The Colonial Herb Garden and the current exhibitions at the Wilton Historical Society will be the setting for a garden gathering with a talk about herbs (co-sponsored by the Wilton Garden Club) and two gallery talks on Thursday, July 16 from 4:00 – 6:00. Splashed with color and fragrant with lavender and thyme, the garden is now at its summer best, and will be a delightful place to enjoy herb-themed hors d’oeuvre and refreshments. At 4:30 in the garden there will be a talk by herb specialist Nancy Moore. Quilt artist Denyse Schmidt will talk about her work in the exhibition “Denyse Schmidt: In the Making Historic Inspirations/New Quilts” at 5:00 in the Burt Barn Gallery. At 5:30 in the Sloane Gallery, June Myles will chat about the hooked rug art in her show “One Loop at a Time”. Each talk will be about 20 minutes.
The critically acclaimed quilt designer Denyse Schmidt will be discussing her exhibition “In the Making: Historic Inspirations/New Quilts” at 5:00. Her creations are modern interpretations of classic quilt designs – contemporary, functional textile art with deep historic roots. She was drawn to the simple charm of antique quilts, their unexpected color combinations, and the way a single block pattern can lead to an infinite number of variations. Her quilts, with their quirky style and fearless use of color, are fresh and unexpected interpretations of traditional patterns like Wagon Wheel, Churn Dash and Ocean Waves. Denyse’s quilts have been featured in numerous publications including The New York Times; Martha Stewart Living Magazine; People; O, The Oprah Magazine; and Time, and shown at the National Quilt Museum in Kentucky.
Hooked art seen in June Myles “One Loop at a Time” – rugs, wall hangings, and pillows – are alive with color, texture and movement. The works show off her sophisticated use of color, her love of language, and her virtuoso needle skills. At 5:30 she will be talking about her work, which engages the viewer with humor and a style that finds its origins in folk art. A veritable menagerie can be found, from anteaters to turtles, from frogs to goats which frolic and gambol across lively patterns and amidst words both whimsical and wise. Myles’ most interesting work can be found in a series of portraits of “men I’ve never met” as she calls them. As varied as a sun-drenched “Mattiseman”, a fiddler, a cook, a banker, an exotic manservant, and a philosopher, they confidently inhabit their space. The Redding resident has been hooking rugs since 198, and has exhibited widely in Connecticut, and in Maine and her native West Virginia.
Nancy Moore is the owner of Moorefield Herb Farm of Trumbull, which specializes in herb plants, heirloom tomato plants and scented geraniums. She will be right at home in the Colonial Herb garden, which is divided into sections for dyeing, potpourri, culinary, and medicinal herbs with more than forty plants historically accurate to the year 1740. Some of the interesting plants that can be seen in the garden include Penny Royal (Mentha pulegium) a mint flavoring for soup; Rue (Ruta graveolens) for joint stiffness; Skirret (Sium sisarum)a flavoring for stews; and Wrinkled Rose (Rosa rugosa 'rubra') which provides Vitamin C to prevent scurvy. Her 4:30 talk about herbs is co-sponsored by the Wilton Garden Club. Nancy speaks about herbs to garden clubs, plant societies, and the advanced master program at the UConn extension centers. She's a former president of the Connecticut unit of the Herb Society of America, an organization that promotes herbs through educational and cultural events. She will have plants available for sale.
The event is free for members of the Wilton Historical Society, $10 for non-members. The Wilton Historical Society 224 Danbury Road, Wilton CT 06897 www.wiltonhistorical.org
For area information www.visitfairfieldcountyct.com
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