FAIRFIELD COUNTY EVENTS

James Grashow's Corrugated Fountain at the Aldrich

© James Grashow
The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum is exhibiting James Grashow's "Corrugated Fountain" April 1 to May 13, 2012. Corrugated Fountain is "an enormous cardboard sculpture inspired by Bernini's famous Trevi Fountain in Rome." The fountain has been on exhibition since 2007 and its final stop is at the Aldrich where it will slowly disintegrate over time.

Grashow's work makes cardboard seem fluid. It is just one of the surprising properties that make his artwork accessible to people of all ages.

The exhibition is also accompanied by a publication and two Aldrich Editions by James Grashow--a cardboard sculpture, and a finely-detailed woodblock print.

Guests will be invited to partake in Grashow's project Accumulated Wishes by tossing special paper coins with their wishes on them into the fountain.

There is an opening reception from 3 - 5 pm on Sunday, April 1, 2012. The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum is located at 258 Main St. Ridgefield, CT.

Noted and showing: Photographers Paul Berger and David Harlan

"Palm Reading"
© Paul Berger
"Palm Reading," a graphic, botanical black-and-white photograph by Paul Berger, was chosen for inclusion in "Tropical Paradise" at Ferguson Library Gallery in Stamford, CT. It will be on exhibit from January 26 through May 10, 2012 with a public reception on Thursday, January 26, 2012 from 6 - 8 p.m.


Paul Berger and David Harlan were among those chosen for the Carriage Barn Arts Center's 32d Annual Photography Exhibition. The exhibition was juried by Joan Fitzsimmons. The Carriage Barn Arts Center is located at Waveny Park 681 South Ave. (Rte 124), New Canaan, CT. There was an opening reception on Sunday, January 22, 2012. The exhibit runs from January 22 until February 19, 2012.


Berger's work is also currently featured in the Easton Arts Council's Annual Members Show 2012 at the Easton Library, 691 Morehouse Rd., Easton CT and will be on view until February 25, 2012. 

Exhibition Highlights Creation of WCSUs New Arts Building

Stills excerpted from "Over five days in August, 2011"
© Catherine Vanaria







Connecticut Photographics' co-owner Catherine Vanaria, who is also a professor of photography at Western Connecticut State University, has a video piece in the exhibition "Groundbreaking: Looking Forward" at the university.  Her time-lapse video is comprised of stills taken at intervals during the demolition of the former Roberts Avenue School located on the downtown campus.

The collection of works by WCSU students, alumni and faculty, will be on display from noon to 4 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays from Thursday, Oct. 20, through Thursday, Dec. 1, in the Higgins Gallery in Room 101 of the Higgins Hall Annex on the university's Midtown campus, 181 White St. in Danbury. There will be an opening reception from 5 to 7 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 20. The exhibition and reception will be free and open to the public.

The official groundbreaking ceremony took place on Monday, October 17, and included the participation of WCSU's fine and performing arts departments, Connecticut's Governor Dannel Malloy, Mayor Mark Boughton, former governor and local resident M. Jodi Rell, and other honored guests and attendees. For more information about the building project: WCSU Visual and Performing Arts Center

Upcoming at The Gallery at Still River Editions - Moments of Grace®: Ben Larrabee / Reception Thu., Sept. 8

Photo: "Herbie & Albert"
© Ben Larrabee
We are pleased to announce that our next show will be Moments of Grace®, a solo exhibition of black-and-white portrait photography by Ben Larrabee of Darien, CT.

The exhibit takes place from August 30, 2011 to October 28, 2011.

Opening reception Thursday, September 8, 2011, 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.. Free and open to the public.

Larrabee’s black and white portraits of children and families are far from staged. More than just depictions of individuals, the portraits engage the viewer in a feeling of connection. Larrabee says, “My work is not about my camera: I really want to make the camera itself disappear so that I’m performing effortlessly and my subjects are acting naturally unselfconsciously, expressing their spirit and their love for one another.” Larrabee calls the instances of synergy he captures in his subjects’ lives “Moments of Grace®”.

