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Event Highlights for the Week Ahead in & Around #StockbridgeMA

August 14 - 20, 2026

Missed last week's highlights (August 7 - 13)? click here.

This week's highlights include the Kids Summer Sculpture Studio at Chesterwood, 8th Annual Art of Brewing Festival at the Norman Rockwell Museum, Summer Author Series at the Mount Nicholas Boggs, Baldwin: A Love Story, The Martha Graham Dance Company at Jacob's Pillow, Maestro of the Movies: A Tribute to John Williams and Brandi Carlile at Tanglewood and Indigo Comedy Night with Mike Lebovitz at Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center. Add performances at Berkshire Theatre Group or Shakespeare and Company, readings at Ventfort Hall, tours of our historic sites, enjoy family activities, and more, and you'll find countless ways to experience the arts, history, music, and natural beauty of Stockbridge and the Berkshires this week.



GARDENS & OUTDOOR EXPERIENCES

Berkshire Botanical Garden

A celebration of nature and community continues throughout the week.

• August 14 | 11 a.m. Family Fridays — Mr. Twisty's Super Silly Magic Show
• August 17 | 5:30 p.m. Music Mondays — Pulso del Barro will bring their Latin Mesoamerican folk band and music collective to the Garden. Enjoy live music drifting across the Garden grounds, bring a blanket, sip something cool, and let the sweet sounds of some of the region’s most talented musical performers set the tone for a perfect summer evening. Stop by the Visitor Center, open until 6 p.m., and check out "Grab and Go" meals, prepared daily by Chef Honor Harvey. The Visitor Center also offers snacks and non-alcoholic beverages for sale.
• August 17 | 6:30 p.m. Soilmatics — Nature-Based Movement Practice
• August 20 | 5:30 p.m. Sunset Yoga in the Garden
• Through October: Stephen Procter exhibition: 'Grand Gesture: Monumental Vessels in the Garden'
• Through Aug. 23: 'Grounded in Nature: Paintings by Adam Van Doren' Exhibition

MUSEUMS & HISTORIC SITES

Beyond tours and exhibitions, our museums and historic sites offer lectures, concerts, demonstrations, workshops, and family-friendly programs throughout the season. Click here for a complete listing of properties.



Chesterwood Experience the home, studio, and gardens of renowned sculptor Daniel Chester French.

• August 15 |5:30 p.m. Arts Alive! Sherman Chamber Ensemble with Mezzo-Soprano Sandra Piques Eddy An evening of American opera repertory featuring soprano Emily Misch, baritone Evan Bravos, and pianist Christopher James Ray. Artistic Director and cellist Eliot Bailen returns with a program for string quartet, including Samuel Barber’s Dover Beach and Ottorino Respighi’s Il Tramonto, featuring Metropolitan Opera artist Sandra Piques-Eddy. A wine reception follows the performance.
• August 17 - 21 | 9-Noon or 1 p.m.-4 p.m. Kids Summer Sculpture Studio Children ages 8–14 are invited to explore hands-on sculpture techniques, collaborative creations, and mixed-media construction. Designed for Chesterwood by artist Jody King Camarra, the program encourages young artists to sketch, experiment with shape and texture, and create unique three-dimensional artworks while blending art, history, and nature.
• August 18 | 5:30 p.m. ArtsAlive! Music and the Mind with Mark Shapiro - Part 2
• August 19 | 5:30 p.m. ArtsAlive! Harold Holzer on Lincoln's Favorite Music
• August 20 | 5:30 p.m. ArtsAlive! Classic Meets Jazz with Pianist Anastasia Dedik and Saxophonist George Michael
• Visitors can also enjoy children's programs, Berkshire Art Center classes, and the exhibitions The Minute Man: Examining Patriotism, Victory and Loss, In the Open: New England Sculptors reclaim the landscape through October 31 and Revolutionary Teapots through September 27, 2026.

Clark Art Institute (Williamstown) offers a mix of exhibitions, nature programming, and live music in its outdoor spaces.

