MCLA Launches 'Politics of the Visual' Lecture Series

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NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA) announced the launch of its 2024-25 lecture series, Politics of the Visual, organized by MCLA Associate Professor of English & Visual Culture Victoria Papa, and supported by Hardman Special Initiatives and MOSAIC. 
 
According to a press release, this series will explore questions about the political dimensions of visuality, the power structures behind perception, and the phenomena of spectacle in contemporary culture. 
 
Kicking off in October 2024 and continuing through April 2025, the series will feature leading scholars, artists, and curators, who will dive into the intersections of art, politics, and society. All events are free, open to the public, and will be
held at the MOSAIC Events Space, located at 49 Main St. in North Adams. 
 
Fall 2024 Events 
 
Technologies of Magic: Contemporary Artists and Rituals, Talismans, and Folklore
Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2024, 6:30 PM 
Alexandra Foradas (MASS MoCA) 
 
Alexandra Foradas, an art historian and curator at MASS MoCA, will explore how contemporary artists engage with rituals and folklore in their works, reflecting on exhibitions like Like Magic and Deep Water. Foradas also teaches at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD). 
 
What Lies at the Intersection of Land Ownership and Documentary Poetics 
Thursday, November 7, 2024, 5:30 PM 
Anaïs Duplan (Bennington College) 
 
Anaïs Duplan, a trans* poet and artist, will present on the connections between land ownership and documentary poetics. Duplan is the author of "Blackspace: On the Poetics of an Afrofuture" and is a professor at Bennington College. 
 
 
Spring 2025 Events 
 
Looking at Rembrandt with Roland Barthes and Derek Walcott 
Wednesday, March 5, 2025, 5:30 PM 
Caroline Fowler (Clark Art Institute) 
 
Caroline Fowler, the Starr Director at the Clark Art Institute, will explore the intersections of Rembrandt's works with the writings of Roland Barthes and Derek Walcott, with a focus on her upcoming book,
Slavery and the Invention of Dutch Art. 
 
For some strange reason it had to be": Radcliffe Bailey's Visual Aesthetic Remixes" 
Thursday, March 27, 2025, 5:30 PM 
Nikki Greene (Wellesley College) 
 
Nikki Greene, Associate Professor at Wellesley College, will discuss the work of Radcliffe Bailey, highlighting the intersection of black identity, the body, and sound in contemporary art. 
 
The Acid Queen: The Counterculture Rebellion and Psychedelic Life of Rosemary Woodruff Leary 
 
April 2025, Date TBA 
Susannah Cahalan (Author & Journalist) 
 
Susannah Cahalan, author of Brain on Fire, will present on the countercultural and psychedelic history of Rosemary Woodruff Leary. 
 
 

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Federal Cuts Include North Adams Culvert Project

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The Trump administration's cut $90 million in disaster prevention aid for the state including a culvert project on Galvin Road.
 
The Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities grant program was providing funding to 18 communities, the Central Massachusetts Regional Planning Commission, the state Department of Conservation and Recreation, and the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency. 
 
Engineering for the Galvin Road culvert was one of only two Berkshire projects being funded. The other was $81,720 to Hinsdale to power a public safety building.
 
The two largest disbursements were $50 million to Chelsea and Everett for flood resilience that was approved during Trump's first term, and $12 million to DCR for a waterfront project in Boston. 
 
Many of these endeavors have been years in the making and the funding through the Federal Emergency Management Agency has already been appropriated. 
 
The governor's office said cities and towns have moved forward with expensive permitting applications and engineering and design plans because of FEMA's identification of their project as a future recipient of federal BRIC funds. 

"In recent years, Massachusetts communities have been devastated by severe storms, flooding and wildfires. We rely on FEMA funding to not only rebuild but also take steps to protect against future extreme weather," said Gov. Maura Healey.

"But the Trump administration has suddenly ripped the rug out from under cities and towns that had been promised funding to help them upgrade their roads, bridges, buildings and green spaces to mitigate risk and prevent disasters in the future. This makes our communities less safe and will increase costs for residents, municipalities and businesses."

U.S. Rep. Richard Neal noted the difficult flooding and wildfires the state has had to deal and said the funds would have provided assistance to at-risk communities. 

"The BRIC program was established by Congress in 2018, during the first Trump administration, to reduce the hazard risk of communities confronting natural disasters," said the congressman.
 
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