Summer exhibits at Silvermine Arts Center

Kite - Charles Hinman and Master Printer Gary Lichtenstein
Kite – Charles Hinman and Master Printer Gary Lichtenstein

Silvermine Arts Center, located in New Canaan, CT will be kicking off its summer exhibitions with an exciting collaboration of works by Charles Hinman and Gary Lichtenstein, and new works by Guild Artist Christ Durante. Silvermine’s new Viewing Room features presentations of new works on paper by Guild Artists Roger Mudre and Robert Gregson. The exhibitions will open on Sunday, July 28th with a reception from 2pm-4pm, and will run through September 7th.

“Kites” features the latest collaborative silkscreens between three dimensional painting pioneer Charles Hinman and Master Printer Gary Lichtenstein. A working relationship which began in 2011 with their prints Gems, this latest body of work continues their exploration into translating the visual vocabulary of Hinman’s signature hard-edged shaped canvas into the realm of prints. By combining a mutual understanding of color and the use of subtle hand embossing, they have created a suite of prints that epitomizes the core of Hinman’s ideology: “Though the works at first glance appear serene and placid, they are ever changing as the surface of the ocean or the expanse of the sky. Ever dynamic, they are ever alive.”

A prime example of this idea can be seen in Kite 2. At first glance, the silkscreen faithfully reconstructs Hinman’s paintings down to the inclusion of subtle lines referencing the support system of his three dimensional work. As the viewer gazes at the work, the true complexity of its arrangement of space unfolds into an ever changing visual experience that expands upon Mr. Hinman’s longstanding commitment to visual perceptions of space.

In his new exhibit “No Mans Land,” Guild Artist Chris Durante has constructed an environment of what he calls “considered hanging,” where viewers can visually and physically traverse his works. An artist who is never satisfied with making work that neatly fits into prescribed categories, Durante continually explores and blurs the lines between mediums and artistic genres. Using a combination of paintings, drawings,graffiti, found objects and a collection of other materials, Durante creates a space that furthers his exploration of boundaries into a visual experience, creating a thought provoking space, a “place of freedom,” if you will, where viewers can explore ideas. About his work, Chris comments, “The inability to couple a thought with a sustained and focused action can be an asset if one can be patient and accept that condition as temporary. Let the mind wander and the hand fiddle. Attention is a slippery proposition. The unison of idea and craft will come, eventually.”

Drawing - Robert Gregson
Drawing – Robert Gregson

Silvermine’s new Viewing Room, will present works by Guild Artists Roger Mudre and Robert Gregson. A selection of new abstract silkscreens by Roger Mudre which were produced in collaboration with Master Printer Gary Lichtenstein and an installation of recently created optically fetching geometric drawings by Robert Gregson will be featured through the summer. For more information about the exhibitions and other upcoming events at Silvermine Arts Center call 203-966-9700 or visit our website at www.sivermineart.org.

About Silvermine Arts Center

Silvermine Arts Center located in New Canaan, Connecticut is one of the oldest artist communities in the United States. Located on a four acre campus, the center consists of a nationally renowned artist guild, award winning school of art offering multi-disciplinary art classes for all ages, an art and fine crafts shop and galleries, offering over twenty contemporary and historic exhibitions annually.

The center also provides innovative free and subsidized arts education in Norwalk and Stamford schools through its outreach program, Art Partners; and hosts a lecture series, performances, and special programs throughout the year. Silvermine Arts Center is a nonprofit organization.

Gallery Hours: Silvermine Galleries are open Wednesday through Saturday, 12p.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 1pm to 5 p.m. For more information, call (203) 966-9700 ext. 20 or visit the website: www.silvermineart.org.

For area information www.visitfairfieldcountyct.com

New England Carousel Museum offers workshops for kids July and August

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New this year, the New England Carousel Museum located on 95 Riverside Ave. in Bristol is hosting workshops for kids that are fun and educational too. The workshops run from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and even include snacks! Kids are asked to bring their own-bagged lunch. The workshop cost is $25 a day; sibling and multiple class discounts are available. Be sure to register one week before the workshop begins by calling 860-585-5411. For more information www.thecarouselmuseum.org. For area information www.litchfieldhills.com.

