Summer Fun @ Norwalk Art Festival

Once again this year the Norwalk Arts Festival is taking place in Mathews Park located on 295 West Ave. in Norwalk on June 25 and 26 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., rain or shine. Festival goers can expect to find more than 125 artisans showing one-of-a-kind ceramics, paintings, jewelry, photography and other fine arts and crafts.

Juried exhibitors specializing in wood, wearable and decorative fiber, photography, metalwork, sculpture, mixed media, glass, ceramics and jewelry will share their unique talents and artwork at this nationally recognized event held in Mathews Park surrounding the Lockwood-Mathews Museum on West Avenue in Norwalk, Connecticut. All pieces exhibited will be available for purchase.

A highlight of this event the opportunity to interact directly with highly-skilled artists who come from all over the country. In addition, the Norwalk Arts Festival also includes includes fun, educational activities for children and an international food court. 

Live music performances will be provided throughout the weekend by various musicians including Norwalk’s own Edward Wright, Annalisa Ewald, Sarah Golley and a featured recital by Rebecca Christopherson’s TESS and Suzuki students on Saturday at 12:30 p.m.

Hands-on art activities for all ages are offered free of charge in the Children’s Art Workshop area provided by Jerry’s Artarama and the Norwalk Arts Commission. The Lockwood Mathews Mansion Museum will offer mini-tours and the Center for Contemporary Printmaking (CCP) galleries will be open, where the annual “Foot Prints” exhibit is currently on view, as will Stepping Stones Museum for Children.

Admission to the Norwalk Art Festival is free. Patrons will have an opportunity to visit the museums and CCP as well as the playground and take a self-guided tour of the historic Pine Island Cemetery. There is a separate admission entry to the museums. 

Mathews Park is located at 295 West Avenue and is easily reached off exits 14N and 15S off I-95. The Park is a short walk or shuttle ride from the Metro-North Railroad South Norwalk station. Parking is free in Mathews Park and across the street. There is also parking available in the South Norwalk garages, from which visitors can take the beautiful river front stroll to the park.

For additional information, visit http://www.norwalkartfestival.org.  For area information www.visitfairfieldcountyct.com.

Music Mountain Concerts through September 11

Music Mountain, America's oldest continuing summer chamber music festival, kicks off its 87th Anniversary Season this year. The summer will feature 15 weekends of incredible music including returning favorite chamber ensembles and musicians, including pianists Peter Serkin and Julia Hsu; first-time guests, including the great pianist Richard Goode; the ever-popular Saturday Evening Twilight Series featuring an array of Jazz ensembles and musicians and introducing, for the first time at Music Mountain, in five concerts, the incredibly talented artists of the Catskill Jazz Factory; and the second season of the new Music Mountain Master Classes for Young Artists plus so much more! See why the New Yorker called Music Mountain "The Summer Shrine of the String Quartet." Concerts are scheduled through September 11.

The Emerson String Quartet has accumulated an unparalleled list of achievements over three decades. In a season of over 85 quartet performances, mingled with the Quartet members' individual artistic commitments, the Emerson plays extensively throughout North America. Multiple tours of Europe include dates in Denmark, Czech Republic, Germany, Austria, Hong Kong, and the United Kingdom, among many other countries. Based in New York City, The Emerson String Quartet is Quartet-in-Residence at Stony Brook University.

Chamber music concerts continue with Borromeo String Quartet (June 12); Penderecki String Quartet with Maurycy Banaszek, viola (June 19); Cassatt String Quartet with Colin Carr, cello (June 26); and Cantata Profana (July 3).

The Saturday Evening Twilight Series begins on Saturday, June 11 with The Galvanized Jazz Band! The series continues with The New York Gilbert & Sullivan Players (June 18); New Black Eagle Jazz Band (June 25); and Swingtime Big Band (July 2).

