New Exhibitions Open @ The Mattatuck Museum Waterbury

The Mattatuck Museum is presenting four new exhibitions at the Museum: An Artist for All Seasons: Dmitri Wright, Ùtútù: Nnenna Okore, #IBelieveInWaterbury and The Valley Girls.

An Artist for All Seasons: Dmitri Wright is a retrospective of the work of Wright’s art, whose work follows in the tradition of American Impressionism. Dmitri Wright’s art merges the Impressionist focus on light with the post-Impressionistic interest in vibrant color. His paintings celebrate the natural beauty and nuances of the landscape, both in the United States and abroad. This 50-year survey includes student work, art from his early years in New York city, scenes from his travels to Europe and the West Indies, and paintings from both his more recent Provencal and Weir Farm plein air series. Wright is the Master Artist at the Weir Farm National Historic Site which commemorates the life and work of American Impressionist painter, J. Alden Weir. An Artist for All Seasons will be on view through November 5.

In Ùtútù, internationally-renowned sculptor Nnenna Okore will use textiles to create an installation commemorating the colors and landscapes of her childhood home of Nsukka, Nigeria. Ùtútù, the Nigerian word for morning or something new, describes the transience, potency and energy of the piece. Visitors will respond to this boldly colored and organic art meant to heighten their visual and sensorial experience. Ùtútù will be on view through December 3. It is sponsored by The Coby Foundation and exhibitions in The Lab are supported in part by Raymond Learsy.

Focusing on the city of Waterbury, #IBelieveInWaterbury asked artists to identify those unique aspects of the city that resonate for them. Forty artists share their inspiration with audiences in paintings, sculptures and mixed media works that demonstrate the beauty, joy, prosperity and momentum of Waterbury. One entry was submitted by husband and wife team, Chef Dean and Artist Linda Marino. They will present a “Cook and Paint Together Workshop” on November 11 at 5:00 p.m. Call (203) 753-0381 x130 or visit mattmuseum.org for more information. #IBelieveInWaterbury will be up through December 3.

Once a Valley Girl, always a Valley Girl, as they say! The Valley Girls highlights three artists all born and raised in the Naugatuck River Valley: Carmella “Mally” DeSomma, Judith Gould Secco and June Pierpont Webster. Each is active in the local art scene, creating and exhibiting paintings and photographs that interpret and celebrate the world around them. This exhibition is in collaboration with Artsplace of Cheshire. Valley Girls will be on view in the Monteiro Family Community Gallery through November 12.

Located in the heart of downtown Waterbury’s architectural district, the Mattatuck Museum is a vibrant destination, known locally and regionally as a community-centered institution of American art and history. For more information on all of the Museum’s programs, events, and exhibits visit the website at mattmuseum.org or call (203) 753-0381.

Octoberfest @ Maritime Aquarium - On the Water!

Hoist ale on Saturday evenings in October as The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk offers special Octoberfest Cruises featuring tastings from local craft breweries.

These adults-only cruises – the latest in the Aquarium's occasional "Maritime With A Twist" social events – will showcase a different brewery each Saturday. Sample and enjoy the breweries' flagship and seasonal products, while taking in the gorgeous sights on Long Island Sound.

The schedule is:

• Oct. 7 – No Worries Brewing Co. of Hamden

• Oct. 14 – Charter Oak Brewing Co. of Danbury

• Oct. 21 – Two Roads Brewery Co. in Stratford

• Oct. 28 – The Owl's Brew of New York and Beer'd Brewing Co. of Stonington.

Representatives from the breweries will be along to pour and discuss their beers. Each 90-minute Octoberfest Cruise departs at 5 p.m.

The cruises are timed to include the setting autumn sun and, with luck, a dazzling western sky reflecting on the water. Get back in time to enjoy dinner or an evening out just steps away in the restaurants and nightspots of SoNo. Cruises occur aboard The Maritime Aquarium's R/V Spirit of the Sound™, a 64-foot catamaran that is the first research vessel in the country with quiet hybrid-electric propulsion. It docks outside the IMAX Theater.

