Month: August 2015

The Mattatuck Museum, located on 144 West Main Street in Waterbury is pleased to organize visits to the studios of four artists included in the exhibition, Unsettled Identities on view July 25 – September 13, 2015. Curated by artist Duvian Montoya, this exhibition explores the artistic and biographical evolution of five artists by pairing an earlier work with a recently produced one. The exhibition includes painting, mixed media reliefs, street art/graffiti and fiber installations by Jamison Banks, Amy Bilden, Vincent Calenzo, Duvian Montoya and Jahmane West.

The Mattatuck Staff has organized a private tour of the studios of Connecticut-based artists Amy Bilden, Vincent Calenzo, Duvian Montoya and Jahmane West on Saturday, August 22, 2015 at 3:00 p.m. This is an excellent opportunity not only to meet the artists but also to see the environment that inspires their work. Space is limited. First-come, first-served. Members are $30 and Non-Members are $45. For more information and to register call (203) 753-0381 x 130.

For more information on all of the museum’s programs, events, and exhibits visit the website at www.mattatuckmuseum.org or call (203) 753-0381.

For area information www.litchfieldhills.com

Be among the first to ride the country’s only research vessel with hybrid-electric propulsion during exciting public cruises offered this summer by The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk.

R/V Spirit of the Sound™ begins her Aquarium service July 1, with outings at 1 p.m. Wednesdays through Sundays through Labor Day.

The $2.7 million, 64-foot catamaran is bigger, quieter and greener than the Aquarium’s former boat, a 40-foot diesel-powered trawler.

“The fish, crabs, squid and other marine creatures that we bring up onto the boat will have to share top billing during this first season with R/V Spirit of the Sound,” said Tom Naiman, the Aquarium’s education director. “Participants will come away very impressed with the boat – for her unique hybrid propulsion and state-of-the-art navigation systems, but even more for her broad educational and research capabilities.”

During each Marine Life Study Cruise, animals are brought up out of Long Island Sound from different water levels and bottom habitats. A video microscope connected to a big-screen monitor provides a magnified look at wriggly plankton gathered at the sunlit surface. A biodredge reveals a hidden world of sponges, mollusks, worms and tiny crabs. And everyone inspects the trawl net’s bounty: varieties of fish and crabs, skates, sea stars, squid and always a few surprises.

“Seeing these animals come up out of the water has a tremendous impact in helping our guests understand the diversity of marine life just off our shores and in inspiring them to act as stewards of the Sound and the environment when they go home,” Naiman said. “Plus, it’s just plain fun. Who hasn’t been on a boat ride and wondered, ‘What’s down there?’ Well, we show you.”

Participants are involved hands-on throughout each cruise. They take measurements, sort through mud samples to find animals, help pull in the trawl net and return animals to the water.

Besides being fun and eye-opening, Marine Life Study Cruises also contribute to local scientific research. Water-chemistry and weather readings are taken. And details about the animals brought onboard are entered into the Aquarium’s Long Island Sound Biodiversity Project, a database of physical and biological features available online to teachers and researchers.

All passengers must be at least 42 inches tall. Particpants under age 21 must be accompanied by an adult.

The 2½- hour cruises depart from the dock outside the Aquarium’s IMAX® move theater.

Tickets for a Maritime Aquarium Marine Life Study Cruise are $29.95 (or $24.95 for Aquarium members).

Discounted triple combination tickets for a study cruise, Aquarium admission and IMAX movie are $49.95 for adults, $47.95 for youths (13-17) & seniors (65+), and $42.95 for ages 12 & under.

Advance ticket purchases are strongly recommended; walk-up tickets will be sold, space permitting. Get advance tickets online at www.maritimeaquarium.org. The triple combination tickets are not available online; instead, call (203) 852-0700, ext. 2206, weekdays between 9:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.

In addition to the public outings, R/V Spirit of the Sound can be chartered for Marine Life Study Cruises by summer camps, Scouts and other groups at 9 a.m. on Wednesdays-Sundays and at 9 a.m. & 1 p.m. on Mondays and Tuesdays.

R/V Spirit of the Sound also can be chartered for special outings on the Sound, including corporate celebrations and team-building events. Call (203) 852-0700, ext. 2206, for details.

For area information www.visitfairfieldcountyct.com

The Westport Arts Center will host an exhibition of photographs and paintings by the renowned artist Eric Fischl runs through September 5. Fischl is considered one of the most influential figurative painters of the late 20th and early 21st centuries.

The showcased works are a unique aggregation of Fischl’s early photographs and paintings from 1982-2008, representing his distinct figurative style.

Curated by Helen Klisser During, the Westport Arts Center’s Artistic Director, the Eric Fischl Exhibition features 30 photographs and paintings curated from both the Hall Collection and the Eric Fischl Studio. The exhibition provides a rare opportunity to see the works outside of these collections.

Fischl is known for his provocative narratives about human behavior, particularly the hidden activities of middle-class America, and for making private moments public. His work is focused on people – their bodies – and the associated complex relationship we have with our physicality.

Included in the exhibition is his series of Saint Tropez (1982 – 1988) dye transfer photographs (1990) from the Hall Collection. This series exemplifies Fischl’s sense of voyeurism and his use of water as a recurrent theme, both the ocean as a symbol of life and the swimming pool as its domestic manifestation.

