Connecticut Travel

Once again this year the Sharon Historical Society located on 18 Main Street in Sharon has put together the popular “What’s the Big Idea 2?”, a juried exhibition and sale of small scale artworks in varied mediums by local artists. This show starts November 5 and runs through December 16.

Just in time for the holidays, the show is once again juried and judged by Sharon residents Carl Chaiet and Lynn Kearcher, creators of the Earnest and Telford series of children’s books. Cash prizes of $100, $75, and $50 will be awarded opening night to three works selected by the judges. In addition, guests who attend the show’s opening will have the opportunity to select their favorite work of art which will receive the “SHS Crowd Pleaser” award. The wine and hors d’oeuvres reception and awards presentation to which the public is invited free of charge will be held on Saturday, November 5 from 5:00 to 7:00PM. All purchases support the Sharon Historical
Society & Museum’s mission.

Carl Chaiet was born in New York City and grew up in Mt. Vernon, NY. He attended Hunter College as an undergraduate, Lehman College for graduate work, and completed his doctorate in Aesthetics at New York University. Chaiet taught painting and drawing in the New York public school system for many years. As an artist he worked in a variety of mediums from the 1970s through the 1990s, primarily sculpture and painting, before teaming up with his wife, Lynn Kearcher, to create their book series. His work has been exhibited throughout the Northeast.

Lynn Kearcher is a Sharon native who was raised to love restaurants. Her father owned The Woodland Restaurant in Lakeville. As a teenager she took cooking classes with James Beard in New York and later attended schools in California, New York and London. While living in New York she was a lifestyle editor for GQ magazine and a senior editor for Penthouse magazine, writing articles about food, wine and men’s fashion. Kearcher was very involved with The Gallery @the SHS in its early days and currently works with artist Jasper Johns.

The Gallery @the SHS is located at the Sharon Historical Society & Museum, 18 Main Street, Route 41, Sharon, CT. The Gallery and Museum are open Wednesday through Friday from 12-4, Saturday from 1-5 and by appointment. For more information and directions to The Gallery @the SHS, call (860) 364-5688. For additional information about the Sharon Historical Society & Museum and The Gallery @the SHS, visit www.sharonhist.org. To sign up for our monthly newsletter visit the homepage of www.litchfieldhills.com

The Greenwich Historical Society located on 39 Strickland Rd. in Cos Cob has organized a new exhibition called, An Eye to the East: The Inspiration of Japan that will be on view through February 26, 2016. Through paintings, prints, photographs, carvings, ceramics and textiles, An Eye to the East looks at the influence of Japanese art and culture in the late 19th and early 20th centuries with a special emphasis on the Cos Cob art colony. There will also be a special exhibition in a separate gallery of the work of Genjiro Yeto, who studied under John Henry Twachtman at the Art Students League in New York and spent part of each year from 1895 to 1901 at the Holley House. The work in this gallery features a recent donation of his work to the Greenwich Historical Society by his granddaughter.

During the early to mid 1800s Japan was a closed nation to the rest of the world and it wasn’t until 1854 when Commodore Matthew Calbraith Perry established a treaty that opened trade between the United States and Japan that the west began to discover the culture of Japan. Perry could never have imagined the far-reaching effect that this trade document would have.

Within a year, French artist Félix Bracquemond “discovered” the woodblock prints of Hokusai and circulated them among his Paris art circle. Their influence was immediate, and visiting Cos Cob artists John Henry Twachtman, J. Alden Weir and Childe Hassam all took note. The introduction of Japanese art and culture made a splash at International Exhibitions in London (1862), Paris (1867) and Vienna (1873), and resulted in Europe’s captivation with all things Japanese.

The American Civil War delayed the introduction of Japanese art and culture in this country, but upon its introduction at the 1876 Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia and the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago, the “exotic” Japanese aesthetic was enthusiastically embraced. This exhibition traces the development and influence of Japanese art with a special look at the Cos Cob art colony.

