Lifestyle: Michael Conforti, Director
Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute
By Carrie Saldo
As Director of the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute, Michael Conforti has overseen the Clark’s transition from a small art museum in Williamstown to an internationally-renowned institution with a cutting-edge Research and Academic Program; a highly-regarded series of special 
exhibitions and collection of Old Master and Impressionist paintings; and a beautiful natural setting with miles of woodland trails and spectacular views of the surrounding landscape.
With 140 acres of woodlands, the Clark is one of the nation’s only major art museums in a rural environment. “I remember visiting the Clark for the first time and being overcome by the beauty of the Berkshires,” he said. Arriving as the Clark’s Director, Conforti was determined to capitalize on the Clark’s rural surroundings and created the Research and Academic Program, which awards visiting fellowships to respected scholars from all over the globe each year.
“I envisioned this program as a virtual greenhouse for ideas in the visual arts, where the traditional discipline of art history is pushed down new paths,” he said. “Our Clark Fellows love the beauty of the Berkshires. It’s an inspiration for their research and their time here provides a much-needed respite from the demands of their own institutions.” In addition, the Clark holds dozens of conferences, symposia, lectures, and colloquia that address questions about the ever-changing role of visual art in culture.
The challenge of leading an institution distinguished not only by the quality of its collections but its stunning natural setting attracted Conforti to the Clark in 1994. In addition to its preeminent permanent collection of European and American art, the Clark has developed its special exhibition and public programming under Conforti’s leadership. “We now have special exhibitions year-round: three major ones in the fall, spring, and summer in addition to a number of smaller rotating shows,” said Conforti who is also president of the Association of Art Museum Directors. This summer’s exhibitions represent a leap forward for the Clark, however. The Clark’s main exhibition, Dove/O’Keeffe: Circles of Influence, is the institution’s first exhibition of modern art in over twenty years and explores the relationship between O’Keeffe and an important but less well-known figure of American modernism, Arthur Dove. A second show, Through the Seasons: Japanese Art in Nature, is the Clark’s first non-Western exhibition in its history, bringing together screens and hanging scrolls from the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries and displays them alongside contemporary Japanese ceramics. Thousands of visitors come to the Clark not only to see art but to participate in its vibrant public programs, ranging from outdoor concerts each Tuesday in July to the popular Free Family Days with fun art-inspired activities for children and free admission to the galleries.
Living in the Berkshires, Conforti and his family regularly participate in their favorite activities while also enjoying a sense of community. Conforti’s son and daughter are active skiers and snowboarders, while he and his wife Licia prefer to take advantage of the many cultural opportunities in the region. Conforti also relishes the close relationships he has formed with other leaders in the Berkshire arts community. “We share each others’ triumphs and work together closely for the good of our institutions,” he said. “This type of collaborative spirit is hard to find in larger metropolitan settings.”
In March 2007, the Clark announced the receipt of a $50 million bequest from the Manton Foundation, which included the collection of over 200 works of British art assembled by Sir Edwin A. G. Manton. In Manton’s honor the Clark’s red granite building was renamed The Manton Research Center and a special Manton Gallery will display works from the collection. This extraordinary gift was followed by the opening of Stone Hill Center, designed by the world-renowned Japanese architect Tadao Ando. Stone Hill Center houses the Williamstown Art Conservation Center as well as two new galleries for temporary exhibitions and a terrace with stunning views of the surrounding Berkshire hills. “The clean lines and close attention to the Clark’s natural setting makes our Through the Seasons exhibition a wonderful complement to Ando’s building,” Conforti said. “The large gallery windows allow visitors to view the surrounding landscape and enjoy the unique experience of art in nature that defines the experience of the Clark, he said. “You can’t get that anywhere - except the Berkshires.”
Carrie Saldo is the Berkshire Visitors Bureau’s director of communication and the host of Only in the Berkshires Webisodes. Previously, Carrie was the Berkshire Bureau Chief for WAMC Northeast Public Radio and a reporter at the Berkshire Eagle and North Adams Transcript. Her freelance writing work has appeared in Berkshire Living, Berkshire Business Quarterly, and the Berkshire Eagle, among other publications.