Related Events
EXHIBITION TOUR: EDVARD MUNCH—TREMBLING EARTH
Twice Daily, July 1–August 31, 10:30 am & 3:30 pm
A Clark educator leads a tour of the special exhibition, as the group considers Munch's fascination with the natural world and explores the role of landscapes and the environment in his paintings, prints, and drawings.
Free with gallery admission; capacity is limited. Tickets available at the Clark Center Admissions desk on a first-come, first-served basis. Meet in the Clark Center lower level.
SUMMER OPENING RECEPTION: EDVARD MUNCH—TREMBLING EARTH
Friday, June 9, 7:30 pm
Join us for an opening celebration for the Clark's 2023 special exhibition, Edvard Munch: Trembling Earth. Enjoy light refreshments and be among the first to view the exhibition.
Free, but registration is required. Register online or call 413 458 0524.
OPENING LECTURE: EDVARD MUNCH—TREMBLING EARTH
Saturday, June 10, 11 am
Jay A. Clarke, Rothman Family Curator, Art Institute of Chicago, introduces Edvard Munch: Trembling Earth, the first exhibition in the United States to reveal how Munch (Norwegian, 1863–1944) animated nature to convey meaning. The exhibition features approximately eighty paintings, prints, and drawings, organized thematically to reinforce how Munch used nature to express human psychology, celebrate farming practice and garden cultivation, and question the mysteries of the forest as Norway faced industrialization.
Free.
FILM SCREENING: MUNCH (2023)
Saturday, June 17, 6 pm
Director Henrik Martin Dahlsbakken screens Munch (Henrik Martin Dahlsbakken;1 hour, 45 minutes), the new Norwegian biopic of the revered Norwegian artist, Edvard Munch. Munch, which opened the 2023 International Film Festival in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, has its North American debut simultaneously at the Clark and in New York City. Four different actors embody different periods in Munch’s life, creating a kaleidoscopic portrait of the visionary artist. This dizzying film also pays homage to the new Munchmuseet in Norway.
Free. A Q&A with the film’s director and one of the lead actors follows the screening.
SUMMER BOOK CLUB: MUNCH
Tuesday, June 27, 7 pm
Fellow book lovers and Clark staff members engage in a discussion of Norwegian author Karl Ove Knausgård’s So Much Longing in So Little Space: The Art of Edvard Munch, a personal meditation on the artist’s life and work. The evening begins with a brief tour of Edvard Munch: Trembling Earth; wine and conversation follow.
Tickets $10 ($8 members). Registration is required, and capacity is limited to thirty-six attendees. Please notify us if you change your plans after registering so that others may join the event. Paperback copies of Knausgård’s book are available for purchase in the Museum Store.
DROP-IN WATERCOLOR PAINTING
Thursdays, July 6–August 31 from 1–4 pm
Fernández Terrace (If Rain, the Family Room)
Get inspired by Edvard Munch: Trembling Earth (or by our fabulous permanent collection galleries) and see the surrounding landscape with new eyes! Then, pick up a miniature watercolor kit and try your hand at plein air painting on the Clark’s 140-acre campus.
Free. Watercolor kits include paint, paper, miniature palette, and optional painting prompts.
Family programs are generously supported by Allen & Company.
COMMUNITY DAY
Sunday, July 16, 11–4 pm
Come one, come all, and join the spectacular festivities at our annual Community Day! Adventure around the Clark’s 140-acre campus and enjoy free admission to the permanent collection galleries and special exhibitions, including Edvard Munch: Trembling Earth, Humane Ecology: Eight Positions, Printed Renaissance, and Elizabeth Atterbury: Oracle Bones. Inspired by these exhibitions, we connect with the world around us for an enchanting day of art, activities, food, and more! Come dance to live music inspired by the sounds of nature, learn how natural pulp becomes paper, and participate in creating a collective forest full of color and magic. As always, surprising entertainment and encounters are sure to abound!
Free and open to the public. Refreshments and select activities available for purchase. Held rain or shine.
Family programs are generously supported by Allen & Company.
IMAGINING OTHER WORLDS: MUNCH'S MULTIVERSE, WITH PROFESSOR PAT BERMAN
Saturday, August 19, 2 pm
Through his visual art and his writings, Munch offered speculation about alternative worlds, those that animate the tangible world on Earth as well as forces in the larger universe. In an era in which science fiction matured as a genre, a variety of radiant energies were studied by astronomers, and mediumistic communication had entered popular belief, Munch's "trembling earth" was suspended in a web of otherworldliness. Professor Pat Berman takes us on a tour of these imaginary worlds.
