Silvermine Arts Center Annual Guild Members Exhibit through Feb. 16

The Silvermine Arts Center located on 1037 Silvermine Road in New Canaan Connecticut is hosting the the highly anticipated annual New Guild Members show, plus the work of Lifetime Guild Artist member, Jens Risom, and the Gabor Peterdi International Print Collection.

“Death of the Prince, Richard III” by Fritz Brosius from the Gabor Peterdi International Print Collection

In 2012, Silvermine Galleries officially named its print collection The Gabor Peterdi International Print Collection, in honor of Silvermine’s print collection founder, Gabor Peterdi. Having started the printmaking department at Yale University, Peterdi established the National Print Biennial competition at Silvermine in 1956.  The juried exhibitions, the Arts Center established the foundation of a permanent print collection through the acquisition of juror purchase awards.  In subsequent years, additional prints were added to the collection via donations and bequests.  The recent efforts have enabled the Galleries to conserve the collection, while actively growing its holdings.

The past year, The Gabor Peterdi International Print Collection received, several significant donations to the collection; including works by such renowned artists as Josef Albers, purchased with funds honoring the late Guild Member, Tina Rohrer; a Robert Cottingham screened print; and a Gabor Peterdi Print donated by the Gabor Peterdi Estate.   This year’s exhibition will feature recent acquisitions of prints by Fritz Brosius, Alexander Calder, James Flora, Charles Hinman, Liliana Porter, and a print attributed to Salvador Dali; and  a selection of other highlights from the collection.

Stool made of birch wood and parachute straps by Jens Rison (resident of New Canaan) from his exhibit “The Answer is Risom”

Silvermine Arts Center is honored to showcase the works of Jens Risom (b. 1916), an icon of Danish American furniture design, and a Silvermine Guild Member since the 1950’s.  The upcoming exhibit “The Answer is Risom,” will feature several of Mr. Risom’s signature furniture designs along with original drawings and other historical items from an influential career that has spanned over 70 years. Although he learned the trade in Denmark (he trained at the Copenhagen School of Industrial Arts and Design), he is often counted among the American designers who were shaping postwar design, and indeed his most important contributions to the modern style were made after his emigration here in 1939.  Mr. Risom’s commitment to design also extended to his advertising. One of the more notable examples, a series of ads he did in the 1960’s with famed fashion photographer, Richard Avedon will be included in the exhibition.   Throughout the decades, Risom's work has continued to reflect our human need for warmth, beauty, and simplicity. 

For more information on upcoming exhibits and events, visit our website at www.silvermineart.org or call 203-966-9700, ext. 20. For information on Fairfield County Connecticut www.visitfairfieldcountyct.com

About Silvermine Arts Center

Silvermine Arts Center located in New Canaan, Connecticut is one of the oldest artist communities in the United States.  Located on a four acre campus, the center consists of a nationally renowned artist guild, award winning school of art offering multi-disciplinary art classes for all ages, an art and fine crafts shop and galleries, offering over twenty contemporary and historic exhibitions annually.  The center also provides innovative free and subsidized arts education in Norwalk and Stamford schools through its outreach program, Art Partners; and hosts a lecture series, performances, and special programs throughout the year.  Silvermine Arts Center is a nonprofit organization.

Calling all chocolate lovers....

Less than three weeks before Valentine's Day, shop for amazing sweets for your sweetie from some of the region's best chocolatiers as the Maritime Aquarium located on 10 North Water Street in Norwalk CT is taken over on Sun., Jan. 26 by Chocolate World Expo.  This event is perfect for people who are serious about chocolate, not for folks looking to load up on candy commonly available in most grocery aisles.

The Expo, one of the largest consumer-oriented chocolate events in the United States, will feature some 40 vendors who will offer tastings and sales of their products. They'll be set up throughout the Aquarium's galleries.

Vendors at the Expo typically offer small tasting-sized portions of their products that can be tried right away. Think of the chocolate tastings in the way you might think of a wine tasting at a winery: you get a small sample to try and you often get to talk with the person who made the product. If you like what you've tasted, you can purchase that product directly at the show for yourself or as a gifts.

Chocolate lovers will find much more at the expo than traditional chocolates as this event features unique offerings like chocolate-covered bacon and – appropriate for the Aquarium – one vendor’s “chocolate shark bites.”  Vendors will also offer baked goods, specialty foods and even fine soaps and bath products.

All of The Maritime Aquarium exhibits will be open on Jan. 26 – and will stay open two hours longer than normal: from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. 

Your Chocolate World Expo admission includes Aquarium admission.  IMAX^® movies are available as an additional ticket, as always. 

The special admission price on Jan. 26 is $15 for adults and $10 for kids 3-12.

Aquarium Members Important Notice:
Aquarium Members receive a $2 per person discount (adult and child) on event/Aquarium admission this day. Senior member price is same as adult price. Sorry, but Aquarium members do not receive free admission for this special event. Member guest discounts do not apply.

For more information about the Maritime Aquarium www.maritimeaquarium.org.  For area information www.visitfairfieldcountyct.com

Historic Quilt Lecture hosted by the Kent Historical Society

A special donation of a historical quilt linked to Kent located in Connecticut's scenic Litchfield Hills has spurred the Kent Historical Society to offer an event dedicated to quilt history.

Sue Reich of Washington, an author and lecturer on quilt history, will demonstrate the use of quilts as a historical research tool as part of the Kent Historical Society’s Sunday Series on Jan. 19 at 2 p.m. in Kent Town Hall. Please call 860-927-4587 for reservations.

Reich has been a quiltmaker since childhood. She lectures widely on many aspects of quilt history, and is a certified American Quilt Society quilt appraiser. She co-authored “Quilts and Quiltmakers Covering Connecticut” and authored “Quilting News of Yesteryear: One Thousand Pieces and Counting,” as well as “Quilting News of Yesteryear: Crazy as a Bed-Quilt”, ”World War II Quilts”, ”Quiltings, Frolicks and Bees” and “World War I Quilts.”

The main quilt that will be discussed is a recent donation to the KHS. It is a signature quilt that dates back 120 years has been returned to town. Embroidered with the date 1894, it belonged to the Rev. Benjamin Mead Wright at the time of his retirement as pastor of the First Congregational Church of Kent in 1896.

The quilt was handed down in his family, where it remained until 2012, when KHS Board members Dick and Charlotte Lindsey met his grandson, Stanley Wright, in Norwalk. Wright felt strongly that the quilt should be returned to Kent. It was on display during that fall at the church and then transferred to the Historical Society. At the time of this recent donation it was assumed that the quilt had been made as a retirement gift for Rev. Wright by his congregation, but close examination by Ms. Reich has now led us to believe that may not be the case. How did she arrive at that conclusion?  Come to the Sunday Series program to find out!

For  information on Connecticut's Litchfield Hills visit www.visitlitchfieldhills.com.

The Kent Historical Society sponsors the Sunday Series every other month September through May. Admission is free, but donations are welcome. For more information, see

www.kenthistoricalsociety.org.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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