Connecticut Travel

The Bruce Museum’s 36th annual Outdoor Arts Festival takes place rain or shine on Museum grounds on Columbus Day weekend, Saturday and Sunday, October 7- 8, from 10 am to 5 pm. More than 90 artists from across the country, many new to the Bruce Museum festival, will be showcased this year. The juried works include painting on canvas, board and paper, mixed media in 2D and 3D, drawings and graphics, including digital media, sculpture and photography. All works are available for purchase and artists are on hand to discuss their work.

The Bruce Museum’s Outdoor Arts Festival has been ranked in the top 100 nationally among Fine Arts Fairs, drawing strong competition among artists who want to participate in the show.

Live music, varied menu offerings, and children’s art activities are all available to provide family fun. Festival admission is $8 and includes admission to the Bruce Museum galleries. The Festival is free to Bruce Museum members and children less than 5 years old. Not yet a member? At the Festival entrance visitors will be able to join the Bruce Museum at a discount, and will receive instant free admission and many discounts both at the Festival — many exhibitors offer discounts for Bruce Museum members — and in the Museum store. Visitors are asked to park on Museum Drive and Steamboat Road or in the Island Beach Parking lot near exit 3 off I-95. The Museum is a short walk from MetroNorth’s Greenwich railroad station. For information, visit www.brucemuseum.org, or call (203) 869-0376. For more area information www.visitwesternct.com.

Plan a weekend in the historic villages of Salisbury and Lakeville, CT and enjoy a wide variety of special events and activities. It’s a real “home-town” celebration in the beautiful Litchfield Hills on Columbus Day Weekend – October 6, 7 and 8.

Stroll along the scenic Main Street to find attic treasures, home-made baked goods, and previously-loved books and jewelry in local churches. Be sure not to miss the beautiful Quilt Show. Sample freshly-baked bread and enjoy delicious apple crisp and purchase Greek pastries and local honey. To add to the fun, there are many outdoor booths, special sales in the shops and art exhibitions in galleries that line the street. SThere is an environmental exhibit at the Historical Society and the Salisbury Library is holding a special book sale. Colorful scarecrows line the street, so don’t miss your chance to cast your vote for your favorite scarecrow.

Kids will have a blast at this fair! They’ll love the pumpkin decorating, face painting, crafts, and games. Both young and old will enjoy the magic shows and old-fashioned hayrides. Listen to live music by the Salisbury Band and the Joint Chiefs. Stop by LaBonne’s for delicious samples from many food vendors. Decorate small pumpkins on the White Hart lawn and then enjoy the “Birds of Prey” program, featuring live hawks and owls by Audubon Sharon. Later in the evening, enjoy lobsters or a delicious roast beef dinner, followed by live music at the Coffee House.

On Saturday, October 7, start the day by participating in a 5K run along the rail trail. Then indulge in a hearty breakfast of freshly-made blueberry pancakes. Look for local artisans selling hand-made jewelry, pottery, textiles, leather goods, and more. There will be several programs taking place throughout the day including a child identification program, composting program and a free workshop on how to make autumn garlands and wreaths. There will also be robots built by the high school Robotics Team. If you have worked up an appetite, no worries, this fair is serving up something to please every palate from hot dogs, chili and cornbread, to baked potatoes with toppings, and mac ‘n cheese—along with delicious apples, popcorn, and fresh cider.

On Sunday, October 8 the day starts off with the annual pancake breakfast! End the weekend at the Brew-Ski Fest located on 80 Mountain Road that is hosted by Salisbury Winter Sports Association. There will be thirty craft breweries participating plus two hard cider breweries and plenty of brats, tickets are $35 on the day of the event. For an up-to-date schedule of times and locations, go to www.salisburyfallfestival.org. For online tickets for the brew-ski visit http://www.brewskifest.com.

The Carriage House on the grounds of the Torrington Historical Society located on 192 Main Street in downtown Torrington is hosting a new exhibition that is showing off the Society’s new acquisitions. This collection showcases a variety of items that have been added to the Society’s collection within the past few years.

What You Will See

Collections on display include: a guitar made in Torrington ca. 1856 by noted American luthier James Ashborn; photographs of the Conley Inn (later the Yankee Pedlar) taken in 1891 when the inn first opened; paintings of local people and places; photographs of Torrington from the 1850s through the 1950s; a machinist’s toolbox used by Joseph Ruwet; products manufactured in our
city including a 19th century Hendey lathe; and, one of the most popular items in the exhibit – a sign from The Sugar Shack, a 1970s gathering spot for local teens.

Hours

Admission to the Carriage House Gallery is free; the gallery is located behind the Hotchkiss Fyler House. The Gallery and House are open Wed. – Sat. from 12 noon to 4 p.m.

Long before the era of the SYFY channel, Xbox video games and other high-end graphic games, fans of science fiction and fantasy stories read novels and poured through magazines illustrated by world renowned artists. This fall, the Stamford Museum and Nature Center has a very special exhibition that highlights this fantastic genre of art called Masterpieces of American and European Science Fiction Adventure and Fantasy Illustrations. Alien landscapes, mystical creatures and fantastical characters come alive on the walls of the museum with this artwork.

This exhibition features original work by both American and European artists that span more than a century with art that is vivid and that brings to life imaged worlds with detailed illustrations that animate worlds, creatures, and adventures.
A highlight of this exhibition are the illustrations from the private collection of Stephen Korshak, who has had a life long love of this genre of art and literature. His father, Eric Korshak, founded Shasta Publishers which specialized in science fiction books.