Free.
WORKS ON PAPER HIGHLIGHTS TALK: EDVARD MUNCH—PORTRAIT OF THE ARTIST AS PRINTMAKER
Wednesday, August 30, 1 pm
In conjunction with the Clark’s major summer exhibition, Edvard Munch: Trembling Earth, Manton Curator of Prints, Drawings, and Photographs Anne Leonard presents the Clark’s full set of works on paper by this revered Norwegian artist. In his prints, Munch challenged conventional ideas about the portrayal of the human figure, the role of color, and the primacy of materials in realizing an artistic vision.
Visit the Manton Study Center for Works on Paper, which houses the Clark's collection of more than 6,500 prints, drawings, and photographs. Each week, discover a unique selection of rarely exhibited works on paper with a member of the curatorial department. Offered Wednesdays from 1–1:30 pm in August.
Free and open to the public; capacity is limited to twenty visitors on a first-come, first-served basis.
OUTDOOR CONCERT: THE KNIGHTS ORCHESTRA
Saturday, September 2, 4 pm
The Knights return to the Clark to celebrate the Edvard Munch: Trembling Earth exhibition with a selection of music from fellow Norwegian Edvard Grieg, Antonín Dvořák, Frederick Delius (a friend of Edvard Munch's), and more. The performance speaks to the layered influence of art and artists.
Based in New York City, The Knights are a collective of musicians dedicated to transforming the orchestral experience and eliminating barriers between audience and music. Led by an open-minded spirit of camaraderie and collaboration, they seek to engage with contemporary culture through vibrant performances that honor the classical tradition and their passion for musical discovery. The collective was founded and is directed by violinist Colin Jacobsen and conductor and cellist Eric Jacobsen, who, together, also founded the Brooklyn Rider string quartet. The Knights’ roster boasts musicians of remarkably diverse talents, including composers, arrangers, singer-songwriters, and improvisers, who bring a range of cultural influences to the group, from jazz and klezmer to pop and indie rock music. Since their founding in 2007, The Knights have toured and recorded with prominent soloists including Yo-Yo Ma, Dawn Upshaw, Béla Fleck, Itzhak Perlman, and Gil Shaham, and have performed at Carnegie Hall, Tanglewood, and the Vienna Musikverein.
Free. Bring a picnic and your own seating.
This performance is presented through the generous support of Mela and Paul Haklisch.
FAMILY CONCERT: THE KNIGHTS ORCHESTRA
Sunday, September 3, 12 pm
Music lovers of all ages will delight in a family-friendly concert that celebrates world-class music and complements the Edvard Munch: Trembling Earth exhibition in an engaging, interactive setting. The Knights perform excerpts from works by Edvard Grieg, Antonín Dvořák, Frederick Delius (a friend of Edvard Munch's), alongside audience participation activities that will highlight musical details and showcase the way instruments can tell a story. In this accessible afternoon performance, children and their parents/grandparents/caregivers discover the limitless imaginative possibilities that exist in classical music. This performance is designed specifically for younger audiences and is intended to provide a fun and engaging introduction to classical music. The family-friendly program follows a large-scale outdoor concert by the Knights on the Clark’s Férnandez Terrace on September 2.
Free. Advance registration required. This performance is intended as an introduction to orchestra music to engage younger audiences. Accessible seats available; for information, call 413 458 0524.
This performance is presented through the generous support of Mela and Paul Haklisch.
EDVARD MUNCH: TRANSFORMING NATURE—A DISCUSSION WITH JAY A. CLARKE
Saturday, October 7, 2:30 pm
Curator Jay A. Clarke speaks with the American-Scandinavian Foundation about how Munch animated nature to bring meaning to his work. Known primarily as a figure painter, Munch’s best-known images are connected to themes of love, anxiety, longing, and death; yet a large portion of his works feature landscape. Clarke received a grant from the American-Scandinavian Foundation to conduct research for the current exhibition and publication Edvard Munch: Trembling Earth on view now at the Clark Art Institute through October 15.
This talk will consider his iconic images from a new perspective, one that resonates with current anxieties around climate instability. His depictions of the natural world celebrate the fecundity of the earth in farming practice and garden cultivation, question the mysteries of the forest, and address psychological states. The lecture will also explore how Munch developed his own pantheistic and philosophical views of nature and used them to transform his surroundings.
Free. This program is held offsite at the Scandinavia House. Advance registration required. Register here.