Community Calendar

Interested in finding out more about the New Milford Community Emergency Response Team (CERT)? Sign up for our free training program that covers basic first aid, search & rescue, emergency preparedness, fire safety and a lot more. Visit our website www.NewMilfordCERT.org

Classes start April 29th.

Call for Art – “Plant Life” and “Plant Life: NYC - Global”

Celebrate Spring by sharing your flora

image, film, music and poetry.

No Entry Fee. Deadline: April 29th

https://personaland.com/submit/plantlife.php

“Plant Life” art show launches online on Friday, May 3rd.

“Plant Life: NYC – Global” is an exhibition and digital event at Prime Produce, 424 West 54th St, New York City, May 17-19 featuring selections from the online show!

Personaland - our online global arts village.

https://www.personaland.com

Enriching the internet with an invigorating blend of entertainment, enchantment and culture. Persona Horseback and Dragon rides to our online art shows, showcasing over 625 artists from 60 countries in 25 group and 56 individual art shows, artist profile videos, movies, Art Shop, dancing flowers, wishing well and challenging art games.

For more info:

Stewart Wilson

personaman@snet.net

“Homage”

With Respect to Someone or Something

Enjoy the images, films, music and poetry from global artist.

“Homage” art show launches online on Friday, April 5th

https://personaland.com/hut/exhibitions/

Personaland - our online global arts village.

https://www.personaland.com

Enriching the internet with an invigorating blend of entertainment, enchantment and culture. Persona Horseback and Dragon rides to our online art shows, showcasing over 625 artists from 60 countries in 25 group and 56 individual art shows, artist profile videos, movies, Art Shop, dancing flowers, wishing well and challenging art games.

For more info:

Stewart Wilson

personaman@snet.net

Enroll now for an unforgettable summer filled with creativity, learning, and fun at American Mural Project. Your child will thrive in AMP’s small-group programs, guided by their dedicated teaching artist, on AMP's indoor/outdoor campus in Winsted, CT. Scholarships are available!

Programs for Kids 7–11:

STEAM July 8–12

Grow July 15–19

Dabble in Art July 29–August 2

Programs for Teens (12+):

Outdoor Design & Build Full

Theater July 8–11 and 15–19

Teen Art Studio July 22–26

Music July 29–August 2

Registration and Information:

americanmuralproject.org/summer

This year’s Climate Challenge will run from Earth Day (April 22) through May 31st, and it is part of the State’s effort to meet its emission targets to help prevent further worsening of adverse climate impacts. 2024 Climate Challenge - CTrides

You are invited to visit....

A Showing of Liz Rosiello's Floral Watercolor Paintings

Roxbury Senior Center - 7 South St. Roxbury CT

April 1 - May 31

Artist Reception: Saturday May 4th - 2pm to 5pm

Washington's wonderful restaurants and wineries are partnering with local artists, galleries and cultural businesses to make our restaurant week especially distinctive and memorable. Not only will the restaurants be serving special offerings, but there are also raffles and other swell surprises!

$5 for members, $10 for non-members.

Come out and enjoy an afternoon bird and nature walk at Deer Pond Farm! This is a very exciting time of year when birds migrate up from the southern United States and beyond. On this guided program with CT Audubon’s conservation manager, Stefan Martin, we’ll share how you can help protect migrating birds and record sightings of spring migrants. Red-winged Blackbirds are busy belting out their songs, Eastern Bluebirds are picking their homes for the upcoming breeding season, and Eastern Phoebes are fly-catching along the edges of meadows.

Register here for the April 23 bird and nature walk.

The Judy Black Memorial Park and Gardens hosts an art exhibit featuring works by AP art students at Shepaug Valley School and The Frederick Gunn School, on view Friday, April 12 through Sunday, April 28.

Throughout the school year, each student has been exploring a theme in art, and their works reflect their year-long study of that theme.

"The students possess this exuberance of youth that keeps them excited about the possibility that their art brings to them. They all approach their art in different ways but their enthusiasm shines through in all that they do," says Andrew Richards, Visual Arts Chair at The Frederick Gunn School.

This show will be open for viewing during scheduled events at the park or by appointment. 

Lola Baltzell grew up in rural northwest Iowa, and when she was very young, her mother would invite her to explore the woods behind their farmhouse. She called it the “friendly forest”. Love of the woods has been an enduring aspect of Ms. Baltzell’s life. These days she is fortunate to share a house in Bethlehem that abuts hundreds of acres of forests, woods and streams and enjoys with her dogs and anyone else who cares to go for a hike. Ms. Baltzell works in different mediums, but the work shown in the Library’s Gallery Space is encaustic. Encaustic painting, also known as hot wax painting, is a form of painting that involves a heated wax medium to which colored pigments have been added. The molten mix is applied to a firm surface, usually prepared wood. Encaustic medium is a mixture of beeswax and damar resin. The color comes from dried powdered pigments or oil paints. Once the surface has cooled, you can carve, add collage and continue to add opaque or transparent layers. It is an extremely responsive and creative medium. Ms. Baltzell is a self-taught artist. She is a member of several galleries including Galatea Fine Art in Boston, Atlantic Gallery in New York City. She is a member of Cambridge Arts Association, New England Wax as well as a contributing artist to the Corporate Program at Decordova Museum and Sculpture Park in Lincoln, MA.

Children and parents learn to play, sing, create and laugh together while romping to music, exploring our indoor play land, and meeting new friends. This program helps children develop sensory awareness and build motor skills. If needed, siblings are welcome to attend, but for safety reasons, they are not permitted on any of the equipment.

Requirements:

Guardians must be present

Coordinator:

Michele Gasiewski

Residents $70.00, Non-Residents $90.00

Sessions:

Ages 1y-2y - 9:15am-10am

Ages 2y-3y4m - 10:15am-11am

“Atmospheric Abstractions”

Presented by: Edward Muszala

Edward Muszala will be sharing his extraordinary collection of oil paintings. His work will be on display from Saturday, March 23rd -  Saturday, May 18th 2024. 

 

Pilot and artist, Edward Muszala, finds inspiration in the sky. “As a pilot I was aware of the constantly changing play of air and light in the atmosphere, the warmth of the sun, the speed of the wind, the water in the clouds” he says. Through the lens of a seasoned aviator, he captures the ever-shifting tapestry of light, color, and temperature in the atmosphere, translating this awe-inspiring spectacle onto canvas with his mastery of oil and encaustic techniques bringing these atmospheric scenes to life, evoking feelings of calm and awe in every brushstroke.

https://www.gunnlibrary.org/stairwell-gallery/

The Morris Public Library offers Story and Music Time for participants ages 9 mo. - 5 y.o every Tuesday at 10 am.

Registration: 860-567-7440.

Sing songs, read a story, do a craft! 

Visit the Morris Public Library during the month of April as we participate in the Connecticut Library Association Passport to Connecticut Libraries Program. Patrons can obtain their Library Passport here at the Morris Library and begin their journey to multiple participating CT Libraries. Each Library will stamp their visitors’ passports and give each visitor a small gift!

There will be winners in two categories, and four $200 gift cards, one for adults and one for children in each category.

Category One: Each participant who visits at least five participating public libraries and has the corresponding stamps (and returns their passport to a participating library by the deadline) will earn an entry into that library's drawing. There will be a final "all libraries" drawing among the contestants who have visited at least five libraries. 

