Renowned Author to Lecture on Celebrated Gilded Age Romance at the Lockwood-Mathews Mansion Museum

On Wednesday, September 10, 2014, 11 a.m., at the Lockwood-Mathews Mansion Museum, 295 West Avenue in Norwalk, CT, author Jean Zimmerman will give a talk entitled, Love Fiercely: A Gilded Age Romance. A book signing courtesy of Elm Street Books in New Canaan will follow the lecture.

A famous John Singer Sargent portrait inspired Ms. Zimmerman to research its subjects and write their love story. Edith Minturn was a beautiful heiress and Isaac Newton Phelps Stokes, a wealthy young architect. Contemporaries of the Astors and the Vanderbilts, Stokes became a passionate preserver of New York history, Minturn the supermodel of their day, and together they battled on behalf of New York's poor and powerless as reformers. This lecture will explore the couple's era and their world, one of fantastic wealth, when a Madison Avenue scion was moved to create model tenements and a beautiful heiress found herself cast in gold, floating above the modern landscape of America.

This will be the fourth in a series of lectures entitled, Lockwood-Mathews Mansion: Seventy-Four Years of Culture - Art, Life, and Love, 1864-1938 by curators and experts in the field of Victorian era material life. The lectures are $25 for members, $30 for non-members per session. Please RSVP by Friday, September 5, 2014. The price includes lecture, lunch and a first floor Mansion tour. Lunch is courtesy of Michael Gilmartin's Outdoor Cookers. 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 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.

Baby Clothing from 1800- 1950 Exhibition at the Wilton Historical Society

The Wilton Historical Society's fall show called White Linen and Lace, Baby Clothing from 1800- 1950 that will be on display through October 4. Pure yet practical, white has been the traditional choice for baby clothing for hundreds of years. In this small exhibition, tiny garments made with love and lavished with fine needlework are on display. There are christening gowns and slips, night gowns, caps, bonnets, bibs, dresses and petite shoes created between 1800 and 1950. The delicate attire is shown with some of the furnishings of childhood – a cradle, blankets, highchair, silver mugs and utensils, baby bottles and rattles.

A circa 1870 sewing box reminds us of the countless hours women spent laboring over their precious snowy creations, working by the light of candles, oil lamps, or by rays of sunlight through a window. Exquisite clothing with nearly invisible stitches, tiny tucking, tatting, crochet, soutache, cutwork, drawn work and embroidery -- their needle skills are remarkable.

Of particular interest are the family connections many of these heirlooms have with Wilton. Do these names sound familiar? Sturgis, Hurlbutt, Ambler, Belden, Davenport, Evans, Nash, Marvin, Parisot, Rounds – many are now memorialized as road names, while others still boast descendants living in town today.

Another exhibition, Changing Times: Hand Tools Before the Industrial Revolution, features Connecticut Tools of the Trades from the Walter R.T. Smith Collection.  Mounted on the walls of the Burt Barn Gallery, the setting compliments the sculptural appearance of the old tools. They have an almost folk-art quality, with their worn wood and rather eccentric shapes. The machines that supplanted them in the Industrial Revolution would never have the soul of these antique implements.

Both exhibitions will continue through October 4, 2014. The Wilton Historical Society is located on 224 Danbury Road and is open Tuesday—Saturday, 10:00-4:00.  There are house tours every day at 2:00, and by appointment.  For more information http://www.wiltonhistorical.org

The Abbott Blacksmith Shop, also on the property, with a working blacksmith, is open most Saturdays, except in winter.

Hollister House Garden Rare Plant Sale and More Sept. 6 -7

The Garden Conservancy and Hollister House Garden located in the Litchfield Hills has announced the fourth biennial Hollister House Garden Study Weekend, to be held the weekend of September 6 - 7. For more information about the Hollister House Garden in Washington Connecticut visit www.hollisterhousegarden.org.

