Author: Janet

McLaughlin Vineyard located on 14 Albert’s Hill Road, in Sandy Hook has two festive events of special note planned in May, just in time for Mothers Day

On May 2 from 2:30 p.m. – 4 p.m., local artist Kelly Makuch of Kelly Makuch Studio joins event participants at the vineyard once again to help them create a whimsical wine bottle wind chime to adorn your summer garden while tasting wine. This could also be a unique gift for Mothers Day.

Making wine bottle windchimes is an easy, fun and imaginative process that doesn’t involve any glass cutting. All materials will be provided for you to complete your summer wind chimes. You can choose to follow design inspirations provided or bring your own beads and other creative components to build upon the design that will give your chime its’ own artistic signature!

If you don’t have any personal embellishments to bring, no worries, there are additional options such as fused glass and other whimsical items that will be available for purchase. This event is limited to 20 participants and the cost, including wine-tasting is $45. Reservations are required.

On Mother’s Day, May 9, McLaughlin Vineyards is hosting a jazzy Brunch n’ Lunch from 11 am – 4 pm. Music is provided by Gomez and Sadlon known for their smooth jazz expressions and brunch is provided by an award winning local catering company. Reservations are required.
Visit http://www.mclaughlinvineyards.com to reserve your space for both events.

The May Art Walk in Torrington is taking place on May 1 and Karen Rossi Studios http://www.karenrossi.com is featuring her collaborations with Dawn Hill of unique handmade jewelry and an installation of Fairy Houses in her 27 East Main Street windows. Also on display in the windows of Karen Rossi Studios is the exciting work of some talented young artists.

Mr. Preato’s 5th grade students from East School produced an exciting collection of artwork on display in the windows of Karen Rossi Studios at 27 East Main Street, Torrington, CT. The masterpieces are inspired by the Pop Art Movement, and display words that look like the sound. For instance “Splash” depicts drops exploding off the paper, and Zap is portrayed in a variety of manners, most alluding to en electrical arc. All the images are painted in primary colors with a vibrant effect.

The reception for the young artists will take place on May 1 during the downtown ArtsWalk event between 4- 8 pm. The public is invited. Light refreshments will be served. Many other downtown arts minded business will be open, with unique work on display. The Podunk Throwbacks will start their music at 5:30 pm, at the lobby of 40 Main Street.

A highlight of the Art Walk is the opportunity to enjoy live musical performances, and to meet and greet artists and artisans. Art walkers are sure to enjoy a brisk spring walk to the Historical Society, with  stops at Remember When, Kelly’s Crystals, Kids Play, The HUB, Five Points Gallery and In Sheep’s Clothing.  Don’t forget to jog the steps to the second floor of 40 Main where you’ll find the Podunk Throwbacks, Leslie Landau and Dawn Hill Designs! As a finale, wander down East Main Street and finish with a delicious glass of wine at VLC Images and Karen Rossi Studios, or a special Artswalk appetizer at O’Connor’s! Along the way- enjoy window shopping for Mother’s day.

For more area event information www.litchfieldhills.com

A recital and workshop for children celebrating the iconic musical book of George Gershwin has been arranged for April 26 (Sunday) at the Greenwich Arts Council (299 Greenwich Ave.), starting at 4 p.m. “Gershwin: Rhapsody in Blue” has been assembled by Naomi Onda, a piano teacher and composer at the Riverside School of Music who recently moved to Cos Cob from New York City.

The presentation showcases the musical talent of Onda, saxophonist Yuto Mitomi, vocalist Nagisa Karia and dancer Honomi Kuwana, all of New York City. As part of the workshop, youngsters get the opportunity to dance under Kuwana’s tutelage. Gershwin’s place in the American musical mosaic is also to be reviewed by Valerie Cella, a student at Greenwich High School. Admission is $10, payable at the door.

Onda has been a teacher at the Riverside school since 2008, the year her CD “From Manhattan” was distributed globally. She was three when she started playing the piano and attended Osaka University in her native Japan where she composed music for television. She also composed music for the New York Men’s Choir since immigrating to the U.S. in 2004.

Mitomi, the saxophonist, also plays clarinet and flute and composes and arranges jazz. He has performed across the tristate area and his debut album, “At

The Park,” is scheduled for release this year. He took up the saxophone in junior high school in Japan and also studied at City College of New York. The vocalist, Karia, majored in music at Senzoku Gakuen College in Japan and has appeared as a jazz singer at the Rockwood Music Hall in New York City.

Kuwana is associated with New York’s Vissi Dance Theater and Phyllis Rose Dance Company and has appeared with the Cirque de Soleil and at the Apollo Theater. She studied at the Joffrey Ballet School and was a first-place winner in the House Dance International last year. Her dance repertoire extends over jazz, hip-hop, the Gyrokineis method of movement and even capoeira, Brazilian martial arts.

For more event information www.visitfairfieldcountyct.com

If you are looking for an unusual way to welcome spring, head to the Ridgefield Theater Barn and attend the annual Piano Barn on Friday April 24th and Saturday April 25th. This event will bring the Manhattan club scene to Ridgefield with what is certain to be a lively and sassy way to say goodbye to Ol’ Man Winter.

T
. www.ridgefieldtheaterbarn.org

For area information www.litchfieldhills.com

WPA:JOBS is the current exhibition at CCP, focusing on prints and archival materials from the Works Project Administration (WPA), founded on May 6, 1935, by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. The WPA was intended to put America back to work. Federal Project Number 1 (The Federal Arts Project) was the visual arts component of this New Deal program and supported tens of thousands of artists. By the end of the program, project artists from across the country produced approximately 200,000 prints. The Opening Reception will be Sunday, April 19th from 2 – 5pm.

CCP is hosting the WPA:JOBS Lecture Series along with this exhibition. The lecture series is funded by Connecticut Humanities.
Sunday, April 19, 3pm: Opening Reception and Introductory Lecture by Susan Teller, Susan Teller Gallery, NYC, which specializes in American paintings, prints and drawings of the 1920s to 1950s featuring Urban/Industrial Realism, Modernism, and Surrealism.

Sunday, May 3, 3pm: Wendy Jeffers, Chairman of the Archives of American Art, will provide insights on Holger Cahill and his directives as the National Director of the Federal Arts Project during the New Deal.

Thursday, May 14, 7pm: Richard Baiano, President of Childs Gallery, will conclude the lecture series with a discussion of WPA era original prints from Childs Gallery.

The WPA:JOBS Lecture Series will be held in the Grace Ross Shanley Gallery at the Center for Contemporary Printmaking. All events are free and open to the public.