Tickets are $50 ($45 for Aquarium members). Participants must be at least 21 years old. Space is limited on all Maritime Aquarium cruises, so advance reservations are strongly recommended.

The Land We Love @ Sharon Historical Society

The Gallery @the SHS of the Sharon Historical Society & Museum presents the opening of its show of artworks in The Gallery @the SHS, "The Land We Love", an invitational exhibition and sale of landscape art in a variety of media running through October 27, 2017.

Artists have been drawn to depict the world around them for millennia but it is only in the last two hundred years or so that nature, the physical landscape, painted in the open air, has been thought worthy by itself as the subject of a work of art. Delacroix said that art was nature filtered through a temperament.

For this show, artists were invited to submit their vision of the natural world in which we live. The Land that We Love features the work of area artists Basia Goldsmith, Norma Kimmel, Ellen Moon, Patty Mullins, Ray Olsen and Babs Perkins.

Artifacts from the SHS collection (including photographs from the CR Robinson Archive of landscapes around Sharon Gardens of Stone House) will be on display to complement the artwork.

All purchases at The Gallery @the SHS support the Sharon Historical Society & Museum's mission. The Gallery @the SHS is located at the Sharon Historical Society & Museum, 18 Main Street, Route 41, Sharon, CT. The gallery and museum are open Wednesday through Friday from 12-4, Saturday from 10-2 and by appointment. For more information and directions to The Gallery @the SHS, call (860) 364-5688. For additional information about the Sharon Historical Society & Museum, visit www.sharonhist.org

Origami @ The Discovery Museum's Gallery

The Discovery Museum and Planetarium in Bridgeport  is pleased to present the saturated colors and vivid patterning of New York-based artist Gloria Garfinkel, showing in the Center Gallery, through November, 2017. Garfinkel’s works embed bright and colorful arrays into an animated geometry inspired by origami paper folding objects and techniques.

In Garfinkel’s paintings, colorful patterns are energized by mounting them on aluminum panels constructed so that they are able to be manipulated by the viewer. In addition to these panels, Garfinkel presents a number of maquettes of proposals for flamboyant triumphant gateways, influenced by Japanese forms, for public art.

In the range of work presented in this exhibition, Garfinkel continues her fascination with the wide variety of patterns to be found in traditional Japanese fabrics. She takes these patterns and juxtaposes them with others, creating fields of conflicting color that act on the eye in lively ways.

The most distinctive body of work presented in this exhibition consists of striped wall panels, fabricated in aluminum, with inset sections that rotate when manipulated by the viewer. Garfinkel has accommodated patterning to the optical potential of moving discs by processing patterns through mathematics, the basis of most of her pattern work. If one wishes to see a wilder arrangement, the viewer is free to rotate the disk of stripes until, either diagonally or horizontally, the stripes prod the horizontal with a different energy level.

Garfinkel’s introduction of viewer manipulation is novel: it is also derived from Japanese influence, where careful arrangement of forms in very particular ways is part of the aesthetic experience. In this synthesis, Garfinkel has devised a uniquely approachable and participatory form of wall art.

In Garfinkel’s Flip pieces, squares, diamonds and tondos are divided in half into planes of soft color again derived from Japanese prototypes. An inconspicuous hinge running down the center of the panel reveals an overlaid panel that can be moved on the hinge to cover over either half of the circle and re-present the overall circle with a new arrangement of colors. Garfinkel, in her painting, combines a keen sense of the energy emitted by colors arranged vis-à-vis other colors, with a grounded drive to realize physical-sculptural ideas in finely fabricated devices.

Two Top Food Festival Lure Foodies to CT

The aroma of steaming chowder, the tantalizing scent of garlic, and the chance to sample the best specialties of Iceland await autumn visitors to Western Connecticut, home to three of the season's top food festivals.

