Silo Kid’s and Teens Vacation Day and Valentine’s Day Classes

If you’re looking for an activity for your child on school vacation days – or for Valentine’s Day, The Silo has cooking classes for you.

Located at historic Hunt Hill Farm, 44 Upland Road, New Milford, The Silo Cooking School will hold vacation day classes on Martin Luther King Day, Monday, January 20 and Presidents’ Day, Monday February 17. 

On January 20, two classes will be held.  The first, “Young Chefs Winter Warm Up” for children ages 6 to 10, will be held from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., followed by “Teens and Tweens Winter Warm Up” from  2:30 to 5:30 p.m.

On February 17, President’s Day, “Young Chefs Cook Presidential” will run from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. for ages 6 to 10, and “Tweens and Teens: Hail to the Chief” will run from 2:3 to 5:30 p.m.

In addition, “Valentine’s Sweets for the Sweet,” a three-hour class for children ages 5 to 11 will cover the basics from homemade cookies to candies, coming up hearts!

Classes are taught by Nancy Stuart, Silo Cooking School assistant director and are full-participation.  Students will learn basic skills such as kitchen safety, proper food handling, food preparation, cooking and baking techniques.  Class cost is $45 or $50 per student, depending on class chosen.

 The Cooking School is part of the Smithsonian Institution affiliated Hunt Hill Farm Trust, a non-profit organization.  Hunt Hill Farm Trust is a vibrant and unique regional resource, offering the public the opportunity to explore music, art, cuisine, crafts and literature in a setting of historic farm buildings and permanently protected open space.

Hunt Hill Farm also includes The Silo Gallery, The Skitch Henderson Museum, and The Silo Store, which sells cookbooks, giftware, tabletop, foods and kitchen items. 

For more information and to register for classes and events, call (860) 355-0300 or visit www.hunthillfarmtrust.org.  Registration is also available at The Silo during regular business hours.  The Silo Gallery and store are open Wednesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m.

Historical Society to Screen Three Films on Civil Rights

The Litchfield Historical Society, along with the Torrington Historical Society and the League of Women Voters of Litchfield County, are pleased to introduce three documentaries with riveting new footage illustrating the history of civil rights in America. These three organizations will offer a series of programs once a month from January–March in 2014.

Created Equal: America’s Civil Rights Struggle is an initiative of the National Endowment for the Humanities that uses the power of documentary films to encourage community discussion of America’s civil rights history. NEH has partnered with the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History to develop programmatic and support materials for the sites.

The Litchfield Historical Society is one of 473 institutions across the country awarded a set of four films chronicling the history of the civil rights movement. Each film is available on the historical society’s website to view before each formal program led by local humanities scholar. The schedule of films is as follows:

Thursday, January 16, 2014 7:00 pm, Litchfield Historical Society: “Slavery by Another Name”

Join us as Stephen McGrath, Litchfield Historical Society board member and history professor at Central CT State University, kicks off the first film discussion in our series. Steve will feature clips from the to challenge the belief that slavery ended with Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation of 1863. Thursday, February 20, 2014 7:00 pm, Torrington Historical Society: “The Loving Story” Our second civil rights film discussion will take place at the Torrington Historical Society. Led by Tom Hogan, former lawyer and legal history professor at UConn, we will take a look at a groundbreaking case that dealt with the legality of interracial marriages. The documentary brings to life the Lovings' marriage and the legal battle that followed through little-known filmed interviews and photographs shot for Life magazine. Participants will view film clips from the HBO documentary. Thursday, March 20, 2014  7:00 pm, Litchfield Historical Society: “Freedom Riders” Litchfield blogger and history professor Pete Vermilyea brings to light the activities of the freedom riders in the last of our film series. Freedom Riders tells the terrifying, moving, and suspenseful story of a time when white and black volunteers riding a bus into the Deep South risked being jailed, beaten, or killed, as white local and state authorities ignored or encouraged violent attacks. The film includes previously unseen amateur 8-mm footage of the burning bus on which some Freedom Riders were temporarily trapped, taken by a local twelve-year-old and held as evidence since 1961 by the FBI.