On August 2, in a workshop called, Drawing About the Museum, kids will explore a variety of drawing mediums using the Carousel Museum collection as inspiration. Morgan, from The Art Truck, will teach techniques for using various materials, such as watercolor pencils, pastels, and more! Kids are asked to please wear old clothes or bring an art shirt. This workshop is for children ages 7-14.

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Firefighter Day is offered for children ages 7 – 9 on July 23 or August 8. If you children have ever wondered what it is like to be a fireman, this workshop is for them. Kids will find out about firefighting through the ages alongside Museum staff and members of the Bristol Fire Department. Explore real equipment and tour the Fire Safety House simulation.

A unique Carving workshop is being offered on July 30 or August 1 for children ages 9-14. During this workshop kids will learn to carve with an instructor from the CT Wood Carvers Association. A highlight of this is the instruction on important carving safety rules and carving techniques, including soap carving and mallet and gauge carving. Kids will gain inspiration from the carousel horses and rounding boards in the galleries of the museum, and create their own projects to take home!

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The last workshop is titled Painting Landscapes for the Carousel and is offered Aug. 6 or Aug. 15 and is for children ages 7-14. Kids will learn that there is more to carousel art than pretty ponies. Most carousels include beautiful landscapes and scenes of everyday life surrounding the inner workings of the machinery. In this workshop, a certified art teacher will guide children in designing and painting their own scenery panel. Children will go home with a framed masterpiece ready to hang on the wall. Please wear old clothes or bring an art shirt.

Palace Theatre announces 2013-2014 Webster Bank Broadway Season

Palace Theatre Waterbury CT
Palace Theatre Waterbury CT

The Palace Theatre in Waterbury was built in the early 1920’s was active cultural scene prior to WWII. Famous New England theater impresario Sylvester Z. Poli opened the venue in 1922, after investing $1 million in its opulent décor. Designed by period architect Thomas Lamb in a Second Renaissance Revival style, the Palace Theater features an eclectic mix of Greek, Roman, Arabic and Federal motifs, grand lobby spaces and ornate dome ceilings, all in a palatial setting fit for a king.

Originally a movie/vaudeville house, the Palace evolved with the times over its 70 years of operation, presenting everything from silent films to Big Band music to contemporary rock concerts. Once considered the premiere performance venue in the Northeast, the Palace lights went dim in 1987. After 18 years of darkness and a $30 million three year renovation, restoration and expansion, the theater was transformed into a 90,000 square foot arena, housing a state-of-the-art theatrical facility in a historically preserved City landmark. Positioned as Greater Waterbury’s Center for the Performing Arts, this exquisite complex now showcases a performance schedule boasting professional Broadway performances, educational programs, top-quality family entertainment and more.

The Palace Theatre is not resting on its’ laurel’s and it getting ready to rock as it announces the 2013 – 2013-2014 Webster Bank Broadway Series that is paying tribute to some of the most iconic songs and biggest names in Rock and Roll history.

Jersey Boys
Jersey Boys

The season-long music fest kicks-off in October (9-13) with eight performances of Jersey Boys, the Tony Award-winning blockbuster musical about the rise of Rock and Roll Hall of Famers Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons.

Elf
Elf

In November (19-21), patrons will be rockin’ around the Christmas tree to the new holiday classic Elf The Musical, followed by the world-wide party musical Rock of Ages in March (21-22), featuring 28 classic 80’s songs by artists like Bon Jovi, Twisted Sister, Journey and more.

Hair
Hair

The musical series continues in May (2-4) with HAIR, a chart-topping and poignant musical journey through the tumultuous 1960s, and wraps up in June (6-8) with Million Dollar Quartet, the musical that united four of the world’s greatest rock and roll icons Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins and Johnny Cash.

As with any V.I.P. experience, becoming a Palace Theater Broadway subscriber has its benefits. Not only do customers reserve the same great seats for all five national touring Broadway productions, but they also receive a ten percent package savings on their tickets, as well as complimentary E-PASS privileges, which include advance email notice of new events with the opportunity to buy presale tickets before the general public.

