5th Annual Toy Makers Competition at the Westport Arts Center

he Westport Arts Center knows that there are no better experts when it comes to toys and games than kids! The Center's fifth annual Toy Makers Competition invites young designers ages 5 - 12 to submit their ideas for new and innovative toys. Each child may submit up to 3 design concepts that capture their creativity and imagination. Both traditional and electronic games are acceptable, but the designers should ask themselves not only what they are but how they would be made.

Judges are looking for toy designs that are: unique, original and imaginative and those that are easy to use and understand. The toys should be able to be recreated and produced in real life and a description of how the toy will be made and used should also be included.

Children between the ages of 5 - 12 are eligible to submit . Submissions must be created on 8.5x11" paper; 3D creations must be photographed and printed on 8.5x11" paper. Descriptions can be attached to the back of designs. All participants must have parental consent. Toys do not need to be recreated for the presentation, but finalists may make a prototype if they wish.

All toy submissions are due by 5 p.m. on March 4, 2015 and the entry fee is $10 per child; participants should mail the entry form and up to 3 artworks per child to: Toy Makers Competition, Westport Arts Center, 51 Riverside Avenue, Westport, CT 06880. For more information http://westportartscenter.org

For more area information www.visitfairfieldcountyct.com

Urban Images of the City at The Bruce Museum

The Bruce Museum located on One Museum Drive in Greenwich has organized a very special art exhibition called Images of the City that will be on view through March 6, 2016. The exhibition Images of the City highlights 30 prints and photographs from the Bruce Museum Collection that paint a portrait of the modern American city. Some of these, from the early decades of the 20th century, are being shown for the first time after recent conservation. An additional selection from private lenders will complement the Museum's collection.

Lithography credit:

Paul J. Woolf (1899-1985)

View of Manhattan, c. 1932

Gelatin silver print, 7 3/4 x 5 5/8 in.

Gift of Dr. Stephen Nicholas

Bruce Museum Collection 2006.46.57

As hubs of cultural and social activity, major metropolitan centers such as New York, San Francisco, and Chicago have drawn creative communities of artists whose subject matter is decisively shaped by where they live and what they see around them. The city is a favorite subject for artists, providing urban landscapes and architectural perspectives that lend themselves to graphic interpretation.

Etchings, lithographs, screen prints and photographs depict views of iconic architecture, public art and dramatic construction scenes from throughout the 20th century to the present, evoking a mood and atmosphere that range from gritty to nostalgic and from restless to formal.

The exhibition includes works by:

Robert Rauschenberg
Brett Weston
Martin Lewis
Stow Wengenroth
Joseph Pennell
Karl Dehmann
Paul J. Woolf
and more

Last year, the Museum received two gifts on this subject to add to its diverse collection. On public view for the first time are:

Men of Steel, 1941, by Samuel L. Margulies
Corner of Broom Street and Broadway, 1973, by Richard Haas

Start Fresh at the Silo in 2016 and Get Cooking

This winter, the Silo at Hunt Hill Farm in New Milford is offering a series of cooking classes that are sure to inspire and enlighten both novice and experienced cooks in the kitchen.  Topics will include what is trending now and the best ways to prepare this bounty, a series on easy and minimal prep meals called Text Me Now and  a series called from Seed to Table that will be focus on fresh veggies.  Sommelier on a Shoestring, Kids Can Cook, and Around town are among the new offerings this winter at the Silo.

On January 16 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Chef Gallagher will kick off the year with the Trending now series - Vegetable Stars of Land and Sea that will include a world of trendy vegetables from around the world and under the sea that offer tastiness, texture & countless preparation possibilities.

Tailgating in your living room and culinary celebrations will be the topic on January 23 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. where participants will learn how to create Super Bowl favorites designed with a modern twist.

To end the month of January, is a useful class that is simply called Kitchen Basic Series that will take place from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.  If you are serious about mastering culinary skills then this class is for you.  It will teach you the foundation that  knife skills hold in the kitchen. 

Through “mise en place” (preparation of ingredients ready to combine for cooking) for stocks, soups and stews, you’ll learn and practice proper knife techniques. Best of all, this class is open to adults and children over 13!

To register for this classes, you will have to do it the old fashion way as the Silo's site will be down for a rebuild for a few weeks... just call 860-355-0300.