On Saturday, September 6, New Plants/New Gardens, a symposium at the Heritage Hotel in Southbury, CT, will provide an opportunity to hear some of the most interesting voices in landscape architecture, ecological design, and horticulture at work today.  The symposium will be moderated by garden writer Stephen Orr,  and will begin with breakfast on Saturday at the Heritage Hotel. Speakers include: Dan Hinkley, plant explorer, founder of Heronswood Nursery, and winner of the Royal Horticultural Society's Veitch's Medal, presenting "Shade, Shadows, Sun: Life and Living in Two Gardens" Margie Ruddick, Cooper-Hewitt National Design award-winning landscape architect, sharing her pioneering approach to landscape design in a talk entitled "Wild by Design" Darrel Morrison, native plant expert and landscape architect, whose work includes Storm King Art Center, the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, and the Native Flora Garden at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, exploring the idea of landscape design as ecological art Ed Bowen, proprietor of Opus Nursery and working gardener, introducing new plants that will serve as the garden archetypes of the 21st century

The day will continue with a Plant Show-and-Tell with noted plant connoisseur Marco Polo Stufano, garden writer Page Dickey, and nurseryman Adam Wheeler showing favorite plants and discussing the special merits of each. Hickory Stick Bookshop will be at the Saturday symposium selling garden-related gifts and books. After the symposium, participants are invited to a cocktail reception at Hollister House Garden in Washington, CT, with early access to the Rare and Unusual Plant Sale that will be open to the public the following morning. A silent auction of a few choice plants will also take place that evening.

Admission to the reception and early buying is included in admission to the symposium. Admission to just the cocktail party and plant sale preview is also available to those not participating in the symposium. Registrations for Saturday-- for the symposium and cocktail party, including early buying at the sale of Rare and Unusual Plants, is $175 per person for registrations purchased by August 1 and for members of Hollister House Garden and the Garden Conservancy. After August 1, registrations for non-members are $190 apiece. A special rate at the Heritage Hotel in Southbury is available for symposium participants by contacting the hotel directly at 800.932.3466 and mentioning "Garden Study Weekend." Tickets for cocktails and early buying for Rare and Unusual Plant Sale (held at Hollister House Garden, Washington, CT) are $40 for Hollister House Garden members, $45 for all others. 

On Sunday, the Litchfield County Open Day Sale of Rare and Unusual Plants brings on the public portion of the plant sale at Hollister House Garden and the opening of five exceptional gardens (Hollister House Garden, Greyledge Farm, Maywood, Lagniappe Garden, and the Pearsall garden) in Washington, Bridgewater, and Roxbury as part of the Garden Conservancy's Open Days program. For more information on the Litchfield County Open Day, including hours, maps, and descriptions of each garden, visit the Open Days schedule on www.gardenconservancy.org No pre-registration is necessary for Sunday programs. Open Days admission is $5 per person, per garden. Children 12 and under free.

A Taste of Danbury - September 6 & 7

Every year for two weekend days in September, A Taste of Greater Danbury, the City's super-sized food fest draws a 15,000-strong crowd, hungry for a smorgasbord of menu and music. This year's summer festival cherry-on-the-top, hosted by CityCenter Danbury, will be held on Saturday, September 6th, noon to 10:00pm, and Sunday, September 7th, noon to 7:00pm on the CityCenter Green (at Ives Street). This year the "taste" is better than ever with more than 20 food vendors and... Blood Sweat & Tears.

You can grab a bite from Danbury Deli & Market, El Sabor Ecuatoriano,Green Island Chicken, The Ice Cream Guy, Mango Tree, Nick's Restaurant, Two Steps Downtown Grille, and/or Weenie Lynn's, all Danbury purveyors; Ridgefield's Odeen's BBQ;Thai Awesome of Hamden; New Milford's Primo's Deli; Newtown's Romy's BBQ; and more.

Then, on Saturday night, listen to the sounds of Blood Sweat & Tears, featuring Bo Bice, playing the hits that started BS&T's meteoric rise and complicated jazz riffs that audiences appreciate worldwide with standing ovations nightly. Emily Elbert, listed on the Guitar Center Singer-Songwriter Top Ten, takes center stage with her strong melodies, straight-to-the-heart vocals, and intricate guitar work, fusing old-school R & B styles with progressive influence and insight. That's not all. In two days, you'll taste a world jam-packed from slice to song, crafts to cannoli, funnel cake to... fun.

Don't miss the 37th annual Norwalk Oyster Festival

Don't miss the 37th annual Norwalk Oyster Festival that promises to be the biggest and bester ever!

