Connecticut Travel

The Lockwood-Mathews Mansion Museum opens its spring-summer season on Wed. April 5, 2017, 12-4 p.m., with new programs and extended tour hours. LMMM will be opened to the public through Jan. 8, 2018 and feature a 45 minute tour as well as a new and extended, 90 minute tour; both tours will be available by reserving online, through the Museum’s website, or by calling 203-838-9799 ext. 4. The 45 minute tour will include the first floor of the Mansion and the Servants’ Quarters, while the 90 minute tour will be more extensive and include the Mansion’s second floor bedroom suites and family room. Walk-ins will be welcomed subject to availability. All new exhibitions will be part of the tours’ admission.

New Exhibition
Wedding Traditions and Fashion from the 1860s to 1930s
Wed. April 5, -Sun. Nov. 12, 2017
Curated by Kathleen Motes Bennewitz
Opening Reception: Thurs. April 6, 2017, 5:30-7:30 p.m. $10 non-members $5 members
Gen. Admission: $10 Adults, $ 8 seniors, $6 children 8-18 years old/45 minute tour
Gen. Admission: $20 adults, $18 seniors, $16 children 8-18 years old/90 minute tour

From simple, at-home ceremonies to lavish events modeled on Queen Victoria’s, to weddings of young heiresses of Gilded Age fortunes that commanded social-page attention, this exhibition will explore the evolving nature of weddings and the socio-economic changes of this timeless tradition during the 19th and early 20th centuries. The Dining and Drawing Rooms of the Mansion will display luxurious artifacts and accessories, as well as elaborate wedding gowns, while the Servants’ Quarters of the Museum will highlight ceremonies of immigrant brides who, once settled in the United States, desired to follow American customs and fashions.

New Exhibition
Right Angle Bliss
Contemporary Photography Exhibit
Curated by Gail Ingis-Claus
Wed. April 5, 2017-Thurs., July 6, 2017
Opening Reception: April 27, 2017, 5:30-7:30 p.m. $10 non-members $5 members
Gen. Admission: $10 adults, $8 seniors, $6 children 8-18 years old/45 minute tour
Gen. Admission: $20 adults, $18 seniors, $16 children 8-18 years old/90 minute tour
From vows taken in magnificent settings, to cutting edge images that will redefine rituals and boundaries, this exhibition will feature six up-and-coming as well as award-winning photographers that highlight today’s diversity of cultures and customs in wedding ceremonies throughout the United States. Right Angle Bliss will capture the tenderness, whimsy, beauty, and grit of the promised, “I Do”, and visually redefine this time-honored tradition through the lenses of photographers: Stephanie Anestis, David Bravo, Sarah Grote, Kathy Harris, Airen Miller, and Karol Setlak.
Heavenly Notes: St. Mary’s at the Mansion

Sun. May 7, 2017, 2-4 p.m.
Reservations Required – Limited Seating
Admission: $30 (third row and up) -$50 (second row seating), $100 (front row seating)
Reception: $10 per person

In collaboration with the Parish of St. Mary’s in Norwalk, CT, Lockwood-Mathews Mansion Museum will feature, Heavenly Notes: St. Mary’s at the Mansion, a rare fundraising concert highlighting the church’s outstanding choir. Repertoire will feature music from the Victorian and Edwardian eras led by Organist and Choirmaster David Hughes. As described in Florence Mathews’ diary, there was a longstanding relationship between St. Mary’s and the Mathews family, as the church was central to the life of the many servants who lived and worked at the Mansion during the Edwardian era. Built in 1848, and originally located on Chapel Street in Norwalk, St. Mary’s burned to the ground and was replaced by a magnificent Gothic Revival stone church in 1871 on West Avenue, half a mile from the Lockwood-Mathews Mansion.

The Oliver Wolcott Library is hosting an art show exhibiting the work of two local artists in their gallery through April 28.

Marcey Hladik is a native of Litchfield who started painting as an adult, taking her first lessons in oil painting from her mother-in-law, Edith Hladik, an accomplished artist and teacher. Since her retirement, Marcey has spent more time engaging her creativity through the use of acrylic and, most recently, watercolor paint, attending classes with Rose Petruzzi and Betsy Rogers Knox. Painting fills one facet of Marcey’s desire to “craft,” and her other means of being creative is through knitting – both mediums incorporating color in expression.

