Tag: Litchfield

WWI Posters on View at the Litchfield Historical Society

The exhibit Join the Brave Throng: Poster Art of WWI at the Litchfield Historical Society will highlight a selection of WWI posters from the Museum’s collection. It will be on view through November 30, 2014.

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When the Great War broke out in Europe in 1914, the town of Litchfield was actively involved in war efforts from the start. Ranging from work of the local Red Cross chapter to the collection of medical supplies, Liberty Loan campaigns, food conservation efforts, and enlistment of local soldiers, the residents of Litchfield did whatever they could to show their patriotic zeal.

To rouse the public’s interest in the war, colorful posters dotted walls and billboards across the county. Designed by some of the nation’s most talented artists, these propaganda items appealed to the public’s patriotic side, while others incorporated shocking anti-German imagery.

Come see some of the posters that ignited Litchfield residents to actively support the national war effort. The Litchfield History Museum’s hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 11:00 am to 5:00 pm, and Sunday, 1:00 to 5:00 pm. Litchfield History Museum is located at 7 South St., Litchfield, CT. For more information about this or other programs, please visit www.litchfieldhistoricalsociety.org or call (860) 567-4501.

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West Cornwall Scenery, Shopping & More

There are many reasons to visit the bucolic village of West Cornwall. The West Cornwall Covered Bridge is a wooden lattice truss bridge built around 1864 that spans the Housatonic River. This is one of two bridges that can actually be crossed by auto traffic. Many visitors to West Cornwall take photos of this iconic covered bridge.

west cornwall covered bridge

In the heart of the village there are several interesting shops to explore. Cornwall Bridge Pottery http://www.cbpots.com owned by Todd Piker, one of the country’s most prolific potters produces high quality wood fired pots for everyday use. In his shop you will find lamps, planters, mugs, plates, bowls and much more. In addition to pottery, you will also find an official Shaker Furniture Room.

If you are a book lover, don’t miss Barbara Farnsworth Bookseller http://www.farnsworthbooks.com. This shop is located in an old masonic hall and has over 45,000 books ! There are large selections in literature, biography, poetry, diaries and letters, art, architecture, photography, fashion and costume, natural history, cookbooks, children’s books, and many other categories.

The Wish House is a gorgeous shop that offers a wide array of gift items and clothes. The gallery at the Wish House exhibits the artwork of local artists and hosts author events. The West Cornwall Farmers Market is also held here on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. through October. The Wish House often hosts book signings with local authors.

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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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History comes alive in Litchfield Connecticut this August!

The Litchfield Historical Society located on the corner of the village green and Rte. 63 south has planned a trio of events for lovers of this historic town. On August 20 for example, the Leather Iron Book Club meets at the society from 3:30 p.m. – 5 p.m. and will discuss this month’s book, Remembrance written by Theresa Breslin. This activity is perfect for kids 9 years or older. Remembrance is set in 1915 Scotland, and chronicles the experiences of young Red Cross nurses as they struggle with changes brought on by the Great War. Following the discussion of the book, games and crafts relating to the story will be offered. Register by August 9th to receive a copy of the book.

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An event not to be missed on August 23 at 10 a.m. is the walking tour of West Street, a centerpiece of Litchfield History. The walk begins at 10 a.m. at the Historical Society and is $10 for non-members. Participants will find out about the playhouse that was once on Litchfield’s West Street and learn about this bustling business center and the surrounding area. A tour guide will discuss the street’s residents, summer destinations, stores, and how the area has changed over time.

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On August 29 at 6 p.m. the Historical Society is offering a lecture and guided tasting of the Forgotten Drinks of Colonial New England. The lecture will take place on the lawn of the Tapping Reeve House and Law School located on 83 South Street (Rte. 63 south) and is $20 for members and $25 for non-members. Corin Hirsch, award-winning food and drink writer, will be discussing about her new book “Forgotten Drinks of Colonial New England.” Tippling was a common activity in colonial New England, and Hirsch has resurrected some of these delicious libations in her new publication. She will mix up drinks like flip and grog for participants to sample.

The Litchfield History Museum’s exhibit, The Lure of the Litchfield Hills through November29, 2015 explores the Colonial Revival Movement in Litchfield. This exhibit explores what was behind the Colonial Revival Movement, how the residents of Litchfield embraced their ancestral past and how the community came to look the way it does today. Visitors are invited to join in exploring his social movement that touched all aspects of American life from architecture and landscaping, to fashion, home decoration and beyond.

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For more information about the Litchfield Historical Society visit www.litchfieldhistoricalsociety.org. For information about Litchfield Hills www.litchfieldhills.com

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19th Annual Litchfield Jazz Festival

The Litchfield Jazz Festival continues a time honored tradition of showcasing jazz legends and fostering up-and-coming talent that has been in place since our first festival in 1996. The Litchfield Jazz Festival is taking place once again this year on Friday August 8 – Sunday August 10 at the Goshen Fair Grounds, Rte. 63 Goshen Connecticut.

LitchfieldJazzFest_Tent_byStevenSussman

Celebrate the kick off of the 19th Anniversary of the Litchfield Jazz Festival at the Goshen Fairgrounds on Friday, August 8th. The party is the event of the season where you’ll enjoy fine foods, private reserve French wines courtesy of Vandoren Vineyards, microbrews by the Olde Burnside Brewing Company and music all night long.

