WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — The Clark Art Institute's First Sundays Free program returns on Sunday, Oct. 1. 

 

Offering free admission to the galleries and special exhibitions from 10 am–5 pm, the day also features a series of special activities from 1–4 pm, and a pop-up display of works on paper on view from 11 am–1 pm. October's theme is "Grounding."

 

According to a press release:

 

Explore what it means to be grounded both inside and outside of the galleries. Engage your senses through a guided forest bathing experience—the Japanese practice of consciously connecting with nature in order to slow down and be present in the natural world around you. Learn about the geologies depicted in artworks in the Clark's collection, and play with the ideas of foreground, middle ground, and background (all used to create the illusion of depth or perspective in artworks). Then, design a take-home terrarium so you can stay "grounded" throughout the week!

 

In conjunction with other grounded-themed activities, the Clark's Manton Study Center for Works on Paper hosts a pop-up exhibition. The selected prints, drawings, and photographs showcase forests, geology, and the natural world more broadly, as well as how artists experimented with foreground, middle ground, and background to evoke a lifelike sense of illusion and depth in such works.

 

Visitors can see "Edvard Munch: Trembling Earth," on view in the Clark Center galleries through Oct. 15; "Humane Ecology: Eight Positions," on view in the Lunder Center at Stone Hill galleries and the Michael Conforti Pavilion through Oct. 29; and "Printed Renaissance," on view in the Eugene V. Thaw Gallery for Works on Paper in the Manton Research Center through Oct. 22. Also on view through Jan. 21, 2024 is "Elizabeth Atterbury: Oracle Bones," a special installation in public areas at the Clark.

 

Family programs are supported by Allen & Company.