Month: October 2015

The last one hundred years have witnessed the explosion of virtually every available means and medium in the service of art making, yet painting has not only maintained a central position in visual art, but has also adapted creatively to rapid changes in our culture as a whole. Today, painting is embedded in the broad debate of actual vs. virtual, and its ability to balance what is illusive and what is real, what is tactile and what is optical, and what is emotive and what is formal, providing fertile ground for a diverse range of artists.

This fall, The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum in Ridgefield, Connecticut, will present Painting in Four Takes, a series of solo exhibitions that will provide a window into the practices of four engaging painters who imbue the medium with relevance and character. The series, on view from November 15, 2015, through April 3, 2016, will mark the first time in over twenty years that The Aldrich has dedicated all of its galleries to painting.

The four artists selected span generations, methods, and intentions, but all are deeply entrenched in what painting is and can be in the image-dominated atmosphere of our twenty-first century. The artists include: Steve DiBenedetto, Hayal Pozanti and Julia Rommel.

Steve DiBenedetto (b. 1958, Bronx, New York) has established himself as an idiosyncratic artist who has brought the pursuit of painting into the unpredictable chaos and flux that categorize the Post-Modern world. Evidence of Everything is his first major solo museum exhibition.

The practice of Hayal Pozanti (b. 1983, Istanbul, Turkey) spans painting, digital animation, and sculpture. For her first solo museum exhibition, she will debut a new series of paintings and digital animations. Pozanti negotiates two opposing image-producing interfaces, the digital, with its mechanical, frenetic pace, and traditional studio practice, with its slowness, imperfection, and tactile insistence. To do so, she has invented “Instant Paradise”: a thirty-one-character “alphabet,” which she uses to generate shapes that never repeat themselves, nor have a recognizable equivalent in visual culture.

For her first solo museum exhibition, Julia Rommel (b. 1980, Salisbury, Maryland) will debut a series of new paintings presented alongside small works from 2010–2012. Rommel’s oil paintings range from head to body size, and oscillate between cool and warm palettes, color fields of denim blues, moody greys, creamy whites, salmon pinks, and citrus hues.

For more information visit http://www.aldrichart.org

Reggae superstar Maxi Priest and legendary guitarist Junior Marvin from Bob Marley’s original Wailiers celebrate global icon Bob Marley’s 70th birthday with a one-in-a-lifetime concert experience at the Palace Theater in Waterbury, on Saturday, Oct. 24, at 8.p.m. Tickets for “Get Up Stand Up: A Tribute to the Music of Bob Marley” are $59.50, $49.50, and $39.50 and can be purchased online at www.palacetheaterct.org, by phone at 203-346-2000, or in person at the Box Office, 100 East Main St. in Waterbury.

Reggae fans will relive the magic of Marley’s music and message as Maxi Priest and Junior Marvin masterfully perform songs from the charismatic musician’s extensive catalog, including the massive hits “One Love,” “Redemption Song,” “Jammin'” “Three Little Birds,” “No Woman No Cry,” “I Shot the Sheriff,” and countless others. British reggae superstar and vocalist Maxi Priest will also perform a selection of his international hits, including “Easy to Love,” “That Girl,” and “Wild Ones.” Priest is the first reggae artist to have a No. 1 hit worldwide, including the U.S. Billboard charts, and is best known for singing reggae music with an R&B influence, otherwise known as reggae fusion.

Jamaican singer, musician and songwriter Bob Marley served as a world ambassador for reggae music and sold more than 20 million records throughout his career—making him the first international superstar to emerge from the so-called Third World. Since his passing on May 11, 1981, his legend looms larger than ever, as evidenced by an ever-lengthening list of accomplishments attributable to his music, which championed for social change while allowing listeners to forget their troubles and dance.

Although Marley’s music was never recognized with a Grammy nomination, he was bestowed the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2012, an honor given by the Recording Academy to performers who have made creative contributions of outstanding artistic significance to the field of recording. Marley was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994, and in 1999, his album “Exodus” was named “Album of the Century” by Time Magazine, while his song “One Love” was designated Song of the Millennium by the BBC. Since its release in 1984, Marley’s “Legend” compilation has annually sold over 250,000 copies, and it is only the seventeenth album to exceed sales of 10 million copies.

For more area event information on the Litchfield Hills www.litchfieldhills.com

Torrington was established when the Colony of Connecticut granted to Windsor, Connecticut several townships including Torrington. Ebenezer Lyman Jr. of Durham purchased land from one of the Windsor proprietors and in 1735 became Torrington’s first settler. The first school, store, church and tavern were built high on the hills, west of the Naugatuck River, near the homes of the earliest settlers. The second area to be settled was the eastern hill known as Torringford. These hills provided the best farmland for the settler’s agricultural work. In October 1740, Torrington was given permission to incorporate as a town and organize its own town government and ecclesiastical society.