Chowdafest, New England's largest cooking competition, will be held at Westport's Sherwood Island State Park on October 1, a new location spacious enough to accommodate the growing fan base, while another popular event, the tenth annual Connecticut Garlic & Harvest Festival takes place October 7-8, 2017 at the Bethlehem Fairgrounds.

YOU ARE THE JUDGE AT CHOWDAFEST

At this SOUPerbowl of festivals to benefit the Connecticut Food Bank, attendees are the judges as more than two dozen of the regions best restaurants compete in four categories: classic New England Clam Chowder, Traditional Manhattan and Rhode Island chowders, "creative" chowders that might be anything from sweet potato to Cajun shrimp, and bisque soups such as Butternut Squash and Golden Corn. Everyone receives a spoon, pencil and ballot and can sample unlimited chowder and soups, grading entries on a scale from 7 to 10. Winners are announced at the end of the event.

For tasting variety, samples are offered at the Cheese and Cracker Corner, at ChowdaMex featuring salsas and chips and at a beverage center stocked with beer and wine. The ChowdaKIDS area will provide samples of ice cream and milk as well as free chef hats, coloring books and stickers provided by Stop & Shop, the event sponsor.

Admission is $15 for adults, and ages 6 to 12 pay $5, children under 6 are free. Hours are 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Proceeds from this food festival to fight hunger have provided over 100,000 meals for the CT Food Bank. For information, see www.chowdafest.org

GARLIC IN ITS GLORY
Foodies flock each year to the Connecticut Garlic & Harvest Festival where they enjoy cooking demonstrations, informative food talks, lessons in growing garlic, plus free samplings of garlic dips, spreads, cheeses and oils from specialty food vendors. Visitors can buy farm-fresh garlic as well as other bounty from the fall harvest. All of that is the warm-up for some serious eating that includes treats like homemade roasted garlic sausage with peppers and onions, garlic marinated steak sandwiches, garlic roast pork sandwiches, deep fried garlic, and even garlic ice cream.

Live bands add to the festive feel, fine artisans are on hand offering hand made crafts and young visitors will find rides and games to keep them entertained.

The Garlic Festival will be held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday October 7 and 8 at the Bethlehem Fairgrounds, Route 61 just north of town. Adult admission is $8, Seniors: $7, under age 12, just $1. Find more details at www.garlicfestct.com

Walk Through Saugatuck History with Westport Historical Society

Join the Westport Historical Society on Saturday, September 30 for one of its most popular walking tours, a stroll through Old Saugatuck accompanied by guide Bob Mitchell. The one-hour tour begins at 3:00  p.m. and ends with a drink on the house at one of Saugatuck’s favorite haunts, the Black Duck.

As you make your way through the neighborhood that sits along the tracks near the Westport train station, Mitchell will discuss Saugatuck’s past as a manufacturing hub and the tight-knit, predominantly Italian community it was to become. Most of what we now know as Westport was once called Saugatuck, after the river, though when the town was incorporated in 1835 from parts of Norwalk and Fairfield, it was given the name Westport.

The walk will begin at the NY-bound side of the train station, where rail service was launched in 1848, making Westport more accessible for visitors and, in turn, giving residents better access to New York City. Railroad construction brought an influx of jobs, filled mostly by Irish and Italian laborers, and the young community eventually was called Little Italy. In 1958, a swath of buildings bisecting Saugatuck was demolished to make way for the Connecticut Turnpike.

Here are some bits of Saugatuck lore you’ll learn about: The Saugatuck Grain & Supply Company (1929), Luciano Park, the Westport Bank & Trust branch office, the Hedenbury Tin Shop, the Baynham Coffin Tack Factory, the first Saugatuck firehouse, the mattress factory, the William F. Cribari Bridge (the oldest movable span in Connecticut), and the Saugatuck Manufacturing Company, which made buttons from Brazilian ivory nuts.

The tour was created to give participants insights into Westport’s history and show how resilient Westporters have been in retaining the character of our town, even as the landscape changes and Saugatuck undergoes an impressive renaissance. There is a $10 suggested donation. Ages 12 and under are free. Reservations are recommended: (203) 222-1424. Meet in the Saugatuck Railroad Station, New York-bound side.