Fun for families and friends from nine to ninety, the 37th annual Norwalk Seaport Association Oyster Festival will be held this year from Friday, September 5 through Sunday, September 7. This year's entertainment highlights include music from nationally known-bands on all three days including Scott Stapp of Creed on Friday and Joan Jett and the Blackhearts on Saturday at 9 p.m..  Festival goers will enjoy a wide variety of rides, cooking competitions, arts and crafts and a diverse assortment of attractions and entertainment that promise unforgettable fun.

A festival favorite  will feature the action packed Paul Bunyan Lumberjack Show that will feature world champion lumberjacks demonstrating their log rolling, axe throwing, chopping, sawing, tree climbing and dragster chainsaw skills. This show will take place on all three days: Friday at 7 p.m. and 8:30 p.m., Saturday at 7 p.m., 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m., 3 p.m. and 5 p.m.

The New England Fishing Village with demonstrations, samples and displays as well as the International Food Court offering a diverse selection of dining choices add to the fun. 

For the Kids

The festival’s Pirates Coast Adventure will wow children of all ages. Here, kids can meet real life pirates and look for booty in treasure hunts, hear storytelling and join in other fun-filled activities. New this year will be realistic demonstrations. The Kids' Cove includes games, rides and entertainment. This interactive pirate encampment gives kids a taste of what seafaring was like during the golden age of piracy from 1650-1750.  In addition, there will be an action-packed performance by Marvel Super Heroes.

Sunday is Family Day with special family and children's packages for entrance, rides and meals. The perk of family day on Sunday is that one child under 12 gets in free with each adult paid admission and for a mere $15 can ride all the amusement rides free from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. To round out the family fun there will be live shows for kids on the festival's main stage.

For the Whole Family

The festival offers a wide array of attractions the whole family will enjoy, including continuous entertainment by local musicians and national acts.  A multitude of fine artists and crafters display whimsical as well as practical items that appeal to all tastes, budgets and ages.  For on the water fun, head to the festival docks to tour historic vessels and to cruise the scenic and historic Norwalk Harbor.

For the Foodies

Food demonstrations and competitions, including the always-popular chowder and chili cook-offs will take place throughout the festival.  A highlight of the Festival is the wide variety of great food from around the world that is available at the International Food Court. This culinary fare is prepared by dozens of local nonprofit organizations allowing them to raise vital funds for their charitable causes.   At the Oyster Pavilion, learn about Norwalk's oystering history while watching slurping and shucking contests. The celebrity Slurpoff will be held on Saturday at 3 p.m. in front of Oyster Pavilion.

The event is held at Veteran's Park, adjacent to Norwalk Harbor on Seaview Avenue in Norwalk, CT. Admission for adults is $10 on Friday, $12 on Saturday and Sunday. Senior tickets are $10 all days. Children 5-12 year's old are $5. Children under 5 and U.S. military personnel on active duty are free. Sunday is Family Day with special pricing on that day only -- 1 child (age 5-12) free with each paid adult admission. Tickets can be purchased at www.seaport.org.  Free Parking and Free Shuttle Bus service is provided from four (4) local parking lots, just follow the signs to Oyster Festival Parking.

Save on Metro-North Railroad/Norwalk Oyster Festival Tickets

Festivalgoers can save on admission and rail fare when they purchase the Metro-North Railroad/Norwalk Seaport Association Oyster Festival discount package. Packages are available at all ticket offices and ticket machines (except South Norwalk Station).  On sale starting July 15.  Package price from GCT/Harlem-125th Street: Adults, $27; Seniors, persons with disabilities and individuals receiving Medicare, $21; Children 12, $22; Children 5-11, $5; Children under 5, free. - See more at: http://web.mta.info/mnr/html/getaways/outbound_oyster_fest.htm

Packages also run from other stations.

About the Norwalk Seaport Association

The Norwalk Seaport Association was founded in 1978 as a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation, education and public awareness of Norwalk's maritime environment and heritage. The Seaport Association and its volunteers are solely responsible for organizing and financing the Oyster Festival. In addition to the Oyster Festival, the Norwalk Seaport Association owns Sheffield Lighthouse and its volunteers maintain the lighthouse and grounds as a museum and nature preserve. For more information, visit www.seaport.org or call (203) 838-9444.