Category Two: Each library will select the adult and the child who have visited the most participating public libraries. There will be a final "all libraries" drawing among the contestants who have visited the most libraries.

Details: 860-567-7440 or https://morrispubliclibrary.net

An exhibition of framed vintage photographs from The Mabel Hallaway Collection of Early 20th Century Photography from the Falls Village-Canaan Historical Society.

The Tremaine Art Gallery at The Hotchkiss School at 11 Interlaken Road, Lakeville CT is pleased to present Dialogue: Art in Conversation, featuring works by Valerie Hammond and Nathaniel (Tate) Klacsmann, from April 2 through June 2, 2024, with an opening reception on Saturday, April 6 from 4 to 6 p.m. This exhibition explores the creative processes of two artists whose work reverberates around questions of social inequity, magic, myth, and the environment. Together, their pieces begin a conversation filled with reflective echoes, offering opportunity for intersection around creativity and process. Curated by Joan Baldwin and Terri Moore, Dialogue also includes video and photography by Colleen Macmillan, Ann Villano, and Hotchkiss film students. The gallery is open Tuesday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 4 p.m.

From April 13 through May 18, The Cornwall Library is presenting Live It Up!, a selection of bold, vivid landscape and abstract works by artist Joelle Sander (1942–2023) that fully justify the name of the show. The opening reception on April 13 from 5 to 7 pm, with registration requested at https://cornwalllibrary.org/events/.

Sander was already an award-winning author in her late 40s when she began painting seriously. She pursued painting with characteristic zeal, putting it on equal footing with writing, and attending studio classes in New York until the week before her passing. Early on, she took to heart a comment by artist Wolf Kahn, who noticed in one of her pastels an unusual color choice. "Ah ha," he said, "You see, you are a colorist!"

Steve Ninteman, a fellow artist and friend, says “Color is what Joelle celebrated the most in all her work. She also pursued themes of movement, fire, scale, trees and light. What is inspiring is that she took whatever idea she was interested in and brought it directly to a large canvas. Joelle did lovely personal drawings around her Connecticut home, in museums and Central Park, but she didn't do many preparatory sketches for paintings. Instead she would make a few simple outlines with her brush and dive in. Her color choices appeared quickly in assured passages…Looking at her surroundings with love and attention, Joelle transformed them with her personal form making, then gave them a life of their own with color choices that only she could imagine. ”

Sander was inspired by painters as diverse as turn-of-the-20th-century Canadian landscapist Tom Thomson and American abstract expressionist Joan Mitchell.

She lived in New York City and West Cornwall, Connecticut. Live it Up! will offer oil paintings for sale, with proceeds benefiting art and poetry programs at The Cornwall Library.

We are excited to share news about Washington Restaurant Week happening on Friday, April 19th – Sunday, April 28th, 2024! Have you ever wondered about that restaurant you’ve heard about or driven by all those times? Washington Restaurant Week 2024 is your chance to give it a try and experience “The Arts” while you’re doing it.

Restaurants throughout Washington will be featuring special menus and fabulous tastings that will be sure to satisfy your taste buds. Select restaurants will also host live music and special pop-up galleries on site for a chance to enjoy an arts and dining experience.

Washington Restaurant Week, Where Food and the Arts Meet, is proudly organized by the Washington Business Association, Washington Arts Council, Town of Washington – Economic Development Committee and Litchfield.co.

View all participating restaurants:

Community Table

GW Tavern

Hopkins Inn

Hopkins Vineyard

Inari Asian Bistro

Marty’s Cafe

Mayflower Inn & Spa

The 202 Tavern

The Owl Wine & Food Bar

The Pantry

Po Care

Smithy Cafe at 9 Main

The White Hose

Washington Pizza House

View exciting art shows at:

Eckert Fine Art

KMR Arts

The Hen’s Nest

Washington Art Association

Judy Black Park

Gunn Museum Stairwell Gallery

Marty’s Cafe

 

Location: Library Children’s Room (2nd floor) Enjoy stories, lullabies, nursery rhymes, and finger plays. Works best with one child per caregiver. For ages 24 months and younger.

All ages are welcome to the David M. Hunt Library in Falls Village on Tuesdays at 10:30 am for story time. We'll read a variety of fun, engaging books, share a snack and make a craft.

Music and Rhyme for Children from Birth to 3s! A program for babies and their caretakers that incorporates music, rhythm, stories, and nursery rhymes to spur language development, body awareness, pre-reading skills, self-confidence, and cooperation. Gathering at 10:15, the program begins at 10:30.

Registration appreciated, drop-ins welcome!

Whittemore Gallery

January 21, 2024 – May 19, 2024

(Re)Work It! Women Artists on Women’s Labor explores the many types of labor that women are often expected to manage – from caring for one’s family to participating in the labor force, from negotiating beauty standards to handling emotional labor, and more. A reprisal of a smaller exhibition from 2022, this new show delves more deeply into the topic by incorporating a wider range of voices and perspectives. Including artwork from approximately 30 contemporary female-identifying artists, (Re)Work It! broadens our definition and understanding of women's labor in 21st century America.

Free with Admission

Noonan Gallery

January 21, 2024 – May 19, 2024

If artists and museums use their platform to raise awareness about climate impacts on our oceans, perhaps we will see change. Featuring the work of five award-winning visual artists, Daniel Baxter, Jeffrey Blondes, Zoe Matthiessen, Samantha Schwann, and Matthew Wood, and poet Sandy Carlson, this exhibition explores the world’s oceans with a focus on the Arctic. In a variety of media, including painting, photography, video, drawing, and sculpture, the artwork in this exhibition celebrates the beauty of our oceans and the tragedy of their degradation. By tempering a dire message with beauty and humor, this exhibition makes a clear case for protecting the ocean.

Free with admission

On View: March 10, 2024 – May 12, 2024

With large-scale and mysterious photographs, screenwriter and film producer Carolyn Marks Blackwood invites the viewer to participate in the creation of meaning. By associating brief caption lines with images of deserted streets, isolated forests, and houses lit from within, visitors are encouraged to supply their own narrative inspired by their unique experiences. Both haunting and profound, The Story Series provides an opportunity for creative engagement and deep reflection.

Beginning in March the David M. Hunt Library will host "Coffee & Conversation" on Tuesdays at 11 am. Everyone is invited to stop by the library to catch up with their neighbors and enjoy a cup of coffee or tea. This program is free and open to the public. 

Celebrate the Catalan Holiday Sant Jordi Day! Sandra Hernandez will teach us all about this holiday--and we'll do a craft to celebrate. It's a day of books and roses--what could be better than that? RSVP www.newmilfordlibrary.org

Presented by Jan Henson Dow, Professor Emeritus at Western Connecticut State University.

The Bible Code was discovered by Dr. Eliyahu Rips, an Israeli mathematician who has cracked the Bible Code by the use of high-speed computers.

Prepare to be astounded!

Instructor Delores Coan offers a comprehensive, hands-on approach to learning the skills and techniques for exploration and self-expression through clay. Class participants will develop a working knowledge of handbuilding and throwing on the potter’s wheel, as well as finishing methods of glazing 

and firing in a kiln.

https://fivepointsarts.org/workshops/

Children will explore with paint, oil pastels, clay and other medium to create their own masterpieces. They will complete and take home a different art project each week!

Requirements:

Clothes that you don't mind getting paint on!

Coordinator:

Roberta Baker

Residents $80.00, Non-Residents $100.00

Join our adventures with an awesome Dungeon Master! No experience necessary! For grades 6-12. Registration required.