• August 14 | 10:30 a.m. – Special Event: Drawing Closer A Potpourri of Favorites
• August 14 | 11 a.m. & 1 p.m. Free Ground/Work 2025 Dance & Music
• August 14 | 1 p.m. Family Program: Free August Fridays Giorgio Griffa Soak up summer each Friday in August with a special activation of Giorgio Griffa: Paths in the Forest. Between 1–4 pm, enjoy the exhibition or take in the beauty of Stone Hill, relaxing at the Italian “café” on the Moltz Terrace offering gelato, coffee, and pastries.
• August 15 | 1 p.m. Gallery Tour: Ground/work 2025: A Close Look Three Times Spanning
• August 19 | 1 p.m. Special Event: Works on Paper Highlights Talks: Tavitian Drawings Preview Eighteenth Century
• August 19 | 3:30 p.m. Family Program: UNO Drop-In Art Club with the Clark, MASS MoCA, and nbCC
• August 19 | 8:15 p.m. Summer Movie Finding Nemo
• August 20 1 p.m.|Family Program: Sculpture Portraits Weekly Drop-In Art-Making
• Clark's summer exhibitions, including An Exquisite Eye: Introducing the Aso O. Tavitian Collection, Giorgio Griffa: Paths in the Forest, and CoastLines: American Prints and Drawings.

Frelinghuysen Morris House & Studio (Lenox) offers recurring programs including:

• Director’s Corner, held Thursdays and Saturdays at 11:15 a.m.
• Artist Demonstrations held Fridays at 11 am 
  August 14th: Still life pencil demo with Pamela Quirinale
• Exercise Your Creativity held Sundays 11am-1pm.

The Merwin House 
August 15 & 16 | 11 a.m. - 3 p.m. Guided tours on the hour - Explore the Federal-style house purchased by William and Elizabeth Doane in 1875 as their summer retreat. In 1900, the family added a Shingle Style wing and covered porch overlooking the Housatonic River. The Doanes and their daughter, Marie Vipont Merwin, traveled extensively, collecting European and American furnishings and objects for their summer home. Today, Merwin House showcases their remarkable collection and tells the story of Mrs. Merwin and her family.

The Mount is a historic house museum, cultural center, and public park set in the heart of Lenox.

• August 14 | 8 p.m. Ghost Tour of The Mount
• August 16 | 3 - 4 p.m. Guided Tour of Sculpture at The Mount
• August 17 | 4 p.m. & August 18 | 11 a.m., Summer Author Series welcomes Nicholas Boggs, Baldwin: A Love Story New York Times bestseller, Baldwin: A Love Story is the first major biography of James Baldwin in three decades.
• August 19 | 5:30 p.m. The Amy Clampitt Memorial Reading presents poet Marie Howe Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Marie Howe, who will read from her latest, Pulitzer Prize-winning poetry collection, New and Selected Poems, an essential volume of twenty new poems and selections drawn from each of Howe’s four previous collections, including What the Living Do, a haunting archive of personal loss, and the National Book Award–longlisted Magdalene: Poems, a spiritual and sensual exploration of contemporary womanhood. 
• August 20 | 5 p.m. Lawrence Wright, Pulitzer Prize-Winning Author, Screenwriter, Playwright, and Journalist in talks with Andre Bernard.
• Stories & Stretches, Explore the Elements Art Workshop, Twilight Bat Watch with Mass Audubon, Le Cafe Francais, Qigong with Jamie Greene, continue throughout the week.

Naumkeag  Visitors can enjoy ongoing tours: Designing for Delight: a guided garden tours, Behind the Blue Curtain: Backstairs Tours, and Inside Naumkeag: A Guided House Tour.

• August 14 | 4-5 p.m. – Mindfulness Meditation at Naumkeag
• August 20 | 6:30-8 p.m. - Sunset Yoga at Naumkeag

Norman Rockwell Museum offers an inspiring journey into the world of American illustration through the beloved works of Norman Rockwell. 

• August 15 | 1 - 4 p.m. 8th Annual Art of Brewing Festival Returning for its 8th year, the annual Art of Brewing Festival offers guests a chance to sample the best craft brews in the region. Spend an afternoon with friends and family all while sampling local and regional beer, cider, distilled drinks, and even coffee! Enjoy delicious food from local eateries and start a friendly competition with some lawn games. 
• August 15 | 10 a.m. & 3 p.m. Guided Walking Tour of Historic Stockbridge, exploring the places and people that inspired Norman Rockwell's iconic paintings.
• August 15 | 11 a.m. - 4 p.m. Summer Saturdays features hands-on artmaking activities for all ages inspired by American Stories: Revolution to Rockwell. 
• August 20 | 5:30 - 7 p.m. Ron Ramsay's Berkshire Music Salon at NRM Featuring acclaimed Berkshire performers Ron Ramsay and Samantha Talora, this thematic salon blends storytelling, history and a wide range of musical genres including patriotic songs, jazz standards, pop classics, and Broadway favorites. 
• The major exhibition American Stories: Revolution to Rockwell continues to draw visitors exploring the American experience through art and illustration. 