Jiggle a Jelly at Maritime Aquarium Norwalk

Apparently it's a lot of fun to touch jellyfish when you know you won't be stung. "Jiggle A Jelly" has become a permanent offering at The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk. It's free with Aquarium admission.

 Visitors will be able to experience the unusual sensation of touching jellies making Jiggle A Jelly' one of the Aquarium regular hands-on features, along with their Intertidal Touch Tank and our Shark & Ray Touch Pool.

Visitors can safely touch live moon jellyfish, one of the most common species in Long Island Sound. Maritime Aquarium volunteers staff the exhibit, encouraging visitors to use two fingers to gently touch the top of the jellyfishes' gelatinous body or "bell."

 Moon jellies (Aurelia aurita) do have tentacles but their stings are generally benign to people. A common species in Long Island Sound, they grow to dinner-plate size during the warmth of summer. Short tentacles rim their bell, and four "oral arms" extend underneath. Moon jellies are colorless and translucent, except for four central horseshoe-shaped reproductive organs.

Letting visitors get close to jellyfish is nothing new for The Maritime Aquarium. A mesmerizing gallery featuring moon jellies, sea nettles, lion's mane and other live species of jellyfish is now in its 19th year at the Aquarium and remains among the most popular and memorable exhibits.

Plus, displays of jellies in their various life stages in the Jellyfish Culture Lab let visitors see how the Aquarium keeps a year-round supply of the seasonal creatures on exhibit. But "Jiggle A Jelly" is the first time visitors have been able to touch them.

Learn more about the Aquarium's exhibits, IMAX® movies and programs at www.maritimeaquarium.org or by calling (203) 852-0700.  For information on Fairfield County visit www.visitfairfieldcountyct.com

Art for the Landscape at Washington Art Association

The Washington Art Association in collaboration with the Washington Park Foundation is exhibiting the work of two extraordinary sculptors, Michael Steiner and Mark Mennin  in a show called Art for the Landscapes. 

Art for the Landscape" showcases selected works by Michael Steiner and Mark Mennin are internationally renowned sculptors. Even though they have both categorically refused to participate in group exhibitions in recent years, they have graciously agreed to exhibit their work in Washington, CT as a way to invite visitors and residents alike to think about sculpture. By placing some of their works together they hope to encourage some interesting dialogues about form, materials, and functions.

Mark Mennin

Mark Mennin is known for large-scale works of stone that people can sit on or lie in.

Their chosen materials would seem to create two counterpoints of approach: the construction of steel and the reduction of stone. However, they both consider themselves modelers of their materials. Steiner has never constructed steel to be a collage of found objects. Rather, he addresses his lyrical forms holistically, building and cutting away to a modeled refinement. The difference is subtle but has separated him from much of his generation of welders. His steel drawings are unbroken lines.

Likewise, Mennin's sculptures, on any scale, involve the building up and carving of stone to a refinement that fits his narrative. This has been true whether on earthwork, architectural, or miniature scales, and in both singular objects or multiple object installations. The common ground of these two sculptors is a sensibility of modeling in otherwise unforgiving materials. Beyond their personal narratives, there is meaning in the materials and the layers of process involved in each one.

Michael Steiner

A leading member of the Bennington school, abstract artists associated with Bennington College, Michael Steiner creates sophisticated abstract sculpture, often with repetitive, geometric patterns.

Though both artists have intuitively addressed issues of their own times, they have also looked to the history of art. This has provided their contemporary ideas and traditional materials with a continuity and freshness that makes for interesting convergences and polarities.

The "Art for the Landscape" exhibition runs from August 30 through September 27. Gallery hours are Tuesdays through Saturdays 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. and Sundays Noon - 4 p.m. For additional information http://www.washingtonartassociation.org.