Torrington native Joyce Lawton is a self-taught artist who began painting at a very early age. Watercolors and acrylics are her forte. She is well known in the area for her paintings of birds, animals, landscapes, seascapes, children and homes. In addition, she creates custom ceramic tile paintings for backsplashes and showers. Joyce also enjoys teaching acrylic painting. She has shown her work at local venues including Charlotte Hungerford Hospital.

The paintings are on view in the Jamie Gagarin Community Room and Gallery: March 2- April 28, 2017. Opening reception on Thursday, March 2 from 5:00 – 7:00 p.m. At the Oliver Wolcott Library, 160 South Street, Litchfield, CT. 06759. 860-567-8030, www.owlibrary.org.

If you are in an artistic mood this spring, why not learn art from a pro at Rossi Studios on 27 East Main Street in Torrington. Rossi Studios is the New England workshop of narrative artist/designer Karen Rossi. Highly regarded for her original metal sculptures, she also licenses and imports her whimsical characters of hobbies and professions, known as Fanciful Flights™. A growing brand, Rossi Studios is constantly introducing many programs.

In April and May participants can study with professional artist Karen Rossi at her studio and discover the world of art, famous artists and learn new techniques from drawing and painting to building sculptures. Saturday classes offered in April and May are geared for kids ages 7 and up and start at 10 a.m. The cost for the classes is $10. At 12 noon, Karen is offering classes for Adults (tweens and up) at the cost of $15. There is even a parent and child class offered at 2 p.m. for kids ages 3 and up at $10 per project.

The classes in April begin on April 1 where participants will learn how to adorn a small wooden chest with mosaics. The Jan Brett: Mitten/The Gingerbread Baby/The Three Snow Bears Activity Class takes place on April 8. The most recognizable part of Jan Brett’s illustrations is the way she frames her images and participants will learn how to transform their stories by framing photos and art pieces with a custom decorated frame!

The April 15 the class Nature’s Paint Brush celebrates Earth Day. Participants will learn how to create unique paintings using paint brushes made from elements of nature such as leaves, sticks, flowers, and herbs. On April 22 the artwork of Victoria Kann is explored In Victoria Kann’s Pinkalicious, readers learn the importance of balance in life. When things get a little too pink, Pinkalicious has to get more of pink’s complementary color, green. Bring a little more balance to your life by painting and building a stick statue using your favorite color and it’s complementary match. In anticipation of Cinco de Mayo, at the April 29 class, participants will make mini piñatas, colorful masks, and paper cut-out pennants.

There are three Saturday classes in May. On May 6 in anticipation of Mother’s Day the art of Kevin Henkes will be explored. Students will learn how to sculpt paper to create their own bouquet of chrysanthemums by creating various unique paper version of the flower. These creations are a perfect gift for moms, grandmothers, or teachers! On May 13 students will start by painting a watercolor background and will then be instructed to draw line art flowers over the dried watercolors to create a beautiful simplistic effect. On May 20, students will learn how to create a paper mosaic flag using various cut paper and will learn about how to create value using paper cut outs.

“What saves who how” is an an exhibition of Connecticut Artist/Acupuncturist Jessica Ifshin’s that are on display at Carole Peck’s Good News Restaurant & Bar from through April 18th, 2017. The Good News Restaurant & Bar is open from 11:30am to 10pm daily. Closed Tuesday and open from 12Noon to 10pm Sundays.

Ms. Ifshin’s paintings are the product of exploration in “color synergy which expresses fluidity of movement and the dynamic intensity of emotions” grabbing the attention, compelling the heart, mind, and soul to react to the emotions produced by the extremities of color blending and movement. As Ms. Ifshin states on her website, www.myartisyourart.com, she has found inspiration in “her studies in East Asian medicine in San Diego” and “became fascinated by the similarities between the movement of “qi” (vital life form, pronounced ‘chee’) in the body’s energetic meridians, the flowing nature of paint, and the shifts of energies and emotions that colors are capable of conveying when blended”.

Ms. Ifshin, a passionate student of art, studied at the liberal arts college State University of New York at Purchase. After graduation she backpacked through Poland, Hungary, the former U.S.S.R, and Czechoslovakia for two months.