Broadway Series subscription renewals for current subscribers are available and the Box Office is currently accepting orders for new subscribers. For more information or to receive a subscription brochure, call the Box Office at 203-346-2000 or visit www.palacetheaterct.org. For area information www.litchfieldhills.com

Fashion Week at Fairfield Museum

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Fashionistas mark your calendars now for a behind-the-scenes preview of the new exhibition, In Vogue: A Runway of Vintage Fashion, with museum Curator Casey Lewis, followed by Lunch by SoNo Bakery and a Fashion Show by Fairfield designer Jennifer Butler. View highlights from Butler’s fall 2013 collection, which draws inspiration from fashion elements of the past.

In Vogue: Vintage to Modern will take place Wednesday, July 17th from 12-2 pm. Tickets are limited and can be purchased for $50 ($40 for Museum Members) online at www.farifieldhistory.org or by calling 203-259-1598.

Featuring pieces pulled directly from the Museum’s 100-year-old collection — one of the most comprehensive in Western Connecticut–In Vogue: A Runway of Vintage Fashion, will feature the fashion-forward women of Fairfield throughout the Colonial, Regency, Edwardian and Victorian Eras from 1780 to 1920. On view from July 18, 2013 – Jan. 5, 2014, the exhibit will showcase fashion trends of the past such as cage hoop skirts, bustles and gigot sleeves so large a woman could barely turn their heads.

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One highlight is a 1781 blue silk damask wedding gown worn by 14-year old Lucy Nichols who married Fairfield Reverend Philo Shelton on April 15, 1781. “White was not worn in weddings until Queen Victoria wore a white gown in her 1840 wedding to Prince Albert,” notes Casey Lewis, curator. Exquisite hats, shoes and vintage prints from Godey’s Ladies magazine, Vogue and other fashion publications from 1850-1910 are also on display.

Fairfield Museum and History Center is located at 370 Beach Road, Fairfield. Hours: M – F 10 am – 4 pm; Weekends noon – 4 pm: Members free; Adults $5; Students/Seniors $3; Children under 5 free. For more information about our events, exhibitions, or summer camps call 203-259-1598 or visit www.fairfieldhistory.org. For area information www.visitfairfieldcountyct.com

Birds Eye View at Westport Arts Center

 Alex MacLean, Tree Shadows in Snow, Middlebury, VT, 1990. Chromogenic print. Hall Collection. Courtesy the Artist and the Yancey Richardson Gallery.
Alex MacLean, Tree Shadows in Snow, Middlebury, VT, 1990. Chromogenic print. Hall Collection. Courtesy the Artist and the Yancey Richardson Gallery.

The Westport Arts Center (WAC) has launched its summer exhibition, “Bird’s-Eye View”. This show is curated by Director of Visual Arts, Helen Klisser During, and features major contemporary photographs, paintings, and drawings that depict intriguing aerial perspectives where people, roads, buildings, cities, and the countryside are deconstructed and abstracted. The exhibition will be on view through September 8.

Damian Loeb, Eminence Break, 2012. Oil on linen. Hall Collection. Courtesy the Artist and Acquavella Gallery.
Damian Loeb, Eminence Break, 2012. Oil on linen. Hall Collection. Courtesy the Artist and Acquavella Gallery.

The exhibition features works by Richard Artschwager, Olivo Barbieri, Edward Burtynsky, Christoph Draeger, Fred Herzog, Damian Loeb, Alex MacLean, David Maisel, Richard Misrach, Melanie Smith, Massimo Vitali, and Thomas Wrede.
A bird’s-eye view, or in other words, ‘the big picture’, explores the world seen from an aerial perspective.

Olivo Barbieri, Iquazu, Argentina/Brazil, 2007. Archival pigment print; edition 2/6. Hall Collection. Courtesy the Artist and the Yancey Richardson Gallery.
Olivo Barbieri, Iquazu, Argentina/Brazil, 2007. Archival pigment print; edition 2/6. Hall Collection. Courtesy the Artist and the Yancey Richardson Gallery.