Lime Rock Park: A Very Special Auto 'Museum' And Vintage Car Parade

While New York City may be home to some of the world's finest museums, when it comes to celebrating the history of personal mobility, automotive enthusiasts will only need to travel 100 miles from the Big Apple to visit a unique once-per-year "museum" - Lime Rock Park's Sunday in the Park concours d'elegance. The concours, and its unusual companion event, the Gathering of the Marques, is Sunday, August 31. The historic weekend kicks off with a Vintage Racecar Parade that takes place on August 28.  More than 120 gorgeous sports cars, including un-muffled race cars, launch from Sam Posey Straight at 4:00 p.m., then do a 17-mile rally that includes driving slowly through the heart of Lakeville and Salisbury. Line the sidewalks and you’ll be just a few feet away from the coolest parade in the Litchfield Hills. The parade route winds from Lime Rock Park along Rte. 44 to downtown Lakeville and Salisbury where the street are lined with spectators.  The parade continues on through Noble Horizons and then proceeds to Falls Village where the cars line up to be admired at a festive community street fair.  This annual event is free and open to the public.  In honor of this festival, traffic in downtown Falls Village comes to a standstill for this two-hour kick off to the Labor Day weekend celebration.  A highly anticipated highlight of this event is the opportunity to win a chance to waive the green flag at a vintage race at Lime Rock as well as to see these rare historic cars up close and personal, one after another as they line the street.  When visiting the concours, participants will see a variety of cars from very old cars, some of which look virtually brand new to  race cars from more than half-a-century ago that are still raced today. The concours and marque gathering have been integral to Lime Rock Park's traditional Labor Day weekend vintage extravaganza since the 1980s. This year's Historic Festival 32 is presented by Bentley & Gathering of the Marques, with almost 1,000 tremendous cars on the track. Sir Stirling Moss is the Honored Guest. And cars from the spectacular collection of Ralph Lauren will be there and on display, Friday, August 29 through Monday, September 1.   While concours are staged throughout America, Lime Rock's is unique; no other venue in the U.S. has three days of on-track racing sandwiching a prestigious concours event - all on the same property. Historic Festival 32, the Sunday in the Park Concours & Gathering of the Marques is Friday, August 29 through Labor Day Monday, September 1. The vintage racing itself is Saturday and Monday, dawn to dusk, 300+ cars divided into 10 competitive race groups. The 2012 Honored Guest is Sir Stirling Moss, considered motorsports' greatest "all-rounder" driver in the sport. Many of the famous cars he drove to noteworthy victories at the peak of his F1 and sports car career - Vanwalls, Coopers, Jaguars, Maseratis - will be displayed, demonstrated and even raced over the weekend. ABOUT LIME ROCK PARK Lime Rock Park is one of America's most recognized road racing venues and has been continuously operated since its opening in 1957. Listed on the National Registry of Historic Places by the National Park Service, the track is 1.5 miles in length, encompassing seven corners and more than seven stories of elevation change. The track is considered one of the most beautiful - and challenging to drive - in the world, constructed in a natural valley in the Berkshire Mountains of Litchfield Hills in northwest Connecticut. Discounted advance-priced tickets can be purchased at www.limerock.comwww.limerock.com or by calling 860.435.5000 For area information www.litchfieldhills.com

West Cornwall Scenery, Shopping & More

There are many reasons to visit the bucolic village of West Cornwall.  The West Cornwall Covered Bridge is a wooden lattice truss bridge built around 1864 that spans the Housatonic River.  This is one of two bridges that can actually be crossed by auto traffic.  Many visitors to West Cornwall take photos of this iconic covered bridge.

In the heart of the village there are several interesting shops to explore.  Cornwall Bridge Pottery http://www.cbpots.com owned by Todd Piker, one of the country's most prolific potters produces high quality wood fired pots for everyday use.  In his shop you will find lamps, planters, mugs, plates, bowls and much more.  In addition to pottery, you will also find an official Shaker Furniture Room.

If you are a book lover, don't miss Barbara Farnsworth Bookseller http://www.farnsworthbooks.com.  This shop is located in an old masonic hall and has over 45,000 books !  There are large selections in literature, biography, poetry, diaries and letters, art, architecture, photography, fashion and costume, natural history, cookbooks, children's books, and many other categories.

The Wish House is a gorgeous shop that offers a wide array of gift items and clothes.  The gallery at the Wish House exhibits the artwork of local artists and hosts author events.  The West Cornwall Farmers Market is also held here on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. through October.