The Gala begins at 5:45 p.m. and the music starts at 7:45 p.m. with Cécile McLorin Salvant who was the youngest finalist ever in the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition in 2010. At 9:15 p.m. the virtuosic and playful, pianist Cyrus Chestnut’s hard swinging, soulful sounds have become a staple in the jazz community. Blending contemporary and traditional jazz with gospel and occasional seasonings of Latin and samba, Chestnut gives himself plenty of freedom to explore different emotions, while keeping his music in recognizable form.

On Saturday, August 9 the day begins at 12 noon with Carmen Staaf the winner of the 2009 Mary Lou Williams, t Women in Jazz Pianist Competition. Most recently she was chosen as the pianist in the prestigious Thelonius Monk Institute of Jazz Performance at UCLA’s Herb Alpert School of Music for the fall of 2014. She was featured on NPR’s JazzSet with Dee Dee Bridgewater, with clips of her Kennedy Center performance at the 2010 Mary Lou Williams Women in Jazz Festival and She was the guest soloist with the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra on a Jazz for Young People program about Duke Ellington.

At 1:45 Grammy-nominee Claudio Roditi takes the stage and plays both the trumpet and the flugelhorn with power and lyricism. Rodti integrates post-bop elements and Brazilian rhythmic concepts into his palette with ease.

CurtisFuller2-photo-by-Steven-Sussman

At 3:30 Curtis Fuller performs. Fuller has close to 100 recordings on major labels with Kenny Dorham, Gil Evans, Jimmy Heath, Clifford Jordan, Quincy Jones, Art Blakey (he appears on the iconic Ugetsu), Lee Morgan and others too numerous to list. Fuller will be accompanies by Drummer Joe Farnsworth, Kris Jensen on sax and Rick Germanson on piano.

Anthony Strong performs at 6 p.m. and makes his US debt at the festival. He is a product of London’s renowned Guildhall School of Music where he paid his way with gigs and sessions with artists like Michael Bolton, Marti Pellow and Beverley Knight. He also spent nine months in the West End as Jerry Lee Lewis in Million Dollar Quartet, performing to thousands of theatre-goers, one of them Rod Stewart, who came back the following day and called Strong’s performance “(expletive) Amazing!!” BB King called it, “Real great music.”

Saturday ends with a performance at 7:45 p.m. with Kirk Whalum, well known for his smooth jazz saxophone. With a career that spans decades, he is an 11-time Grammy nominee and the winner of the 2011 Grammy Award for Best Gospel Song (Its What I Do, featuring Lalah Hathaway) alongside his lifelong friend songwriter, Jerry Peters.

photo: antonio monteiro
photo: antonio monteiro

On Sunday, August 10 at 12 noon Doug Munro takes to the stage. The LJO features-a who’s who of the biggest names in the music industry including: Trumpets -Dave Ballou, Russ Johnson and Nick Roseboro; Trombones – Peter McEachern, Nicole Connelly, Daniel Simms; Saxes – (alto) Kris Allen, (alto) Caroline Davis, (tenor) Don Braden, (tenor) Tom Finn, (bari) Andrew Hadro; Bass – Avery Sharpe; Drums – Robin Baytas; Guitars – Doug Munro, Ken Ross; Violin – Andrei Matorin.

At 1:45 p.m. Bassist/composer Mario Pavone takes to the stage. He has 17 recordings as a leader/co-leader, including his acclaimed 2006 release, Deez to Blues, on Playscape Recordings. Among his awards are a NewWorks grant from Chamber Music America/Doris Duke Foundation and a Distinguished Artists Grant from the Connecticut Commission on the Arts. In addition to his ongoing activities as a bandleader, Pavone’s artwork and photography have graced the covers of dozens of recordings.

LitchfieldJazzFestAudience_byStevenSussman

The Jimmy Greene Quartet performs at 3:45 p.m. The Jimmy Greene Quartet performs regularly in jazz venues, festivals and clubs worldwide. Jimmy appears on over 70 albums as a sideman, and has toured and/or recorded with Horace Silver, Tom Harrell, Freddie Hubbard, Harry Connick, Jr., Avishai Cohen, Kenny Barron, Lewis Nash, Steve Turre, the New Jazz Composers Octet and the Carnegie Hall Jazz Band, among many others. As a member of Harrell’s quintet, Greene was featured on CBS’s news magazine, 60 Minutes. As a member of Harry Connick Jr.’s Big Band, he is a featured soloist on two DVD releases, Harry for the Holidays, and Only You, and NBC He was holiday special and the Today Show.

At 5:30 p.m. Mike Stern band featuring Janek Gwizdala on bass, Bob Franceschini on sax, and Lionel Cordew on drums takes to the stage. Stern has been in the jazz business three decades and he has played with everybody anybody in jazz would have loved to have played with. He is a multi-Grammy nominated guitarist and was named one of the 75 best guitarists of all time by DownBeat Magazine in its 75th anniversary issue.

The festival ends with a performance by Jane Bunnett and Maqueque at 7:15 p.m. Soprano saxophonist/flutist/bandleader Jane Bunnett has built her career at the crossroads of Cuban music and jazz. A two-time Grammy nominee and multiple Juno Award winner, and recipient of an honorary doctorate from Queen’s University, Bunnett has turned her bands into showcases for the finest talent from Canada, the U.S., and, particularly, Cuba. She is responsible for introducing, over two decades, Cuban musicians who are now almost household words for American Jazz audiences– Dafnis Prieto, Pedrito Martínez, David Virelles, Hilario Duran, among others.

To reserve your tickets visit http://litchfieldjazzfest.com/festival. For area information on the Litchfield Hills www.litchfieldhills.com

Photo: Steven Sussman

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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

JanetLeave a comment