NEPM Kids presents Carl at The Carle
The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, Amherst
Sunday, Nov. 10, from 12 – 5 p.m.
Carl the Collector, a ground-breaking show from PBS Kids, is premiering Thursday, Nov. 14 at 8:30 a.m. on NEPM TV. Carl is a warm-hearted raccoon who loves collecting things, and he’s the first PBS Kids main character on the autism spectrum. NEPM is celebrating this important moment with our friends at The Eric Carle Museum in Amherst on Sunday, Nov. 10 screenings of the new show, activities, and giveaways. The museum will be free and open to the public for the day.
Jeffrey Gibson
POWER FULL BECAUSE WE’RE DIFFERENT
MASS MoCA, North Adams
On view through May 2026
Jeffrey Gibson is known for creating installations, performances, paintings, and sculpture that elevate and provide visibility to queer and Indigenous communities, whose cultural narratives have been historically marginalized. POWER FULL BECAUSE WE’RE DIFFERENT is a newly commissioned immersive installation filling MASS MoCA’s signature Building 5 gallery that follows Gibson’s celebrated United States representation at the 60th edition of La Biennale di Venezia. Throughout the run of the exhibition, the project will host a series of performances by Indigenous creatives from across North America.
2nd Annual SYTYTOFATS Challenge
The Toy Box, Amherst
Thursday, Nov. 7 from 7–9 p.m.
SYTYTOFATS stands for “So You Think You’re Too Old for a Toy Store.” This 21+ event might be just the thing we need this week. We can play games, construct art sculptures, enjoy a nice beverage, and laugh and laugh and laugh. Bring your favorite Debbie Doubter with you and convince them that play is incredibly valuable at any age.
Springfield Latino Book Fair
Springfield City Library, Mason Square Branch, 765 State Street
Friday, Nov. 8 from 2 – 5 p.m. and Saturday, Nov. 9 from 12 – 3 p.m.
This inaugural event will celebrate and promote the rich literary contributions of Latino authors, providing them a unique platform to showcase their work, engage with readers, and foster a deeper appreciation for Latino literature and culture within the community. The fair will include author readings, book signings, panel discussions, kids activities, music, and dance.
Banned Together Pre-Release Screening
Bombyx, Florence
Friday, Nov. 8 at 7 p.m.
Directed by local filmmaker and educator Kate Way, Banned Together follows the recent wave of book bans in the United States. The feature length documentary film follows the courageous efforts of three students from a small South Carolina community who take a stand when almost 100 books are abruptly removed from their school libraries. As the students rise to become national voices in the fight against censorship, the film captures the broader narrative of book banning and curriculum censorship across the United States.
UMass Dept. of Music and Dance
50th Annual Multiband Pops Concert
Frederick C. Tillis Performance Hall, UMass
Friday, Nov. 8 at 7:30 p.m.
With a program produced by Jeffrey W. Holmes the 50th Annual Multiband Pops, features UMass Music Department jazz, band, orchestral, choral, percussion and chamber ensembles in a fast-paced performance, plus the Minuteman Marching Band for the entire second half of the show.
Anita Kunz: Original Sisters
Portraits of Tenacity and Courage
Norman Rockwell Museum
On view Saturday, Nov. 9 – May 26, 2025
Original Sisters is a series of portraits that reveals and honors the contributions of history-making women. To create the series, award-winning illustrator Anita Kunz carefully researched, wrote about, and portrayed each subject, sometimes compiling scant available information to establish a more complete picture. Her portraits present famed and lesser-known women in the fields of art, science, technology and invention, education, history, and politics, offering a needed expansion and revision of the historical record.
Celebrating Pianos! Busoni & His Muses
A Festival Commemorating the Centennial of Ferruccio Busoni’s Death
Sweeney Concert Hall, Smith College
Saturday, Nov. 9 – Sunday, Nov. 10
Arguably the greatest pianist of his time, the legacy of Ferruccio Busoni (1866–1924) is perpetuated through his popular piano transcriptions and futuristic musical thinking. This two-day festival, curated by pianist and Smith college assistant professor of music Jiayan Sun, explores Busoni’s musical identity in the fin de siècle. Guest artist Elizabeth Chang and Smith faculty artists will present two concerts featuring Busoni’s original compositions and transcriptions, interspersed with works that served as sources for his inspirations. Busoni scholar Erinn Knyt will give a lecture to illustrate the fascinating connections between Busoni and Franz Liszt.
Berkshire Bach Portals
Chaconne–An Exploration of Movement with choreographer Peter Sparling
Koussevitsky Arts Center, Berkshire Community College, Pittsfield
Friday, Nov. 8 at 7 p.m.
Lenox Town Hall
Saturday, Nov. 9 at 7 p.m.
Portals is a Berkshire Bach Society series that explores Bach through films, books, and talks. Choreographer and filmmaker Peter Sparling discusses 100 years of choreography to Bach and uses Bach’s iconic Chaconne from the Partita No. 2 in D minor, BWV 1004, as inspiration for dance sequences that explore the depths of artistic expression. The musical performance in his film is by BBS Artistic Director Eugene Drucker, who introduces the event with a live performance of the first four movements of BWV 1004, and hosts a discussion with the filmmaker following the screening.
Pioneer Valley Jazz Shares: Arun Ramamurthy Trio
CitySpace, Easthampton
Saturday, Nov. 9 at 7:30 p.m.
The Arun Ramamurthy Trio brings together South Indian classical Carnatic music and contemporary American jazz. Boundaries are blurred in this organic and seamless integration of styles as the group expands on traditional forms in explosive, improvisational flights of fancy. The trio freely explores the kindred spirit of raga music and jazz, resulting in a deeply invigorating experience.
Mal Blum with John-Allison Weiss
The Drake, Amherst
Saturday, Nov. 9 at 8 p.m.
Mal Blum is a multi-disciplinary artist who has long been recognized as a unique and influential voice in music due to their songwriting talent and ability to consistently incorporate authenticity, wit, story and humor into their work. This tour will offer fans a personal experience and the ability to hear songs and stories in a stripped-down solo arrangement. Not too many tickets left for this one!
Chris Smither 80th Birthday Tribute Concert
Iron Horse, Northampton
Sunday, Nov. 10 at 7 p.m.
Celebrate the birthday a living (local) musical titan with performances by The Suitcase Junket, Vance Gilbert, Peter Mulvey, Tim Gearan, Pamela Means, Kris Delmhorst, David Goodrich, Zak Trojano, and BettySoo.
John Murillo & Nicole Sealey
Weinstein Auditorium, Wright Hall, Smith College
Tuesday, Nov. 12 at 7 p.m.
John Murillo’s Kontemporary Amerikan Poetry is a lyrical masterwork, mixing epiphany and grief in poems about the African American experience. Nicole Sealey is the author of The Ferguson Report: An Erasure, a revelatory book that pushes form to convey the complexities that emerge when confronting violence against Black bodies. These award-winning poets will be joined in conversation by Nathan McClain, assistant professor of creative writing and African American literary arts at Hampshire College.