Tag: Fairfield County

Lost and Found Circus Exhibit at Bridgeport’s PT Barnum Museum

The Barnum Museum is featuring an amazingly original display, Lost and Found Circus: A Creative Balancing Act by Bridgeport artist Susan Tabachnick through August 30.

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The exhibition features a circus-themed presentation of small sculptures created with found objects, many of them incorporating old industrial parts and small tools. The components are not altered in any way, but are assembled into whimsical sculptures suggestive of the lively energy and humor that characterizes the circus. The assemblages give “new life” to items originally made for other purposes. Tabachnick never forces the unions and she doesn’t weld or glue the pieces together; they must fit or balance.

Each of Tabachnick’s creations in this exhibition begins with a particular piece of salvaged material to which she is attracted. The sculptures often evolve as a balancing act, as Tabachnick experiments with finding just the right parts, using her own fluid and flexible approach to making art. All of the work in the show is assembled this way; none of the components are permanently affixed. Like a real circus, the components can readily be disassembled and transported to a new venue, and if the artist chooses, the found objects can come together in new ways.

“The Lost and Found Circus is always a work in progress,” explained Tabachnick, “an infinitely creative and organic assemblage of salvaged pieces that invites people to see new possibilities. What is most enjoyable to me are the reactions to my work, and the different references and perceptions that viewers bring to it. I never intended to make a circus. The pieces came together serendipitously, each with its own eccentric personality, not dissimilar to that of traditional circus characters. Over the years, the theme kept percolating to the point where there is now a troupe.”

The Barnum Museum is located on 820 Main Street, Bridgeport in the People’s United Bank Gallery. The entrance to the museum is located at the back of the historic building and the hours are Thursday, Friday and Saturday 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. For more information on the PT Barnum Museum, call 203-331-1104 ext.100, M-F from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. or visit www.barnummuseumexhibitions.org.

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Bob Gregson: Archi/Abstracts at New Canaan’s Gores Pavilion

This summer and fall, the New Canaan Historical Society is presenting the photography of Bob Gregson entitled Archi/Abstracts at the Gores Pavilion in Irwin Park located on 848 Weed Street in New Canaan Connecticut.

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Bob is an artist who has a passion for architecture and modern design. The photographs in this exhibit are details of familiar buildings by well-known architects. Originally taken to document his trips to architectural icons, these photos are shot on the run and thus have a fresh and immediate look to them. As Gregson explains, “It was not necessary to document the buildings as much as to capture a spontaneous moment that expressed, in a simple detail, the heart and spirit of my experience.” Since these are done on the fly the essence of the building needs to be sized up quickly.
When viewing the exhibition it is clear that there is a focus on the details and characteristics that embody the personality of each building. The translation from a three dimensional experience to a flat image is not easy to achieve but these photographs show great skill in doing this.

Bob Gregson received a B.F.A. from the Hartford Art School and an M.F.A. from the Art Institute of Chicago. His work ranges from large-scale participatory pieces to drawing and photography. He has exhibited nationally as well as his home state of Connecticut. He is a Silvermine Guild Artist in New Canaan, Connecticut and is the creative director of the Connecticut Office of Culture & Tourism.

The Gores Pavilion is located in Irwin Park, New Canaan. The exhibit runs through November 7, 2014. The Gores Pavilion is open from Friday to Sunday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., or by appointment; call 203-966-1776. Admission is free to Society members and $5 for non-members.

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Dog Days of Summer arrives early at the Stepping Stones Museum for Children

Stepping Stones Museum for Children is once again going to the dogs on Saturday, June 14…and they couldn’t be happier. The museum will host its fourth annual, day-long festival celebrating the powerful and important bonds between humans and their animal friends. BooZoo™’s Canine Carnival, where play and learning go hand-in-paw, will take place at Stepping Stones on June 14 between 10:00 am – 5:00 pm. The event is free with museum admission.

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The Canine Carnival is hosted by BooZoo, the museum’s fictional puppy mascot for early childhood learning and literacy, and will feature carnival games for families and dogs, pooch and people pics in our prop-laden photo booth, a meet-and-greet with BooZoo, a “pampered pooch” area featuring a dog wash and day spa, story times with BooZoo, bobbing for doggie treats and so much more. All canine friends, accompanied by owners, are welcome to take part in carnival activities under the tent of the museum’s Celebration Courtyard.