On Saturday, August 10 from 3 p.m. - 5 p.m., The Wish House is hosting a book signing with Cornwall Author and Illustrator Valorie Fisher and her new children's book I CAN DO IT MYSELF to benefit the Cornwall Child Center.  This beautifully illustrated book is the ideal all-in-one concept book for children, teaching them how to tie their shoes, brush their teeth, and much more. Award-winning author-illustrator Fisher uses bright, gorgeous photos to illustrate these topics in a completely fresh way, which is sure to delight parents and their children who are newly reveling in the joy of independence.

Coffee House at Westport Historical Society

On August 29 from 6 p.m. - 8 p.m. join songwriter Suzanne Sheridan and other local musicians for an evening of Civil Rights and Vietnam War protest songs in tribute to the late folk icon Pete Seeger.

The writer of such Sixties anthems as "If I Had a Hammer," "Where Have All the Flowers Gone" and "Turn, Turn, Turn," Seeger was also an environmental activist and co-founder of the Hudson River Sloop Clearwater project. He died Jan. 28 at the age of 94.

The evening kicks off with a set by Weston's Bruce Taylor, a retired teacher and maker of string instruments who was a friend of Seeger's. Taylor specialized in the "Seeger- style" 12- string guitar and the long-neck five-string banjo that he created just for Seeger. He and Seeger collaborated on a few songs and also performed together, usually in support of the Clearwater project.

Sheridan, who began her music career writing jingles for such companies as Pepsi, Hasbro toys and Texaco and writing music for The Electric Company and PBS television, has been traveling the world the last three years doing tributes to the music of Joni Mitchell and Leonard Cohen. In addition to Seeger's "If I Had a Hammer," she will perform other favorites of the Counterculture era.

Also joining the songfest will be Westport keyboardist Bob Cooper. Cooper played piano in the John Mooney Blues Band from 1978 to 1981, and keyboard for Harvey Robbins' Doo-Wop Hall of Fame concerts from 2000 to 2009.

So, if you were wondering where all the flowers had gone back in the Sixties, or just love great music, come out to the Westport Historical Society on August 29 for an evening that combines Seeger's songs with a bit of recent U.S. history.

Admission is $15 and reservations are recommended. Light refreshments will be served. For more information and to reserve, call (203) 222-1424.

For more information on the Westport Historical Society http://westporthistory.org.

Sunflowers are out at the Bartlett Arboretum and Gardens

Sunflowers are at their brilliant peek at the Bartlett Arboretum and Gardens located on  151 Brookdale Rd. in Stamford.   Bright yellow with chocolate centers,  sunflowers or Helianthus annus are native to the dry plains, meadows and foothills of the Western United States.  Known for their delicious edible seeds and cooking oil, sunflowers also support  birds and butterflies. The popularity of sunflowers has led to extensive hybridization, creating varying heights and colors for your garden.  The common name, sunflower was given to Helianthus annus as the flowers tend to follow the track of the sun throughout the day.

Photo courtesy of Elaine Hjelte

If you want to discover your inner artist, join Kathie Milligan on Wednesdays from 9:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. to learn how to draw natural forms of life.  These sessions focus on developing an individual drawing style by using nature as your subject.  Through close observation participants will examine various types of organic forms and explore their unique qualities.  Movement, use of positive and negative space, exaggeration, choice of composition and employment of light are some of the means of imparting individual character to natural forms. Water color, pencil, pen and ink and charcoal are the materials that will be used. The cost is $20.  Please email Kathie Milligan at swyzzer@aol.com for more information.

On September 14, the Bartlett is hosting a vegetable garden tour and presenting a canning demonstration beginning at 11 a.m.  The tour will be led by master gardeners that are responsible for the design and maintaince of the Bartlett's vegetable gardens.  After the tour, there will be a canning demonstration in the Silver Education Center on the grounds of the Bartlett. 

The Bartlett is also offering a UConn Master Composters Certification beginning  October 4, for five consecutive Saturdays. Classes will be approximately from 9:30 am to 3:30 pm. The program covers a variety of composting systems, including commercial, farm and worm composting, but has an emphasis on residential composting; classes will cover in detail the science of composting. Master Gardener certification or prior composting experience is not necessary. Registration is limited to 24 interns and the slots will be filled on a first come first serve basis based on receipt of a completed registration form mailed to the Home & Garden Center at UConn Storrs, accompanied by a check for $100. If you wish to obtain a syllabus that details the lectures, dates and locations, and a registration brochure, please contact Greg Moonie, State Coordinator, UConn Master Composter Program at moonie@optonline.net.