Ventfort Hall Mansion & Gilded Age Museum (Lenox)

• August 15 | 12:30 p.m. Summer Saturday Light Tea Service
• August 18 | 4 p.m. – Tea & Talk: Behind Closed Doors of the Berkshire Cottages with Cornelia Brooke Gilder Through her years of research on country house life in Lenox, Cornelia Brooke Gilder has learned an array of poignant, heartbreaking, inspiring and dastardly human dramas of Gilded Age Lenox. Come hear about the bereft heiress, the disappearing diplomat and the murderous butler. The lecture is followed by Ventfort Hall's traditional Afternoon Tea Service.

PERFORMING ARTS

Berkshire Theatre Group The Legend of Georgia McBride runs through August 16 at the Colonial Theatre in Pittsfield. Starring Broadway performers Kyle Taylor Parker and Michael Wartella, this hilarious, heartwarming comedy follows an Elvis impersonator whose unexpected journey into the world of drag becomes a joyful celebration of friendship, self-discovery, and being true to yourself.

At the Unicorn Theatre in Stockbridge, Lovesong continues through August 29. Written by Abi Morgan, this moving drama weaves together the past and present as younger and older versions of a couple reflect on a lifetime of love, memory, and enduring commitment.

Jacob’s Pillow — Festival Week 8 | August 12 - 16 (Becket)  features the following line-up:

• Ted Shawn Theatre: The Martha Graham Dance Company performs Wednesday through Sunday in celebration of its 100th anniversary. The program includes Night Journey, Immediate Tragedy, Jamar Roberts' We the People, and Hope Boykin's En Masse.
• Doris Duke Theatre: Tap choreographer and vocalist Brinae Ali presents the Baby Laurence Legacy Project Wednesday through Sunday, with live music by the Baltimore Music Collective. A free livestream is offered on Thursday, August 13 at 8:00 PM.
• Henry J. Leir Stage:
• Thursday, August 13: Sorzano Dance Works
• Friday, August 14: Artists of the Berkshires (Community Day)
• Saturday, August 15: HopeBoykinDance

Special Events & Discussions:

• PillowTalk: Janet Eilber and Oliver Tobin discuss Martha Graham's legacy on Saturday, August 15 at 4:00 p.m. at Blake's Barn.
• Community Day: Free kid-friendly activities, classes, and tours on Friday, August 14 starting at 2:30 p.m.
• Workshop: Master class with Martha Graham Dance Company on Sunday, August 16 at 10:00 a.m. 

The Lion's Den offers live music throughout the week with performances by:

• August 14 | 7 p.m. – Jeff Can't Make It
• August 15 | 7 p.m. – Gypsy Jazz with Jonathan Talbot & Cate Bryne
• August 16 | 6:30 p.m. Michael Junkins and Friends featuring Jeremy Udden
• August 19 | 6:30 p.m. Michael Junkins Trio
• August 20 | 7 p.m. Chris Murphy

Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center (Great Barrington) offers another exciting week ahead.

• August 14 | 8 p.m. Ari Hest Ari Hest has crafted a unique path in music – independently building a loyal following through relentless college touring, then on to major label albums, and then reimagining listener engagement through fan-driven projects like “52” and his Patreon-powered “The Treehouse Project." (Indigo Room)
• August 15 | 8 p.m. Indigo Comedy Night with Mike Lebovitz Mike Lebovitz began his comedy career at the age of six with clowning classes at the local JCC. He's been delighting crowds with his intoxicating brand of wild-eyed humor ever since.

Shakespeare & Company (Lenox) Hamlet, runs through August 30 Shakespeare's timeless tragedy follows a young prince haunted by his father's ghost as he confronts betrayal, revenge, and the search for truth in a world of deception.

Also on stage through August 23, Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune by Terrence McNally is a heartfelt romantic drama about two lonely people discovering hope, humor, and the possibility of love during one unforgettable night.

Tanglewood Music Festival Summer continues at Tanglewood with another outstanding week of performances.

