Connecticut Travel

The second annual winter “Mix It Up” show hosted by the Sharon Historical Society in the Litchfield Hills of Connecticut will juxtapose portraits by seven contemporary artists with five portraits from the museum collection by well-known folk artist Ammi Phillips (1788-1865). The exhibit runs through February 27th.

This year’s “Mix It Up” exhibit is designed to challenge the viewer to visually travel from early nineteenth century folk portraits of local Sharon residents painted by Phillips to contemporary portraits painted by Sharon (and other local) artists. Phillips, known locally by various monikers including the “Kent Limner”, painted in the Northwest Corner of Connecticut in the mid-1830s. By that time he was well established as an artist of some note, painting his first portraits probably as early as 1809/1810 in the area of Pittsfield, MA. Phillips painted at least five residents of the town of Sharon, Calvin and Phoebe Dowd Day, John Cotton Smith, and Ira and Melissa Williams. It is extremely likely that there are more Phillips’ portraits of Sharon residents in private collections, unsigned and/or unidentified. An exhibit featuring 26 of his portraits was organized and curated by the Sharon Historical Society and presented at the Tremaine Gallery of the Hotchkiss School in 1999.

In this exhibit all five Phillips portraits in the museum collection will be hung side-by-side with contemporary works by Duncan Hannah, Pieter Lefferts, Patty Mullins, Robert Andrew Parker, Warren Prindle, Richard T. Scott, and Peter Steiner. The exhibit hopes to challenge the viewer to evaluate the meaning of portraiture beyond the realm of “work of art”, and into the role of portrait as visual entrée into the historic record.

The Sharon Historical Society and Museum is located at 18 Main Street, Sharon, Connecticut 06069. For more information, call 860-364-5688 or visit http://www.sharonhist.org/.

Museum Hours are Wednesday & Saturday from 10AM – 2PM, Thursday & Friday from 10AM – 4PM and by appointment.

For information on the Litchfield Hills of Connecticut www.litchfieldhills.com

Friday night jazz continues at the Warner’s Nancy Marine Studio Theatre on Valentine’s Day, Friday February 14 at 8pm with complimentary glass of champagne and strawberries and a romantic evening listening to the sounds of the Mitch Frohman Latin Jazz Quartet.

After 25 years of playing with Tito Puente, many years with Mongo Santamaria, and currently with groups like his Bronx Horns, Mambo Legends Orchestra and The Spanish Harlem Orchestra, Mitch Frohman has embarked on a new small group project featuring himself on sax and flute accompanied by the Curtis Brothers Trio, playing new original music in the classic Tito Puente/ Mongo Santamaria style that has brought him acclaim for over 37 years to all corners of the world.

Tickets are $27 & $32. Buy at the box office or over the phone and mention Happy Valentine’s Day promotion to receive $5 off your ticket. Call 860-489-7180 or buy online at www.warnertheatre.org (promotion not valid for online purchases)

For restaurant information visit www.litchfieldhills.com

About the Warner Theater

Built by Warner Brothers Studios and opened in 1931 as a movie palace (1,772 seats), the Warner Theatre was described then as “Connecticut’s Most Beautiful Theatre.” Damaged extensively in a flood, the Warner was slated for demolition in the early 1980s until the non-profit Northwest Connecticut Association for the Arts (NCAA) was founded and purchased the theatre. The Warner reopened as a performing arts center in 1983, and restoration of the main lobbies and auditorium was completed in November 2002. In 2008, the new 50,000 square foot Carole and Ray Neag Performing Arts Center, which houses a 300 seat studio theatre, 200 seat restaurant and expansive school for the arts, was completed. Today, the Warner is in operation year-round with more than 160 performances and 100,000 patrons passing through its doors each season. Over 10,000 students, pre K-adult, participate in arts education programs and classes. Together, with the support of the community, the Warner has raised close to $17 million to revitalize its facilities. NCAA’s mission is to preserve the Warner Theatre as an historic landmark, enhance its reputation as a center of artistic excellence and a focal point of community involvement, and satisfy the diverse cultural needs of the region. To learn more about the Warner Theatre, www.warnertheatre.org.