Author: Janet

The Fairfield Museum and History Center located on 370 Beach Road in Fairfield has organized two special exhibitions that are sure to please art lovers.

The 7th annual juried photography exhibition, IMAGES runs through July 19 and showcases the exceptional work of talented regional photographers. The IMAGES photography competition offers a wonderful venue to highlight the work of up-and-coming regional photographers.The exhibition features roughly fifty photographs, usually picked from about 1,000 submissions, of photographers active in Connecticut, New York, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts. Photos are judged in the following categories: landscape, portrait, architecture, nature and abstract to be displayed in this show. This is a juried show with a jury that is made up of prominent photographers including Howard Schatz, Suzanne Chamlin, LaTanya S. Autry, and Jeremy Frost.

The Fairfield History Center has also launched a second exhibition called, Howard Schatz: 25 Years of Photographs. The exhibition celebrates the remarkable twenty-five year career of Connecticut-based photographer Howard Schatz. This exhibition displays highlights of his work. Schatz is primarily known for his dynamic and intimate portraits of the human body, and his photographs make up a veritable catalog of body types and personalities, from newborns and mothers, to athletes and bodies underwater. His photographs have been featured in The New York Times Magazine, Vogue, Sports Illustrated, Time, and Life, among others, as well as displayed in museums and galleries worldwide. This exhibition runs through August 31, 2015.

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

On Saturday, May 9 at 8 pm, the Torrington Symphony Orchestra will present, “Viva Italia II,” at the Warner Theatre’s Nancy Marine Studio Theatre.

Conducted by Maurice Steinberg, “Viva Italia II” features Italian composers and melodies performed by guest soloists Christi McLain and Jerron Jorgenson.

Soprano Christi McLain made her New England debut with Connecticut Lyric Opera and was selected as a finalist for Connecticut Concert Opera’s American Opera Idol competition. Before relocating to CT, Christi McLain received her Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Voice Performance from Arizona State University. Dr. McLain has performed throughout Europe including Germany, Austria, Ireland, and Luxembourg. This spring, she will be joining the Hartford Opera Theatre.

A native of South Dakota, tenor Jerron Jorgensen performs, conducts, and arranges for a number of organizations in the Hartford metropolitan area. Jerron is pursuing doctoral studies at The Hartt School of Music, where he is also honored to serve as a Teaching Fellow in voice. In addition, Jerron presides as the Director of Music at First Congregational Church of Granby, and Music Director for the Connecticut Yankee Chorale in Torrington.

The Torrington Symphony Orchestra was founded in 1961 and has been an active part of the musical community ever since. The 45-plus Torrington Symphony amateur and professional musicians are drawn from 25 Connecticut towns, New York and Massachusetts.
Tickets are $22. Children 12 and under are free. Tickets can be purchased by calling the Warner Theatre Box Office at 860-489-7180 or online at http://www.warnertheatre.org

White Flower Farm dates back to the late 1930’s when two journalists from New York bought the property and took up gardening. With the curiosity of journalists, and the resources of New York at their fingertips, they quickly realized that American gardening in the 40’s was, with few exceptions, an intellectual backwater with little or no interest in new plants, original design ideas, or even modern cultural practices. It was, in short, a marketplace waiting for new leadership and White Flower Farm was born.

Today, White Flower Farm continues to collect and evaluate plants from around the world, discarding the fakes and weaklings and propagating commercial quantities of the very best for sale through three seasonal catalogues. The farm also maintains extensive trial and display gardens at the nursery and welcome thousands of visitors every year, many of whom take home plants selected at The Store.

This May, White Flower Farm is hosting two exciting events perfect for garden lovers. On May 9 at 10 a.m., 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. White Flower Farm is hosting a container gardening workshop. At this “make and take” workshop participants can select their pots and plants and watch as the professional staff of White Flower Farm assembles your creation. Prices start at $45, which includes 5 annuals of your choosing and a decorative container. Other choices available for additional fees.

On May 15-17, White Flower Farm is once again celebrating the annual “Great Tomato Celebration” now in its’ tenth year. Visitors can choose from over 100 tomato varieties, seeds and seedlings in addition to vegetables and herbs.
White Flower Farm is located on Rte. 63 in Litchfield. For more event information at White Flower Farm http://www.whiteflowerfarm.com/store-event-calendar.html

For more event information on all there is to see and do in Litchfield Hills www.litchfieldhills.com

If you want to improve your skills in monotype printmaking the Center for Contemporary Printmaking is offering a three day immersion into this genre with Stuart Shils. The class is being offered Tuesday, May 19- Thursday, May 21 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and is limited to eight students.

This course is a three-day immersion into monotype printmaking, with an emphasis on color and an awareness of abstraction as the point of departure for shaping an image. Studio work will be combined with drawing from nature as the source for developing the foundation of the participant’s visual responses.

Each day, rapid drawing notation and an awareness of visual memory, will provide imagery to be included in the ongoing work in the print studio. The class will be an informed exploration of the deeper processes of image making and design. Participants are expected to be mid range to advanced in artistic ability, not necessarily trained “print makers,” but must be familiar with drawing, painting or printmaking as visual languages.

Advanced Participants Only – Master Class Participants Must Provide CCP with CV and Examples of Previous Work – Please call Elisabeth Walden, Education Coordinator at 203-899-7999 to apply. To register http://contemprints.org/index.php/component/civicrm/?task=civicrm/event/info&reset=1&id=18.

For area information www.visitfairfieldcountyct.com

The Westport Arts Center’s High School Student Art Exhibition being held through April 25 showcases young talent from the Westport area. The show is being held in the Westport Arts Center’s Project Space in conjunction with the Westport Arts Center’s “Leonard Everett Fisher: A Retrospective,” featuring one of Westport’s most revered and practicing artists.

In conjunction with this show is the first annual Tracy Sugarman Award being awarded to a promising young local artist. This year’s award went to Audrey Seo, who has been selected by jurors Leonard Everett Fisher and Helen Klisser During, the Westport Arts Center’s Artistic Director. This event is sponsored by The Honorable Alan and Janet Nevas in memory of Tracy Sugarman. A 62-year Westport resident, Tracy Sugarman was an illustrator, writer, civil rights activist, and WWII veteran, who is best known for his paintings and illustrations recording American history from D-Day to the space shuttle. Mr. Sugarman passed away in January 2013 at the age of 91. This award honors and commemorates Sugarman’s significant contribution to the artistic integrity and legacy of Westport as an artist’s community.

The Leonard Everett Fisher Retrospective Show’s collection reflects Fisher’s ability to blur the lines between design, illustration and art, and reveals the long-lasting impact that Fisher has made in his lifetime. Curated by Helen Klisser During, the Westport Arts Center’s Artistic Director, this unique retrospective includes paintings, drawings, and illustrations from Fisher’s prolific 70-year career. The exhibition ranges from his earliest drawings to his latest works and is on view through April 25.

For more information on this exhibition, or other student events and classes, please contact the Westport Arts Center at 203/222-7070 or www.westportartscenter.org. For area information www.visitfairfieldcountyct.com