Specially Priced Concerts are as Follows: Tickets for the Season Opening Concert & Reception on Sunday, June 5 (3PM) are $75 and include a voucher for any regularly priced 2016 concert. All tickets to the Peter Serkin/Julia Hsu, Piano 4 Hands Concert on Sunday, July 10 are $60. Tickets for the Mid-Summer Benefit Concert with Richard Goode on Sunday, July 31 (3PM) are $75 and include a voucher for any regularly priced 2016 concert. Tickets for the Labor Day Benefit Concert & Reception with the Shanghai String Quartet, and pianists Gilbert Kalish and Jonathan Yates are $75 and include a voucher for any regularly priced 2017 concert.

The 87th season will continue to offer two ticketing options to complement their established family friendly ticket prices. Concert goers will be able to reserve their favorite seat(s) in advance for a one-time payment of $60 per seat, per season. For information on how to reserve a seat and specific seat availability, please call 860-824-7126. Music Mountain also continues its popular Gold Pass program. Major Gold Pass benefits include: Admission to all concerts; Priority Reserved Seating (subject to availability); $20 price for one guest per Gold Pass. Cost for Gold Pass Memberships: Individual: $780; Pair: $1,500. For a list of other benefits and more information, please call 860-824-7126. All Gold Passes are transferable.

Chamber Music Concerts are $35 at the door/$30 in advance. Twilight Series Concerts are $30 at the door/$27 in advance. Children ages 5-18 are admitted FREE for ALL CONCERTS when accompanied by a ticket holder. Saturday Twilight Concerts are at 6:30pm. Sunday afternoon Chamber Music concerts are at 3pm. Group rates and pre season ticket plans are available. Discounts apply through participating organizations. For a complete summer schedule, special ticket prices, and to download a ticket order form visit www.musicmountain.org or call 860-824-7126.

A quartet of special cruises @ Maritime Aquarium

Start summer off with an on the water excursion with the Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk located on 10 North Water Street in Norwalk. The Aquarium is offering four special cruises that are sure to delight.

The first tour is the *adults* only sunset cruise on Saturday, July 18. Participants will enjoy a fun relaxing tour out to the Norwalk islands timed to include the setting sun. Aquarium educators will point out sights and wildlife, but this cruise stresses de-stressing while twilight paints the western sky. The 2.5-hour cruise departs at 6:30 p.m. and is for ages 21 and older. Tickets are $49.95 and include a signature cocktail. Additional drinks will be available for purchase. Light fare is available by pre-order by noon on Wed., June 15.

A second sunset cruise is offered on Friday, June 24 and is family friendly. Bring the kids for a fun relaxing tour out to the Norwalk islands timed to include the setting sun. (Height minimum of 42 inches.) Aquarium educators will point out sights and wildlife, but this cruise stresses de-stressing while twilight paints the western sky. The 2.5-hour cruise departs at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $29.95 ($19.95 for Aquarium members).

The next cruise  that takes in Western Long Island Sound is being offered on Saturday, June 25. This cruise will make close passes by Greens Ledge and Sheffield Island lighthouses in Norwalk, Harbor Ledge in Stamford, Great Captain Island of Greenwich, Execution Rocks off New Rochelle, and Long Island's Stepping Stones, Sands Point and Eatons Neck lights. All but the Sands Point Lighthouse are on the National Register of Historic Places. The 6.5-hour cruise departs at 9 a.m. Tickets are $75 (or $65 for Aquarium members).

To round out the month of June, the Aquarium is offering a "fireworks" cruise on Thursday, June 30. On this cruise, you will enjoy a unique water view of municipal holiday displays – times two, thanks to reflections on the surface – and avoid the crowds and traffic. The June 30 outing, which departs from the Aquarium dock at 7 p.m., will view the fireworks display off Westport's Compo Beach. Small soft-sided coolers are allowed, but alcoholic beverages and glass bottles are prohibited. Tickets are $50 per person. (Other "Fireworks Cruises" are planned for July 2 to Fairfield's Penfield/Jennings Beach, July 3 for Stamford's Cummings Beach Park, and July 4 to Norwalk's Calf Pasture Beach.)