 

Each of the films was produced with NEH support, and each tells remarkable stories of individuals who challenged the social and legal status quo of deeply rooted institutions, from slavery to segregation. Created Equal programs bring communities together to revisit our shared history and help bridge deep racial and cultural divides in American civic life. Visit www.neh.gov/created-equalwww.neh.gov/created-equal for more information. 

The Created Equal film set is made possible through a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities, as part of its Bridging Cultures initiative, in partnership with the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History.

These programs are free and open to the public. Registration is required—please register by calling (860) 567-4501 or emailing registration@litchfieldhistoricalsociety.org.

For more information on these programs, please check our website, www.litchfieldhistoricalsociety.org/tours/createdequal.phpwww.litchfieldhistoricalsociety.org/tours/createdequal.php or call 860-567-4501.

Dreamgirls comes to Downtown Cabaret

The Downtown Cabaret Theatre is a direct descendent of the Sacred Heart University Cabaret. After several successful seasons in an academic setting, the entire company, under the artistic direction of Claude McNeal, moved to its present home in 1975.  Today, this venue has hosted well over one million adults and children that  have enjoyed musical productions in the unique "Bring Your Own Picnic" cabaret atmosphere.

"Dreamgirls" will kick off the 2014 Season. It will be presented by the Bridgeport Theatre Company (Downtown Cabaret's Community Theatre Project) on January 16-18, 24-26 and January 30 - February 1.  Shows begin at 8 p.m. on Thursday (Jan. 30 at 7:30), Friday at 8 p.m., Saturdays at 5 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. and Sunday, Jan. 26 at 5 p.m.

Dreamgirls is a smash Broadway musical and an award-winning motion picture that captures the spirit and hope of Motown when a girl group from Chicago makes it big. In a business controlled by men, the female trio fights for recognition, fellowship and love as superstardom challenges their musical and cultural identity. A rich, glowing spectacle about the price of show-biz success, Dreamgirls sizzles with sparkling dance and R&B soul.

Based on the story of Diana Ross' rise to fame, the show has made stars of Tony Award-winner Jennifer Holliday and Academy Award-winner Jennifer Hudson. Featuring such hit songs as "Dreamgirls," "And I am Telling You I'm Not Going" and "One Night Only".

Reserved tickets for performances: $28. Tickets may be reserved: By Phone: Box Office: 203.576.1636 or In Person: at box office located 263 Golden Hill Street, Bridgeport, Connecticut Online at www.downtowncabaret.org (24/7), 

By US Mail: The Man In Black, c/o Downtown Cabaret Theatre, 263 Golden Hill Street, Bridgeport, Ct. 06604.

Box Office Hours: 10:30am to 4:30pm – Mondays thru Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays - Box Office opens 90 minutes prior to scheduled performance times

Theatre seating begins 30 minutes prior to performance times.

For area information www.visitfairfieldcountyct.com

Little Coyote Story Hour at The Institute for American Indian Studies

The Institute for American Indian Studies is located in Washington Connecticut on 38 Curtis Road was founded in 1975 as an outgrowth of local efforts to recover New England's then-largely-unknown indigenous history.  A respect for the earth and for all living things is central to Native American lifeways and this is reflected throughout this museum, which is nestled in 15 acres of woodlands and trails.

Inside, the museum exhibits present information on a spectrum of topics related to the lives and cultures of prehistoric, historic and contemporary Native Americans. Permanent exhibits include Quinnetukut: Our Homeland, Our Story; From East To West: Across Our Homelands; Digging into the Past: Archaeology in Connecticut; a Sachem's wigwam (longhouse) classroom with a beautifully painted lifeways mural; and a replicated early-1900s Northeastern reservation house room.

The Institute also presents a series of special programs throughout the year. On January 14 and January 28, the Museum is presenting "Little Coyote Story Hour" from 10:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.  This program will introduce pre-school age children to the wonders and joy of traditional Native American stories! Why does Bear have a short tail? Who is Gluskabi and from where did his superpowers come? And why is Coyote known as a "trickster"? Kids are invited to join Janis "Four Hearts Whispering" Us of Mohawk-Shinnecock descent in a beautifully replicated 16th century indoor Sachem's house for delightful and heartwarming stories. The story hour is included with regular admission - Adults: $8, Seniors:$6 and Children: $5, members are free. 