Got holes in your t-shirt? Don’t toss them, recreate them!

The Gunn Memorial Library is hosting a fun and creative program for adults, on Tuesday, April

23rd, 2024 at 6:00 PM.

Celebrate this Earth Day by turning your old tees into a stylish tote to carry your

things around in style. Learn how to give your t-shirts a second life with help from Dawn Zillich,

The Stitching Coach.

Bring your own T-shirt to this no-sew program appropriate for ages 8 and up.

Space is limited so be sure to register at https://www.gunnlibrary.org/programs/

The Popular Book Club will meet at the Morris Public Library on Tuesday, April 23, at 6:30 PM and discuss "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown.

"The Boys in the Boat" is an irresistible story about beating the odds and finding hope in the most desperate of times—the improbable, intimate account of how nine working-class boys from the American West showed the world at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin what true grit really meant.

It was an unlikely quest from the start. With a team composed of the sons of loggers, shipyard workers, and farmers, the University of Washington’s eight-oar crew team was never expected to defeat the elite teams of the East Coast and Great Britain, yet they did, going on to shock the world by defeating the German team rowing for Adolf Hitler. The emotional heart of the tale lies with Joe Rantz, a teenager without family or prospects, who rows not only to regain his shattered self-regard but also to find a real place for himself in the world. Drawing on the boys’ own journals and vivid memories of a once-in-a-lifetime shared dream, Brown has created an unforgettable portrait of an era, a celebration of a remarkable achievement, and a chronicle of one extraordinary young man’s personal quest.

E-book and e-audio are available via Libby app.

New registrations and book requests: https://morrispubliclibrary.net/library-calendar-event.../ or 860-567-7440.

Led by Richard Deming

We celebrate Poetry Month and Louise Glück’s birthday with this special poetry discussion.

Richard Deming, poet and friend of Louise Glück, will lead an exploratory discussion of a selection of Glück poems. Poems will be available beginning April 1. 

Considered by many to be one of America’s most talented contemporary poets, Glück is known for her poetry’s technical precision, sensitivity, and insight into loneliness, family relationships, divorce, and death. The poet Robert Hass has called her “one of the purest and most accomplished lyric poets now writing.” In 2020 she was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature "for her unmistakable poetic voice that with austere beauty makes individual existence universal."

She was the author of two collections of essays and thirteen books of poems. In addition to the Nobel Prize in Literature, she was also awarded the National Humanities Medal, the Pulitzer Prize for The Wild Iris, the National Book Award for Faithful and Virtuous Night, the National Book Critics Circle Award for The Triumph of Achilles, the Bollingen Prize for Poetry, the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Poems 1962–2012, and the Wallace Stevens Award from the Academy of American Poets.

Registration & Zoom link can be found at: https://www.owlibrary.org/adult-events.aspx

Who: We invite the entire community to this in-person event, especially parents, youth, teachers, and seniors.

What: We will be discussing what formal education might look like if “No One Was Looking”; i.e., how would a child learn if his education was front and center sans social convention, what others think, etc.

When: Tuesday, April 23rd, 2024 @ 7pm

Where: O’Connor’s Public House (back room)

46 Railroad St., New Milford, Connecticut 06776

How: In person and online

Why: We are hosting this program because it’s high time this discussion be had, and because Apocatastasis Institute is putting out feelers to the community as we consider expanding into earlier grade education.

Cost: free

At Chabad, the Passover Seder is interactive, integrated with Chassidic tales and Jewish humor. The atmosphere is warm. A Festive holiday dinner is catered by Kosher Cuisine. We sing together and discuss Passover's relevance with today. Enjoy the Holiday of Freedom with your family at a Seder experience you will remember for a Lifetime. Celebrating 29 years of gourmet hand made Matzah and exclusive imported kosher wines at our family seders.RSVP: 

The Sherman Library is pleased to announce the next art show: ”Waters Calming Peace” – Watercolors by Charlene Leichter.   With water as the focal point, Leichter’s paintings capture nature’s colors, moods and beauty. They give a sense of calm, of peace. The opening reception will be Friday March 29, 2024 from 6-8pm. The show will be on display at the Sherman Library from March 29 – May 8, 2024 both at the Library and on their website, [www.ShermanLibrary.org](http://www.shermanlibrary.org). “When I look at a finished painting, I want to feel peace and comfort, then I know it’s ready to provide the same to others.  I want my work to make someone feel warmth, peace and happiness in their heart.” Says Leichter. A native New Yorker, Leichter now resides in Sherman CT. She has a BA in Economics from Stony Brook and a career in Information Technology as a developer and database administrator. Currently she is working part time, being fully retired at the end of the year.  In 2022, post-surgery, needing to find a diversion from the pain and discomfort, she turned to her past love of watercolor painting. Just as she had taught herself database and IT technology, she began to teach herself how to paint. Not having done any drawing or painting since high school, she started watching YouTube videos of drawing, perspective and watercolor tutorials for hours on end.  Luckily, in her house there were art supplies in storage containers that she opened and dusted off.  Followed by practice, practice, practice! Trying and testing different techniques and eventually finding her own style. Through this came a love of landscapes, especially with water as a focal point. No surprise here, as she grew up on Long Island’s great South Bay and was no stranger to the ways of water and how peaceful yet powerful it can be.  What a wonderful way to celebrate her first solo show by paying tribute to water and its calming and peaceful ways. For more information about this show and the Sherman Library, visit: www.[shermanlibrary.org](http://shermanlibrary.org).

Interested in finding out more about the New Milford Community Emergency Response Team (CERT)? Sign up for our free training program that covers basic first aid, search & rescue, emergency preparedness, fire safety and a lot more. Visit our website www.NewMilfordCERT.org

Classes start April 29th.

“Homage”

With Respect to Someone or Something

Enjoy the images, films, music and poetry from global artist.

“Homage” art show launches online on Friday, April 5th

https://personaland.com/hut/exhibitions/

Personaland - our online global arts village.

https://www.personaland.com

Enriching the internet with an invigorating blend of entertainment, enchantment and culture. Persona Horseback and Dragon rides to our online art shows, showcasing over 625 artists from 60 countries in 25 group and 56 individual art shows, artist profile videos, movies, Art Shop, dancing flowers, wishing well and challenging art games.

For more info:

Stewart Wilson

personaman@snet.net

Call for Art – “Plant Life” and “Plant Life: NYC - Global”

Celebrate Spring by sharing your flora

image, film, music and poetry.

No Entry Fee. Deadline: April 29th

https://personaland.com/submit/plantlife.php

“Plant Life” art show launches online on Friday, May 3rd.

“Plant Life: NYC – Global” is an exhibition and digital event at Prime Produce, 424 West 54th St, New York City, May 17-19 featuring selections from the online show!

Personaland - our online global arts village.

https://www.personaland.com

Enriching the internet with an invigorating blend of entertainment, enchantment and culture. Persona Horseback and Dragon rides to our online art shows, showcasing over 625 artists from 60 countries in 25 group and 56 individual art shows, artist profile videos, movies, Art Shop, dancing flowers, wishing well and challenging art games.

For more info:

Stewart Wilson

personaman@snet.net

Enroll now for an unforgettable summer filled with creativity, learning, and fun at American Mural Project. Your child will thrive in AMP’s small-group programs, guided by their dedicated teaching artist, on AMP's indoor/outdoor campus in Winsted, CT. Scholarships are available!

