Connecticut Travel

Only yesterday, it seems, one was hard-pressed to name more than a handful of successful women artists; now the list would be extensive, and the choices rich and varied. Although numerous recent exhibitions have featured women’s art, the collecting of art created by women has received scant attention. In fact, private collections are in the process of being dramatically transformed, shifting to focus on contemporary artists, women in particular.

The Bruce Museum’s new exhibition- Her Crowd: New Art by Women from Our Neighbors’ Private Collections will run through January 2, 2017. Greenwich and the nearby communities in Fairfield and Westchester counties are home to a number of the finest contemporary collections, and thus to some of the most exciting art by women being made today.

Her Crowd will offer the rare opportunity to see what some of America’s most influential collectors of contemporary art consider beautiful, important, and compelling. Themes specific to women continue to be of significance: motherhood, food, sexuality; beauty and its discontents; stereotypes of femininity and their undoing; intersections of gender and race. Equally important for Her Crowd is the current powerful resurgence of abstraction in its myriad forms: minimalist patterning, expressive mark-making, and painterly exuberance. Many artists represented in the show traffic in unexpected collisions: of the second and third dimension, of the carefully crafted and the found object, of the concrete and the immaterial.

Running the gamut from established figures to brilliant newcomers, the exhibition includes remarkable work by Yayoi Kusama, Kiki Smith, Betye Saar, Annie Lapin, Margaret Lee, Carol Bove, Dana Schutz, Jessica Stockholder, Jenny Saville, and Tara Donovan, among others. Her Crowd: New Art by Women from Our Neighbors’ Private Collections will offer a glimpse into the exciting interchange between contemporary artists and their passionate collectors.

The exhibition is co-curated by Kenneth E. Silver, New York University Professor of Modern Art and Bruce Museum Adjunct Curator of Art, and Mia Laufer, PhD candidate (Washington University in Saint Louis) and Zvi Grunberg Resident Fellow.

The Bruce Museum is located on One Museum Drive in Greenwich Connecticut and is open Tuesday – Sunday 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Doors close 1/2 hour before closing and the last admission is at 4:30 p.m. For more area event information www.visitfairfieldcountyct.com

“A Christmas Story, the Musical”, will make a two performance stop at Waterbury’s Palace Theater on Friday evening November 18, at 8:00pm and Saturday November 19 at 2:00pm. Tickets can be purchased online at http://www.palacetheaterct.org, by phone at 203-346-2000, or in person at the Box Office, 100 East Main St. Tickets begin at $45.

Based on the classic 1983 movie, A Christmas Story, The Musical chronicles young and bespectacled Ralphie Parker as he schemes his way toward the holiday gift of his dreams, an official Red Ryder® Carbine-Action 200-Shot Range Model Air Rifle (“You’ll shoot your eye out kid!”). An infamous leg lamp, outrageous pink bunny pajamas, a maniacal department store Santa, and a double-dog-dare to lick a freezing flagpole are just a few of the distractions that stand between Ralphie and his Christmas wish. Chock-full of delightful songs and splashy production numbers, A Christmas Story, The Musical, following its smash hit Broadway run, has proudly taken its place as a perennial holiday classic for the whole family.

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About the Palace Theater

The Palace’s primary purpose is to revitalize the Greater Waterbury community through the presentation of the performing arts and educational initiatives in collaboration with area cultural and educational institutions. Its mission is to preserve and operate the historic Palace Theater as a performing arts center and community gathering place that provides a focal point of cultural activity and educational outreach for diverse audiences.
For more information, visit: http://www.palacetheaterct.org.

Some of the tiniest creatures of the ocean emerge on the biggest IMAX® movie screen in Connecticut with “Jean-Michel Cousteau’s Secret Ocean” at The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk and will show at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. daily through Feb. 16, 2017, on the Aquarium’s six-story screen.

It’s narrated by acclaimed oceanographer Dr. Sylvia Earle, and pairs perfectly with a new 3,000-gallon coral reef exhibit – featuring more than 40 species of wildly colorful fish – that opened Sept. 6 in the popular Connecticut family attraction.

Filmed over three years in vibrant marine environments from the Bahamas to Fiji, the first IMAX® movie directed by Jean-Michel Cousteau provides a compelling new look at a secret world within the ocean that is perhaps the biggest story of all – that the smallest life in the sea is the mightiest force on which we all depend. In gorgeous underwater sequences, audiences are introduced to over 30 species of animals – some no bigger than one inch long – and witness behaviors captured for the very first time, thanks to new filming technologies in ultra-HD 5K, slow motion, macro, and with motion control.

