Tag: CT events

George Geary, Award-Winning Cookbook Author, TV Food Judge and Educator to teach at the Silo Sept. 20 and 22

Do you want to learn what its like to be a Critic Judge for ABC’s “The Taste” with Anthony Bourdain – and to work on television productions like “America’s Next Best Baker” with Jeff Foxworthy, “Hells Kitchen” and many others?

Do you want to meet an award-winning world-traveling cookbook author?

Do you want to take classes with the International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP) 2014 Culinary Educator of the Year?

You can do all this and more at The Silo Cooking School in New Milford, CT.

Join Chef George Geary on Saturday, September 20, from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m., and again on Sunday, September 21, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Novice and experienced chefs alike will learn to prepare amazing and elegant dishes.

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Chef Geary is passionate about cooking and sharing that passion with others. His tenth and newest book, “Hollywood Restaurants of the Gold Age,” will be the focus of Saturday’s class and will feature classic dishes including Crab Cakes with Red Pepper Sauce from Spago’s, Paul Newman’s Red Potato Salad, and Pumpkin Cake with Cream Cheese Icing from Clifton’s.

On Sunday, September 21, participants will be “Baking with the Best.” Recipes include Mini Fruit Cheesecakes, Five-Chocolate Brownies with dusting of Bittersweet Ganache, Mini-Apple Crumb Tarts with Grated Cheese Crust, and Pucker Up Meyer Lemon Bars with Raspberries.

When not in a kitchen or television studio, George leads culinary tours of major cities in America and Europe and teaches aboard Holland America Lines.

The Silo Cooking School at Hunt Hill Farm, named “Best Cooking School” in the state by Connecticut Magazine, is located at 44 Upland Road in New Milford. Housed in a converted barn, c.1800, and listed on the National Register of Historic Places it is surrounded by hundreds of acres of open space, and active farmland, stonewalls, and woodlands. The school is part of the Smithsonian Institution affiliated Hunt Hill Farm, a non-profit organization, which provides the public with diverse opportunities to explore the culinary, musical and visual arts amid historic farm buildings and protected open space in the heart of Connecticut’s northwest corner. It is conveniently located – just 90 minutes from New York City and a short drive from Fairfield
and Hartford counties.

The cost of the class is $90 per person. Enrollment is limited. For more information and to register for the class, or to learn about other upcoming classes, call (860) 355-0300 or visit http://www.hunthillfarmtrust.org. Registration is also available at The Silo during regular business hours. The Silo Gallery and Store are open Wednesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday, from noon to 5 p.m. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday, from noon to 5 p.m.

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Coffeehouse at the Westport Historical Society salutes Peter Seeger

On August 29 from 6 p.m. – 8 p.m. join -songwriter Suzanne Sheridan and other local musicians for an evening of Civil Rights and Vietnam War protest songs in tribute to the late folk icon Pete Seeger.

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The writer of such Sixties anthems as “If I Had a Hammer,” “Where Have All the Flowers Gone” and “Turn, Turn, Turn,” Seeger was also an environmental activist and co-founder of the Hudson River Sloop Clearwater project. He died Jan. 28 at the age of 94.

The evening kicks off with a set by Weston’s Bruce Taylor, a retired teacher and maker of string instruments who was a friend of Seeger’s. Taylor specialized in the “Seeger- style” 12- string guitar and the long-neck five-string banjo that he created just for Seeger. He and Seeger collaborated on a few songs and also performed together, usually in support of the Clearwater project.

Sheridan, who began her music career writing jingles for such companies as Pepsi, Hasbro toys and Texaco and writing music for The Electric Company and PBS television, has been traveling the world the last three years doing tributes to the music of Joni Mitchell and Leonard Cohen. In addition to Seeger’s “If I Had a Hammer,” she will perform other favorites of the Counterculture era.

Also joining the songfest will be Westport keyboardist Bob Cooper. Cooper played piano in the John Mooney Blues Band from 1978 to 1981, and keyboard for Harvey Robbins’ Doo-Wop Hall of Fame concerts from 2000 to 2009.

So, if you were wondering where all the flowers had gone back in the Sixties, or just love great music, come out to the Westport Historical Society on August 29 for an evening that combines Seeger’s songs with a bit of recent U.S. history.
Admission is $15 and reservations are recommended. Light refreshments will be served. For more information and to reserve, call (203) 222-1424.

For more information on the Westport Historical Society http://westporthistory.org.

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New Show at Torrington’s Five Points Gallery

Five Points Gallery, Torrington, will open a new show on August 7th which will run through September 6th. The work of four artists will be featured: Kathryn Myers, Stass Shpanin, Ebenezer Singh and Jason Wallengren. There will be an artist talk held on August 22nd at 6 pm. The public is encouraged to attend both events.