Programs for Kids 7–11:

STEAM July 8–12

Grow July 15–19

Dabble in Art July 29–August 2

Programs for Teens (12+):

Outdoor Design & Build Full

Theater July 8–11 and 15–19

Teen Art Studio July 22–26

Music July 29–August 2

Registration and Information:

americanmuralproject.org/summer

This year’s Climate Challenge will run from Earth Day (April 22) through May 31st, and it is part of the State’s effort to meet its emission targets to help prevent further worsening of adverse climate impacts. 2024 Climate Challenge - CTrides

Itinerary:

8 AM Promptly depart LCC in Van

10 AM -12 PM Riverquest Cruise

12-2:30 Explore CT River Museum and Essex Village on your own.

Feel free to bring your own bagged lunch to enjoy on the cruise or at the park picnic tables overlooking the river or dine in at the cafes & restaurants nearby including the historic Griswold Inn.

Arrive back at LCC approximately at 4:30 pm.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Experience the beauty and solitude of the lower Connecticut River during this wonderful time of year. With fewer vessels on the water, and the trees and wildlife starting to show their spring colors, it is different than any other time of the year.

Pass by bald eagle nesting territories. Most of the osprey have returned from their wintering grounds and will either be nesting or very busy with their “nestorations”! Nests are in trees along the river and on the navigation day markers. We tell you about the local wildlife and some interesting details that we see along the way!

Naturalists on board narrate and make sure you don’t miss a thing!

\* Pre-registration & Pre-Payment Required. Reservations are subject to $10 fee if refunded is requested at least 24 hours in advance.

What to Bring:

Camera to capture the memories!

Food & Beverages allowed onboard.

Water Bottle recommended.

Dress in layers for the weather.

Binoculars (limited supply onboard)

You are invited to visit....

A Showing of Liz Rosiello's Floral Watercolor Paintings

Roxbury Senior Center - 7 South St. Roxbury CT

April 1 - May 31

Artist Reception: Saturday May 4th - 2pm to 5pm

Washington's wonderful restaurants and wineries are partnering with local artists, galleries and cultural businesses to make our restaurant week especially distinctive and memorable. Not only will the restaurants be serving special offerings, but there are also raffles and other swell surprises!

The Judy Black Memorial Park and Gardens hosts an art exhibit featuring works by AP art students at Shepaug Valley School and The Frederick Gunn School, on view Friday, April 12 through Sunday, April 28.

Throughout the school year, each student has been exploring a theme in art, and their works reflect their year-long study of that theme.

"The students possess this exuberance of youth that keeps them excited about the possibility that their art brings to them. They all approach their art in different ways but their enthusiasm shines through in all that they do," says Andrew Richards, Visual Arts Chair at The Frederick Gunn School.

This show will be open for viewing during scheduled events at the park or by appointment. 

Lola Baltzell grew up in rural northwest Iowa, and when she was very young, her mother would invite her to explore the woods behind their farmhouse. She called it the “friendly forest”. Love of the woods has been an enduring aspect of Ms. Baltzell’s life. These days she is fortunate to share a house in Bethlehem that abuts hundreds of acres of forests, woods and streams and enjoys with her dogs and anyone else who cares to go for a hike. Ms. Baltzell works in different mediums, but the work shown in the Library’s Gallery Space is encaustic. Encaustic painting, also known as hot wax painting, is a form of painting that involves a heated wax medium to which colored pigments have been added. The molten mix is applied to a firm surface, usually prepared wood. Encaustic medium is a mixture of beeswax and damar resin. The color comes from dried powdered pigments or oil paints. Once the surface has cooled, you can carve, add collage and continue to add opaque or transparent layers. It is an extremely responsive and creative medium. Ms. Baltzell is a self-taught artist. She is a member of several galleries including Galatea Fine Art in Boston, Atlantic Gallery in New York City. She is a member of Cambridge Arts Association, New England Wax as well as a contributing artist to the Corporate Program at Decordova Museum and Sculpture Park in Lincoln, MA.

Children and parents learn to play, sing, create and laugh together while romping to music, exploring our indoor play land, and meeting new friends. This program helps children develop sensory awareness and build motor skills. If needed, siblings are welcome to attend, but for safety reasons, they are not permitted on any of the equipment.

Requirements:

Guardians must be present

Coordinator:

Michele Gasiewski

Residents $70.00, Non-Residents $90.00

Sessions:

Ages 1y-2y - 9:15am-10am

Ages 2y-3y4m - 10:15am-11am

“Atmospheric Abstractions”

Presented by: Edward Muszala

Edward Muszala will be sharing his extraordinary collection of oil paintings. His work will be on display from Saturday, March 23rd -  Saturday, May 18th 2024. 

 

Pilot and artist, Edward Muszala, finds inspiration in the sky. “As a pilot I was aware of the constantly changing play of air and light in the atmosphere, the warmth of the sun, the speed of the wind, the water in the clouds” he says. Through the lens of a seasoned aviator, he captures the ever-shifting tapestry of light, color, and temperature in the atmosphere, translating this awe-inspiring spectacle onto canvas with his mastery of oil and encaustic techniques bringing these atmospheric scenes to life, evoking feelings of calm and awe in every brushstroke.

https://www.gunnlibrary.org/stairwell-gallery/

Visit the Morris Public Library during the month of April as we participate in the Connecticut Library Association Passport to Connecticut Libraries Program. Patrons can obtain their Library Passport here at the Morris Library and begin their journey to multiple participating CT Libraries. Each Library will stamp their visitors’ passports and give each visitor a small gift!

There will be winners in two categories, and four $200 gift cards, one for adults and one for children in each category.

Category One: Each participant who visits at least five participating public libraries and has the corresponding stamps (and returns their passport to a participating library by the deadline) will earn an entry into that library's drawing. There will be a final "all libraries" drawing among the contestants who have visited at least five libraries. 

Category Two: Each library will select the adult and the child who have visited the most participating public libraries. There will be a final "all libraries" drawing among the contestants who have visited the most libraries.

Details: 860-567-7440 or https://morrispubliclibrary.net

The Tremaine Art Gallery at The Hotchkiss School at 11 Interlaken Road, Lakeville CT is pleased to present Dialogue: Art in Conversation, featuring works by Valerie Hammond and Nathaniel (Tate) Klacsmann, from April 2 through June 2, 2024, with an opening reception on Saturday, April 6 from 4 to 6 p.m. This exhibition explores the creative processes of two artists whose work reverberates around questions of social inequity, magic, myth, and the environment. Together, their pieces begin a conversation filled with reflective echoes, offering opportunity for intersection around creativity and process. Curated by Joan Baldwin and Terri Moore, Dialogue also includes video and photography by Colleen Macmillan, Ann Villano, and Hotchkiss film students. The gallery is open Tuesday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 4 p.m.

"Tangled in Color": an exhibition of works in oil and acrylic by Kathleen L'Hommedieu.

Kathleen L'Hommedieu, born and raised in Connecticut, finds inspiration through light and color in the landscape and sky. Many years of traveling for business and rowing competitions through Europe are also a major influence.

"We are immersed in light, color and energy from all that surrounds us no matter where we find ourselves."