Outdoors visitors will find a Simulated Archaeological Site, Three Sisters and Healing Plants Gardens, as well as a replicated 16th century Algonkian Village. The village is based upon traditional knowledge and archaeological research and is built from local natural materials. Self-guided trails let visitors explore the seasonal world of Woodland Indian peoples.

Changing exhibits and the shop's Artist's Corner round out the experience. IAIS is open seven days a week year-round. 

For more information visit www.iaismuseum.org or call 860-868-0518. For area information www.litchfieldhills.com.

Historic Marble Dale Church Celebrates 250th Anniversary

Saint Andrew’s Episcopal Church of Marble Dale, located in the township of Washington in the Litchfield Hills will launch the celebration of its 250^th year on January 12, 2014, at 9:30 a.m.,with a period service based on the 1764 liturgy and congregants attired in vintage dress.

The Episcopal Church in Connecticut began with the conversion of The Reverend Solomon Palmer, pastor of the Congregational Church in Cornwall. He founded a church in 1760, and the first St. Andrew’s was built in 1765. A second church building, located adjacent to the Northville Cemetery, was used from 1793 until the present church in Marble Dale was built in 1822. This landmark brick church, at the blinking light on Route 202 in Marble Dale, is one of the earliest Gothic Revival structures in New England.

The church was built with local materials, chestnut timbers from Aspetuck sawmills, marble quarried from a nearby stone mill, and brick fired in an area kiln.

Nathaniel Wheaton, grandson of Joseph Wheaton and the founder of St. Andrews, was ordained and became the first President of Trinity College. He retired to Marble Dale where he purchased and occupied the present Rectory on Wheaton Road. He directed the addition of the Church’s transept and chancel in the 1850’s. The original Nave windows, parts of which were saved, were replaced with stained glass windows made by Tiffany in 1880.

Smaller changes were made to the building in the 1960’s, and a complete restoration was done in 1994 and 1995. St. Andrew’s is now the second oldest church building in the Town of Washington and is listed on the National Register of Historic Buildings.

In addition to its rich architectural history, St. Andrew’s has played a pivotal role in the communities of both Marble Dale and Washington since Colonial times.

The January 12 service will give the community a rich view of life in Colonial Marble Dale, including the plain homespun clothing of the tradespeople and farmers and the richer dress of more prosperous residents. Everyone is welcome to attend the January 12 service, along with other period services and special events that will be held throughout 2014.

St. Andrew’s is located at 247 Litchfield Road, Route 202, Marble Dale, across from The White Horse Pub. There is plenty of parking on Wheaton Road. Call 860-868-2275 or  www.saintandrewsmarbledale.org for more information.

For area information www.litchfieldhills.com

Franklin Street Works presents new art show

Franklin Street Works, www.franklinstreetworks.org presents Neuromast: Certain Uncertainty and Contemporary Art. The group exhibition explores “emergence,” the theory that says unforeseeable results happen when a system reaches a certain level of complexity. The show’s title is inspired by a very specific emergent phenomenon, “neuromast,” which is the sensory organ that allows fish to effectively behave in unison against the threat of predators. Neuromast features sculpture, videos, text-based works, photographs and more by contemporary artists, writers and theorists interested in theories of emergence.

Exhibiting artists are: Kari Altmann, Christian Bök and Micah Lexier, Ingrid Burrington, Kaye Cain-Nielsen, Mircea Cantor, David Horvitz, Brian House and Jason Rabie, Juliana Huxtable, Thilde Jensen, Carolyn Lazard, M. M. Mantua, Preemptive Media, Robert Spahr, Elizabeth Stephens and Annie Sprinkle’sSexecology collaboration, and The Waterwhisper Ilse.

The exhibition is curated by Taliesin Gilkes-Bower and Terri C Smith and is on view from December 12, 2013 through February 23, 2014. It will open with a free, public reception on Thursday December 12 from 5:00 – 8:00 pm.

With Neuromast: Certain Uncertainty and Contemporary Art, several shared themes arose among the thirty-one works, including: how culture and gender contribute to constructing identity; the dynamic between an individual’s health and the medical industry, commerce, or the natural environment; and the collection and distribution of digital information as it relates to business, personal security, and persona.