For more information on the Bartlett Arboretum and Gardens visit http://bartlettarboretum.org/

Larry Silver/Westport Visions: Four Decades of Photography at Westport Historical Society

Today, some 40 years since his earliest forays into Connecticut, Larry Silver is sharing his retrospective of Westport photographs at the Westport Historical Society, located on 25 Avery Place in Westport through October 18, 2014. The exhibition, titled Larry Silver/Westport Visions, features images of the town's favorite haunts, quiet spots and humorous encounters of everyday life in this culturally dynamic community along the shore of Long Island Sound and mouth of the Saugatuck River.

Larry Silver spent decades photographing the neighborhoods and public spaces of Westport, and the coming exhibit features images of its beaches, open fields, parks and downtown that are indicative of a love affair with his adopted town. This personal, creative journey began in 1973, when Larry Silver and his family moved from New York City to Westport.

Drawn from hundreds of images of Westport, this exhibition includes over 50 gelatin silver prints, many vintage. Included are icons of Silver's career, such as the Compo Beach images Beach Showers (1980) and Dancing on the Jetties (1979), which depict isolated human figures in strongly composed, and graphic environments. This body of work is stylistically reminiscent of his earlier Photo League material, yet demonstrates the evolution of his lyrical and balanced compositions that define his trademark style. It also features images never exhibited or published before, including views of Sherwood Island State Park, the Gillespie Center (now Homes for Hope), town celebrations, local farms and neighborhoods, plus additional images of Compo, Longshore and downtown Westport. Silver shot the majority of these with a 35-millimeter Nikon, a 2 1/4 by 2 1/4 Hasselblad or a 4 x 5 view camera. However, in recent years, he has explored possibilities of digital cameras.

Westport Visions offers longtime residents, those new to the area, along with visitors an opportunity to pause and reflect upon the ever-evolving town, from its roots as an agrarian village to a summer resort and artistic community to a modern metropolitan suburb. Many of the places that Silver captured with his camera have changed or disappeared, yet, others, like views of commuters at the train station and bathers at Compo Beach, remain, at once timeless and familiar. This exhibition will provide audiences an opportunity to think about Westport's past and future, with its omnipresent call to improve and be vibrant.

Westport Historical Society is open Mon. - Friday, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. and Sat. 12 noon - 4 p.m. For additional information http://westporthistory.org. For area information www.visitfairfieldcountyct.com

Scents and Soles at the Westport Arts Center

Dedicated to both the visual and performing arts to inspire visitors to their lovely water front gallery, the Westport Arts Center is hosting a very special exhibition, Scents and Soles through September 7. Scents & Soles features 230 watercolor paintings by renowned photorealist painter, Robert Cottingham and 23 witty shoe sculptures by Nina Bentley.

Robert Cottingham has been an icon in the world of photorealism. He received a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts in 1974-75 and had a retrospective at the Smithsonian Museum in 1986.

Four years ago Cottingham turned his attention to the new subject matter of perfume bottles. "In my search for gifts over the years, perfume departments became standard destinations. At some point I began to envision these containers as subjects for a small exhibition that I would title, "TWENTY-FIVE SCENTS." Because of its fluidity and clarity, watercolor became the obvious choice of medium. I eliminated the product labels from the artworks in order to focus completely on the bottles' incredible range of designs... what began as a series of 25 watercolors has grown to 350 watercolors...and counting."

Much has been said of Cottingham's photorealist paintings, however it is easy to apply these thoughts to his perfume watercolors. Cottingham once remarked, "The more I drill down into these shapes, the distinctions between the image and the abstracted forms tend to merge into a cohesive 'thingness.' I can't really say more beyond realizing that each object possesses its "essence.

Nina Bentley is an assemblage artist who has lived in Westport for 21 years. She has exhibited in Europe and America, and has been featured in several juried shows including Art of the Northeast, the Mattatuck Museum, the Katonah Museum, the Discovery Museum in Bridgeport, and the Westport Arts Center on several occasions. In 2005 she had a solo exhibition at Silvermine Art Guild and was also chosen by Barney's New York in 2004 to be their featured artist in the annual show "Madison Avenue: Where Fashion Meets Art" in 2004. In 2001 she was a New/Now artist at the New Britain Museum of American Art, which has one of her large assemblage sculptures in their permanent collection.

