The Ringling in the Berkshires

The Ringling Museum of Art: The Berkshires and George Inness

The Ringling Museum of Art is thrilled to announce the upcoming Ringling Circle Travel experience: an exclusive, three-day art excursion to the Berkshires! 

Monday, July 22: Our trip will begin at MASS MoCA, a contemporary gem hidden in North Adams, Massachusetts. Their mission—to "help artists and their supporters create and show important new work, bringing to our visitors bold visual and performing art in all stages of production"—has transformed the institution into a leading museum in the contemporary space. MASS MoCa has a standout permanent collection, including works by Sol Lewitt and a new outdoor Turrell skyspace, C.A.V.U. Other highlights include exhibitions by Sarah Crowner and Martin Puryear, who represented the US in the Venice Biennale in 2019, and Louise Bourgeois. We will finish our exciting first day with local favorite, Water Street Grill, for a gastropub experience. 

Tuesday, July 23: The portion of the trip will focus on The Clark Art Institute, a spectacular museum dating to 1955 with a dual mission as both "an art museum and a distinguished center for research and higher education." The Clark, as it is better known, is offering us a unique experience on behalf of trustee Frank Martucci. This includes a pre-opening visit, during which time we will enjoy the riches of the museum before it opens to the public. Highlights will include a curator-led discussion of their George Inness collection, including the two original Inness works owned by The Clarks and eight works donated by Frank and Katherine Martucci. In addition, we will enjoy a specially curated selection in the Manton Study Center for Works on Paper known for pieces by Albrecht Dürer, Claude Lorraine, John Constable, Edgar Degas, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Paul Gauguin, and Winslow Homer. We also tour several current exhibitions, including Guillaume Lethière, which is traveling to Musée du Louvre aftwards, Fragile Museum, Treasures from the Corning Museum of Glass, and Edgar Degas, Multi-media Artist in the Age of Impressionism. We will also have an hour to tour the permanent collection and explore the stunningly beautiful trails on the property. Our visit will conclude with a private lunch in the Penthouse Boardroom with leaders of The Clark, including Director Olivier Meslay. We will finish our day with a private collection visit before dining at a local favorite Mezze Bistro + Bar. 

Wednesday, July 24: Our final day we will visit the Williams Art Museum. For those in the art industry, the term Williams Mafia is a well-known one. The tight-knit community has helped build this exhaustive collection of 15,000 works spanning centuries. We will spend our time taking advantage of many of its leading collections, especially the Prendergast study center with the largest collection of works by Maurice and Charles Prendergast. We will finish our trip with a fun finale lunch at Plates Mediterranean Bistro. Plates offers a fresh farm to table experience. 

We will stay at The Williams Inn located in the heart of Williamstown, embracing the beauty of Northern Berkshires in an upscale lodge surrounded by the art and culture of the region. Our dining will capture the small town vibe of the Berkshires and include lunch at The Clark and dinner at The Barn, seasonally inspired and serving New England classics. We will have a luxury coach for the duration of the trip, transporting us from one art venue to the next.

The Berkshires experience is priced at $2,790 per person with double occupancy and $3,390 for single occupancy and includes all transportation excluding flights, lodging, and specific meals during your trip. This trip is limited to 10 guests and your booking is requested by May 24, 2024. A minimum of 10 guests is required to operate this trip. 

Your Artful Jaunts tour contact is Latasha Thomas (latasha@artfuljaunts.com or 781-658-2270, office). She is available to help with any questions or assistance during the registration process.

No refund will be provided for cancellations within sixty days of the trip's start date. If the museum has another patron to fill a spot a substitution will be allowed. After the trip has commenced, no refunds are available, even if the client does not partake in all of the trip's activities or leaves the trip early. We highly recommend trip insurance offered when booking. All programming may change and is subject to availability of hosts, collectors and artists.

Book The Ringling Berkshires