Ben Larrabee is a graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design where he studied under noted photographer Harry Callahan and earned at BFA in photography. He also studied at Yale University, where he earned an MFA in graphic design. Larrabee’s work has been exhibited nationally and is in the permanent collections including The George Eastman House (Rochester, NY), The High Museum, Atlanta, GA, The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA, and the Museum of Modern Art, NY. Larrabee lives in Darien, Connecticut with his wife and creative partner Trudie Larrabee.

Larrabee's archival fine art prints are made by Master Printmaker, Mark Savoia at Still River Editions.

Westport Arts Center: Solos 20II Juried Members Exhibition

Westport Arts Center is hosting Solos 2011 Juried Members Exhibition from May 20 - June 26, 2011, juried by Robin Jaffee Frank, the Alice and Allan Kaplan senior associate curator of American paintings and sculpture at Yale University Art Gallery.

Artists selected for the exhibition include: Miggs Burroughs, Westport, CT; Eric Chiang, Westport, CT; Megan Craig, New Haven, CT; Gayle Gleckler, North Salem, NY; Joan Miller, Westport, CT; Andrea Morganstern, Bridgewater, CT; Neil Ira Needleman, Katonah, NY; Lawrence Russ, Southport, CT; Ivo Stoilov, Oakville, CT.

The opening reception is Friday, May 20, 2011 from 6-8 pm.

Westport Arts Center is located at 51 Riverside Ave., Westport, CT.

Ben Larrabee's Moments of Grace® at Art to the Avenue, opening Thursday, May 5, 2011

"Montana, 2010"
© Ben Larrabee
Photographer Ben Larrabee's fine art black and white portraits will be on exhibit during Art to the Avenue May 5 – 30, 2011 at Lexus of Greenwich, CT.

Art to the Avenue is an annual May event during which over 100 artists exhibit in storefronts and local businesses along and around Greenwich Avenue, turning the city into a strolling art gallery. The opening night (May 5 this year) is festive, with opening receptions and entertainment at many of the participating locations.

Larrabee's photographs are finely tuned to capture tenderness within families and relationships. Larrabee calls his work  "'Moments of Grace' referring to those fleeting yet memorable moments every family has but rarely sees captured in photographs. His photographs show families acting naturally and spontaneously, expressing their spirit and love for one another."

There will be an opening reception for Ben Larrabee's exhibition on Thursday, May 5, 2011, 5:30 - 8:00 pm. Lexus of Greenwich is located at 19 Railroad Avenue (across from train station), Greenwich, CT. A .pdf map of the venues is downloadable here.

Briefly Noted: Three Shows Opening in Fairfield County Thursday, March 31

Chris Durante is one of the artists featured in the Art Faculty Show at Norwalk Community College, Art Gallery East 188 Richards Ave, Norwalk. Reception Thursday, March 31, 2011, 6-8 pm.

Western Connecticut State University MFA Thesis Exhibition Reception from 4:30 to 7 pm on Thursday, March 31.  Higgins Gallery in Higgins Hall on the university's midtown campus, 181 White St, Danbury, CT.

© Ricky Mestre
City Lights Gallery at 37 Markle Court Bridgeport, CT is hosting a juried mixed-media art show titled SameSex from March 31-April 27, 2011. There is an opening reception on Thursday, March 31, 2011 from 5:30 - 9 pm. From their executive director: "The intention of this exhibit is to provide a common ground for artists and visitors of diverse backgrounds to come together to view, enjoy, discuss or be exposed to art about being Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual or Transgender. Sexual orientation was not a prerequisite for this exhibit."

Artists include: Michelle Beaulieu, Binnie Birstein, Heather Braxton, Sherri Brown, Rita Breiger, Paul Cadmus, Sue Czark, Felixe d’Eon, Kristine DeMarco, Delayne Elyse, Jean Galli, Eric Gibbons, John Glover, David Greene, Stephen Harris, Leonardo Herrera, Alyssa Iwanski, Abel Lopez, Osvaldo Lugo, Mark McDonald, William McGovern, Ricky Mestre, David Morgan, Jeff Palmer, Zoe Perry-Wood, Brian Riley, Eduardo Rodriguez, Richard Taddei, Gerald Saladyga, Jean Scott, Nomi Silverman, John Sonsini, Wilhelm von Gloeden, Tim Wilkerson, Francesca Winfield.