The drawings inspired a sense of wonder and a passion for the genre in young Stephen. His collection reveals the evolution of fantasy illustration and traces the history of science fiction imagery from the pages of dime store magazines to hardcover, library quality books.

This exhibition runs through October 29, 2017.

The 10th anniversary for Chowdafest is taking place at Sherwood Island State Park in Westport on Oct. 1 from 11 am – 3 pm and it’s expected to set several records. This year’s event will feature the best restaurant line-up they have had to date, showcasing past and defending champions plus half the field is new to the event. If the weather is as terrific as in years past, they are expecting a record crowd which hopefully means a record donation too.

Chowdafest is a true people’s choice event where the public determines the best chowder, soup and bisque in New England. Everyone is a judge. This event wants to give everybody a spoon, ballot and pencil when they enter and off they go to enjoy unlimited sampling from 40 restaurants from Manhattan to Maine and as far away as Seattle.

Attendees use a ballot flashing back to the 70’s where you would fill in bubbles like on a test. Foodies are asked to rate everything they try on a scale from 7 to 10.5 in half point intervals. The ballots are then scanned throughout the event so the winners are determined and announced shortly upon the conclusion of the event. The restaurants by category who have the highest rating are declared champions.

The real winner of course is the charity tied to Chowdafest which is Food Rescue US. “Event organizers hope to fund over a half million meals in the ongoing fight against food insecurity. Surprisingly food isn’t the problem facing hunger. We have plenty of food but it’s poorly distributed. Food Rescue US does a great job identifying excess food and redistributes it to shelters and groups who need it. Fighting food insecurity is synergistic to promoting the participating restaurants and sponsors.

Tickets are now available online at www.chowdafest.org/tickets. Tickets includes sampling in all specialty sections. There is an Italian section called “Ciao-dafest” where you can sample freshly baked artisan breads, dipped in premium pasta sauce plus salad mixes and an Italian themed chowder entered by Mario Batali’s Tarry Lodge restaurant. In the “ChowdaMex” section people can sample premium salsas, guacamole and a chicken tortilla soup entered in the competition.

There’s also a “sweet treats” section where you can sample farm fresh milk, ice cream, yogurt, cheese, even candy. You can sample juices, sparkling beverages and more in the beverage bog plus coffees and teas!

Rounding out the pallet is the sample booth for The Great Mac and Chili Challenge, the sister event to Chowdafest that takes place on 11/5, also at Sherwood Island. You’ll get a taste of great mac n’ cheese and chili. This event has something for all tastes.

Tickets are $20 adults, $5 kids (6-12) and parking is FREE. You can save $5 on every adult ticket if you’re a AAA member.

The Mattatuck Museum is presenting four new exhibitions at the Museum: An Artist for All Seasons: Dmitri Wright, Ùtútù: Nnenna Okore, #IBelieveInWaterbury and The Valley Girls.

An Artist for All Seasons: Dmitri Wright is a retrospective of the work of Wright’s art, whose work follows in the tradition of American Impressionism. Dmitri Wright’s art merges the Impressionist focus on light with the post-Impressionistic interest in vibrant color. His paintings celebrate the natural beauty and nuances of the landscape, both in the United States and abroad. This 50-year survey includes student work, art from his early years in New York city, scenes from his travels to Europe and the West Indies, and paintings from both his more recent Provencal and Weir Farm plein air series. Wright is the Master Artist at the Weir Farm National Historic Site which commemorates the life and work of American Impressionist painter, J. Alden Weir. An Artist for All Seasons will be on view through November 5.

In Ùtútù, internationally-renowned sculptor Nnenna Okore will use textiles to create an installation commemorating the colors and landscapes of her childhood home of Nsukka, Nigeria. Ùtútù, the Nigerian word for morning or something new, describes the transience, potency and energy of the piece. Visitors will respond to this boldly colored and organic art meant to heighten their visual and sensorial experience. Ùtútù will be on view through December 3. It is sponsored by The Coby Foundation and exhibitions in The Lab are supported in part by Raymond Learsy.

Focusing on the city of Waterbury, #IBelieveInWaterbury asked artists to identify those unique aspects of the city that resonate for them. Forty artists share their inspiration with audiences in paintings, sculptures and mixed media works that demonstrate the beauty, joy, prosperity and momentum of Waterbury. One entry was submitted by husband and wife team, Chef Dean and Artist Linda Marino. They will present a “Cook and Paint Together Workshop” on November 11 at 5:00 p.m. Call (203) 753-0381 x130 or visit mattmuseum.org for more information. #IBelieveInWaterbury will be up through December 3.

Once a Valley Girl, always a Valley Girl, as they say! The Valley Girls highlights three artists all born and raised in the Naugatuck River Valley: Carmella “Mally” DeSomma, Judith Gould Secco and June Pierpont Webster. Each is active in the local art scene, creating and exhibiting paintings and photographs that interpret and celebrate the world around them. This exhibition is in collaboration with Artsplace of Cheshire. Valley Girls will be on view in the Monteiro Family Community Gallery through November 12.

Located in the heart of downtown Waterbury’s architectural district, the Mattatuck Museum is a vibrant destination, known locally and regionally as a community-centered institution of American art and history. For more information on all of the Museum’s programs, events, and exhibits visit the website at mattmuseum.org or call (203) 753-0381.