• August 14 | 6 p.m. -Prelude Concert (Seiji Ozawa Hall)
• August 14 | 8 p.m. Copland Appalachian Spring, Beethoven Symphony No. 7, and Rountree For Martha (Variations on a Theme of Leonard Bernstein) (Koussevitzky Music Shed)
• August 15 | 8 p.m. – Maestro of the Movies: A Tribute to John Williams Boston Pops Ken-David Masur, conductor and Ben Mankiewicz, host - In the words of Steven Spielberg, “without John Williams, bicycles do not fly, nor do brooms in Quidditch matches or heroes in red capes. Dinosaurs do not walk the earth. Sharks do not terrorize idyllic summer beaches. And Jedi do not return. Without the magic of John Williams, audiences do not wonder, or weep, or believe…” Maestro of the Movies: A Tribute to John Williams is the ultimate concert celebration of the man who truly has composed the soundtrack to our lives. With selections from his most iconic scores – Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Harry Potter, Jaws, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Jurassic Park, Schindler’s List, Superman, Lincoln and E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial – Maestro of the Movies also features more than fifty minutes of specially edited scenes and clips from John Williams’ best-loved films, projected in HD and in sync to his spectacular music. This loving tribute to the greatest musical storyteller of our time is feast for the eyes and the ears!(Koussevitzky Music Shed)
• August 16 | 2:30 p.m. Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra with Marin Alsop, conductor, and Ray Chen, violin 
• August 18 | 7 p.m. - Popular Artist Series presents Brandi Carlile One of music’s most respected voices, Oscar-nominee and 11-time Grammy Award winner Brandi Carlile brings her powerful voice and celebrated songwriting to the Berkshires. Her latest album, Returning To Myself, debuted at No. 7 on the Billboard 200 and No. 1 on three genre charts. Named one of TIME’s 2026 Women of the Year, Carlile has collaborated with artists including Dolly Parton, Elton John, P!nk, Alicia Keys, Hozier, and Sam Smith. A founder of the Looking Out Foundation, she has helped raise more than $9 million for grassroots causes. (Koussevitzky Music Shed)

FAMILY FUN AND COMMUNITY

Stockbridge Library Museum & Archives offers something for all ages this week. Family programs include Slime Squad on August 14, Family Storytime on August 18, and LEGOs in the Library on August 20. The Stockbridge Library Museum & Archives is more than a library—it's home to the Procter Museum & Archives of Stockbridge History, where visitors can explore the rich history of Stockbridge through artifacts, artwork, photographs, documents, and rotating exhibits. The museum's collections include more than 500 artifacts, nearly 100 works of fine and graphic art, and extensive archival materials that preserve the stories of the town and its people. Admission to the museum is free, making it an ideal stop for history enthusiasts and families alike.

Summer Arts & Crafts Show The Stockbridge Chamber of Commerce has announced the cancellation of the 34th Annual Stockbridge Summer Arts & Crafts Show, scheduled for August 15–16, 2026.

The decision follows notification that construction at the Town Offices property where the show is held will not be completed in time for the event, making it impossible to safely accommodate exhibitors and visitors. The decision was made only after exploring every reasonable option to move forward safely.

For more than three decades, the Stockbridge Summer Arts & Crafts Show has welcomed exceptional artists and artisans to the heart of downtown Stockbridge and has become a cherished summer tradition for residents and visitors alike. This year's juried event was expected to feature more than 70 artists and artisans from Berkshire County and throughout New England, attracting thousands of visitors to downtown Stockbridge. View Exhibitor List here.

"This is an incredibly disappointing decision for our artists, visitors, volunteers, and local community," said Barbara Zanetti, Executive Director of the Stockbridge Chamber of Commerce. "We remained hopeful that the project could be completed in time, but it ultimately became clear that we could not safely host the show. This decision was made only after exploring every reasonable option, and we appreciate everyone's patience and understanding."



Registered exhibitors are being notified directly and will receive a full refund of their exhibitor fee.

The Stockbridge Chamber of Commerce extends its sincere appreciation to its exhibitors, volunteers, visitors, and the community for their understanding and continued support. The Chamber looks forward to continuing its mission of promoting Stockbridge and supporting its vibrant arts and business community.

Plan your stay in Stockbridge, MA where authentic New England hospitality awaits year-round. Browse area accommodations, explore their websites for the full experience, and book directly with the property of your choice.

Our galleries, shops, restaurants, and local services are open throughout the seasons, and we invite visitors to Support Local. Stroll through our charming towns and rediscover the joy of brick-and-mortar businesses, where you’re often welcomed by the owners themselves. Every visit helps support the unique character and vibrant community that makes Stockbridge special.

Outdoor adventure is part of every season in Stockbridge. Hike the trails maintained by the Laurel Hill Association, or spend the day at the Stockbridge Bowl. From kayaking, canoeing, sailing, swimming, and fishing in summer, the Berkshires offer recreation for every age and interest.



Discover more outdoor adventures #intheberkshires at BerkshiresOutside.org — a comprehensive guide to trailheads, boat launches, and recreation access points throughout the Berkshires.

See What’s Happening Here 

This page is updated weekly to assist you with events, hours of operations, outdoor activities and more. The summer cultural programming is here.

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Summer offerings: click on image for details