings and drawings by one of the most fascinating artists and personalities of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. Learn about Guillaume Lethière’s development as an artist and his centrality to a group of Caribbean expatriates in Paris.
Free with gallery admission. Capacity is limited. Pick up a ticket at the Clark
Center admissions desk, available on a first-come, first-served basis.
JULY OUTDOOR CONCERT SERIES
July 3, 10, 17 & 24, 6 pm
Reflecting Pool Lawn
Celebrate the French Caribbean with some of the best musicians from Guadeloupe and Haiti. This series of outdoor concerts is presented in conjunction with the Clark’s Guillaume Lethière and Kathia St. Hilaire exhibitions.
July 3
Jacques Schwarz-Bart and Band
Born in Guadeloupe, Jacques Schwarz-Bart has voyaged from neo-soul back to his Caribbean roots. Playing Gwo ka and Vodou jazz, Schwarz-Bart connects jazz music with its Afro-Caribbean and spiritual origins. Schwarz-Bart performs with his quintet.
July 17
Nathalie Joachim Trio
Grammy-nominated performer and composer Nathalie Joachim is a Haitian-American artist whose creative practice centers on a commitment to storytelling and human connectivity while advocating for social change and cultural awareness. In this performance, Joachim sings and plays the flute, joined by her bassist and percussionist.
Joachim is Assistant Professor of Composition at Princeton University and is regularly commissioned to write for orchestras, instrumental and vocal ensembles, dance, and interdisciplinary theater.
July 24
Lakou Mizik
In Haitian Creole, the word lakou carries multiple meanings. It can mean a backyard or a collective place where people gather to play music and dance. It can also be an extended community or a connection to one’s ancestors. As a band, Lakou Mizik embodies a little of each meaning—bringing music, community, and spiritual connection to backyards and festivals across the globe. Lakou Mizik also incorporates elements of Rara, a form of Carnival music based in Vodou, in which drummers and horn players lead joyous processions through the streets.
All concerts are free. For accessibility concerns, call 413 458 0524. Bring a picnic and your own seating. Rain moves performances to the auditorium, located in the Manton Research Center.
COMMUNITY DAY
July 14, 11 am–4 pm
Clark Campus
Community Day takes over the Clark once again, and you’re invited! Join us as engaging stories unfold and surprising festivities take place inside the museum and around our campus. All day long, enjoy free admission to the permanent collection galleries and special exhibitions, including Guillaume Lethière, Kathia St. Hilaire: Invisible Empires, Fragile Beauty: Treasures from the Corning Museum of Glass, Edgar Degas: Multi-Media Artist in the Age of Impressionism, and David Jeremiah: I Drive Thee. Learn about glass, printmaking, and collage through art-making activities and artist demonstrations. Immerse yourself in the themes of our special exhibitions by trying your hand at the technique of live figure drawing. Throughout the day, enjoy live music performances, delicious local food, and surprises for all ages!
Free. Refreshments and select activities available for purchase. Held rain or shine.
Family programs are generously supported by Allen & Company.
DANCE PERFORMANCE: JEAN APOLLON DANCE TROUPE
August 17, 4 pm
Fernández Terrace and Reflecting Pool Lawn
The Boston-based Jean Apollon Dance Troupe (JAE) is a Haitian contemporary dance company combining modern technique and Haitian folkloric dance. JAE fulfills its mission to preserve Haitian folkloric culture while constantly enlivening the art form in accessible, inspiring, and educational ways. JAE combines drumming and Haitian folkloric dance in this performance, in celebration of the Guillaume Lethière and Kathia St. Hilaire exhibitions.
Free. For accessibility concerns, call 413 458 0524. Bring a picnic and your own seating.
Rain moves the performance to August 18 at 4 pm.
OUTDOOR CONCERT: THE KNIGHTS ORCHESTRA
August 31, 4 pm
Fernández Terrace
The Knights return to the Clark! To celebrate the Guillaume Lethière exhibition, the orchestra plays a double violin concerto by Lethière’s contemporary Joseph Bologne, the Chevalier de Saint-George. A new composition by Kyle Sanna, featuring renowned Syrian clarinetist Kinan Azmeh as guest soloist, rounds out this very special musical experience.
Free. For accessibility concerns, call 413 458 0524. Bring a picnic and your own seating.
Rain moves the performance to September 1 at 4 pm.
This performance is presented through the generous support of the Sea Island Foundation.
FAMILY CONCERT: THE KNIGHTS ORCHESTRA
September 1, 11 am
Manton Research Center auditorium
The Knights present a family-friendly concert for younger audiences that complements the Guillaume Lethière exhibition. This program, which follows the Knights’ large-scale outdoor concert on August 31, is intended to provide a fun and engaging introduction to classical music. Audience participation activities highlight musical details and showcase the way instruments can tell a story.
Free. Accessible seats available. Advance registration required. Register at clarkart.edu/events.
This performance is presented through the generous support of the Sea Island Foundation.
GUILLAUME LETHIÈRE SYMPOSIUM
September 27, 9:30 am–6:30 pm
Manton Research Center auditorium and Clark Center lower level
Join us for a symposium in celebration of Guillaume Lethière. The exhibition, organized in partnership with the Musée du Louvre, will be the first to investigate Lethière’s extraordinary career. This one-day conference invites renowned scholars and the public to examine Lethière’s considerable body of work, as well as the presence and reception of Caribbean artists in France in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries.
The full program will be posted in advance of the date.
Free. For accessibility questions, call 413 458 0524.