Stass Shpanin | The Last Sigh of Sleipnir | Oil on Canvas | 64 x 94 | 2013
Stass Shpanin | The Last Sigh of Sleipnir | Oil on Canvas | 64 x 94 | 2013

“Displacement”, an exhibition featuring the work of Stass Shpanin, will be the show in the East Gallery. Shpanin, a native of Azerbaijan, attended the Hartford Art School , where he graduated in 2012. He has been the recipient of numerous awards including a Fulbright scholarship. Shpanin has exhibited his work around the world and is represented in various public and private collections.

The West and TDP Galleries will showcase the work of three artists: Kathryn Myers, Ebenezer Singh and Jason Wallengren, in an exhibit titled “When Marco Polo Saw Elephants”. Myers’ paintings in gouache and oil, as well as her recent works in video, have been inspired by her interest and research on the art and culture of India. She has exhibited her work widely in the United States and India and has received numerous grants including: Fulbright Fellowships to India; Connecticut Commission on Arts and Culture grants, and the Marie Walsh Sharpe space program grants. Myers received her BA from St. Xavier College in Chicago, an MFA in painting from the University of Wisconsin, Madison and has been teaching painting and drawing at UConn since 1984.

Kathryn Myers | Ascendance | Gouache on Paper | 8 x 5 | 2013
Kathryn Myers | Ascendance | Gouache on Paper | 8 x 5 | 2013

Ebenezer Singh was born in India and studied at the Madras College of Art and at Kingston University in Surrey, U.K. He constructs images with allegorical and religious references, many of which reference several cultures. Singh has exhibited widely in galleries and India, Europe and the United States and his work is in public collections in Germany and India. He has been the recipient of grants, participated in Jason Wallengren is a conceptual artist who divides his time between Nurnberg, Germany and Connecticut. He received an MFA in Visual
Arts from the Art Institute of Boston at Lesley University. Wallengren has exhibited in the United States and abroad.

Five Points Gallery is located at 33 Main Street, Torrington, CT. Hours are Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from 1 to 5 p.m. The gallery is also open by appointment. For more information please visit http://www.fivepointsgallery.org.

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Quintessential Quilts at the Danbury Museum and Historical Society

The Danbury Historical Society’s exhibit called Quintessential Quilts runs through November 1 and focuses on the amazing collection of handmade quilts in the museum’s collection. The exhibition opens with the roots of the craft in the 18th and 19th centuries and moves on to highlight the rising popularity of quilt making as an artistic endeavor in the 20th century.

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All the quilts on display were made between the 18th and 19th century by the local citizens of Danbury area and tells a story of the people of this that made them.

One particularly interesting quilt, crafted by sisters Laura and Flora Morgan of Bethel was made from Danbury hat factory scraps and is known as the “crazy quilt”. This particular piece is believed to have been made between 1875 and 1910. Laura Morgan was employed by a Danbury hat factory and was allowed to bring home silk lining scraps. Together the sisters added these to a variety of velvets: cut, uncut, and voided. The scraps were pieced together on foundation fabric and made nine blocks embellished with beads, embroidery, and sequins. It is thought that this quilt was a gift from these two unmarried sisters to their helpful cousin.

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In conjunction with this quilt exhibition, the Danbury Museum and Historical Society is hosting several movies and lectures on quilting. On August 9 at 2 p.m. the movie, Quiltmakers of Gee’s Bend will be shown in Huntington Hall; admission is free and the public is welcome to attend.

On August 16 there will be a quilting fabric swap from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. There is a $10 admission at the door for this fun fabric exchange.

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The quilting fun continues in September with a free movie on Art of Quilting beginning at 2 p.m. in Huntington Hall on the campus of the Historical Society.

On October 25, a few days before this exhibition comes to a close, there will be a lecture by Sue Reich, a well known quilt expert. The lecture is free and will begin at 2 p.m. in Huntington Hall. The focus of the lecture will be quilts and quilt makers covering Connecticut.

The Danbury Museum and Historical Society located on 43 Main Street in Danbury is open Wed. – Fri. 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. and Sat. 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. For addition information visit http://www.danburymuseum.org.

For area information www.litchfieldhills.com

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August at the Beardsley Zoo

August at the Beardsley Zoo in Bridgeport on 1875 Noble Ave. has a host of activities that promises fun for the whole family. Take the Rainforest Reptiles for example that are back at the Zoo by popular demand from August 1-17. These reptile shows feature exotic crawlers, unusual slitherers, and fascinating creepers, all of which are creatures of the rainforest. Participants will experience direct contact with live animals, artifacts, and hear fascinating stories about these unusual animals and their natural habitats. There are two shows daily Tuesdays – Thursdays and three shows on Friday – Sunday.

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There are two sessions of “Zoo Patrol”, the first from August 4-8 and the second from August 11-15. The Zoo Patrol offers children ages 6 – 8 the opportunity to participate in keeper talks, behind-the-scenes tours, animal related games, and crafts. Hands-on lab activities and nature studies may also be a part of the program. Sessions run on zoo grounds Monday through Friday. Each week is $140/child for Zoo members and $165/child for non-members.Advance registration is required. For more information and to register, please call 203-394-6563.