“Secret Ocean” magnifies – in the IMAX format, by thousands of times – the unique adaptations and ecological roles of such creatures as sea hares, Christmas tree worms, arrow crabs, basket stars, cleaner shrimp and clownfish. These animals may go unseen by divers and don’t get their own weeks on “Animal Planet,” yet they are vital to the health of a reef system.

“Since the 1940s, the Cousteau family has been deeply connected to the water. Several generations have grown up with our Calypso adventures, which revealed to the public what was a totally unknown world at that time,” Jean-Michel Cousteau said in a statement.

“Thanks to the new technology developed specifically for us, I immediately understood that this was a revolution in underwater filming that would allow us to capture a whole new range of behaviors I had never before witnessed in my 69 years of diving. ‘Secret Ocean’ takes us one step further in the discovery of the ocean in a way my father, Jacques Cousteau, could have only imagined.”

Diving alongside marine biologist Holly Lohuis, Cousteau provides a new view of the underwater world that will leave audiences in awe of the beauty and diversity of the oceans – the source of all life on our planet – and inspire an even stronger desire to protect what they have seen for the first time, or re-discovered along the journey.

“Jean-Michel Cousteau’s Secret Ocean” is produced by Ocean Futures Society & 3D Entertainment Films, and distributed worldwide by 3D Entertainment Distribution. It was written by Pamela Stacey. Gavin McKinney served as director of photography. Dr. Richard Murphy was the chief scientific advisor. The original musical score was written and performed by Christophe Jacquelin.

One IMAX movie is included with admission to The Maritime Aquarium, which is $22.95 for adults, $20.95 for youths (13-17) and seniors (65+), and $15.95 for children (3-12). Kids under 3 get in for free. Learn more about the IMAX movies (even view trailers), exhibits, programs, study cruises and special events – and purchase advance tickets – at www.maritimeaquarium.org. For more area information www.visitfairfieldcountyct.com

The Institute for American Indian Studies located on 38 Curtis Road in Washington Connecticut has planned a wide variety of events for November and December that will be fun for the entire family from learning how to create a fire to shopping for Indian arts and crafts.

November begins with a friction fire workshop on Saturday, November 12 from 12:30 pm to 4:30 pm. Participants will learn the way the way Native American people created fire by using only what nature provides. Andrew Dobos and Deneen Bernier of Three Red Trees School of Natural Living will guide participants through the process of making fire by friction using the bow and drill method. Each participant will leave with their own set of fire making tools. This is a physical skill; kneeling, bending and safe use of a knife are required. Pre registration for this event is required and the fee is $20 for members and $25 for non members.

Also on November 12 from 6 pm to 8 pm there will be a full moon walk. Participants will navigate by moonlight through the Institute’s replicated Algonkian village and surrounding woods with traditional lanterns through hemlocks, witch hazel and oaks. The journey will conclude by relaxing around the campfire. The fee is $12 for members and $15 for non members.

On November 13 from 12 noon to 2 pm there will be a traditional ceremony in the outdoor village in honor of Veteran’s Day. Participants and visitors are invited to a light lunch after the ceremony.

The Winter Indian Arts & Crafts Market begins on the weekend of November 26 and 27 and continues on December 3 and 4 and December 10 and 11. Visitors are invited to shop for one-of-a-kind holiday gifts from local Native American crafters, jewelers, and artists. This is the perfect time to to meet and buy directly from the artists while learning about contemporary Native American art and cultures. Gourds, pottery, jewelry, rattles, artwork, and flutes are just some of the items that will be offered. The market is open from 10 am to 4 pm on Saturdays and from 12 noon to 4 p.m. on Sundays.

On December 11 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. the Institute is hosting Artifact Identification Day. Visitors are invited to join the conversation as Director of Research & Collections, Lucianne Lavin, Ph.D., identifies and provides interesting commentary about your local stone objects and Native American cultural items. This event is included in the regular museum admission of: $8 Adults; $6 Seniors; $5 Children; IAIS Members Free.

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Once again this year the Westport Historical Society located on 25 Avery Place in Westport is hosting it’s popular Holiday Market on November 18 from 11 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. and on November 19 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The Holiday Market will feature vintage gifts, antique prints and handmade jewelry, soaps and letterpress cards. Highlights include a wine reception Friday evening, Nov. 17, talks and book signings by guest authors both Friday and Saturday, Nov. 18, and a BBQ food truck will be at this festive event on Saturday.