More art openings at Connecticut Art Scene.

Fiber Art Demonstration at Written Words Bookstore, Saturday, April 2

Written Words Bookstore in Shelton is having craft demonstrations this Saturday, April 2, 2011 from 12 noon-3 pm. Darlene Mingrone of East Village Farm in Shelton will be demonstrating spinning wool on a spinning wheel. Mingrone uses natural hand-processed fibers from the farm she owns with her husband Bob Mingrone--they keep sheep, llamas, alpacas & angora rabbits for their fiber (they raise chickens, too--their eggs are fabulous.) There will also be a knitting demonstration by local knitting teacher Diane Kapoor (who teaches knitting in several levels at the bookstore), and a chef's demonstration with Leah Kapoor.

Written Words has become a community meeting place in Shelton's White Hills. Dorothy, the owner, hosts author events, fiber crafts and foreign language classes, and book discussion groups. She always has local books and local handmade gifts on hand, along with new books in all genres, and she can special-order anything.

The event is free. Written Words Bookstore is located in the White Hills Shopping Center, 194 Leavenworth Rd., Shelton, CT.

~Lys

Ruth Newquist in "Investigation, Imagination" at the Bruce S. Kersher Gallery

© Ruth Newquist
The Bruce S. Kershner Gallery in the Fairfield Library is host to a three-artist exhibition that opened January 9, 2011 and will run until February 27, 2011 during regular library hours. The exhibit, titled "Investigation, Imagination," features watercolorist (and client) Ruth Newquist, painter Duvian Montoya, and sculptor Roe Halper.


Newquist's watercolors are photographic, but not rigidly so. Her paintings, whether New York street scenes, or snow-covered New England houses, seem illuminated from within. From her website: "Sunlight is the focus of my paintings. I am drawn to make a painting when  I see dappled light or interesting shadows falling on historic New England buildings or barns." Many of her cityscapes capture the feeling and light of walking around New York City on a gloriously sunny day, of looking at the architecture and people.

Newquist is a member of several prestigious arts organizations, including National Watercolor Society, Connecticut Watercolor Society, the Salmagundi Club, and Allied Artists of America.

The opening has already happened, but on Thursday February 3, at 2 pm there will be a "Walk and Talk" with the artists. The Fairfield Library is located at 1080 Old Post Rd., Fairfield, CT

~Lys

New Takes on Portraiture - Thilo Hoffmann and more opening at The Aldrich Museum, January 30, 2011

Thilo Hoffmann, ME AND MANHATTAN
CAELEY PERRINE/NEW YORK CITY
(detail), 2010
Figurative work is back in style, as evidenced by the Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum's Portraiture exhibition.

Still River Editions made the large-scale digital giclee prints of Swiss artist Thilo Hoffmann's work for this exhibition. Hoffmann works in collaboration with his subjects to create unique environmental photographic statements. His series "High School Portraits" puts much of the creative direction in the hands of those pictured in them. 

Also showing: Shimon Attie: MetroPAL.IS., James Esber: Your Name Here, Hope Gangloff: Love Letters, Timothy White: Portraits, and Jenny Debnau: Head On.

The opening reception and opportunity to meet the artists takes place on Sunday, Jan. 30 from 3:30-5:30 pm. The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum is located at 258 Main St., Ridgefield, CT.

~Lys

Michele Russell in "Facades" show in Stamford, CT

"Old Church, New Mexico"
© Michele Russell

Painter and photographer Michele Russell is participating in a group exhibition at The Ferguson Library of downtown Stamford, which has completed a three-year renovation. The architecturally-themed show is titled "Facades", and it is co-presented by  The Stamford Art Association.

Russell, who works in several media, has one giclée-printed photograph and one painting in the show. "Facades'" opening reception is Thursday Jan. 13, 2011 6-8 pm, and the show will remain on view until April 7.