Nina describes her work as being "conceptual in nature and concerned with social issues." She continues, "From early childhood I have been moved both by aesthetics and the human condition, not only matters affecting me personally but those evident on a broader social scale. I create art in order to gain some perspective on the world around me while trying to retain a sense of humor. In short, my work can be seen as multi-dimensional social commentary."

The Gallery is open Mon.- Thurs. 10 - 5, Fri. 10-2 and Sat. & Sun. 12 - 4.  The Westport Arts Center is located on 51 Riverside Ave. in Westport.  For more information http://westportartscenter.org/

Victorian Tea Etiquette & Tea Tasting at the Kellogg Estate

Glimpse into the world of Victorian culture through the simulation of a tea party and taste the delightful and exotic flavors of teas!   Visitors will go back in time to the late Victorian Era (1837-1901) when Frances Osborne Kellogg would have been a young lady hosting and going to tea parties.  The workshop will be held at the Kellogg Environmental Center from 1 PM to 2:30PM on Saturday, August 23, 2014. 

During the workshop, visitors will learn the history of tea, the types of tea services, and Victorian tea etiquette. They will taste a variety of black teas ranging from the citrusy Earl & Lady Grey teas to the malty, rich Assam tea varieties. Also antique tea sets from the Osborne Homestead Museum will be on display.  At the end of the program, visitors can take home handcrafted teas and teabags and information on other uses of tea.  

Refreshments will be provided, and there is a $5 registration fee.  To register and for more information, please call (203) 734-2513 or email donna.kingston@ct.gov.  The Kellogg Environmental Center, operated by the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, is located on 500 Hawthorne Avenue in Derby, CT, and open 9:00AM to 4:30PM, Tuesday through Saturday.  

September Workshops at the Center for Contemporary Printmaking

Located in Norwalk on  299 West Ave., the Center for Contemporary Printmaking has organized a series of workshops for  advanced participants as well as beginners.  On September 5-7 for example, Large Prints from a small press will be featured and participants will explore monoprinting methods that defy the size limitations of our presses. Participants create painterly and stencil-raised plates that can be fixed or repositioned. Chine collé techniques will expand the range of imagery and color in the one-of-a-kind prints. Rinsed prints will be demonstrated. All levels.

On September 13-14, Jeanine Espito will show how handmade paper is one of the  most versatile materials around, yet it has not been fully explored as a sculpture medium.  In this workshop you will learn how to make and use handmade paper to create sculpture.  You will learn what kinds of pulp can be used, how to control it and work with it “in the air” and how to dry it.  You will explore a wide variety of techniques including draping, layering, casting over armatures, imbedding, sewing, etc.  The focus of this class will be on learning the basics of handmade paper sculpture and experimenting with as many techniques as possible in the 2 days.  Some prior knowledge of basic papermaking is suggested but not required. All levels.

There will be a three day workshop on Sept. 19-21 with Carolyn Muskat that will focus on aluminum plate lithos.  This workshop will be an intensive introduction to some of the possibilities within lithography.  One of the more challenging of the printmaking mediums, lithography offers the artist an almost unlimited range of mark-making. Working on aluminum plates, we will cover various drawing and image-making methods, processing with greener, more eco-friendly materials, and printing, including printing in color and registration. Whether you have never tried this exciting medium before, or you want to update your litho skills, this class is for you.  All levels.

To round out the month, Ron Pokrasso will run a five day workshop from September 22- 26 that covers a wide range of techniques possible in the monotype process. Through demonstrations, portfolio presentations, lectures and extensive hands on work time participants will come away with a wealth of information and many new tools for their working process. Using all non-toxic water based Akua products, learn to modify, mix, and layer inks with additive and subtractive approaches, including ink rolling methods, the use of stencils and templates, the reworking of the ghost, contact monotype, viscosity, plate and paper registration, chine colle and collage, drawing, and multiple plate projects. The approach is open as each participant’s individual style will help to dictate the direction of the workshop. All levels.

For more information visit http://www.contemprints.org.  For area information www.visitfairfieldcountyct.com