On all cruises, binoculars will be provided. But bring your camera! All participants must be at least 42 inches tall to board. Those under age 18 must be accompanied by an adult. R/V Spirit of the Sound has a climate-controlled cabin but participants should dress for time outside on deck, where the best viewing occurs. Capacity is limited so advance reservations are strongly suggested for all Aquarium cruises. Reserve your tickets online – and see the full summer schedule for R/V Spirit of the Sound – at www.maritimeaquarium.org. Or call (203) 852-0700, ext. 2206. For more area information www.visitfairfieldcountyct.com

Shelton Historical Society's Vintage Vehicles Antique & Classic Car Show June 17

Enjoy a day with Dad and Granddad peeking under the hoods of the cars they remember from their youth at the Shelton Historical Society's Vintage Vehicles Antique and Classic Car Show on Father's Day, June 19th.  Two wheels or four, from Model T's to muscle cars, there's bound to be something that will trigger a memory or maybe a chuckle from every visitor.  The event will take place at Shelton History Center, 70 Ripton Rd. from 10:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m.

Best In Show 2011

Past shows have featured everything from a 1928 Rolls Royce Phantom, to a restored rickshaw that was used as an ambulance in the San Francisco earthquake in 1906, to a 1911 wood paneled Model T. A Locomobile produced locally in Bridgeport in 1921 was a one-of-a- kind entry last year. Nearly every decade of automotive history from the 20th century has been illustrated on the shaded grounds of the Shelton History Center with more recent muscle cars, Mustangs, and Army Jeeps joining many Ford Model A’s and T’s. All vehicle owners generously share information, their cars, and their hobby with the public.

There is still time for owners of antique and classic vehicles of all kinds to register to participate in this special event. Entry forms may be found at www.sheltonhistoricalsociety.org or by calling (203) 925-1803. Pre-registration costs $8.00 but will be $10.00 on the day of the event.

Awards in five categories will be presented to crowd favorites. Visitors will enjoy tours of the buildings at Shelton History Center, refreshments, and voting for their favorite vehicles. Admission is $1 for dads, $5/adults and $10/family. Proceeds will benefit the educational programs of the Shelton Historical Society. For additional information including directions, please call (203) 925-1803 or visit www.sheltonhistoricalsociety.org.  For more area information www.visitfairfieldcountyct.com

Explore Haskins Preserve with Westport Historical Society

Explore a  hidden gem, Haskins Preserve in Westport with the Westport Historical Society on June 18 at 3 p.m.  is tucked away in a lovely, quiet neighborhood off Compo Rd South. Woods, meadows, 2 ponds, a stream, dams, and a spectacular assortment of rare trees greet you near the entrance. Mr. & Mrs. Haskins, both noted scientists, authors, and philanthropists, left their amazing 22-acre estate in the middle of Westport to the Aspetuck Land Trust. 

Ben Sykes, an arborist with The Care of Trees in Norwalk who will conduct the walk, says the preserve has “quite a nice makeup of trees – mature oaks, an ash, nice yews that most property owners would shear into hedgerows, ginkgoes, nice cypress and lots of native species.”

“With so much new development in Westport, and homes being torn down and the land cleared, we don’t get to appreciate mature trees,” says Sykes, who will discuss the preserve’s trees and also offer tips on tree maintenance, pruning and disease prevention.

The front part of the property consists of mostly open high ground that drops off gently on each side to man-made ponds. Some architectural features remain, including a tall stone wall with iron gates fronting the lane, a romantic wishing well and a canal that feeds the larger of the two ponds. Trails loop around the back of the preserve through a forest of oak and beech. The showpieces are a 108-foot dawn redwood and a 24-foot Southern magnolia. Both are listed as “notable Connecticut trees” by the Connecticut Botanical Society. Other non-native species are a willow leaf oak, a Chinese catalpa, a Japanese hinoki cypress and the ginkgoes. The latter grow wild only in China and individual trees can live as long as 1,500 years.  

Sykes suggests wearing comfortable shoes and sunscreen and urges walkers to be prepared for ticks and poison ivy. The paths are fairly easy to navigate, he says, though some have steep downhill sections.

The walk will be preceded by a 30-minute Qi Gong class given by Sue Gold, the Society’s executive director. Qi Gong, Gold explains means “energy work” and is a practice of simple postures and fluid exercises that help you stay flexible, calm, more centered and more in touch with yourself.