Layering is nothing new for Kathleen. It is a technique that comes naturally as she builds a canvas and is guided through its evolution. Using a series of tools - from brush to palette knife - she lets the layers deepen, a process that can take years while perfecting a canvas. "The background tells me where to go," is how she explains the method, "and I add color or texture." Recently, the layers have led to new revelations of shadow and light as the colors intermingle and intertwine, creating interrelationships within a work of art informed by past canvases. Her abstracts are often memories of moments she has experienced - inspired by a foggy window after a storm by the sea, the turbulence of winter by the ocean, a still-life in its vivid interplay of color and form, or a grove of young saplings lit by the sun.

This show is a series of explorations in interwoven color to share the journey of an artist's growing perception, but expressing a universal message. Kathleen's quest leads the viewer to experience a deepening vision of fleeting color play and brilliant moments in our surroundings. "Art teaches you to see," she says, "and I strive to capture that energy."

We are excited to share news about Washington Restaurant Week happening on Friday, April 19th – Sunday, April 28th, 2024! Have you ever wondered about that restaurant you’ve heard about or driven by all those times? Washington Restaurant Week 2024 is your chance to give it a try and experience “The Arts” while you’re doing it.

Restaurants throughout Washington will be featuring special menus and fabulous tastings that will be sure to satisfy your taste buds. Select restaurants will also host live music and special pop-up galleries on site for a chance to enjoy an arts and dining experience.

Washington Restaurant Week, Where Food and the Arts Meet, is proudly organized by the Washington Business Association, Washington Arts Council, Town of Washington – Economic Development Committee and Litchfield.co.

View all participating restaurants:

Community Table

GW Tavern

Hopkins Inn

Hopkins Vineyard

Inari Asian Bistro

Marty’s Cafe

Mayflower Inn & Spa

The 202 Tavern

The Owl Wine & Food Bar

The Pantry

Po Care

Smithy Cafe at 9 Main

The White Hose

Washington Pizza House

View exciting art shows at:

Eckert Fine Art

KMR Arts

The Hen’s Nest

Washington Art Association

Judy Black Park

Gunn Museum Stairwell Gallery

Marty’s Cafe

 

Give Local Information

Music and Rhyme for Children from Birth to 3s! A program for babies and their caretakers that incorporates music, rhythm, stories, and nursery rhymes to spur language development, body awareness, pre-reading skills, self-confidence, and cooperation. Gathering at 10:15, the program begins at 10:30.

Registration appreciated, drop-ins welcome!

Noonan Gallery

January 21, 2024 – May 19, 2024

If artists and museums use their platform to raise awareness about climate impacts on our oceans, perhaps we will see change. Featuring the work of five award-winning visual artists, Daniel Baxter, Jeffrey Blondes, Zoe Matthiessen, Samantha Schwann, and Matthew Wood, and poet Sandy Carlson, this exhibition explores the world’s oceans with a focus on the Arctic. In a variety of media, including painting, photography, video, drawing, and sculpture, the artwork in this exhibition celebrates the beauty of our oceans and the tragedy of their degradation. By tempering a dire message with beauty and humor, this exhibition makes a clear case for protecting the ocean.

Free with admission

Whittemore Gallery

January 21, 2024 – May 19, 2024

(Re)Work It! Women Artists on Women’s Labor explores the many types of labor that women are often expected to manage – from caring for one’s family to participating in the labor force, from negotiating beauty standards to handling emotional labor, and more. A reprisal of a smaller exhibition from 2022, this new show delves more deeply into the topic by incorporating a wider range of voices and perspectives. Including artwork from approximately 30 contemporary female-identifying artists, (Re)Work It! broadens our definition and understanding of women's labor in 21st century America.

Free with Admission

On View: March 10, 2024 – May 12, 2024

With large-scale and mysterious photographs, screenwriter and film producer Carolyn Marks Blackwood invites the viewer to participate in the creation of meaning. By associating brief caption lines with images of deserted streets, isolated forests, and houses lit from within, visitors are encouraged to supply their own narrative inspired by their unique experiences. Both haunting and profound, The Story Series provides an opportunity for creative engagement and deep reflection.

12:00 Light Lunch will be served followed with the presentation.

"GIVE LOCAL" DONATIONS WELCOME

Registration required for lunch

Join us for an afternoon of Live, Learn, and Lunch with the dynamic duo, Bob & Claudia Hughes! Immerse yourself in the timeless melodies of "The Great American Songbook" as this talented pair brings classic tunes to life in a performance that will transport you through the golden era of music.

The show will not only entertain but also educate as they interweave informative commentary, sharing fascinating insights into the history and stories behind the songs.

Claudia Hughes has been a professional singer for many years having performed both as a soloist and lead singer in numerous bands and musical settings in the area. In 2006 she released her jazz CD "My Romance". She is also a singer and keyboard player with an all girl band. Claudia has studied voice with Rosemary and Bill Finnegan, Marianna Vagnini, and Richard DeRosa.

Bob Hughes performs with the Connecticut Choral Society and their a capella sub-group, the Chamber Singers. From 2009-2012 he was President of CCS. Additionally, he performs a solo repertoire of both classical and standard baritone pieces with Mark Templeton as accompanist. He has studied with Danbury’s opera singer Perry Price and currently studies with Valerie Sorel, a former Montreal Opera star.

From April 13 through May 18, The Cornwall Library is presenting Live It Up!, a selection of bold, vivid landscape and abstract works by artist Joelle Sander (1942–2023) that fully justify the name of the show. The opening reception on April 13 from 5 to 7 pm, with registration requested at https://cornwalllibrary.org/events/.

Sander was already an award-winning author in her late 40s when she began painting seriously. She pursued painting with characteristic zeal, putting it on equal footing with writing, and attending studio classes in New York until the week before her passing. Early on, she took to heart a comment by artist Wolf Kahn, who noticed in one of her pastels an unusual color choice. "Ah ha," he said, "You see, you are a colorist!"

Steve Ninteman, a fellow artist and friend, says “Color is what Joelle celebrated the most in all her work. She also pursued themes of movement, fire, scale, trees and light. What is inspiring is that she took whatever idea she was interested in and brought it directly to a large canvas. Joelle did lovely personal drawings around her Connecticut home, in museums and Central Park, but she didn't do many preparatory sketches for paintings. Instead she would make a few simple outlines with her brush and dive in. Her color choices appeared quickly in assured passages…Looking at her surroundings with love and attention, Joelle transformed them with her personal form making, then gave them a life of their own with color choices that only she could imagine. ”

Sander was inspired by painters as diverse as turn-of-the-20th-century Canadian landscapist Tom Thomson and American abstract expressionist Joan Mitchell.

She lived in New York City and West Cornwall, Connecticut. Live it Up! will offer oil paintings for sale, with proceeds benefiting art and poetry programs at The Cornwall Library.

Discover the Mattatuck Museum through the perspective of our staff. Join Deputy Director Stephanie Harris as she shares her personal favorites from our collection, offering insights into the pieces that resonate with her the most.

$10 per person

Register Here

Support provided by Christine & Eugene Shugrue

An exhibition of framed vintage photographs from The Mabel Hallaway Collection of Early 20th Century Photography from the Falls Village-Canaan Historical Society.

Advanced Beginner Crocheting Class

- Come learn in a class designed just for you…an advanced beginner!!

- You will learn 3 ways to begin crocheting "in the round", how to read a yarn label (if you don’t already know how to do this), how to read a crochet pattern, and more!