A primary inspiration of the show was a series of photographs by Thilde Jensen called The Canaries, which served as an inspiration for the exhibition. Her photographs document the lives of individuals living with heightened levels of sensitivity to the toxic chemicals and powerful electromagnetic radiation found in modern, built environments. Preemptive Media’s Air project also explores emergence and the environment. Their portable air quality measurement kits demand reflection on the proliferation of smart phones and pocket computers that do little beyond promise increased entertainment and productivity. Mircea Cantor’s video installation Deeparture juxtaposes predator and prey by placing a wolf and a deer in a typical white cube gallery space. The artist calls into question traditional narratives of danger and the inevitability of death while he simultaneously hijacks the gallery by excluding art objects and audience. With Elizabeth Stephens and Annie Sprinkle’s Sexecology project, the artists approach nature very differently, creating performative weddings that link the concept of a couple’s love to our love of the planet via inclusive, largely unscripted community events.

Neuromast also approaches personal identity as a microcosm of larger complex systems. Juliana Huxtable’s portrait series Seven Archetypes explores her process of gender transitioning through cultural expectations of performance. M. M. Mantua’s sculptures ask viewers direct questions that hint at the unequal distribution of privacy between viewer and artist while creating cognitive engagement through language. Brain House and Jason Rabie’s Facebook Portraits present identity through algorithm and data, attempting to humanize the ways in which social networks identify and classify their users. Kari Altman’s site- specific iteration of her Smart Mobility/Invisible Protection series calls into question abstract ideals of security as they relate to identity in finance and branding.

Moving out in scale to broader social phenomena, lngrid Burrington’s Center for Missed Connectionsidentifies configurations of socially and sexually disconnected people in New York City through the missed connections section of Craigslist. David Horvitz also tried to change collectively authored online information through his zine documenting the artist’s attempted removal of himself from the group-edited encyclopedia site Wikipedia. Another text-based work that involves collaboration and an unpredictable outcome is Two Equal Texts by Christian Bök and Micah Lexier. The large vinyl wall work is an elaborate anagram that consists of two texts placed on either side of a freestanding wall. One side features Lexier’s descriptive text, which outlines the terms of the collaboration; the other side hosts Christian Bök’s elegantly resolved anagram of Lexier’s original text. Kaye Cain-Nielsen’s installation Mirandafurther explores the social consequences of shared responsibility in relationship to her own experience as a potential paid egg donor to an infertile couple.

Using contemporary art as its starting point, the artists in Neuromast investigate complex systems within social, environmental, and personal fields. The exhibition shows ways in which collective small-scale actions can prevail against seemingly insurmountable odds. Writer and activist Adrienne Marie Brown adds, “Rather than laying out big strategic plans for our work, many of us have been coming together in community, in authentic relationships, and seeing what emerges from our conversations, visions and needs. …We can define emergent strategy as intentional, strong because it is decentralized, adaptive, interdependent, and creating more possibilities.” The artists in Neuromast: Certain Uncertainty and Contemporary Art join in an interdisciplinary conversation on emergence via the adaptive and generate approach Brown sites, giving us insights into the often invisible, yet shared, complex systems that pervade our everyday lives.

Franklin Street Works is located at 41 Franklin Street in downtown Stamford, Connecticut, near the UCONN campus and less than one hour from New York City via Metro North. Franklin Street Works is approximately one mile (a 15 minute walk) from the Stamford train station. On street parking is available on Franklin Street (metered until 6 pm except on Sunday), and paid parking is available nearby in a lot on Franklin Street and in the Summer Street Garage (100 Summer Street), behind Target. The art space and café are open to the public on Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday: 12:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. with extended hours on Thursdays, 12:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. Franklin Street Works does not charge for admission during regular gallery hours.

Franklin Street Works is a not-for-profit contemporary art space, café, and social gathering place in Stamford, Connecticut. It produces original on-site and off-site exhibitions, artist projects, and related programming. Located in renovated row houses on Franklin Street, the two-story space includes three galleries and a café. Franklin Street Works embraces innovative art and exhibition practices, a DIY attitude, and a workshop approach to its programming, audiences, and organizational structure. The activities and attitudes of the café reflect and expand on the organization’s mission as a contemporary art venue.

For area information www.visitfairfieldcountyct.com