This viewpoint has fascinated philosophers, writers, historians, and artists for centuries; however, it’s not until the invention of flight that humanity has had a bird’s-eye view. The Westport Arts Center is privileged to create an exhibition of 18 significant works from the internationally-renowned Hall Collection.

Massimo Vitali, Rosignano Donna Sola, 2004.  C-print with Diasec face; edition of 6. Hall Collection. Courtesy the Artist.
Massimo Vitali, Rosignano Donna Sola, 2004. C-print with Diasec face; edition of 6. Hall Collection. Courtesy the Artist.

Other programs being hosted by the Westport Arts Center includes the Wednesday Summer Cafe, an interactive series of talks takes place from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. on June 26, July 10 & 24 and August 14. The Art Cafe takes place on Fridays from 10 a.m. – 11 a.m. and is free and open to the public. Hosted by Helen Klisser During, ArtCafé is a great way to meet other art enthusiasts and learn about exhibitions to visit in the greater community. Use The New York Times Friday Arts Section as a springboard to discuss the latest exhibitions.

On Thursdays, from 12 noon to 3 p.m. on July 11, 18 and 25 the WAC will host Plein Air seascape painting classes. Participants will join local artist, author, and teacher Judith Orseck Katz on an adventure of plein air watercolor painting of various seascapes throughout picturesque Westport. Students will discover how painting from life helps us to see and observe the affects of light and atmosphere and learn to develop clean, colorful, and dynamic compositions. This three-part workshop is designed to offer individualized attention and foster a creative space to gain self-confidence and expand your creative potential. All levels welcome, ages 15+. The cost is $65/class or $165 for series Non-Members; $50/class or $135 for series WAC Members.

For more information contact Westport Arts Center at (203) 222-7070, www.westportartscenter.org. The Westport Arts Center gallery is open seven days a week with summer hours: Monday-Thursday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Friday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday, 12 p.m. to 4 p.m., at 51 Riverside Avenue, Westport, CT. For area information www.visitfairfieldcountyct.com

Fun Naturally at New Morning Market

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New Morning Country Store located in the heart of the Litchfield Hills on 129 Main Street North in Woodbury, Connecticut’s Antiques Capitol is offering a rooster of fun events for the family this July.

On Saturday, July 13 at 2 p.m. learn about drumming as spiritual practice with Woodbury resident Robert Werme. He will facilitate a drum circle so make sure you bring a drum if you own one or just come to enjoy the rhythm.

If you want to learn more about herbs, join Alison Birks on July 16 from 5:30 p.m. – 7 p.m. to learn how to use herbs to treat a variety of common ailments, such as: bruises, burns, skin rashes, sore throats, upset stomachs, and more. Participants will learn about the different actions of herbs and which ones to grow or purchase for a basic first aid kit. This event is free but registration is required.

July 19th marks a family music class from 3:30 p.m. – 4 p.m. and will feature singing, dancing, drumming and jamming! This 30- minute demonstration includes old favorites and new tunes, using instruments, small and large movement, and free dance to form a rich musical community experience. This event is free but registration is required.

On July 20th you are invited to bring your returnable bottles and cans to raise money for abused, abandoned and neglected dogs starting Friday, July 19th through Sunday the 21st! Go down for a visit to meet some of the adoptable dogs – you might just fall in love and save a life.

If want to learn about the guitar or brush up on your skills head to New Morning on July 25 at 6 p.m. where David Zemper is there to give his professional advice. This event is free but registration is required.

On July 23 at 2 p.m. Kimberly Grustas founder of Good for You Girls will teach girls ages 9-12 the best way to take care of their skin. Girls are invited to try products, learn about their skin and make a fun spa item to take home. Moms are welcome to come and watch. Don’t forget to bring a headband or a ponytail holder. This event is free but registration is required.

On July 27 from 11 a.m. to noon, Liz Roberts will talk about how to step off the sugar roller coaster and onto the path to great health. This session will teach you how sugar is negatively impacting your health, tips to overcome cravings, and healthy alternatives to treat yourself without deprivation. This event is free but registration is required.

For registration and more information call 203-263-4868 or visit www.newmorn.com. For area information on the Litchfield Hills visit www.litchfieldhills.com