- Projects include a coaster set as your 1st project and a hat as your ongoing project 

- 6 weekly classes, 1.5 hours each

- Requirements: This is NOT a beginner class! You MUST KNOW the basic crochet stitches -- the chain stitch, single crochet, half double crochet, and double crochet! Other stitches, including 2 different ways to make a brim on your hat, will be taught

Instructor: Andrea Dener

Residents $110.00, Non-Residents $130.00

Location: Library Children’s Room (Upper Level)Have fun learning how to code with one of our librarians. For Grades 3-12. Younger children may need adult assistance.

Join us to play Magic: The Gathering casually with preconstructed decks or explore various formats for added fun. Whether you're new to the game or aiming to play competitively, we've got you covered. Join us to build a deck, bring your own decks, or prep for prerelease nights and local tournaments, and let the "magic" unfold! For grades 6-12.

Join us every Wednesday for a night of cornhole fun! 6 pm at Salt 2.0 (next to the Warner)

Location: Library Auditorium (Lower Level) Learn the basics of DND 5th Edition through a tutorial campaign.

Frank songs his songs just for you - we love music Wednesdays! Plus, two great beers are back on tap: Mad River Pilsner and Cream of the Crop!

Join Albert Ruggiero for his humorous book talk “Pearls from Carol” at the Morris Public Library, on Wednesday, April 24, 6:30 PM.

The speaker will share the funny yet thought-provoking essays and poems from his late wife Carol. The book is a compilation of 20 years’ writings devotedly collected by the local writers’ group and published by her husband.

Learn about Carol’s life and stories, and enjoy the participatory saxophone sing-a-long - compliments of Albert!

To register for the FREE

event: 860-567-7440 or https://morrispubliclibrary.net/library-calendar-event-registration/

Are you ready to be part of something truly beautiful and unifying?! Every week, synagogues around the world come together to study the same weekly Torah portion. Let's unite in our love for Torah and join this incredible global community.

Don't miss out on this opportunity to connect in spirit with the world and with friends from all over Northwest CT and deepen your understanding of our shared heritage.

Join us every Wednesday at 8:00 PM for an unforgettable journey into the teachings of the Torah. From the comfort of your own home, you'll discover how to love to the greatest of heights and live a life filled with purpose and meaning. Don't miss out on this incredible opportunity to learn and grow with us! Tune in via zoom at chabadnw.org/live or on facebook live at fb.com/chabadNW. See you there!

The Sherman Library is pleased to announce the next art show: ”Waters Calming Peace” – Watercolors by Charlene Leichter.   With water as the focal point, Leichter’s paintings capture nature’s colors, moods and beauty. They give a sense of calm, of peace. The opening reception will be Friday March 29, 2024 from 6-8pm. The show will be on display at the Sherman Library from March 29 – May 8, 2024 both at the Library and on their website, [www.ShermanLibrary.org](http://www.shermanlibrary.org). “When I look at a finished painting, I want to feel peace and comfort, then I know it’s ready to provide the same to others.  I want my work to make someone feel warmth, peace and happiness in their heart.” Says Leichter. A native New Yorker, Leichter now resides in Sherman CT. She has a BA in Economics from Stony Brook and a career in Information Technology as a developer and database administrator. Currently she is working part time, being fully retired at the end of the year.  In 2022, post-surgery, needing to find a diversion from the pain and discomfort, she turned to her past love of watercolor painting. Just as she had taught herself database and IT technology, she began to teach herself how to paint. Not having done any drawing or painting since high school, she started watching YouTube videos of drawing, perspective and watercolor tutorials for hours on end.  Luckily, in her house there were art supplies in storage containers that she opened and dusted off.  Followed by practice, practice, practice! Trying and testing different techniques and eventually finding her own style. Through this came a love of landscapes, especially with water as a focal point. No surprise here, as she grew up on Long Island’s great South Bay and was no stranger to the ways of water and how peaceful yet powerful it can be.  What a wonderful way to celebrate her first solo show by paying tribute to water and its calming and peaceful ways. For more information about this show and the Sherman Library, visit: www.[shermanlibrary.org](http://shermanlibrary.org).

Interested in finding out more about the New Milford Community Emergency Response Team (CERT)? Sign up for our free training program that covers basic first aid, search & rescue, emergency preparedness, fire safety and a lot more. Visit our website www.NewMilfordCERT.org

Classes start April 29th.

“Homage”

With Respect to Someone or Something

Enjoy the images, films, music and poetry from global artist.

“Homage” art show launches online on Friday, April 5th

https://personaland.com/hut/exhibitions/

Personaland - our online global arts village.

https://www.personaland.com

Enriching the internet with an invigorating blend of entertainment, enchantment and culture. Persona Horseback and Dragon rides to our online art shows, showcasing over 625 artists from 60 countries in 25 group and 56 individual art shows, artist profile videos, movies, Art Shop, dancing flowers, wishing well and challenging art games.

For more info:

Stewart Wilson

personaman@snet.net

Call for Art – “Plant Life” and “Plant Life: NYC - Global”

Celebrate Spring by sharing your flora

image, film, music and poetry.

No Entry Fee. Deadline: April 29th

https://personaland.com/submit/plantlife.php

“Plant Life” art show launches online on Friday, May 3rd.

“Plant Life: NYC – Global” is an exhibition and digital event at Prime Produce, 424 West 54th St, New York City, May 17-19 featuring selections from the online show!

Personaland - our online global arts village.

https://www.personaland.com

Enriching the internet with an invigorating blend of entertainment, enchantment and culture. Persona Horseback and Dragon rides to our online art shows, showcasing over 625 artists from 60 countries in 25 group and 56 individual art shows, artist profile videos, movies, Art Shop, dancing flowers, wishing well and challenging art games.

For more info:

Stewart Wilson

personaman@snet.net

Enroll now for an unforgettable summer filled with creativity, learning, and fun at American Mural Project. Your child will thrive in AMP’s small-group programs, guided by their dedicated teaching artist, on AMP's indoor/outdoor campus in Winsted, CT. Scholarships are available!

Programs for Kids 7–11:

STEAM July 8–12

Grow July 15–19

Dabble in Art July 29–August 2

Programs for Teens (12+):

Outdoor Design & Build Full

Theater July 8–11 and 15–19

Teen Art Studio July 22–26

Music July 29–August 2

Registration and Information:

americanmuralproject.org/summer

This year’s Climate Challenge will run from Earth Day (April 22) through May 31st, and it is part of the State’s effort to meet its emission targets to help prevent further worsening of adverse climate impacts. 2024 Climate Challenge - CTrides

You are invited to visit....

A Showing of Liz Rosiello's Floral Watercolor Paintings

Roxbury Senior Center - 7 South St. Roxbury CT

April 1 - May 31

Artist Reception: Saturday May 4th - 2pm to 5pm

Washington's wonderful restaurants and wineries are partnering with local artists, galleries and cultural businesses to make our restaurant week especially distinctive and memorable. Not only will the restaurants be serving special offerings, but there are also raffles and other swell surprises!

The Judy Black Memorial Park and Gardens hosts an art exhibit featuring works by AP art students at Shepaug Valley School and The Frederick Gunn School, on view Friday, April 12 through Sunday, April 28.

Throughout the school year, each student has been exploring a theme in art, and their works reflect their year-long study of that theme.

"The students possess this exuberance of youth that keeps them excited about the possibility that their art brings to them. They all approach their art in different ways but their enthusiasm shines through in all that they do," says Andrew Richards, Visual Arts Chair at The Frederick Gunn School.