“Tree Walk at the Haskins Preserve,” Saturday, June 18, 3 p.m. There is a $10 donation, and reservations are suggested: (203) 222-1424. Westport Historical Society, 25 Avery Place, across from Town Hall. For more information about the WHS, go to westporthistory.org.  For more area information www.visitfairfieldcountyct.com

Paris lights up the Bruce Museum this summer

Paris had been known as the City of Light long before the widespread use of gaslight and electricity. The name arose during the Enlightenment, when philosophers made Paris a center of ideas and of metaphorical illumination. By the mid-nineteenth century, the epithet became associated with the city's adoption of artificial lighting: in the 1840s and 1850s, gas lamps were first widely installed, while electric versions began to proliferate by the end of the 1870s. Even as rivals, including Berlin, London, New York, and Chicago, increased the quantity of light in their rapidly electrified cities, Paris managed to maintain its reputation because of the beauty of its illuminations. Light remained and remains to this day a key signature of the French capital.

Electric Paris, at the Bruce Museum on One Museum Dr. in Greenwich Connecticut   is the first exhibition to explore the ways in which artists responded to older oil and gas lamps and the newer electric lighting that began to supplant them around the turn of the twentieth century. While artificially illuminated public spaces and private interiors appear frequently in works of art and popular depictions of contemporary life during this period, the different types of lighting that animate such spaces – and their distinctive visual properties – have not been considered in detail.

Approximately 50 works – paintings, drawings, prints, and photographs – by such artists as Edgar Degas, Mary Cassatt, Pierre Bonnard, Édouard Vuillard, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Jean Béraud, James Tissot, Charles Marville, Childe Hassam, Charles Courtney Curran, Alfred Maurer, and Maurice Prendergast, among others, will be on view.

Each of the exhibition's four sections – Nocturnes, Lamplit Interiors, Street Light, In and Out of the Spotlight – reveals the prominent role of artificial illumination in the art of the period and in the making and transformation of modern Paris. Whether nostalgic renderings of gaslit boulevards, starkly illuminated dance halls, or abstracted prisms of electric streetlamps, the works of art on view suggest the diverse ways in which Parisians experienced the city as it transitioned from old to new technologies.

On view and opening on the same day as Electric Paris, the science galleries will sizzle with excitement with a show called Electricity. The show, developed by the Franklin Institute, brings the science and history of electricity to life through engaging, hands-on interactives. Visitors will learn the fundamental principles behind electricity such as magnetic fields, electric charges and battery technology.

For more area information www.visitwesternct.com  Like us on Facebook 

Westport's Hidden Garden Tour

The Westport Historical Society is hosting its' 25th annual Hidden Garden Tour on June 12 from 1 p.m. - 4 p.m. and tour goers will have the very special opportunity to experience six spectacular, not-to-be-missed gardens in Westport, Greenfield Hill, and Southport. In honor of 25 years, each garden has been carefully selected and several of the gardens that were favorites of past Tours are being showcased again by popular demand to see how they have evolved.

Exceptional sights to see will include: a unique historic property featuring an axial border planting of perennials and herbaceous plants, a rose garden of four distinct color sections, an apple orchard, and a squatter’s garden where friends are encouraged to grow vegetables; a walled rose garden with a surviving American Elm overlooking Southport Harbor; a garden with three rock outcroppings, woodland garden and pathways, an abundant raspberry patch, and greenhouse; and a truly breathtaking property on Long Island Sound.

On Tour Day there will also be a Garden Market on the WHS Wheeler House lawn from 10am to 4pm.  An eclectic variety of crafts made locally will be available featuring French lavender items, children’s appliquéd clothing, jewelry, antique gifts, and handcrafted accessories for the home and garden.  Admission to the Garden Market is free.

The Garden Party on Friday, June 10^th is the kick-off to the celebratory weekend and will take place at the Westport Woman’s Club on Imperial Avenue from 6pm to 9pm.  The WHS Garden Party is a harbinger of Spring that brings together Westport’s most fabulous for an evening in celebration of history both past and present. 