Visitors are invited to enter their dog(s) in the museum’s Crazy Canine Contest at 11:30 am.

A panel will judge the dogs in the following categories: best dressed, fastest tail wager, fluffiest, best smile, best ears and walks with attitude. Each dog will be judged in all categories. And who says you can’t teach an old dog new tricks? Visitors will be able to sign up for a 5-minute time slot to give their four-legged, furry friends an opportunity to show off his or her tricks. Dogs must be licensed and accompanied by people who are 15 years or older. Owners are responsible for cleaning up after their dogs.

A highlight of the day is sure to be when assistance dogs from the Canine Companions for Independence® conduct a demonstration in the museum’s Multimedia Gallery. Founded in 1975, the world-renowned Canine Companions for Independence is a national non-profit which provides highly-skilled assistance dogs to adults, veterans and children with disabilities free of charge. Canine Companions created the concept of assistance dogs for people with physical disabilities. During BooZoo’s Canine Carnival, the assistance dogs will be put through a routine demonstrating their ability to follow commands, open doors, flip on light switches, pick up dropped items and complete other important daily tasks. A Canine Companions staff member will talk about how the dogs are bred, trained and matched with their human counterparts, transforming the lives of people with disabilities by increasing their independence and providing loving companionship.

Another special component of the event will take place when Milford’s John Tartaglio, an inspirational speaker, shares his story with the audience. Tartaglio was 17 years old when he contracted an extremely rare bacterial infection. With his condition dire, doctors were left with no choice but to amputate his legs and left bicep. Tartaglio was only given a 20% chance to live, but he survived and now thrives. He graduated cum laude from Fairfield University. Told by medical professionals that he would never walk again, Tartaglio has completed marathons and triathlons. As a motivational speaker, he speaks to audiences about overcoming adversity, building a positive attitude and turning it into positive actions, leadership and teamwork. Empowering his audiences with his story, Tartaglio challenges people to reach their goals, raise their personal standard and expect more out of themselves because he is living proof that anything is possible.

Throughout the event, the mobile unit of the North Shore Animal League, the world’s largest no-kill animal rescue and adoption organization, will be on hand with staff members available to answer questions and showcase some of their adoptable friends. Between noon and 2:00 pm, Shake Shack will be on hand in our courtyard serving “Pooch-ini®,” a custard-based doggy snack.

About BooZoo

Building on the commitment to promote early childhood development and reading literacy for young children, the museum developed the BooZoo character three years ago. BooZoo is a toy puppy who lives in Tot Town™, the museum’s toddler exhibit. He’s smart, incurably curious and loves reading books.

For additional information about BooZoo’s Canine Carnival, visit www.steppingstonesmuseum.org/CanineCarnival.

Copyright © 2001-2012 Catalytic Group Inc.

JanetLeave a comment

June fun at Greenwich Historical Society

The Greenwich Historical Society has planned four fun filled events for the month of June beginning with a lecture on June 10 by Dr. Jackson Lears on Two Gilded Ages from 7 p.m. – 8 p.m. at the Vanderbilt Education Center.

Dr. Jackson Lears
Dr. Jackson Lears

For some years, historians have theorized that we are living in a second Gilded Age, a reprise of the era that occurred a century ago. The decades between the1980s and the 2010s hold a remarkable similarity to those between the 1880s and the 1910s, both periods characterized by unregulated economic expansion, flagrant corruption on Wall Street, growing class divisions, the concentration of wealth within a conspicuously consuming elite and a series of imperial adventures (or misadventures) abroad.

Dr. Jackson Lears will examine the parallels and differences between the two eras to explain why the growth of inequality 100 years ago provoked widespread demands for reform among the populace (even among the well-to-do, motivated then by a paternalistic sense of responsibility), while contemporary comment on the situation is largely absent.

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Connecticut’s Open House Day falls on June 14 this year and the Greenwich Historical Society is planning a collage workshop that will focus on creating two-dimensional collages crafted from papers, fabrics, photographs, found objects and natural materials such as dried grasses, twigs, leaves, or petals. All materials will be provided, but participants may also bring copies of favorite photos, newspaper articles or other items to incorporate into their work. The workshop will take place in the Vanderbilt Education Center from noon to 2:00 pm, and all ages are welcome.