Fischl’s paintings, sculptures, drawings and prints have been the subject of numerous solo and major group exhibitions and his work is represented in many museums, as well as prestigious private and corporate collections, including The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Whitney Museum of American Art, The Museum of Modern Art in New York City, The Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles, St. Louis Art Museum, Louisiana Museum of Art in Denmark, Musée Beaubourg in Paris, and may others worldwide. Fischl has collaborated with other artists and authors, including E.L. Doctorow, Allen Ginsberg, Jamaica Kincaid, Jerry Saltz and Frederic Tuten.

For more information on the Eric Fischl Exhibition and other programs at the Westport Arts Center, visit www.westportartscenter.org.

For area information www.visitfairfieldcountyct.com

The Arts Commission in cooperation with the Historical Society will host an exhibit on the works of Brookfield artists both past and present. The exhibit will take place at the Brookfield Museum located at 165 Whisconier Road (Junction of Routes 25 and 133) in Brookfield Center. The Grand Opening will be held on Saturday, August 8, 2015 from Noon to 4 PM and the exhibit will continue each Saturday at the same time through September 5. At the opening, complimentary refreshments will be offered to visitors of the exhibit and admission is free.

Among the historic artists featured are Eric Sloane, a founding member of the Historical Society, and David Hutchinson an artist contracted by the federal government during the depression to grace the walls of federal building throughout America with his murals. Famed cartoonist Jack Berrill who created the comic strip Gil Thorp will be featured along with some works of Elizabeth Schleussner, a nationally recognized landscape painter of desert settings, southwest scenes and eucalyptus trees.

In addition, the artworks of Reginald Ward Phillips, a world- renowned book and magazine illustrator and Cole Bradley who trained under the direction of Norman Rockwell and whose illustrations appeared in National Magazines will be on display. Bradley created the Brookfield town seal and created numerous drawings depicting life in Brookfield in earlier times. He also created the Legend of Whisconier complete with illustration.

For more information visit www.brookfieldcthistory.org or www.brookfieldartscommission.org. For area information www.litchfieldhills.com

A new exhibit of Kashmir shawls is opening at the New Canaan Historical Society’s Costumes Museum. The shawls shown reflect the preferences of Americans during the Victorian Period. Included in the exhibit are shawls from the 1st quarter of the 19th century through the end of the century. All shawls and costumes are from the Society’s collection.

Deborah Bede, curator of the collection, has described the shawls and presented a history of the weaving process in preparing for this exhibit. Since the opening of the museum in 1968, the Society has acquired a large Kashmir shawl collection, gifted by New Canaan residents. The shawls date from the early to late 1800s, a transitional period in New Canaan and the United States. The country was in the midst of the Industrial Revolution when manufacturing replaced agriculture as the primary economic source.

Just before the Historical Society was founded in 1889, the Town joined the Industrial Revolution with its booming shoe manufacturing industry, bringing with it greater wealth to the community.

It was also the era when the summer residents arrived, with them came the fashions of New York. They built homes, employed local residents and patronized local stores. The shawls shown would have been worn or decorated the homes of many summer residents, topping pianos, covering beds, and draped over furniture. Models display how the shawls would have been worn during this time.

All items shown are generous donations of members present and past. Exhibit hours are 10:00am-4:00pm Tuesday – Friday and 9:30am-12:00pm Saturday. The New Canaan Historical Society is located on 13 Oenoke Ridge in New Canaan. For more information 203-966-1776 or http://www.nchistory.org.

For area information www.visitfairfieldcountyct.com

On Saturday, August 29 from 10 a.m. to noon join the Westport Historical Society for their annual kayak tour to Cockenoe Island, a 28 acre island one mile off the coast of Westport.

The tour will be led by David Park, board member of the Norwalk River Watershed Association and author of the guidebook “Kayaking in and around the Norwalk Islands”. ” I love leading this event each year that is both fun and educational. The participants have always been enthusiastic about kayaking out to the Westport island, walking along the shore and hearing about the history of the island and the many migratory bird stories that nest on parts of the island. My favorite part of the discussion is talking about how the stewardship of property by residents within the Saugatuck River watershed can effect the water quality of Long Island Sound and wildlife around the Norwalk Islands”

Cockenoe Island is open to the public thanks to the hundreds of Westport residents and town officials who fought against the proposed construction of a nuclear power plant back in 1967. The plan was brought forward by the United Illuminating Company who had purchased the island a year earlier from the Smith family, the owners of the island at the time. After the plan was defeated, the town of Westport purchased the island as open space and it is now enjoyed by all types of recreational users and nature enthusiasts. The acquisition was heralded as a significant conservation victory for the nation by Life Magazine.

The tour group will land on the island for a stroll and hear about how the Saugatuck River watershed effects the water quality of Long Island Sound and wildlife of the Norwalk Islands. Cockenoe Island is of particular interest because of the current conservation efforts and successful nesting colonies of egrets, herons and terns. $20 fee per boat, Members: $15 , Rain date: August 30 Meet at: Longshore Sailing School, Longshore Park, Westport

Kayak rentals available from Longshore Sailing School, Call 203-226-4646 (single and double Kayaks are available). Intermediate level kayak ability is required.

Copies of “Kayaking in and around the Norwalk Islands” are available for $10 in the Gift Shop at WHS. Registration is required, limited number of boats. Please call us at 203-222-1424 to register.