Three of the sellers craft their own products that includes: Cynthia Alexander, who designs and makes her own jewelry and also has an aromatherapy line of lavender-filled silk pillows and accessories, Catherine Romer of Nod Hill Soaps in Wilton who makes makes soaps, candles and body lotions and Karen Zuckert of Gingerbitz Bakery in New Canaan who bakes gingerbread houses and cookies.

The list of sellers also includes:
M&F Antique Prints, owned by Fiona Mittag of Wilton, has original architectural engravings, some dating to the mid-1600s, and hand-colored lithographs. Subject matter includes Italian palaces and churches, flowers, flora and fauna and china, decorative porcelain and urns. Mittag, who has a degree in art history and studied interior design at Parsons, also sells high-end custom frames in 22-carat gold leaf and in woods such as cherry, maple and walnut. Some are hand carved. Visit the website at M&F Antique Prints

Suzanne Saltzman sells silk shawls made of fabrics from India, Italy, France and Nepal and scarves and evening bags. She decorates the items herself with black onyx, lapis, picture jasper, crystals, turquoise, Chinese jade and mother of pearl. The Manhattan resident formerly designed a line of jewelry sold at Bloomingdale’s and other department stores across the country.
Jean Forte Vintage Gifts carries antique and vintage flatware, sterling, glassware, silver plate, one of a kind vintage jewelry pieces, what she calls “an eclectic mix of beautiful things.” Forte, a former fashion designer and Norwalk residents, also has her own catering business. Visit the website at Jean Forte Vintage Gifts.
Anita Designs offers a line of natural linen napkins, fingertip towels and tissue box covers designed by Anita Sobelson of Weston. Sobelson also sells scented candles and other gift items.

Grano, of Cynthia Alexander, is a former investment banker who developed an interest in semi-precious stones while visiting Hong Kong on business. Some of her jewelry features jade carved in the traditional Chinese style that has “a Zen feeling.” She also has eye pillows filled with lavender and flax seed that are “very calming”.
Visit the website at Cynthia Alexander.

Saltbox Press, owned by Lynda Campbell of Wilton, specializes in custom wedding invitations and greeting cards made of cotton paper, which gives “a rich, soft, feel.”
For the Holiday Market she will have a calendar with a separate letterpressed sheet for each month as well as holiday themed single cards with vintage images. Campbell does all of her printing in the basement of her antique saltbox house. Visit the website at Saltbox Press.

Talks will be given by Marina Marchese of Red Bee Honey of Weston and Dr. Sasha Carr, a psychologist specializing in child and family sleep.

Talks are scheduled for:

Friday, at 3:00 p.m. – Marina Marchese of Red Bee Honey. Visit the website at Red Bee Honey.
Marchese, a former illustrator and designer, switched careers in 2000 and now runs a successful honey business. She is also the author of “Honeybee: Lessons from An

Accidental Beekeeper” and co-author of “The Honey Connoisseur: Selecting, Tasting, and Pairing Honey.”
Saturday, at 11:00 a.m. – Dr. Sasha Carr Visit the website at Dr. Carr.
Carr says she that after becoming a mom she “discovered there’s a science (and art) specific to dealing with children’s sleep within the context of a family,” an experience that led her to receive postgraduate training at the Family Sleep Institute. She is the author of “Putting Bungee to Bed,” an illustrated bedtime book for children.

This November the Beardsley Zoo located on 1875 Noble Ave. in Bridgeport is welcoming two new guests to the New England Farmyard exhibit — an adorable pair of miniature horses! Miniature horses are derived from many sources and are the result of nearly 400 years of selective breeding. In prehistoric times small horse breeds were most likely the products of surviving harsh natural climates and limited feed. Today, knowledge of genetics has made the possibility of breeding specifically for size a reality. The first mention of a miniature horses dates back to 1888 and research shows little public awareness until the 1960s.

Typically, miniature horses are no bigger than a large dog and can be found in many color patterns. The pair of miniature horses now residing at the Beardsley Zoo are approximately 9 hands high or about 36 inches at the withers which refers to the ridge between the shoulder blades.

The male, Nutmeg, and the female, Caramel, are both 8 years old and are part of a rescue operation and living on a horse farm in Vermont managed by one of the Zoo’s former employees. Now they are safe and sound at the Beardsley Zoo and waiting to meet many new friends.

When visiting the Zoo, don’t miss the construction zone by the Rainforest Building. This new space will be a 760 square foot addition and will house an expanded animal commissary. When finished visitors will be able to watch staff prepare food for their charges. There will also be an above ground refrigerator/freezer for animal food, new dry food storage space, an office for the Zoo’s Animal Registrar, and zookeeper locker rooms. Expected completion is early 2017.

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