Party guests will enjoy hearty appetizers and delectable desserts catered by A Dash of Salt; custard provided by Shake Shack; a Mionetto Prosecco bar; and a wine and beverage bar.  There will be many exciting surprises such as incredible silent and live auction treasures including an African Safari, cruise on the Sound, and a week at a Cape Cod vacation house; a balloon swap; lively entertainment; and the Spring Hat Contest with prizes awarded for: Most Creative, Downton Abbey-tude, Best Use of Fresh Flowers, Lady’s Classic, Gentleman’s Classic, and Judges’ Favorite.  Come join the fun!

The Hidden Garden Tour  is Sunday, June 12, 11am to 4pm. Tickets are $60 in advance, $70 day of Tour.

 The Garden Party is Friday, June 10, 6pm to 9pm at Westport Woman’s Club, Imperial Avenue, Westport. Tickets are $100 advance purchase, and $125 after June 8. 

All proceeds benefit the educational and cultural programs of WHS.Garden Tour tickets and directions will be available for pick-up at Westport Historical Society on Tour Day starting at 10am.

GARDEN MARKET

An eclectic variety of crafts made locally will be available on the WHS Wheeler House lawn from 10am to 4pm. Admission is free.

For more area information www.visitfairfieldcountyct.com

House and Garden Tour In Newtown June 26

The Newtown Historical Society has organized a House and Garden Tour that will take place on June 26 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., rain or shine. Advance tickets are $25 for adults and $10 for children (age 8-12) and can be purchased at the Booth Library, the UPS Store in Newtown, the Toy Tree and on-line through our Website. The day of the tour, tickets will be $30 for adults and $15 for children and will only be available from 10 am to 2 pm in front of the Matthew Curtiss House Museum at 44 Main Street, Newtown, CT.

Once again this year, doors will open to five historic homes and their gardens in Sandy Hook and Newtown and the Dooryard Garden of the Matthew Curtiss House Museum. This much-anticipated yearly event in the Litchfield Hills offers the rare chance to tour five extraordinary gardens and properties. Visitors will delight in ideas to incorporate in their homes and gardens as each property is unique and reflects the distinctive style and taste of their owners.

The five houses on this tour includes a charming 1790's farmhouse nestled among the trees on 5 acres as well as another farmhouse dating to the 1790s that has a classic center chimney and combines hints of modern decorated whimsy among nods of bygone eras.

Tour goers will step back in time when visiting one of the oldest homes in Newtown built by the Crofut family in 1691. A classic Connecticut country house circa 1767 captures all that a country home should be including some ghostly guests and a 1930's Cape Cod style house is tastefully furnished with antiques and vintage goods on 3 acres of extensive gardens.

As a final stop, don't miss the Dooryard Garden of the Matthew Curtiss House Museum that was designed by the Garden Club of Newtown and represents a typical 1700s to early 1800s garden.

For more area information www.litchfieldhills.com.

New Video Art Show at Franklin Street Works in Stamford !

Franklin Street Works, University of Connecticut-Stamford's Women's Genderand Sexuality Studies Program, and Sacred Heart University's Masters of File and Television Program have collaborated to co-curate "All Byte: Feminist Intersections in Video Art," an exhibition of video works informed by intersectional feminist approaches. The exhibition will be on view at Franklin
Street Works through July 10, 2016.

Sarah Lasley Edyn in Exile , 2015 Video Still Courtesy of the artist

Feminist conversations and scholarship around the inseparability of class, race, country of origin and other factors when contemplating gender are reflected in artworks that, among other things, encourage viewers to listen across difference and explore matrixes of power. Through a call for submissions, the curators also sought out emerging artists in order to explore “fourth wave” feminist approaches to video and film. “All Byte” features works made between 2013 and 2015 by nine artists or collectives: Michelle Marie Charles, INVASORIX, Kegels for Hegel, Sarah Lasley, Nicole Maloof, Virginia Lee Montgomery, Sunita Prasad, Legacy Russell, and Maryam Tafakory. This original exhibition is co-curated by the Program Director of Sacred Heart University’s Film and Television Masters school, Justin Liberman; Director of Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at the University of Connecticut-Stamford, Ingrid Semaan; and Franklin Street Works’ Creative Director, Terri C Smith.