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On June 21, from 1:30 to 3:00 pm the Greenwich Historical Society is planning a two-wheeled adventure and will provide a historical bike tour of Greenwich Point as a part of the annual Experience the Sound event. Participants are invited to explore the rich history of Greenwich point looking at everything from its geology to the many features that make it the beloved town park it is today. Participants will meet at the first parking lot on the right after entering the park. As the group travels around the point they will stop to hear stories, take a closer look at some of the ruins and see vintage photos from the Historical Society’s collection. There will also be a scavenger hunt for children. Participants must bring their own bike and helmet and a water bottle is highly recommended. No reservations required and participation is free, but a park or guest pass is required for entry to Greenwich Point. All ages are welcome but children must be able to ride a bike.

Festa

The month ends with a Festa Al Fresco, on June 29 from 4 pm to 7 pm a potluck supper to celebrate the history and the community of Italian immigrants who settled in Greenwich in the early twentieth century. The family “festa” was launched last year as part of the Historical Society’s programming for the exhibition From Italy to America and in celebration of the Town of Greenwich’s twinning ( “Gemallagio”) with the Italian cities of Rose and Morra di Sanctis, where many of Greenwich’s Italian early immigrants came from. The event proved so successful that it’s back by popular demand. Guests are invited to demonstrate their culinary skills and to show off favorite family recipes (enough to share with 6-8) in one of four categories: antipasti/appetizers, pasta/main dishes, sides and salads or desserts. Wine, musical entertainment and crafts for kids are included in the price of admission. Mangiamo!

For more information about the Greenwich Historical Society visit http://greenwichhistory.org/

JanetLeave a comment

Westport’s Hidden Garden Tour

Be sure to mark Sunday, June 8th, on your calendars, garden lovers. That’s the day the Westport Historical Society rolls out its annual Hidden Garden Tour of five exceptional properties in Westport and Fairfield, and a Garden Market on the town’s Veterans Green, followed by a gala Garden Party that evening under a festive tent also on Veterans Green.

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Among the gardens to be showcased on the self-guided tour is one its owners say “has put the green in Greens Farms.” And another at a land-marked house that once belonged to George Hand Wright, dean of Westport’s art community from 1907 to 1951. Green-thumbs can learn how others deal with such problems as nibbling deer, large swaths of shade, and variations in dry and wet soil.

The five venues of the Garden Tour will offer visitors the opportunity to connect to nature will all their senses. Garden experiences will include musicians, old-fashioned croquet, moving meditation demonstrations, food and beverage tastings, and garden experts.

Here’s an overview of this year’s five featured gardens:

Discovery and Restoration: Quite overgrown when the current owner moved there in 2010, George Hand Wright’s 1767 house sits on a spacious tract bounded by native stone walls. Scattered about are specimen trees: a Japanese katsura, Zelkova elm and towering Norway maple in the front, old apple trees and newer cherry trees in the side yard, and a weeping cherry and star magnolia near the drive. The flower beds are planted in blue tones favored by the owner and include blue hydrangeas, Russian sage, and butterfly bush. Behind the house, the lawn slopes to a restored pond and wetlands. An added treat is the secret garden behind the painter’s studio that was unearthed when the owner discovered “a mysterious brick stairway that seemed to go nowhere.”

Greenfield Hill Gem: This 1824 Dutch-style house atop Greenfield Hill has quite a pedigree. It occupies land first settled by the ancestors of the owner’s late husband in the 1600s. In 1976, when the couple moved in, they inherited an English rose garden designed by the firm of Frederick Law Olmstead, the creator of New York’s Central Park. Though no longer planted in roses, the garden’s format remains unchanged, its beds enclosed in stone walls and sharing space with boxwoods and a pond.

Inspiration of Roses: Possessing little sophistication when its current owners arrived in the late 1990s, this home and garden in the Gorham Avenue Historic District near downtown Westport was nevertheless redeemed by “good bones.” So the couple, who both came from gardening families, set to work creating their own landscape, inspired by the six David Austin roses received as a housewarming gift. The centerpiece is a magnificent Japanese maple surrounded by a shade garden comprised of hosta, ferns, and Japanese forest grass. The sunnier areas show off borders of lamb’s ear, stonecrop, peonies, irises and lilies, and beds of lily of the valley, bloodroot, and imperata. Expect to see some bees as the owners are beekeepers as well as gardeners.