This show will be open for viewing during scheduled events at the park or by appointment. 

Lola Baltzell grew up in rural northwest Iowa, and when she was very young, her mother would invite her to explore the woods behind their farmhouse. She called it the “friendly forest”. Love of the woods has been an enduring aspect of Ms. Baltzell’s life. These days she is fortunate to share a house in Bethlehem that abuts hundreds of acres of forests, woods and streams and enjoys with her dogs and anyone else who cares to go for a hike. Ms. Baltzell works in different mediums, but the work shown in the Library’s Gallery Space is encaustic. Encaustic painting, also known as hot wax painting, is a form of painting that involves a heated wax medium to which colored pigments have been added. The molten mix is applied to a firm surface, usually prepared wood. Encaustic medium is a mixture of beeswax and damar resin. The color comes from dried powdered pigments or oil paints. Once the surface has cooled, you can carve, add collage and continue to add opaque or transparent layers. It is an extremely responsive and creative medium. Ms. Baltzell is a self-taught artist. She is a member of several galleries including Galatea Fine Art in Boston, Atlantic Gallery in New York City. She is a member of Cambridge Arts Association, New England Wax as well as a contributing artist to the Corporate Program at Decordova Museum and Sculpture Park in Lincoln, MA.

“Atmospheric Abstractions”

Presented by: Edward Muszala

Edward Muszala will be sharing his extraordinary collection of oil paintings. His work will be on display from Saturday, March 23rd -  Saturday, May 18th 2024. 

 

Pilot and artist, Edward Muszala, finds inspiration in the sky. “As a pilot I was aware of the constantly changing play of air and light in the atmosphere, the warmth of the sun, the speed of the wind, the water in the clouds” he says. Through the lens of a seasoned aviator, he captures the ever-shifting tapestry of light, color, and temperature in the atmosphere, translating this awe-inspiring spectacle onto canvas with his mastery of oil and encaustic techniques bringing these atmospheric scenes to life, evoking feelings of calm and awe in every brushstroke.

https://www.gunnlibrary.org/stairwell-gallery/

Visit the Morris Public Library during the month of April as we participate in the Connecticut Library Association Passport to Connecticut Libraries Program. Patrons can obtain their Library Passport here at the Morris Library and begin their journey to multiple participating CT Libraries. Each Library will stamp their visitors’ passports and give each visitor a small gift!

There will be winners in two categories, and four $200 gift cards, one for adults and one for children in each category.

Category One: Each participant who visits at least five participating public libraries and has the corresponding stamps (and returns their passport to a participating library by the deadline) will earn an entry into that library's drawing. There will be a final "all libraries" drawing among the contestants who have visited at least five libraries. 

Category Two: Each library will select the adult and the child who have visited the most participating public libraries. There will be a final "all libraries" drawing among the contestants who have visited the most libraries.

Details: 860-567-7440 or https://morrispubliclibrary.net

An exhibition of framed vintage photographs from The Mabel Hallaway Collection of Early 20th Century Photography from the Falls Village-Canaan Historical Society.

The Tremaine Art Gallery at The Hotchkiss School at 11 Interlaken Road, Lakeville CT is pleased to present Dialogue: Art in Conversation, featuring works by Valerie Hammond and Nathaniel (Tate) Klacsmann, from April 2 through June 2, 2024, with an opening reception on Saturday, April 6 from 4 to 6 p.m. This exhibition explores the creative processes of two artists whose work reverberates around questions of social inequity, magic, myth, and the environment. Together, their pieces begin a conversation filled with reflective echoes, offering opportunity for intersection around creativity and process. Curated by Joan Baldwin and Terri Moore, Dialogue also includes video and photography by Colleen Macmillan, Ann Villano, and Hotchkiss film students. The gallery is open Tuesday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 4 p.m.

Color Me Creative is back!! 

Ages 2 1/2 - 5 years old

This very popular preschool arts and crafts program uses every imaginable medium to stir the creative impulse in your child. Parents and children will have fun finger painting, gluing and creating together! Each week your child will bring home several themed-based projects. Children should wear an old shirt or art smock. 

Parents, please bring a bag or box to transport projects home. 

Instructor: Michele Gasiewski

Residents $85.00, Non-residents $105.00

Two Sessions

Class 1 10:00 AM - 10:45 AM

Class 2 11:00 AM - 11:45 AM

We are excited to share news about Washington Restaurant Week happening on Friday, April 19th – Sunday, April 28th, 2024! Have you ever wondered about that restaurant you’ve heard about or driven by all those times? Washington Restaurant Week 2024 is your chance to give it a try and experience “The Arts” while you’re doing it.

Restaurants throughout Washington will be featuring special menus and fabulous tastings that will be sure to satisfy your taste buds. Select restaurants will also host live music and special pop-up galleries on site for a chance to enjoy an arts and dining experience.

Washington Restaurant Week, Where Food and the Arts Meet, is proudly organized by the Washington Business Association, Washington Arts Council, Town of Washington – Economic Development Committee and Litchfield.co.

View all participating restaurants:

Community Table

GW Tavern

Hopkins Inn

Hopkins Vineyard

Inari Asian Bistro

Marty’s Cafe

Mayflower Inn & Spa

The 202 Tavern

The Owl Wine & Food Bar

The Pantry

Po Care

Smithy Cafe at 9 Main

The White Hose

Washington Pizza House

View exciting art shows at:

Eckert Fine Art

KMR Arts

The Hen’s Nest

Washington Art Association

Judy Black Park

Gunn Museum Stairwell Gallery

Marty’s Cafe

 

Location: Library Picture Book Room (Upper Level) Join us for interactive stories, rhymes, fables and songs. For ages 2-4.

Kids of all ages are welcome to join us for Bilingual Story Time on Thursdays at 10:30! This program includes stories in Spanish and English, songs, a craft and a snack.

iInvitamos a los niños de todas las edades a unirnos por Hora de Cuentos Bilingües los jueves a 10:30! Esta programa incluye los cuentos en español y ingles, canciones, un proyecto de manualidades y un tentempié.

Perfect for 3-5 year olds, but fun for everyone!

Join Mrs. Tricia for a classic library storytime--books, songs, bubbles, and more! Come for early literacy skills, social connections, and fun! We will have process-based art activities after each week’s stories and songs.

Whittemore Gallery

January 21, 2024 – May 19, 2024

(Re)Work It! Women Artists on Women’s Labor explores the many types of labor that women are often expected to manage – from caring for one’s family to participating in the labor force, from negotiating beauty standards to handling emotional labor, and more. A reprisal of a smaller exhibition from 2022, this new show delves more deeply into the topic by incorporating a wider range of voices and perspectives. Including artwork from approximately 30 contemporary female-identifying artists, (Re)Work It! broadens our definition and understanding of women's labor in 21st century America.

Free with Admission

Noonan Gallery

January 21, 2024 – May 19, 2024

If artists and museums use their platform to raise awareness about climate impacts on our oceans, perhaps we will see change. Featuring the work of five award-winning visual artists, Daniel Baxter, Jeffrey Blondes, Zoe Matthiessen, Samantha Schwann, and Matthew Wood, and poet Sandy Carlson, this exhibition explores the world’s oceans with a focus on the Arctic. In a variety of media, including painting, photography, video, drawing, and sculpture, the artwork in this exhibition celebrates the beauty of our oceans and the tragedy of their degradation. By tempering a dire message with beauty and humor, this exhibition makes a clear case for protecting the ocean.