The show takes place at Ferguson Library Auditorium Gallery, 3rd Floor, One Public Library Plaza (Corner of Bedford and Broad Street), Stamford, CT.

~Lys

Bridgeport Art Trail the Focus this Week, November 10-14

This week, from Nov 10-14th, Bridgeport, CT's arts community and City Lights Gallery is hosting Bridgeport's 2010 Art Trail. There are many events taking place at 17 venues throughout the city, which are outlined in this PDF pamphlet. It's very exciting that Bridgeport (so close to where I grew up, and where I live now) is doing so much for the arts.

These are just two events out of many...

© rights reserved by artist
 Black Rock Gallery

This Friday, November 12, Comix opens at The Gallery at Black Rock's future home at 305 Knowlton St., Bridgeport from 6-9pm. The show explores art influenced by comics and cartooning. Some artists included in the show are Ronnie Rysz, Diane DiMassa, Mark DeRosa, David Mel, Charlie Walsh, Liz Squillace, Ricky Mestre, kHyal™, EFitz, Allen Wittert, Vito Bonnano and more. 



The American Fabric Arts Building open studios takes place Saturday and Sunday, November 13 and 14th, 10am to 5 pm both days at The Bridgeport Commerce Park 1069 Connecticut Avenue, Bldg. 4, Bridgeport, CT.

The event will showcase 27+ artists in a wide range of media.

Several things are drawing me in: Denyse Schmidt Quilts' sample sale, a free art raffle, Emily Larned's letterpress work, Ulla Surland's design work in interiors and clothing (I haven't seen her in a very long time!), and photographer Thomas Mezzanotte, whose work in alternative processes is dreamy. They're just a tiny sample of what's going on. I have a feeling this is a building in which I used to work at Hysteria, a humor publishing company many, moons ago (I'll know when I get there).

The American Fabrics Building's Facebook is here.

~Lys

Mid-show reception at the Sculpture Barn, New Fairfield, November 13

The Sculpture Barn is hosting a mid-show exhibition this Saturday, November 13 at 2 pm. The show, "Art in the Landscape" features the work of  17 artists: Barbara Landau-Stoop, David Boyajian, Chelsea Steinberg Gay, Cindy Booth, David McNeil, Denis Folz, gioVanna, Judith Rowley, Karen Gentile, Leo Montuoro, Marcia Spivak, Matt Rink, Murry Bodin, Nancy Smith, Paul Krause, Richard Pitts, Steve Brooks, and Ted Rotante.

Sculptor and educator David Boyajian bought the property once owned by sculptor Louise Nevelson, so it is a facility that has an artistic lineage. The focus is on sculpture, but there will be works in other media, including the painting series by Karen Gentile from which the exhibition takes its name.

The Scupture Barn is located at 3 Milltown Rd. at Rt. 39, New Fairfield, CT. If you haven't been over there, this is a good opportunity to make a visit.

~Lys

SoNo Arts Celebration This Weekend in Norwalk, CT & Other Delights

It's been a nearly annual tradition for me to go to the SoNo Arts Celebration with my best gal pal. We usually end up eating Pad Thai with some chicken on a stick, and have lemonade, and buy spiced nuts to eat while walking around and looking at the art and listening to music.

Hope to see usual favorites (I'm hoping photographer Vincent Serbin will be there), and I look forward to checking out new artists.

Irrepressibly creative folks with great color sense, Karl Heine, and kHyal™ of DesignerGrill will be there, featuring the Weather sKwirl. Karl and kHyal's street-level shop for creativeplacement will be hosting events throughout the weekend.

There are a bunch of gallery shows opening tonight/this weekend, it being the first week of the month... Haviland St. Gallery in Norwalk, and The Gallery at Black Rock in Bridgeport, are two places I know are hosting events. If I find out specifics later, I will post them here.

See you around!

~Lys

Cliff Abrams in Juxtapositions at Flinn Gallery, Greenwich

© Cliff Abrams

Photographer Cliff Abrams will be among Greenwich Art Society members whose work is on display in a juried exhibition at the Flinn Gallery from July 30 to Aug. 22 with a reception held from 6 to 8 p.m. on Friday, July 30. The judge of the show is Neil Watson, executive director of the Katonah Museum of Art, Katonah, N.Y.