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On August 20, the Zoo is hosting a special evening lecture at 7 p.m. on Tree-Top Hideaways. Participants will learn about monkey movement and behavior with this month’s guest lecturer Kevin McLean. A highlight is the rush hour report from Panama – it’s a jungle out there! The suggested donation is $5. Refreshments will be served. This lecture, taking place in the Hanson Exploration Station, is part of the Evening Lecture Series, sponsored by Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo Volunteer Association.

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On September 1, Labor Day, Zoo goers will bid farewell to the Zoo’s summertime guests, the three visiting camels.

About Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo
Unplug and explore Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo! Connecticut’s only zoo features 300 animals representing primarily North and South American species. Visitors won’t want to miss our Amur (Siberian) tigers and leopard, Brazilian ocelot, Mexican wolves, and Golden Lion tamarins. Other highlights include our South American rainforest with free-flight aviary, the prairie dog exhibit with “pop-up” viewing areas, the New England Farmyard with goats, cows, pigs, sheep, and other barnyard critters, plus the hoofstock trail featuring bison, pronghorn, deer, and more. Visitors can grab a bite at the Peacock Café, eat in the Picnic Grove, and enjoy a ride on our colorful carousel. For more information, visit www.beardsleyzoo.org. For area information www.visitfairfieldcountyct.com

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Summer exhibitions at the Mattatuck Museum Waterbury

This summer, the Mattatuck Museum in Waterbury Connecticut is presenting an art show called Haven and Inspiration that runs through August 24. This fascinating exhibition traces the evolution of the Kent Connecticut Art Colony.

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Haven and Inspiration explores the wide range of artistic styles and subjects produced by the art colony’s founding members: Rex Brasher (1869-1960) Eliot Candee Clark (1883-1980), Carl Hirschberg (1854-1923), Francis Luis Mora (1874-1940), G. Laurence Nelson (1887-1978), Spencer Baird Nichols (1875-1950), Robert Nisbet (1879-1961), Willard Paddock (1873-1956) and Frederick Judd Waugh (1861-1940). Of all the villages in Connecticut, Kent attracted the most permanent colony of artists and developed the only artists’ organization that exists to this day. It remains, until now, however, the one least examined.

Building upon the scholarship of Robert Michael Austin, whose publication, Artists of the Litchfield Hills devotes a chapter to the Kent Art Colony, this exhibition focuses on the period 1910 to 1930. Robert Nisbet moved to Kent in 1910; shortly after, like-minded artists who started as visitors became neighbors. By the summer of 1922, there were enough artists in Kent for them to consider organizing into a group. While landscape was the primary subject, they also painted portraits, genre scenes and still lifes.

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Another exhibition at the Mattatuck, The Way We Worked that runs through August 3 explores how ork became a central element in American culture by tracing the many changes that affected the workforce and work environments. The exhibition draws from the Archives’ rich photographic collections, covering more than 150 years to tell this compelling story. Why, where, and how do we work? What value does work have to individuals and communities? What does our work tell others about us?

Included in this exhibit are paintings by Anna Held Audette and Duvian Montoya. Audette is a contemporary woman artist who paints industrial ruins and abandoned machinery and Montoya’s painting’s act as a personal journal of observations made during his travels, childhood, and life experiences.

A third exhibition that runs through August 31 and is titled Steel Garden showcases the work of Sculptor Babette Bloch. Considered a is a pioneer in the use of laser-cut and water jet-cut stainless steel in creating works of art, Bloch’s sculptures explore form and the interplay between object and light, reflect their environments, and expand the ways in which stainless steel is used in contemporary art.
Bloch’s works of art embrace her eclectic tastes, her pleasure in aesthetics and her technical curiosity. Drawing on several traditions in American art, she creates works that touch on Modernist abstraction, the cut outs and collage found in Pop art, and the long-standing practice of storytelling in art. In cutting, shaping, burnishing, and grinding stainless steel, Bloch has developed the material’s natural properties of brightness and reflectivity while making the dense metal seem nearly weightless and ethereal.

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A not to be missed continuing exhibition, Fancy This: The Gilded Age of Fashion displays beautiful, rarely seen costume pieces from the Mattatuck’s collection. Many of these delicate objects have not been on view for decades. Guest curator Mary Daniel is the winner of the 2013 Summer Fling “Curator for the Day” auction prize and has been working with the Museum’s curatorial department to organize this exhibition which also includes accessories such as shoes, purses, fans and gloves.

The Mattatuck Museum is located on 144 West Main Street, Waterbury CT. The museum is open Tues. – Sat. 10 a.m. – 5 p.m., Sundays from 12 noon to 5 p.m. and open late the first Thursday of the Month until 7:30 p.m. For additional information https://www.mattatuckmuseum.org.

For information about the Litchfield Hills www.litchfieldhills.com

JanetLeave a comment