Continuous Blooming Color: Owned by landscape architects in the Stratfield section of Fairfield, this property is defined by the presence of old-growth trees whose dense canopy has forced the owners to use shade- tolerant plants. Even so, they have managed to provide color and bloom time from March to October using perennials, spring flowering lawn and garden bulbs, and flowering bushes and trees. A garden of wetland grasses and flowering native plants peeks from behind a 100-year-old spring-fed swimming pool. And a rock ledge beside the home is populated by daffodils, crocus, hosta, azalea, rhododendron, and woodland geranium.

Summer Hill Bliss: At this garden on a private Green’s Farms cul-de-sac, the plantings were inspired by the New York Botanical Garden and embellished by the owners’ love of wordplay. The formal garden is divided into three rooms, one with free-form beds divided by “a boulevard of grass” and another that the owners describe as a tranquil space with an alley. They call it their Zen Central. The pool/patio area features a white garden that changes with the seasons.
Hours for the Garden Tour are 11am to 4pm. Ticket prices are $40 for WHS members, $50 for non-members, and $55 if purchased on the day of the tour. A jitney service will be available to the gardens at an additional $20 per person. To reserve a seat, those interested should call Sue at 203-222-1424.

Tour-goers can start or finish their rounds by checking out the Garden Market on Veterans Green, adjacent to WHS headquarters. A variety of practical and fanciful items for home and garden will be for sale including plants, garden tools, antiques, jewelry, and accessories. Admission is free. Following the garden tour and market will be the Garden Party, also on Veterans Green, from 6:30 to 9:00. Guests will enjoy delicious hors d’oeuvres and beverages provided by local restaurants and caterers, silent and live auctions, while listening to live jazz.

Tickets are $50 per person. Tickets for the Garden Tour and Garden Party may be purchased online at https://westporthistory.securesites.com/products/index.php?type=883&PCID=883:0:0:0:0 , or by visiting or calling Westport Historical Society, 25 Avery Place, 203- 222-1424 across from Westport Town Hall. Tickets and garden directions will be available for pick up Sunday, June 8th from 10am to 2pm at the Garden Market.

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Jiggle a Jelly at the Maritime Aquarium Norwalk

Apparently it’s a lot of fun to touch jellyfish when you know you won’t be stung. “Jiggle A Jelly” has become a permanent offering at The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk. The display, will now will be open on weekends, holidays and school-vacation days through June 30, and then daily in July and August. It’s free with Aquarium admission.

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Visitors will be able to experience the unusual sensation of touching jellies making Jiggle A Jelly’ one of the Aquarium regular hands-on features, along with their Intertidal Touch Tank and our Shark & Ray Touch Pool.

Visitors can safely touch live moon jellyfish, one of the most common species in Long Island Sound. Maritime Aquarium volunteers staff the exhibit, encouraging visitors to use two fingers to gently touch the top of the jellyfishes’ gelatinous body or “bell.”

Moon jellies (Aurelia aurita) do have tentacles but their stings are generally benign to people. A common species in Long Island Sound, they grow to dinner-plate size during the warmth of summer. Short tentacles rim their bell, and four “oral arms” extend underneath. Moon jellies are colorless and translucent, except for four central horseshoe-shaped reproductive organs.

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Letting visitors get close to jellyfish is nothing new for The Maritime Aquarium. A mesmerizing gallery featuring moon jellies, sea nettles, lion’s mane and other live species of jellyfish is now in its 19th year at the Aquarium and remains among the most popular and memorable exhibits.

Plus, displays of jellies in their various life stages in the Jellyfish Culture Lab let visitors see how the Aquarium keeps a year-round supply of the seasonal creatures on exhibit. But “Jiggle A Jelly” is the first time visitors have been able to touch them.

Learn more about the Aquarium’s exhibits, IMAX® movies and programs at www.maritimeaquarium.org or by calling (203) 852-0700. For information about Fairfield County www.visitfairfieldcountyct.com

JanetLeave a comment