The Lockwood-Mathews Mansion Museum presents new works by artist Jan Dilenschneider

Twenty new paintings by Connecticut artist Jan Dilenschneider will be featured at the Lockwood-Mathews Mansion Museum in an exhibition entitled, Eco Visions, that runs through October 5, 2017, with a reception on Sept. 28, 5:30-7:30 p.m. The exhibition will be curated by Gail Ingis.  Ms. Dilenschneider’s works have been successfully featured for the last four years at the prestigious Galerie Pierre-Alain Challier in the historic Le Marais district in Paris.  Ms. Dilenschneider is the only living American artist to have her work on display at the Grand Palais in Paris.  In the past year her exhibitions have been featured at the Lyme Academy College of Fine Arts Sill House Gallery and at the Bellarmine Museum in Fairfield, Conn, where she broke attendance records.  Each of these exhibitions were solo shows.

The prestigious French newspaper Le Figaro reviewed the 2015 exhibition, Nature at its Most Melodically Colorful and said, “Dilenschneider expresses her artistic sensibility unhampered by the trends and tyrannies of the art market.  She wields her brush with wild passion and tremulous elation, bringing trees, flowers, grass and reeds to calm majestic life.”

“I love to highlight the beauty of nature through my paintings of vegetation, clear waters and their beautiful colors” said Dilenschneider. “Through my paintings, I encourage the viewer to fall in love with nature all over again and consider ecology at all times.”

About Dilenschneider's Work

Dilenschneider received her training at The Ohio State University, The National Academy of Design in New York, the North Shore Art League in Illinois, and the Silvermine Arts Center in Connecticut.

“One of the most exciting moments of my life was when I was entering a painting in a juried show and Roy Lichtenstein helped me put the hooks and wire on the back,” said Dilenschneider. “He was the juror and gave me first prize for The Mourners. I was 17 years old.”

Dilenschneider has painted all her life but she is relatively new to the art scene, when it comes to its marketing aspect, as she began selling her work in the spring of 2013. “My everyday surroundings in Connecticut by the sea are a vast a resource of inspiration,” says Dilenschneider. “I am continually influenced by shore grasses bending in the breeze, blue skies reflected in the cool water, and extraordinary trees silhouetted against green lawns.” 

Although the French magazine LUX, among others, called her work “the new Impressionism,” Jan considers herself an Expressionist who loves the Impressionists’ palette. Dilenschneider’s most recent work combines landscapes and abstract images. One can see in them her gradual merging of the abstract into the landscape canvases.

The French Magazine, LE MAG, wrote of Dilenschneider’s work, “Dilenschneider avoids figuration and abstraction, instead painting highly charged landscapes with strong lines and bold sometimes clashing colors.  But the result is so harmonious that viewers want nothing more than to lose themselves in the contemplation of the glorious nature before them, and to make sure that it remains as stunning for generations.”

Entrance Details

 The exhibition will be part of the tours’ general admission and schedule: Wed. through Sun., 12-4 p.m. 45 minute tour: $10 Adults, $ 8 seniors, $6 children 8-18 years old; 90 minute tour: $20 adults, $18 seniors, $16 children 8-18 years old. Tours and reception tickets will be available online, through the Museum’s website, or by calling 203-838-9799 ext. 4. Walk-ins will be welcomed, subject to availability. 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.

Colonial Cookery and Customs for Kids at the Wilton Historical Society

Maslin is a mixed crop of wheat and rye. It's little grown today, but used to be the staple crop for many farmers. Using whole meal wheat and dark rye, maslin bread is a high-fiber, wholesome alternative to the classic white loaf.  On Saturday, September 30 from 11:00 – 12:30 the Wilton Historical Society will be holding a Colonial Cookery and Customs Workshop for Kids, and the focus will be on preparing a loaf of this rustic grain mixture.  Museum Educator Lola Chen will be showing the children how to make a loaf of maslin bread sweetened with blackberries.  The children will enjoy vigorously kneading the bread, as well as sampling the finished product.

