NEW YORK.- “NL: A Season of Dutch Arts in the Berkshires”, a showcase of the arts and culture of The Netherlands, launches in June 2007 in the Berkshires region of western Massachusetts. The preliminary performance and event schedule was recently announced. Major arts organizations MASS MoCA, Tanglewood, Jacob’s Pillow, the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute, and the Colonial Theatre are working with leading artists from The Netherlands to offer a broad range of Dutch visual arts, dance, music, theater, and film, as well as a series of lectures dedicated to the arts and culture of The Netherlands. “NL” will be celebrated with an opening event on June 15 at MASS MoCA, and runs through August 2007.

In the spectacular natural landscape among the Berkshire Hills , audiences will see works by The Netherlands’ premier artists and performers, many of them renowned in Europe but not yet well known in the United States . These artists and designers, dancers and choreographers, musicians and composers, theater groups, and filmmakers have been invited to collaborate on new works and present new interpretations of classic works as part of this unprecedented creative partnership. Together, these artists and programs reflect the strong Dutch tradition of art and innovation.

An area long known for its creative energy, most evident in its internationally acclaimed cultural institutions and active summer arts season, the Berkshires offers an ideal setting for “NL.” The program’s spirit of multi-disciplinary collaboration mirrors the Berkshires’ history of fostering experimentation in the arts across disciplines.

“NL” celebrates the festival on June 15 with a special performance by the Zapp String Quartet at MASS MoCA in North Adams . An after-party takes place in Dr Wapenaar’s site-specific pavilion project, conceived as a part of NL. For more information on the MASS MoCA event, or more details on all NL programming, including links to the venue websites for ticketing information, and , at a later date, audio and video clips of some of the performers and presenters, please visit the NL website at www.NL-Berkshires.org.