Due to it’s location on the Naugatuck River industry began to develop in the 19th c. using waterpower. In 1813 a woolen mill was built that attracted a large workforce and Torrington continued to grow. The site of the woolen mill is the center of Torrington today. The population continued to grow due to the construction of two brass mills on the river in 1834 and by 1849 the Naugatuck Valley railroad was completed thorough Torrington.

The railroad linked Torrington with other population centers, ending its isolation and stimulating industrial development. Soon Torrington was producing a vast array of metal products including needles, brass, ice skates, hardware, bicycles, and tacks. English, German and Irish immigrants contributed to the growth of the community in the mid nineteenth century. Torrington’s growing industrial plants continued to attract immigrants through the early 20th century. As immigration from southern and eastern Europe increased, Torrington’s population exploded from 3,000 to 22,000 between 1880 and 1920. New immigrants during this period included the Poles, Czechs, Slovaks, Italians and Lebanese. In 1923, with a population of 23,000, Torrington was chartered as a city.

To celebrate it’s 275 Birthday on October 17 from 12 noon to 5 p.m. the city has planned a variety of events to commemorate this milestone on Main Stree in Torrington. Notable residents from Torrington’s past are sure to entertain and will read from scripts written by professional playwright, Charlene Donaghy. There also be the “best of the best” antique car show in the he municipal parking lot next to City Hall. To add to the fun, the Survivors Swing Band will be playing the great old tunes of the 1920s through 1940s on the steps of City Hall and Tom Hooker Hanford will provide historic musical entertainment. There will be plenty of food to buy including ethnic specialties located behind City Hall on Main St.
Party goers will be invited to take a horse-drawn wagon rides through Center Cemetery, the final resting place of some of Torrington’s former movers and shakers as well as to tour the Torrington Historical Society.

The rain date is October 18. For additional details visit http://www.torrington275.org. For area information www.litchfieldhills.com

Join the Westport Historical Society on October 17 from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m, for one of its most popular walking tours, a stroll through Old Saugatuck accompanied by guide Bob Mitchell. The tour begins at 3:00 p.m. and ends with a drink on the house at one of Saugatuck’s favorite haunts, the Black Duck.

As you make your way through the neighborhood that sits along the tracks near the Westport train station, Mitchell will discuss Saugatuck’s past as a manufacturing hub and the tight-knit, predominantly Italian community it was to become. Most of what we now know as Westport was once called Saugatuck, after the river. But when the town was incorporated in 1835 from parts of Norwalk and Fairfield, it was given the name Westport. The area to the south of town on the west side of the river continued to be called Saugatuck, however.

The walk will begin at the train station, where rail service was launched in 1848, making Westport more accessible for visitors and, in turn, giving residents better access to New York City. Railroad construction brought an influx of jobs, filled mostly by Irish and Italian laborers, and the young community eventually was called Little Italy. In 1958, a swath of buildings bisecting Saugatuck was demolished to make way for the Connecticut Turnpike.

Here are some bits of Saugatuck lore you’ll learn about: The Saugatuck Grain & Supply Company (1929), Luciano Park, the Westport Bank & Trust branch office, the Hedenbury Tin Shop, the Banyan Coffin Tack Factory, the first Saugatuck firehouse, the mattress factory, the William F. Cribari Bridge (the oldest movable span in Connecticut), and the Saugatuck Manufacturing Company, which made buttons from Brazilian ivory nuts. In addition, you’ll hear wonderful stories from people who grew up in Saugatuck when life was simple and family ties strong.

The tour was created to give participants insights into Westport’s history and show how resilient Westporters have been in retaining the character of our town, even as the landscape changes and Saugatuck undergoes an impressive renaissance.

There is a $10 donation, and $8 for members. Ages 12 and under are $5. Reservations are recommended: (203) 222-1424. Meet at the New York Bound Side.

It’s the Fall harvest season so what better way to celebrate and welcome in the cooler weather than with a short ride on a vintage train to the Danbury Railway Museum’s Pumpkin Patch. This popular annual family event will take place on October 10-11, 17-18 and 24-25; Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., and Sundays from noon to 4:00 p.m. with the last train at 3:30 p.m. at the museum, with trains departing hourly beginning ½-hour after opening each day.

Admission is $10.00 for ages 2 and over; children under 24 months are free. Visitors will ride the Pumpkin Patch Train through the historic rail yard in a 1920’s passenger coach, pulled by a vintage ALCo RS-1 diesel-electric locomotive* to the special pumpkin patch where each child will receive a free pumpkin.