Free with admission

On View: March 10, 2024 – May 12, 2024

With large-scale and mysterious photographs, screenwriter and film producer Carolyn Marks Blackwood invites the viewer to participate in the creation of meaning. By associating brief caption lines with images of deserted streets, isolated forests, and houses lit from within, visitors are encouraged to supply their own narrative inspired by their unique experiences. Both haunting and profound, The Story Series provides an opportunity for creative engagement and deep reflection.

Kenise Barnes Fine Art is pleased to announce the representation and first solo show of accomplished mid-career artist KK Kozik.

 

“As to me," wrote Walt Whitman in 1881, "I know of nothing else but miracles.” Whitman goes on to list some very ordinary phenomena as miracles, from “stars shining quiet and bright,” to standing under trees in the woods, to observing birds in flight. The vein of American mysticism links the natural world with the spiritual and has found form in artists as disparate as Rockwell Kent and Agnes Pelton and KK Kozik: all artists who process what they see, what they experience and what they imagine into a painted image.

 

Kozik’s minor miracles mostly surface from the rhythms of her day. Prosaic encounters of beauty during hikes, strolls and swims simmer on the back burner of her mind until stirred up and warmed they knock on her door, demanding to be painted. Ideas and images never come out quite the way they went into the pot. Kozik is not a realist, slavishly painting a tree branch by branch, but rather a transcendental hunter-gatherer, a sly burglar of ideas and colors. An island of trees in a lake is what was seen, but Miracle Island is what she painted. The artist releases beauty from the prosaic, her work meeting in the center of the everyday world and the way imagination processes memory and the way her hand executes it.

 

KK Kozik’s work has been exhibited widely in the United States, Greece, Netherlands, and Germany. She has been honored with William and Susan Picotte Award, Albany Institute of History and Art, Connecticut Artist Fellowship in Painting, Commission, “Flights of Imagination,” Fitchburg Art Museum and Fitchburg State University, Commission, MTA Arts & Design, Rockaway Park Beach 116th St subway station, Weir Farm Trust Visiting Artist Fellowship, Marie Walsh Sharpe Art Foundation Grant, to name a few. The artist’s work has been featured in The New York Times, The Village Voice, New York Magazine, and Art in America among others. KK Kozik earned an MA from Syracuse University, a BA from University of Virginia, and attended Edinburgh University. She lives and works in CT.

 

Please contact Lani Holloway, Associate Director, Lani@kbfa.com, 860 560 3085 with inquires or to arrange a preview of the exhibition.

Join us for a weekly dose of inspiration with Rebbetzin Mina as she delves into the weekly Torah portion. Take a break from your busy schedule every Thursday from 11:30-12:30 at Chabad on the Green located at 69 West Litchfield, CT 06759.Come prepared to gain new insights and connect with a community of like-minded individuals. Let Rebbetzin guide you on a journey of self-discovery and spiritual growth. Don't miss out on this opportunity to nourish your soul and elevate your week. We can't wait to see you there!

"Tangled in Color": an exhibition of works in oil and acrylic by Kathleen L'Hommedieu.

Kathleen L'Hommedieu, born and raised in Connecticut, finds inspiration through light and color in the landscape and sky. Many years of traveling for business and rowing competitions through Europe are also a major influence.

"We are immersed in light, color and energy from all that surrounds us no matter where we find ourselves."

Layering is nothing new for Kathleen. It is a technique that comes naturally as she builds a canvas and is guided through its evolution. Using a series of tools - from brush to palette knife - she lets the layers deepen, a process that can take years while perfecting a canvas. "The background tells me where to go," is how she explains the method, "and I add color or texture." Recently, the layers have led to new revelations of shadow and light as the colors intermingle and intertwine, creating interrelationships within a work of art informed by past canvases. Her abstracts are often memories of moments she has experienced - inspired by a foggy window after a storm by the sea, the turbulence of winter by the ocean, a still-life in its vivid interplay of color and form, or a grove of young saplings lit by the sun.

This show is a series of explorations in interwoven color to share the journey of an artist's growing perception, but expressing a universal message. Kathleen's quest leads the viewer to experience a deepening vision of fleeting color play and brilliant moments in our surroundings. "Art teaches you to see," she says, "and I strive to capture that energy."

From April 13 through May 18, The Cornwall Library is presenting Live It Up!, a selection of bold, vivid landscape and abstract works by artist Joelle Sander (1942–2023) that fully justify the name of the show. The opening reception on April 13 from 5 to 7 pm, with registration requested at https://cornwalllibrary.org/events/.

Sander was already an award-winning author in her late 40s when she began painting seriously. She pursued painting with characteristic zeal, putting it on equal footing with writing, and attending studio classes in New York until the week before her passing. Early on, she took to heart a comment by artist Wolf Kahn, who noticed in one of her pastels an unusual color choice. "Ah ha," he said, "You see, you are a colorist!"

Steve Ninteman, a fellow artist and friend, says “Color is what Joelle celebrated the most in all her work. She also pursued themes of movement, fire, scale, trees and light. What is inspiring is that she took whatever idea she was interested in and brought it directly to a large canvas. Joelle did lovely personal drawings around her Connecticut home, in museums and Central Park, but she didn't do many preparatory sketches for paintings. Instead she would make a few simple outlines with her brush and dive in. Her color choices appeared quickly in assured passages…Looking at her surroundings with love and attention, Joelle transformed them with her personal form making, then gave them a life of their own with color choices that only she could imagine. ”

Sander was inspired by painters as diverse as turn-of-the-20th-century Canadian landscapist Tom Thomson and American abstract expressionist Joan Mitchell.

She lived in New York City and West Cornwall, Connecticut. Live it Up! will offer oil paintings for sale, with proceeds benefiting art and poetry programs at The Cornwall Library.

Bring your lunch, listen to stories, and enjoy a fun craft. Individual craft kits will be available. All are welcome, this program is intended for preschool-aged children. This event will be offered in person in the Junior Room of the Library.

Registration is appreciated but not required.

Are you a writer needing to carve out some creative time?

A non-writer who has always wanted to write?

An artist who wants to venture into a new medium?

This workshop is for you!

Once a week, for six weeks, we’ll pause from our personal and professional obligations to play with words, with a promise that we’ll repeat it as a habit. Each class, I’ll present an inspirational reading, image, or activity and we’ll discuss. We’ll let that prompt us to write for about 30 of uninterrupted time to see what bits of ourselves escape onto paper. Then we’ll reconvene and chat. We won’t critique each other’s work. Instead, we’ll offer encouragement and gratefulness for any bit of our voices and stories we’re willing to share.

No pressure, no judgment, and no homework. The practice of writing is just that—practice. Prompts lead to the discovery of ideas, emotions, characters, and other special bits. My hope is that you will find a comfortable, safe, and brave space that meets you where you are on your own unique journey as a writer.

Location: Library Auditorium (Lower Level) Meet and chat during our Coloring and Conversation Club. Whether you are looking to relax and de-stress, practice your English conversation skills, or meet new people, you are welcome to join us! Coloring pages and supplies will be provided.

Want to get involved at the Library? Come to our Teen Advisory Board meeting and help us plan upcoming events! For book club, we will be discussing The Peculiar Incident on Shady Street by Lindsay Currie. Stop by the Junior Room to pick up a copy of the book. Grades 5 and up are welcome to join.