Climate change on film in Northampton

NORTHAMPTON — Tonight (Friday, Feb. 10) from 6 to 8 p.m., CLICK Workspace in Northampton will present several short videos by Smith College students exploring the challenges of climate change.

Students in a class on the sociology of climate change, taught by Vanessa Adel, have created a digital video project to connect the dots between their everyday lives, culture, politics and the environment. The goal is to consider fresh ways to think about issues such as the economy and society, as well as climate change, biodiversity loss, and social and environmental injustice.

Artwork by Dale Savit, who draws inspiration from nature, will be on view as part of Northampton’s Arts Night Out. Face masks are recommended.

Youth Performance Festival this weekend

NORTHAMPTON — For the last few years, the Northampton Center for the Arts has partnered with other arts organizations to nurture the next generation of artists. Now those young creatives are set to show off their skills before the public at 33 Hawley, the Northampton Community Arts Trust building.

The Youth Performance Festival takes place at 33 Hawley Feb. 11 at 7 p.m. and Feb. 12 at 2 p.m., with tickets at sliding scale of $5 to $25. Youth artists ages 8 to 18 will be presenting original performance pieces, created under the guidance of mentor artists, in music, dance, theater, poetry/spoken word and video.

Under a free program, 35 youth artists from throughout the Valley have spent the last six weeks working with mentor artists to develop this varied work. The sessions have been sponsored by the cultural councils of a number of Valley towns and by numerous area businesses.

For tickets and additional information, visit nohoarts.org/youth-performance-festival.

Big-screen adventures at Academy of Music

NORTHAMPTON — If you’re looking for some armchair adventure, you’ll likely find it at Northampton’s Academy of Music Feb. 17 when the theater presents the latest edition of the Banff Centre Mountain Film Festival.

The festival, now in its 47th season, is an international film competition and annual presentation of films and documentaries about outdoor adventure — mountain and rock climbing, high-altitude skiing, wilderness travel — as well as environmental issues.

The Northampton event, which begins at 7 p.m., includes eight films, ranging in length from 2 to 40 minutes, that cover everything from rock climbers attempting to traverse the underside of a bridge (“REEL ROCK 16: Bridge Boys”) to a woman who takes up mountain biking in rugged forests at age 45 (“North Shore Betty”).

The longest film, “Before They Fall,” covers an extended battle to protect old-growth forests on Vancouver Island in British Columbia, as conservation groups, First Nations people, scientists, and other land defenders join forces to block a logging company.

The Mountain Film Festival is produced by the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, located within Banff National Park in Alberta.

Persian tale takes stage in Amherst

AMHERST — At a time when Iranians have faced severe reprisals for months for protesting the country’s autocratic rulers, the University of Massachusetts Theater Department will present a staged version of a founding Persian story of personal heroism.

“Aurash,” which comes to The Curtain Theater beginning Feb. 24, is based on an oral tradition in Persia — today’s Iran — that was then written down over 1,000 years ago, according to program notes.

After a long, bloody war, an archer, Aurash, was charged with shooting an arrow that would determine the future boundaries of Persia, bringing a peaceful and prosperous age to the country.

The play, by Iranian playwright Bahram Beyza’ie, is directed by UMass graduate student Behnam Alibakhshi, who has cast a woman as one of the actors portraying Aurash as a salute to Iranian women who have engaged in protests in the country, both currently and in the past.

“I think they are the bravest women in the world,” Alibakshi said in a statement.

According to production notes, “Aurash” draws on Iranian theater and storytelling traditions as well as western theater forms and will include color palettes, music, and movement patterns common to Iran.

The play takes place Feb. 24 and 25 and March 1 through 4 at The Curtain Theater in the Bromery Center for the Arts. Tickets range from $5 to $15 and can be purchased at fac.umass.edu/Online/ or by calling 1-800-999-UMAS.

Thanking volunteers with public art

EASTHAMPTON — Easthampton City Arts (ECA) and the ECA Public Art Subcommittee are seeking proposals for a new public art project, one designed to honor the spirit of volunteerism in the arts and cultural sectors of the city.

The sculpture will be installed along the Nashawannuck Pond Promenade, in the heart of the Cottage Street Cultural District. The selected artist will receive a $10,000 honorarium that must cover all costs, including design fee, materials, fabrication, transportation and installation.

Easthampton’s arts and cultural scene, ECA officials say, is a direct result of the work of “dedicated and hardworking volunteers.” A determined volunteer effort led to the creation of ECA itself, the group says, and the organization continues to work with over 100 volunteers every year.

“Building upon this history, we are proud to extend our appreciation ... through the platform of public art and with this public sculpture,” the group says.

The deadline for applying for the project is the end of the day on March 15. Details about the project can be found at easthamptoncityarts.com by clicking on “Resources” and following the link for “Open Call for Public Art.”

Smithsonian comes to western Mass.

TURNERS FALLS — A traveling exhibit of the Smithsonian Museum, “Crossroads: Change in Rural America,” has opened in the Great Falls Discovery Center, and the exhibit will be introduced with a free celebration Feb. 11 at the Shea Theater.

The exhibition is part of a collaboration between the Smithsonian and Mass Humanities, the Northampton nonprofit group, and is being presented in several small towns in the state. “Crossroads” offers a broad look at how rural American communities have changed since 1900, when about 60% of the population lived in rural areas, compared to about 17% today.

The Shea Theater event, which begins at 6 p.m., includes an introduction by UMASS Amherst Assistant Academic Dean Leo Hwang; a short documentary, “A Sweet Tradition,” by local filmmaker Steve Alves; and stories by four local storytellers, presented by New England Public Media’s Valley Voices program. Music will also be offered throughout the evening.

“Crossroads: Change in Rural America” will be on view at the Great Falls Discovery Center through March  18.

— Compiled by Steve Pfarrer

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