During her travels, Ms. Ifshin was enlightened with truth about the mystery of art, that art is the “physical manifestation of the relationship between humanity and divinity”. Presently, Ms. Ifshin originally returned to the East Coast to bring her medicine to New Milford Hospital’s Diebold Family Cancer Center. Presently she is runs her own private practice: eastern body wellness in New Milford. Her work as an artist does not, yet it continues as life’s energy perpetually inspires her to capture the essence of emotions and produce the expression of her soul on canvas.

The Mattatuck Museum located on 144 West Main St. in Waterbury has announced the opening of four new shows on March 26 including: Luminous Garden, the art of Beth Galston, Black and White, photos from the collection of Kevin McNamara and Craig Nowak, sculptures by Federico Uribe and a show tracing the rivalry of the Yankees and Red Sox in Connecticut. The fist three exhibits run through July 16, the Yankee- Red Sox exhibit runs through December 3. The opening receptions for all the shows is March 26 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Black and White displays images from the collection of Kevin McNamara and Craig Nowak. It features photographs by masters of 20th and 21st century American photography including John Dugdale, Sally Mann, and Jock Sturges among others. Like many contemporary photographers, the artists in this exhibition make imaginative use of the camera’s power to document reality. Their pictures pose questions about identity, self-representation, history and truth.

Sculptor and conceptual artist Beth Galston creates site-based installations that are informed by many sources, including science, architecture, engineering, and nature. The immersive environment of Luminous Garden (Aerial) is an ephemeral light piece made of tiny yellow LEDs set in cast resin acorn caps. It is captivating because of it’s delicate beauty.

QUEDAMOS EN PAZ #3 reflects the work of Colombian-born, Miami-based artist Federico Uribe who trained as a painter, but in 1996 he abandoned paint brushes to make art with the objects of everyday life. In the At Peace series he creates sculptures from ammunition, his work informed both by his homeland Colombia, where violence is part of daily life, and the epidemic of gun crime in the United States where he has lived for 15 years.

Like most sports rivalries, picking a side in the Red Sox-Yankee rivalry is almost entirely geographic – and Connecticut is at the epicenter, more or less being split in two. Guest curated by sports lover Neil Scherer, this exhibition had its inception in the 2004 American League Champion Series. This was the infamous year that the Yankees won the first three games, leading everyone to believe the Yankees would sweep, only to leave America stunned as the Red Sox rebounded to win the remaining four games and their first World Series title in 86 years. Scherer was at the deciding seventh game. The exhibition tells this and other exciting stories about each team. This exhibition runs through December 3, 2017.

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Western Connecticut State University will host seven Saturday evening shows and viewings of prominent planetary and stellar objects in the night sky during public nights from Feb. 25 through May 20 at the WCSU Planetarium and Observatory on the university’s Westside campus, 43 Lake Ave. Extension in Danbury.

WCSU Observatory presentations will include a one-hour planetarium show followed by telescope viewing of the moon, Jupiter and prominent star systems, clusters and nebulae visible during the late winter and spring months. The Observatory, located atop a hill near Pinney Hall, offers viewings through a 20-inch, computer-controlled Ritchey-Chretien reflector telescope.

Admission is free and the public is invited. Limited parking is provided adjacent to the observatory, with additional parking available on University Boulevard.
Planetarium shows are appropriate for adults and older children, and will be canceled only in the event of hazardous road conditions or severe weather that would pose a safety risk. The viewing period will not be offered during public nights when cloud cover prevents sky observations. For updates to confirm plans for a scheduled public night, call (203) 837-8672 on the day of the event.

• March 25: The planetarium show will start at 7 p.m., with sky observation following from 8 to 10 p.m. Visible objects will include the M44 star cluster and the double stars Algieba and Mizar.

• April 8: The planetarium show will start at 7 p.m., with sky observation following from 8 to 10 p.m. Visible objects will include the waxing gibbous moon, Algieba, Mizar and Jupiter.

• April 22: The planetarium show will start at 8 p.m., with sky observation following from 9 to 11 p.m. Visible objects will include Algieba, Mizar and Jupiter.

• May 6: The planetarium show will start at 8 p.m., with sky observation following from 9 to 11 p.m. Visible objects will include the waxing gibbous moon, Jupiter and the M13 star cluster.

• May 20: The planetarium show will start at 8 p.m., with sky observation following from 9 to 11 p.m. Visible objects will include Jupiter and the M13 star cluster.