The term “intersectionality” was coined by feminist legal scholar and critical race theorist Kimberlé Crenshaw in 1989. This analytic frame aimed to disrupt the approach of “single axis analysis,” which treated race and gender as mutually exclusive. Instead, intersectional work looks at how social factors and systems of power interlock and shape each other. The “All Byte” co- curators chose videos that exhibit an understanding of intersectionality and a sophisticated or fresh use of the medium. When taken as a whole, these works address gender in concert with many other factors, including: exploring the queer body through a transformative journey; queering of influential, usually white male, theorists through song; placing the alienated female body in surreal parallel to the predominantly white, male tech industry; addressing the contradictions between the lyrics and images in hip-hop videos that often portray women as sexual props; recounting academia’s gendered power structures through parody and art history; exploring inaccurate, race-based assumptions about citizenship and experience; unearthing colonial histories, preserved in the street signs of a small American neighborhood; gender based medical practices; and more. Through the intersectional feminist lens, these artists shed light on systems that reinforce dominance to the exclusion of others and create narratives of inclusion and understanding.

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 7 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, Thursday, and Friday from noon – 5:00pm and on Saturday and Sunday from 8:00 am - 5:00pm. Franklin Street Works does not charge for admission during regular gallery hours.

For more area information www.visitfairfieldcountyct.com

Lockwood Mathews Mansion -Demolition and rebirth of an iconic building

On Wed. June 8, 2016, 11 a.m. at the Lockwood-Mathews Mansion Museum, Norwalk Municipal Historian Ralph Bloom will give a talk titled, From Warehouse to Landmark: A Personal Remembrance. The talk will be held at 295 West Ave, Norwalk, CT.

Photo: 019: Photo courtesy of the Local History Collection, Norwalk Public Library. LMMM 1960s Exhibit, Maynard Album Prints, 1962, No 10, front 019 In 1962 the Common Interest Group of Norwalk, Inc. was formed to lead the battle for preserving the Mansion. The group opened the Mansion for tours.

In a PowerPoint presentation featuring vintage photos and a collection of memories that spans several decades, Mr. Bloom will share his interest in the Lockwood-Mathews Mansion from teenage years to adulthood. Illustrations will show the condition of the Mansion at the time it had been slated for demolition, through the clean-up and preparation for public viewing.

Driven by his passion for history and the arts, Mr. Bloom has held a wide variety of positions and received public recognition for his many years of dedicated service to his community. He was appointed Municipal Historian by the City of Norwalk, he joined the Board of Overseers of Old Sturbridge Village, in Massachusetts, coordinated the photography for the book, When Gentlemen Wore Hats, authored by Dr. Deborah Wing Ray and Dr. Gloria P. Stewart and was presented with the Distinguished Advocate for the Arts Award by the Connecticut Commission on the Arts for 40 years of volunteerism. Mr. Bloom is currently a Trustee at the Norwalk Library.

This will be the first in a series of lectures by curators and experts in the field of Victorian era material life and the Museum's 50 years of history. The lectures are $25 for members, $30 for non-members per session. Please RSVP by Friday, June 3, 2016. The price includes lecture, lunch and a first floor Mansion tour. Lunch is courtesy of Best in Gourmet. The chair of the Lecture Committee is Mimi Findlay of New Canaan. Please contact info@lockwoodmathewsmansion.com or 203-838-9799, ext. 4 to purchase tickets.

The exhibitions currently on view, Demolish or Preserve: The 1960s at the Lockwood-Mathews Mansion and The Stairs Below. The Lockwood-Mathews Mansion Museum is a National Historic Landmark. For more information on schedules and programs please visit: www.lockwoodmathewsmansion.com, e-mail info@lockwoodmathewsmansion.com, or call 203-838-9799.

For more area information www.visitfairfieldcountyct.com.  Remember to like us on  Facebook