A special tour, “the Curator’s Eye” is being offered with this exhibition and will take place on Wednesdays at 12:15 p.m. This will be a 20- to 30-minute docent-led gallery tour that will focus on exhibition highlights, themes and background stories that provide a framework for better understanding the art and objects on display. Docents will also answer questions and help you zero in on particular points of interest. These value-added tours are included in the price of admission.

For more area information www.visitfairfieldcountyct.com

Kick off the holiday shopping season and give back to the community at Sip and Shop Night at the Norwalk Historical Society Museum on Wednesday, November 9, 2016, 6:00pm – 8:00pm. The museum is located at 141 East Avenue next to the Norwalk Health Department, in the red brick house with blue double front doors. Parking is available at Norwalk City Hall, 125 East Avenue. Shop for one of a kind holiday gifts, meet local artist/designer Karen Ponelli and pay it forward by donating to our women’s “Suit Drive” benefiting Dress for Success. The event is free and includes a wine and cheese reception. RSVP: info@norwalkhistoricalsociety.org.

A special highlight of this event is a talk by local artist/designer Karen Ponelli who will discuss how her contemporary art techniques are transformed into scarves and accessories. Ponelli will be selling unique silk and textured scarves from her new line of contemporary artwork. Some of her scarves were created by a California based company using the artists’ paintings and designs to produce wearable products. In addition, Ponelli will have her one of kind scarves available that she creates from start to finish, which includes selecting and hand-dyeing the fabrics. Shop her hand-dyed silk flower accessory pins, framed and matted artwork, hand painted gift wrap and stationery as well as other unique, artful items great for gift giving.

More treasures await in the Norwalk Historical Society Museum Gift Shop, where you’ll find a collection of locally handmade items. A perfect place to find unique holiday gifts produced by Connecticut artists and artisans. Round out your evening with wine, cheese and a peek at the museum’s three exhibits: Norwalk Collects: Celebrating Four Historic Collections; Norwalk: Portrait of Diversity and Eating off the Landscape: The Farrington-Lockwood Dessert Service.

About Dress for Success

Suit Drive” benefiting Dress for Success, which promotes the economic independence of disadvantaged women by providing professional attire, a network of support and career development tools to help women thrive in work and in life. Donations of clean in-season “interview appropriate” clothing, handbags and accessories, no more than three years old will be graciously accepted. Donations must be on hangers and tax-deductible receipts will be provided upon request. For a specific list on what to donate please visit http://www.norwalkhistoricalsociety.org.

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The P.T. Barnum Museum located in Bridgeport is offering a very special behind the scenes tour of the treasures of this museum for a lucky winner and eight friends. The bidding opens on November 1 and concludes on November 15. Winners must take the tour by May 31, 2017.

The aptly named “Tiny Tour” will focus on the extraordinary life of “General Tom Thumb” and his wife, Lavinia Warren. The museum tour will include a behind-the-scenes look at rarely seen personal items in the collection, such as the couple’s jewelry, custom-made clothing, accessories, calling cards, and even a slice of their wedding cake, now more than 150 years old! (But don’t worry, it isn’t moldy or gross – and you’ll find out why during the tour.) Guests will also see hand-colored books and prints, special souvenirs, and rare broadsides promoting Tom Thumb’s tours. To place a bid visit https://www.biddingforgood.com/auction/item/browse.action?auctionId=264831017

The Tiny Tour is your special opportunity to discover some of the most treasured collections at the Barnum Museum. While the gallery features incredible artifacts such as the couple’s miniature carriages and furniture, this tour also introduces you to items not usually seen by the public. In order to preserve these rare and unique items for future generations, many cannot be continuously displayed. You and up to seven additional guests will be welcomed by the Barnum Museum Director and the tour will be led by the Curator. At the conclusion, guests will be treated to “tea” featuring cake similar to the kind made for Charlie and Lavinia’s wedding.

A little biographical information! Charles S. Stratton was a Bridgeport native, born in 1838. He weighed over 9 pounds at birth, but stopped growing around 7 months old. P. T. Barnum met “Charlie” shortly before the boy turned five, and quickly recognized his innate charm and natural ability to entertain. Barnum brought Charlie and his parents to his American Museum in New York City, taught him to act, and gave him the stage name “General Tom Thumb.” Charlie was also known as the “Man in Miniature” because he was only two feet tall but perfectly proportioned.

