Connecticut Travel

On May 7 from 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Edward F. Gerber, Past President of the Westport Historical Society, will host a walking tour of the Kings Highway North Historic District. The tour will be an opportunity for history buffs to learn about one of the town’s oldest settled areas, some homes of which date to the mid-1700s.

Gerber said he will talk about the style of the houses and the fact that, although they were built from the early 1700s to the mid-1900s, “you can’t tell the later houses from the older ones. The architects did a good job of blending old and new.”

Kings Highway North was established as a local historic district in 1972 and named to the National Register of Historic Places in 1998. It encompasses 106 “contributing buildings” – structures that add to the district’s historical qualities – and four historic sites. Most of the contributing buildings are homes in the Colonial style.

The historic sites include a small triangular green at the intersection of Old Hill Road and Kings Highway North that was used as a military drill ground, the adjoining Christ and Holy Trinity and Church of the Assumption cemeteries across Kings Highway from Old Hill Road, and an earlier graveyard, laid out in 1740, at the northwest corner of Kings Highway North and Wilton Road. Originally, Kings Highway North was part of a postal road laid out between New York and Boston in 1762. Unlike the Post Road, which was built later, it followed a circuitous route through town, crossing the Saugatuck River over an old wood bridge just upstream from the present one.

Gerber will be accompanied on the tour by Edward Hynes, a specialist on the history of Westport during the American Revolution. Hynes will discuss the planned ambush by Continental troops under Benedict Arnold to fire cannons from the high ground on Old Hill down on British soldiers returning from a raid on Danbury to prevent them from crossing the river on the bridge below. But the British outsmarted the Colonials and crossed upriver near the site of present Ford Road. All tour goers are invited to a complimentary beer tasting at Rothbard Ale and Larder 90 Post Road East following the tour.

Meet across from the cemeteries at the foot of Old Hill Road; park along Kings Highway North. May 7, 3 pm. $10 suggested donation. No charge for children 12 and under. Reservations are recommended: (203) 222-1424, http://westporthistory.org. For more area information www.visitfairfieldcountyct.com

Make your Mom’s day extra special with a catered picnic at Miranda Vineyard located on 42 Ives Road in Goshen Connecticut on Mother’s Day, May 8. Guests can choose from three custom created boxed lunches, prepared just for Miranda Vineyards, from The Pantry located in Washington Depot. The Pantry is a local favorite food outpost that has been serving gourmet food for well over thirty years and is the local source for artisan foods including baked goods and cheese.

The picnic boxes available at Miranda Vineyards include a: Smoked salmon box garnished with pickled onions and capers for $25, a Apricot almond chicken salad box at $25 and a Vegetarian Wrap box at $20. Each of the lunch options comes with a brownie, two side salads and a glass of wine. Lunches are packaged using eco-friendly bamboo plates as well as compostable flatware and packed caringly in a kraft gift box.

Kid’s lunches are also available at $10 each and includes a choice of: PB&J sandwich, Turkey, apple and mayonnaise sandwich, or a Ham and cheese sandwich with mustard. Each of these comes with fruit salad and a brownie.

Please place your order by May 5. Lunches available for pick up any time after 12pm on Mother’s Day, on Sunday, May 8.

Another special deal is 10% off any bottle of wine with receipt of order. Purchase tickets at: http://www.mirandavineyard.com/event/mothers-day-lunch/

About Miranda Vineyard
In 2001, the Mirandas planted the first vines and built the winery modeled after the old family winery in Portugal. In 2007, Miranda Vineyard opened to the public. For more than a decade, Manny and his sons have been busy perfecting those Old World techniques passed down from generation to generation. They’ve been mixing heritage with science, and they’ve created some very special wines they hope you will enjoy as much as they do. Cheers! Or as they say in Portuguese – Saude! The Vineyard is open in May on Fri., Sat., and Sun. from 12 noon to 5 p.m.

For more area information www.litchfieldhills.com. Don’t forget to like us on Facebook

Franklin Street Works, University of Connecticut-Stamford’s Women’s Genderand Sexuality Studies Program, and Sacred Heart University’s Masters of File and Television Program have collaborated to co-curate “All Byte: Feminist Intersections in Video Art,” an exhibition of video works informed by intersectional feminist approaches. The exhibition will be on view at Franklin
Street Works through July 10, 2016.

Feminist conversations and scholarship around the inseparability of class, race, country of origin and other factors when contemplating gender are reflected in artworks that, among other things, encourage viewers to listen across difference and explore matrixes of power. Through a call for submissions, the curators also sought out emerging artists in order to explore “fourth wave” feminist approaches to video and film. “All Byte” features works made between 2013 and 2015 by nine artists or collectives: Michelle Marie Charles, INVASORIX, Kegels for Hegel, Sarah Lasley, Nicole Maloof, Virginia Lee Montgomery, Sunita Prasad, Legacy Russell, and Maryam Tafakory. This original exhibition is co-curated by the Program Director of Sacred Heart University’s Film and Television Masters school, Justin Liberman; Director of Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at the University of Connecticut-Stamford, Ingrid Semaan; and Franklin Street Works’ Creative Director, Terri C Smith.