26TH ANNUAL BOAR'S HEAD FESTIVAL - WINSTED

First Church of Winsted located on 95 North Main Street in Winsted will present the 26th Annual Boar's Head Festival on Saturday, January 9th at 1:30 and 4:30 p.m. and Sunday, January 10th at 3:30 p.m.. The Festival is "An Ancient Processional Celebrating Epiphany." It takes place in true medieval fashion complete with period costumes, live animals, and grandeur worthy of welcoming the King of Kings and Lord of Lords! The Festival features continuous music with full choir, madrigal singers, organist, and brass ensemble. There are also a number of tooters, whistlers, fiddlers, pipers, dancers and drummers. The featured musical selections include Rutter's "Gloria," Adam Dressler's "O Holy Night," and Morten Lauridsen's "O Magnum Mysterium" along with many traditional carols.

This ancient processional musical celebration of the Epiphany will feature: Medieval Pomp & Royalty, Herald Trumpeters
Carolers, Family Gentry, Woodsmen & Peasants, Good King Wenceslas & his Page, Monks, Shepherds & Their Sheep, The Holy Family & Donkey, and The Three Wise Men.  There will be performances by the Laurel City Singers, the Boar's Head Brass Ensemble and the The Boar's Head Carolers. There will also be a piper and a sword dancer.

Laurel City Singers under the direction of Adam Atkins is the featured festival choir with organist Christopher King. Also appearing will be The Boar's Head Carolers, Scottish Sword Dancer Karen LaVallee- Tente and Highland dancer Krysten McGhee with piper Ken Storrs.

Tickets are $15 Adults, $12 Senior and $9 Child 12 and under and may be purchased by calling 860-379-8966, or mail your payment and seating requests to: First Church of Winsted, ATTN: Boar's Head Festival, 95 North Main Street, Winsted, CT 06098. Make checks payable to: First Church of Winsted. Groups of 20 or more may deduct $3 from each ticket price. Doors open one half hour before each performance.

For more area information www.litchfieldhills.com

Start the New Year with Sherman Chamber Ensemble “Best of Baroque” Concerts

The Sherman Chamber Ensemble is pleased to announce its annual “Best of Baroque” concerts on Saturday, January 9 at 3 p.m. at Christ Church on Quaker Hill in Pawling, NY and on Sunday, January 10 at 4 p,m. at St. Andrew’s Church in Kent, CT.  Audiences will be treated to works by masters of the Baroque era played by the best of today’s chamber music artists.

The program will include music for harpsichord, flute and strings by Bach, Corelli and Vivaldi.  Special Guest Dylan Sauerwald, international prize winning harpsichordist will be joined by SCE Artistic Director and cellist Eliot Bailen, Susan Rotholz (flute), Michael Roth (violin), Sarah Adams (viola) and Peter Weitzner (bass).

Dylan Sauerwald is a distinctive continuo player, soloist and music director, and is active across the US and Canada. He won the first place title in chamber music at the Concours de Musique du Canada 2009 and was a finalist at the Montréal Baroque CBC / Galaxie chamber music competition 2007, both with Ensemble la Félicité. He has performed in halls from Montréal's Musée de Beaux Arts to Taipei's National Recital Hall to Boston's Goodlife bar.

Tickets for the concerts, which are open to the general public, are $30 per person at the door ($25 for students and seniors). There is a $5 discount on tickets purchased in advance ($25/20) at www.shermanchamberensemble.org or by sending a check to Sherman Chamber Ensemble, P.O. Box 578, Sherman, CT  06784.

Both concerts will be followed by an informal reception where audience members will have an opportunity to meet the musicians.  Performances at St. Andrew’s Church are presented in conjunction with the church’s Music in the Nave series.

For information and reservations, contact the Sherman Chamber Ensemble at 860-355-5930 or info@shermanchamberensemble.org. For more information www.shermanchamberensemble.org.  For area information www.litchfieldhills.com.

ABOUT THE SHERMAN CHAMBER ENSEMBLE

World Class Music, Close to Home

Founded in 1983 by cellist Eliot Bailen, Artistic Director, and flutist Susan Rotholz, the Sherman Chamber Ensemble offers a year-round schedule of performances for all ages at venues in Connecticut and New York.

Guided by its mission to bring world class musicians to our communities and schools to perform a diverse range of music with an approach that is intimate and inclusive, the SCE has been described  by The New York Times as "about as close as it gets to the Platonic ideal of a chamber music concert." 

SCE offers Baroque programs, a summer chamber music series, educational activities and a year-round slate of musical events showcasing the best of live musical performance, from classical to bluegrass to jazz – plus children's and family concerts, school residencies and pop/rock coffeehouses. In addition to concert subscription and ticket sales, support for the 2015 season comes from private foundations, local businesses and many generous individual donors.