Tom Thumb became famous and wealthy through his performing and partnership with P.T. Barnum, and the two traveled overseas as well as touring America. Tom Thumb’s acts included singing, dancing, miming and most famously, portraying characters like Cupid and Napoleon Bonaparte. His 1863 marriage to Lavinia Warren, a beautiful and bright “woman in miniature” from Massachusetts, became front-page news at the height of the Civil War, and their wedding attracted thousands of guests. The couple did a three-year tour of the world, becoming America’s first international celebrity couple. Sadly, Charles died of a stroke at age 45, on July 15, 1883. Lavinia remarried in 1885 and lived to be 77.

The Lockwood-Mathews Mansion Museum will host its annual Victorian Tea on Sunday, Nov. 6 at 2 p.m. This event will feature a talk by textiles, fashion merchandising, and design expert Susan J. Jerome titled, From Downton Abbey to Camelot, at 295 West Avenue, Norwalk, CT.

Susan J. Jerome is Collections Manager at the University of Rhode Island Historic Textile and Costume Collection. Her talk will explore how the highly popular television show, Downton Abbey, illustrates the clothing worn by the aristocracy during the first years of the 20th century, while Jacqueline Kennedy reigned over a modern American gentry in a parallel Camelot, inspiring designers even as social forces re-defined fashion’s inspirations. The Mansion’s Victorian Tea will feature a traditional English tea menu by Susan Kane Catering and a hat contest with prizes.

This fascinating talk on clothing fit for royalty, surrounded by the timeless splendor of this iconic National Historic Landmark, is a perfect pairing to a quintessential English tea and an afternoon not to be missed and sure to brighten an afternoon in November.

Tickets for the Tea are $35 for members and $45 for non-members. Proceeds will support the Museum’s artistic, cultural and educational programs. For Victorian Tea reservations please contact: info@lockwoodmathewsmansion.com, 203-838-9799.

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The Glass House located on 199 Elm Street in the town of New Canaan is hosting a series of public programs — including conversations, performances, and gatherings — that sustain the site’s historic role as a meeting place for artists, architects, and other creative minds.

On Tuesday, November 22 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Isay Weinfeld— one of Brazil’s most renowned architects — will discuss his work and current projects, including the new Four Seasons restaurant in New York, with Pulitzer Prize-winning critic Paul Goldberger.

Isay Weinfeld is the head architect of a studio in São Paulo that bears his name. Amongst countless projects developed over a career that spans nearly 40 years, highlights include the hotels designed for Grupo Fasano in São Paulo, Punta del Este and Porto Feliz; the Livraria da Vila bookstores in São Paulo; the Square Nine Hotel in Belgrade; the feature film Fogo e Paixão; and a line of office furniture designed for Geiger/Herman Miller. He is the recipient of many awards, including the Prêmio Rino Levi awarded by Instituto de Arquitetos do Brasil/SP (for Casa Inglaterra, in 2000), Prêmio da VI Bienal Internacional de Arquitetura de São Paulo (for Praça da Amauri, in 2005) and MIPIM AR Future Project Awards, organized by British magazine Architectural Review (for Edifício 360º, in 2009, and for Edifício Oka, in 2012).

Paul Goldberger, a contributing editor at Vanity Fair, spent fifteen years as the architecture critic for The New Yorker and began his career at the New York Times, where he was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for distinguished criticism for his writing on architecture. Goldberger is the author of many books, most recently Building Art: The Life and Work of Frank Gehry, Why Architecture Matters, Building Up and Tearing Down: Reflections on the Age of Architecture, and Up From Zero. He is also the chairman of the Advisory Council of the Glass House and the Joseph Urban Professor of Design and Architecture at the New School.
Tickets are $50 per person and are available online at http://theglasshouse.org/whats-on/isay-weinfeld-paul-goldberger/

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