Art Historian To Lecture On Art Of The American West At Ventfort Hall

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LENOX — Berkshire art historian and educator Maureen Hickey will open Ventfort Hall Mansion and Gilded Age Museum’s summer 2008 lecture series with a visual presentation entitled “The West Was All Before Them: Nineteenth Century Expedition Art.” Her lecture, followed by a Victorian Tea at which she will answer questions, is scheduled for Wednesday, June 18 at 4 p.m..

Hickey will discuss, compare and juxtapose early expedition art with late nineteenth expedition art of the American West. Expedition art, beginning with explorers Lewis and Clark and the first military expeditions in 1819-20, embodies the different goals and needs in the early part of the century, as well as later national and mythological images under the influence of Manifest Destiny.

By also showing the work of several contemporary Native American artists and their particular version of nineteenth century expeditions of the West, Hickey will revisit historical and mythological images.

Admission for the lecture and tea is $15 for nonmembers and $12 for members. For reservations call Ventfort Hall at 413-637-3206. The historic mansion is located at 104 Walker Street in Lenox.
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Local Hockey Program's Alum Projected in NHL Draft

By Stephen DravisiBerkshires Staff
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — An alumnus of the Atlantic Coast Academy hockey program is generating a lot of buzz heading into next week's National Hockey League entry draft.
 
And that attention can only help build the profile of the program Mike Taylor founded in 2022.
 
"The talent is here," Taylor said this week of ACA, which pairs hockey development and education for players from around the nation and the world. "I don't think as many people locally realize the talent we've had here. I don't think they realized we had a future NHL Draft pick playing in our home rink."
 
That prospect is Maksim Sokolovskii, who the NHL lists as the No. 40 North American skater in the June 26 draft.
 
Sokolovskii, a 6-foot-7 left-shot defenseman, scored 34 goals and collected 50 assists in 65 games playing for ACA in the 2024-25 season.
 
This year, he is playing for the London Knights of the Ontario Junior Hockey League, one of the top leagues of its kind in North America.
 
"Sokolovskii is a massive and highly athletic defenseman," analyst Corey Pronmon wrote this month for The Athletic. "He's a strong, mobile player who's very physical and projects to make a ton of stops."
 
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