The term “intersectionality” was coined by feminist legal scholar and critical race theorist Kimberlé Crenshaw in 1989. This analytic frame aimed to disrupt the approach of “single axis analysis,” which treated race and gender as mutually exclusive. Instead, intersectional work looks at how social factors and systems of power interlock and shape each other. The “All Byte” co- curators chose videos that exhibit an understanding of intersectionality and a sophisticated or fresh use of the medium. When taken as a whole, these works address gender in concert with many other factors, including: exploring the queer body through a transformative journey; queering of influential, usually white male, theorists through song; placing the alienated female body in surreal parallel to the predominantly white, male tech industry; addressing the contradictions between the lyrics and images in hip-hop videos that often portray women as sexual props; recounting academia’s gendered power structures through parody and art history; exploring inaccurate, race-based assumptions about citizenship and experience; unearthing colonial histories, preserved in the street signs of a small American neighborhood; gender based medical practices; and more. Through the intersectional feminist lens, these artists shed light on systems that reinforce dominance to the exclusion of others and create narratives of inclusion and understanding.

Franklin Street Works is located at 41 Franklin Street in downtown Stamford, Connecticut, near the UCONN campus and less than one hour from New York City via Metro North. Franklin Street Works is approximately one mile (a 15 minute walk) from the Stamford train station. On street parking is available on Franklin Street (metered until 7 pm except on Sunday), and paid parking is available nearby in a lot on Franklin Street and in the Summer Street Garage (100 Summer Street), behind Target. The art space and café are open to the public on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday from noon – 5:00pm and on Saturday and Sunday from 8:00 am – 5:00pm. Franklin Street Works does not charge for admission during regular gallery hours. For more area information www.visitfairfieldcountyct.com

“A Beautiful Planet,” the newest classic IMAX® space documentary made in cooperation with NASA that premieres on Fri., April 29 on the six-story screen of The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk.

From IMAX Entertainment and director Toni Myers, “A Beautiful Planet” features stunning footage of our magnificent blue planet – and the effects humanity has had on it over time – as captured by the astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS).
It’s narrated by Academy Award®-winning actress Jennifer Lawrence. Show times from April 29 to May 26 are 11 a.m. and 1 & 3 p.m. daily in Connecticut’s largest IMAX Theater. From May 27 to June 30, the film will show daily at noon. (Confirm times before you come at http://www.maritimeaquarium.org.) “A Beautiful Planet” is a breathtaking giant-screen portrait of Earth from space, providing a unique perspective and increased understanding of our planet and galaxy as never seen before. From space, Earth blazes at night with the electric intensity of human expansion – a direct visualization of our changing world. But it is within our power to protect the planet.

The movie reminds us that, as we continue to explore and gain knowledge of our galaxy, we also develop a deeper connection to the place we all call home. There’s a weighty message from the weightlessness. The IMAX release of “A Beautiful Planet” will be digitally re-mastered into the image and sound quality of The IMAX Experience® with proprietary IMAX DMR® (Digital Re-mastering) technology. The crystal-clear images, coupled with IMAX’s customized theater geometry and powerful digital audio, create a unique environment that will make audiences feel as if they are in the movie … in outer space.

“A Beautiful Planet” reunites the filmmaking team from previous IMAX space movies that have been popular with audiences at The Maritime Aquarium, including “Hubble” and “Blue Planet.” Producer and director Toni Myers also wrote and edited the film. Director of photography James Neihouse served as the astronaut training manager. Graeme Ferguson, IMAX co-founder and pioneer producer of many IMAX space films, is the executive producer, and Judy Carroll is the film’s co-producer. Marsha Ivins served as space operations consultant. Music was composed by Micky Erbe and Maribeth Solomon.

The movie is 40 minutes long. Tickets for “A Beautiful Planet” (or any classic IMAX movie) are included with Maritime Aquarium admission: $22.95 for adults; $20.95 for youths (13-17) and seniors (65+); and $15.95 for children 3-12. Children under 3 and Maritime Aquarium members receive free admission into the Aquarium and IMAX movies. Watch the film’s trailer, learn more, and purchase advance tickets to skip the lines and guarantee your IMAX seats, by clicking on www.maritimeaquarium.org. For more area information www.visitfairfieldcountyct.com

On Sunday April 24th at 11am, Schwenke Auctioneers held their Connecticut Fine Estates Auction featuring estate property from several estates and consignors. The auction comprised an eclectic and diverse offering of over 400 lots consigned from several separate estates and consignors from Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, and Massachusetts.

The sale included several fine groups of Asian decorative arts from three estates, Mid-Century Modern decorative arts, American, English and Continental decorative arts from a Stamford estate, folk art and American country furniture from Stamford and Woodbury estates, English & other sterling silver, a large selection of estate costume jewelry, fine art, miscellaneous decorative arts, musical instruments, a group of ethnic art from a West 93rd Street NYC estate, two fine groups of English formal furniture and decorative arts from Middlebury and Harwinton collections, and many fine Persian and Caucasian estate carpets.