The Colonial Cookery and Customs for Kids workshop at the Wilton Historical Society teaches kids a “reciept” (recipe) used in the Connecticut region.  While the food is prepared, they hear about Colonial manners, morals and way of life.  The monthly workshops feature relatively simple dishes made with local, seasonal ingredients, adapted for modern kitchens.  All participants will sample their own cooking and take home recipe cards - as well as any leftovers! The children will learn how a Colonial kitchen would have operated, in order to appreciate the modern conveniences we take for granted.  Previous sessions have made bannock cakes, pease porridge, pickles, an amulet of green peas, apple tansey, fairy butter, pumpkin bread, cranberry shortbread, New Year’s “cakes”, New England chowder, hand pies, cheese and ramp soufflé, and pea and watercress Rappahannock. 

Did You Know?

The Oxford English Dictionary defines "maslin" as a "Mixed grain, esp. rye mixed with wheat. Also, bread made of mixed corn." The word derives from Old French "mesteillon" which in turn derives from Latin "miscere," to mix. The oldest reference to this word in English print dates to 1303, and over time there have been many spelling variations. Maslin bread, as is true with most European foods made with rye, was the food of the common/poorer people. Wealthy people ate bread composed solely of wheat. The wealthier the person, the finer the wheat.

Watertown House Tour Sept. 30

The 12th Annual Watertown House Tour will take place on Saturday, September 30 from 11am to 3pm, rain or shine. Five fabulous properties will be featured in this year's tour including The Buell H. Heminway House at 305 Main Street, The Copper House at 28 Nova Scotia Hill Road, The Henry Long House at 423 Northfield Road, The Boone House at 561 Winding Brook Farm Road, and The Barrett House at 53 Hamilton Avenue. The Nova Scotia Schoolhouse at 22 DeForest Street will also be open for viewing.

Advance house tour tickets are $25 per person, and will be $30 the day of the tour. Tickets for this self-guided house tour and are non-refundable & can be purchased by mailing a check or money order to: Watertown House Tour P.O. Box 853 Watertown, CT 06795 Checks should be made payable to the "Watertown Historical Society". Tickets can also be purchased online with a credit card or Paypal at: www.watertownhistoricalsociety.org Requests for tickets after Friday, September 22 will be held for pick-up on the day of the tour at the Nova Scotia Schoolhouse at 22 DeForest Street.

House Tour tickets are available to purchase at the following retail locations: LaBonne's Market in Watertown, Chubba's in Watertown, the Health Complex, The Watertown Library, Hosking's Nursery, Depot Square Farm Shoppe, and Jimmy's of Watertown. On the day of the tour tickets will be available at all of the businesses, all of the houses, and at the Nova Scotia Schoolhouse, which will be tour headquarters.

Call the Historical Society at 860-274-1050 or view www.watertownhistoricalsociety.org for more information. New this year, Sunset Grille, located at 834 Northfield Road in Watertown, is offering a special luncheon for attendees of the house tour. Present your house tour ticket for the purchase of lunch at a special house tour price.

About The Tour

The Watertown House Tour is a benefit for the Watertown Historical Society and Museum in Watertown, CT. The Watertown Historical Society is a private, nonprofit, all volunteer organization dedicated to collecting, preserving, and sharing Watertown's and Oakville's history.

Be the Judge @ Chowdafest Oct 1

The 10^th anniversary for Chowdafest is taking place at Sherwood Island State Park in Westport on Oct. 1 from 11 am - 3 pm  and it's expected to set several records. This year's event will feature the best restaurant line-up they have had to date, showcasing past and defending champions plus half the field is new to the event. If the weather is as terrific as in years past, they are expecting a record crowd which hopefully means a record donation too.