The Flinn Gallery is located on the 2nd floor of the Greenwich Library, 101 West Putnam Avenue, Greenwich, Connecticut.

~Lys

Equine Expressions: Leslie Hudson-Tolles at Koenig's Newtown


"After the Dance"
© Leslie Hudson-Tolles

Leslie Hudson-Tolles of North Carolina will return to the northeast next week for "Equine Expressions", a show of equine art at Koenig's FrameWorks that includes Hudson-Tolles, Adele Goodman, and Shelley Hunter. 

Leslie Hudson-Tolles is a nationally recognized Equine Artist who works in pastel, pencil and colored pencil, monoprints, block prints and painting. Her knowledge of horses, and mastery of technique create nearly human expressions in those big eyes, and attitude in their demeanor. 

Hudson-Tolles was based in Newtown, Connecticut for 32 years until a relocation a couple of years ago. She will be signing prints at the opening reception on Thursday, July 8, from 6-8 pm.

Adele Goodman works in pastel, and is from Mooresville, North Carolina. Shelley Hunter is a bronze sculptor from Lexington, Kentucky. Their work harmonizes with Hudson-Tolles' perfectly, in that they are not mere illustrators. They use their selected mediums with an eye toward creating emotion and motion.

The show runs from July 8 until August 6. Koenig's Picture Framing and Art Gallery is located at 97 South Main St. (Route 25), Newtown, CT. Opening July 8, 6-8 pm.

~Lys

Cliff Abrams' Dualities at the Greenwich Art Society

Greenwich Art Society will be hosting photographer Cliff Abrams' solo show "Dualities" from July 7-31, 2010. There will be an opening reception Wednesday, July 7, from 6-8 pm.

In "Dualities", Abrams couples his images; the architectural, industrial, and geometric are paired with florals, botanicals, natural processes, or soft things (like skin, in one image). Abrams designs exhibitions, giving him experience grouping objects and images to create emotions or elicit questions. Proximity may change the meaning of his individual photographs, and the viewer must either connect or ultimately disconnect their relationship to each other. In that, there is both duality and simultaneity--which is its own duality.

Greenwich Art Society is located at 299 Greenwich Avenue, Greenwich, Connecticut.

~Lys

The Gallery at Black Rock: Amber Maida artist talk

"Between the Stars"
© Amber Maida


Amber Maida, whose solo show "Labyrinth" opened earlier this month at The Gallery at Black Rock, will be giving an artist talk on Saturday, June 19 at 1 pm. This new series of mixed-media paintings was inspired by the lyrics of David Bowie. Found materials are often used to create texture to good effect in her abstractions, which are darkly intriguing.

~Lys

Michael Elsden: Pogonophora at Westport Arts Center's SOLOS 2010










matt g. #1
© Michael Elsden


Photographer Michael Elsden will be exhibiting at Westport Arts Center's SOLOS 2010 from June 11 to July 25, 2010. Elsden's body of work is called Pogonophora (the beard bearers), and features monumental photographs whose light and feel resemble old master paintings. In each, a solitary man with a beard stands out against a dark background. There is a great richness of detail, as Elsden shot the portraits with a large-format camera. Any prior associations with beards and hyper-masculine gruffness (a "mountain man" preconception) are set aside, and instead there is beauty. Elsden says of the work, "In these images I was looking for a feeling of the reflective, classical, even 'monastic' quality seen in renaissance period portrait painting."

SOLOS 2010 is Westport Arts Center's annual juried members exhibition. Other artists included are Harriet Diamond, Michele Gage, Claire Watson Garcia, Mary Jo Lombardo, Barbara Salinas, Forrest Solis, and Megan Youngquist. The juror was Richard Klein, artist and Exhibition Director at the Aldrich Museum of Contemporary Art in Ridgefield, CT.

The opening reception is on Friday, June 11, from 6:30-8:30 pm. Westport Arts Center is located at 51 Riverside Avenue, Westport, CT.

~Lys