Top lot of the sale was a magnificent French Empire gilt bronze and malachite three piece clock garniture, the central figure depicting “Time” flanked by a pair of angel five-light candelabra. The work, measuring 27 1/4″ high, 19″ wide to 27 1/2″ high, 9″ wide, was claimed by an internet bidder at $18,750, winning out against other internet bidders and two phone bidders.

Second top lot was a fine room size Persian Serapi carpet, 14′ 9″ long, 12′ wide, also selling to an internet bidder at $8,750. Other rugs sold well, with the second top rug lot being a medium sized room size Persian Heriz carpet, 6′ 8″ long, 9′ 7″ wide, selling at $2,040 to a phone bidder.
Fine art performed well, with a large Jean Duquoc (French, B. 1937), “Le Soleil Jeut” oil on canvas, signed lower left “Jean Duquoc” and signed, inscribed and dated 1990 on verso, sight size 51 1/4″ high, 77″ wide, selling also to an internet bidder at $6,250. Also of interest was a work by Theo Hios (Greek/American, 1910-1999) entitled “Byzantine 1966-67 42”, oil on canvas, signed, dated on verso “Hios ’67”, sight size 48″ high, 36″ wide, which sold to an absentee bidder for $1,475. Decorative arts standouts included a Marcel Macken (Belgian, 1913-1977) bronze standing figure with mask, signed at rear of base “Mark Macken”, and mounted on a black marble base, measuring overall 29 1/2″ high, 8″ wide, 7″ deep, which sold well above estimate at $1,500 to yet another internet bidder.
Several Asian lots sold well above estimate, including a Sino-Tibetan Qing thangka depicting a Shakyamuni Buddha teaching dharma, Qing Dynasty, pigments on fabric, measuring 32 1/4″ high, 22″ wide, which brought $3050 from a phone bidder; a Chinese gilt bronze Amitayus Buddha, signed on verso, sized 8″ high, 4 5/8″ wide, which fetched $6,700 from an internet bidder; a Khmer polished sandstone figure of goddess Uma, Angkor Wat Style, 12th century wearing a striated sarong, central sash with beading and leaf-shaped pendants, large frontal overfold covering wide belt with oblong jewels, upper arms with beaded quatrefoil armlets, chest with broad foliate ornamented collar, 19 3/4″ high, 7 3/4″ wide, which hammered at $2,950 to a phone bidder; a Tibetan Bronze Tara Deity, 6 7/8″ high, 4 1/2″ wide, selling to the internet for $2,125; a Tibetan thangka depicting a seated deity and attendants, pigments on fabric, 26” high, 18 1/4″ wide, selling to an in-house absentee bidder at $3,660; a Tibetan thangka depicting Jetsun Milarepa, pigments and gilt on fabric, 28 3/4″ high, 18 1/2″ wide, knocked down to another internet bidder at $4,685; a Tibetan thangka depicting Green Tara, pigments and gilt on fabric, 30 1/2″ high, 19 1/4″ wide, also selling to a phone bidder at $3,660; and a Tibetan thangka depicting Padmasambhava, pigments and gilt on fabric, sight size 16 1/8″ high, 11 1/4″ wide, selling to the internet for $3,125.

English and Continental formal furniture was featured in the sale, consigned from three different estate collections.
A Louis XV rosewood, kingwood and ormolu mounted serpentine commode, stamped “F. Moreau JME”, with serpentine marble top overhanging a conforming case veneered in rosewood with kingwood panels having two drawers and embellished with ormolu mounts and hardware, 31″ high, 39″ wide, 19 1/2″ deep, sold for $2,400 to an internet bidder. Selling at $2,685 was a fine George I carved giltwood mirror, the scrolling foliate carved frame enclosing a shaped rectangular beveled plate and measuring 50″ high, 33″ wide.

The catalog for the sale was posted on Live Auctioneers and Invaluable. Please watch the company’s website www.woodburyauction.com for information regarding the next catalog auction, scheduled for Sunday, June 26th at 11:00 am. Consignments are being accepted and please send photos or call 203-266-0323 to discuss consigning to upcoming sales.

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The Mattatuck Museum is presenting a Lithuanian Folk Art workshop that is being led by Senior Museum Educator, Valerie Rodgers, on Wednesday, May 4 at 11:00 a.m. Located on the green in Waterbury, CT at 144 West Main Street, the museum is open Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. Convenient, free parking is located behind the museum in the lots on Park Place.

This workshop celebrates the rich cultural legacy of this Baltic country. Margučiai is the Lithuanian art of egg decorating which uses a wax-resist method to reveal intricate designs on colored eggs. Participants will learn the art of creating these beautiful eggs. The workshop doesn’t require any prior experience and best of all,everything that you need to create the eggs will be provided by the museum.

The cost for this workshop is $5 for Museum Members and $10 for Non-Members and there is no charge for B.R.A.S.S. members. Registration is greatly appreciated by contacting the museum at (203) 753-0381 x 130.

For more area information www.litchfieldhills.com