Of course, the exhibits, artifacts, and multiple operating model train layouts inside the restored 100-year old Danbury station will be open for your education and entertainment. The kids can also enjoy the free activities such as the “coloring station,” temporary tattoos, cider & cookies, and more. There is a fully-stocked gift shop on the premises. No reservations are required; the event will be held rain or shine. Children are encouraged to come in costume.

The Danbury Railway Museum is a non-profit organization, staffed solely by volunteers, and is dedicated to the preservation of, and education about, railroad history. The museum is located in the restored 1903 Danbury Station and rail yard at 120 White Street, Danbury, CT and has many artifacts of area railroading on display, including over 70 vintage railroad cars and locomotives.

For further information, visit the Web site at http://www.danburyrail.org, or call the museum at 203-778-8337.

For more fall event information www.litchfieldhills.com

The aroma of steaming chowder, the tantalizing scent of garlic, and the chance to sample the best specialties of Iceland await autumn visitors to Western Connecticut, home to three of the season’s top food festivals.
Chowdafest, New England’s largest cooking competition, will be held at Westport’s Sherwood Island State Park on October 11, a new location spacious enough to accommodate the growing fan base, while another popular event, the tenth annual Connecticut Garlic & Harvest Festival takes place October 10-11, 2015 at the Bethlehem Fairgrounds. The following Saturday, October 18, the fifth annual Iceland Affair and Fire and Ice Music Festival once again will bring fans to Winchester, CT. for a rare treat, one of only two such festivals in the United States.

YOU ARE THE JUDGE AT CHOWDAFEST

At this SOUPerbowl of festivals to benefit the Connecticut Food Bank, attendees are the judges as more than two dozen of the regions best restaurants compete in four categories: classic New England Clam Chowder, Traditional Manhattan and Rhode Island chowders, “creative” chowders that might be anything from sweet potato to Cajun shrimp, and bisque soups such as Butternut Squash and Golden Corn. Everyone receives a spoon, pencil and ballot and can sample unlimited chowder and soups, grading entries on a scale from 7 to 10. Winners are announced at the end of the event.

For tasting variety, samples are offered at the Cheese and Cracker Corner, at ChowdaMex featuring salsas and chips and at a beverage center stocked with beer and wine. The ChowdaKIDS area will provide samples of ice cream and milk as well as free chef hats, coloring books and stickers provided by Stop & Shop, the event sponsor.
Admission is $10 in advance for adults, $15 at the door on October 11. Ages 6 to 12 pay $5, children under 6 are free. Hours are 12 noon to 4 p.m. Proceeds from this food festival to fight hunger have provided over 100,000 meals for the CT Food Bank. For information, see www.chowdafest.org

GARLIC IN ITS GLORY
Foodies flock each year to the Connecticut Garlic & Harvest Festival where they enjoy cooking demonstrations, informative food talks, lessons in growing garlic, plus free samplings of garlic dips, spreads, cheeses and oils from specialty food vendors. Visitors can buy farm-fresh garlic as well as other bounty from the fall harvest. All of that is the warm-up for some serious eating that includes treats like homemade roasted garlic sausage with peppers and onions, garlic marinated steak sandwiches, garlic roast pork sandwiches, deep fried garlic, and even garlic ice cream.

Live bands add to the festive feel, fine artisans are on hand offering hand made crafts and young visitors will find rides and games to keep them entertained.

The Garlic Festival will be held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday October 10 and 11
at the Bethlehem Fairgrounds, Route 61 just north of town. Adult admission is $7, under age 12, just $1. Find more details at www.garlicfestct.com

TAKE A TRIP TO ICELAND
One woman’s love affair with Iceland was the spark that began this unusual festival. Gerri Griswold, a former chef and current broadcaster, visited the “land of fire and ice” and fell in love.

She has made over a dozen trips to Iceland since 2002 and in 2009, decided to introduce more Americans to their northern neighbor in what she thought would be a one-time event in her home town. Instead, the Iceland Affair keeps growing. At this year’s fifth edition at Winchester Center’s Grange Hall visitors will hear experts talk about Iceland’s arts and amazing nature, see prize photography of the land’s lavish geysers and waterfalls, and will be able to sample authentic Icelandic foods such as goat sausage, smoked and dried fish, sensational chocolates and licorice, the special local yogurt known as skyr, pure Icelandic water, and what Griswold calls the best hot dogs in the world. On the Winchester Center Green the public will meet Iceland’s biologically pure animals including Icelandic horses, sheep, sheep dogs, and chickens. The event will be held on October 18 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. All the day’s activities are free.

For details on the festival see http://icelandaffair.com.

For more area information www.visitwesternct.com