Chowdafest is a true people's choice event where the public determines the best chowder, soup and bisque in New England. Everyone is a judge. This event wants to give everybody a spoon, ballot and pencil when they enter and off they go to enjoy unlimited sampling from 40 restaurants from Manhattan to Maine and as far away as Seattle. 

Attendees use a ballot flashing back to the 70's where you would fill in bubbles like on a test. Foodies are asked to rate everything they try on a scale from 7 to 10.5 in half point intervals. The ballots are then scanned throughout the event so the winners are determined and announced shortly upon the conclusion of the event. The restaurants by category who have the highest rating are declared champions.

The real winner of course is the charity tied to Chowdafest which is Food Rescue US. “Event organizers hope to fund over a half million meals in the ongoing fight against food insecurity. Surprisingly food isn't the problem facing hunger. We have plenty of food but it's poorly distributed. Food Rescue US does a great job identifying excess food and redistributes it to shelters and groups who need it.  Fighting food insecurity is synergistic to promoting the participating restaurants and sponsors.

Tickets are now available online at www.chowdafest.org/tickets.  Tickets includes sampling in  all  specialty sections.  There is an Italian section called “Ciao-dafest” where you can sample freshly baked artisan breads, dipped in premium pasta sauce plus salad mixes and an Italian themed chowder entered by Mario Batali's Tarry Lodge restaurant.  In the  “ChowdaMex” section  people can sample premium salsas, guacamole and a chicken tortilla soup entered in the competition. 

There's also a “sweet treats” section where you can sample farm fresh milk, ice cream, yogurt, cheese, even candy. You can sample juices, sparkling beverages and more in the beverage bog plus coffees and teas! 

Rounding out the pallet is the sample booth for The Great Mac and Chili Challenge, the sister event to Chowdafest that takes place on 11/5, also at Sherwood Island. You'll get a taste of great mac n' cheese and chili. This event has something for all tastes.

Tickets are $20 adults, $5 kids (6-12) and parking is FREE. You can save $5 on every adult ticket if you're a AAA member.

New Show @ Carole Peck's Good News Cafe

Carole Peck's Good News Cafe located on 694 Main Street South in Woodbury is hosting a new art exhibit by Sebastian DiStefano that will run through November 21. DiStefano’s work from the 1960’s to the present includes watercolors, oil on Masonite, and acrylics which depict how he explores color, line, and composition. These paintings, that are the product of five decades of work depict a full expression of the emotional experiences of his life. “I love the elements of painting; it sets my mind in motion where I am seeking the balance even if the piece ends up unbalanced. I don’t speak for my paintings they speak for me.”

Mr. DiStefano was a Waterbury native. He spent his life painting abstract and non-objective art, a medium where he felt most comfortable. Color and balance were two focal areas for him. He was inspired by the Abstract Expressionists and Color Field artists and is also moved by Baroque painters. The incorporation of light and dark contrasts are woven into his works; and, as he painted, he continually turned his pieces around to seek balance. Even in the pieces that appear unbalanced, balance is found. This allows many of his works to be viewed from different perspectives, even though he had seen it in one particular orientation and allowing any owner of his works to hang these pieces from their own perspective.

Mr. DiStefano graduated from the University of Connecticut with a BA in Art and continued his studies at the Tyler School of Art, Temple University. He returned to Waterbury, Connecticut where he stayed the majority of his life until moving to Cheshire. Mr. DiStefano was a true artist and found artwork his expression from within. Rather than being driven to sell his artwork, Mr. DiStefano saw his work as an extension of himself. As a result, this collection remains intact today; as the family states, this show represents the true heart of the artist he was throughout his life. His work has been exhibited at Gallery 53-Meriden Arts and Crafts Association, Sharon Creative Arts Foundation, Mattatuck Community College, The University of North Dakota, the Waterbury Arts Festival, Slater Memorial Museum, Silvermine Guild of Artists, and previously before at Good News Restaurant & Bar.

Carole Pecks is open from 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily, from 12 noon to 10 p.m. on Sunday and is closed Tuesdays.