Center for Contemporary Printmaking 20th Retrospective

The Center for Contemporary Printmaking (CCP) announces the opening of 20th Retrospective: Highlights From the Past 20 Years, on display through December 13, 2015. 

Donald Sultan, Yellow Poppies September 12, 2013, 2013, 8 color screen-print with flocking, courtesy Mary Ryan Gallery. Image courtesy of the artist and Mary Ryan Gallery, New York.

As the culminating event celebrating its twentieth anniversary, the retrospective features work by artists who have exhibited at CCP's Grace Ross Shanley Gallery—many of whom have been integral to the Center's development: Donald Sultan, Michael Mazur, Helen Frankenthaler, Gabor Peterdi, Robert Andrew Parker and Robert Cottingham, among others

It is wonderful to see exhibiting artists from the past twenty years brought together to celebrate the art of printmaking at this show. An extraordinarily powerful image, Donald Sultan's Yellow Poppies September 12, 2013 is an eight–color screenprint with flocking, on loan to the Center by Mary Ryan Gallery. Sultan was the first artist selected to create a limited edition print for CCP's Edition Club—now an annual fundraiser at the Center.

The Helen Frankenthaler Foundation has loaned three of her prints for the exhibition. The eponymous Helen Frankenthaler Printmaking Cottage—home to the Center's Artist-in-Residence program— was supported early on by the generosity of Frankenthaler who donated printing presses and other material support to CCP and was a member of its Advisory Board. Gabor Peterdi Studio has loaned an early work showing Peterdi's signature small moveable intaglio plates and the Dremel drill as a drawing tool; and, Still Life in Germany (1946), a rare pure line engraving. Michael Mazur 's monotype portrait of Peterdi at work is also on loan. Mazur had been a student of his at Yale and a lifelong friend. Peterdi lived and worked in Norwalk (Rowayton) for fifty years and had been an early advisor to Grace Shanley. Coincidentally, the 20th Retrospective brackets Peterdi's 100th birthday.

About the Center

The Center for Contemporary Printmaking (CCP) is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to the art of the print: intaglio, lithography, monotype, silkscreen, woodblock printing, paperworks, book arts, and digital arts. Housed in a 19th–century stone carriage house, this 5,000–square–foot historical landmark is located at 299 West Avenue in Mathews Park, Norwalk, Connecticut. The CCP gallery and offices are open Tuesday–Sunday, 9 am–5 pm. Closed Monday. Grace Ross Shanley Gallery features acclaimed juried exhibitions throughout the year and is handicapped accessible.

The CCP curriculum includes over 75 printmaking workshops per year. Artists who participate in the Artist-in-Residence Program have the opportunity to live and work in Helen Frankenthaler Printmaking Cottage close to the main building. Edition printing is offered by the CCP master printer and an associate printer on staff. For more information, please call 203-899-7999 or visit www.contemprints.org.

Brew-Ski Fest Oct. 11 in Salisbury

Beer, brats and live music are featured as the 6th Annual Brew-Ski Fest returns bigger and better than ever to the Salisbury Fall Festival on Sunday, Oct. 11th 2015 at Satre Hill in Salisbury.

The event  is sponsored by Stateline Wine and Spirits and hosted by the Salisbury Winter Sports Association (SWSA) boasts a record number of breweries in attendance this year according to Stateline representative and Brew-Ski organizer  with more than 30 breweries signed up.  Popular brands like Big Elm, City Steam, Charter Oak, Goose Island, Sam Adams and Berkshire Mountain will return as well as new names like Black Hog, Broad Brook and Fool Proof.

Live music also returns to the Brew-Ski this year when the popular local band The Nice Ones perform. NASCAR Dave and his group will serve up brats and burgers with proceeds to benefit the Country Food Drive.

Tickets for Brew-Ski Fest cost $30 per person in advance and are available at Stateline Wine and Spirits in Canaan, 860 824-7295 and Ledgebrook Spirit Shop in Winsted 860 379-4216. Tickets will cost $35 the day of the event.  The tented tasting will be held rain or shine.  For more information visit http://www.brewskifest.com.

Experience “Nature as Healer” Program at Flanders

On Sunday, October 18, learn how to quickly access Nature's restorative power, discover nature's subtle language and enhance your ability to access the healing qualities the natural world offers. 

Flanders hosts teacher, artist, and writer Marlow Shami, M.S. who will combine mindfulness-based stress reduction techniques and sensory ecology in this restorative afternoon.

Begin your journey beyond the deafening onslaught of the technology-saturated world with a guided meditation inside the historic Flanders Studio. Continue your experience with a peaceful excursion soaking up the natural beauty of the Flanders’ Van Vleck Sanctuary.

Specializing in the healing connection between humans and the natural world, Marlow Shami conducts Nature as Healer workshops and talks throughout New England.

The group will meet at the Flanders Studio which is located at the corner of Flanders and Church Hill Roads in Woodbury at 1PM. The Cost is $10 member and $15 for non members. Those wishing to lie down during meditation are invited to bring a yoga mat with them.

Registrations are being taken online at www.flandersnaturecenter.org.or call (203) 263-3711 Ext. 10 for more information.

For more area event information www.litchfieldhills.com

Ride a vintage train to the pumpkin patch at Danbury RR Museum

It's the Fall harvest season so what better way to celebrate and welcome in the cooler weather than with a short ride on a vintage train to the Danbury Railway Museum's Pumpkin Patch. This popular annual family event will take place on October 10-11, 17-18 and 24-25; Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., and Sundays from noon to 4:00 p.m. with the last train at 3:30 p.m. at the museum, with trains departing hourly beginning ½-hour after opening each day. Admission is $10.00 for ages 2 and over; children under 24 months are free.

Visitors will ride the Pumpkin Patch Train through the historic rail yard in a 1920's passenger coach, pulled by a vintage ALCo RS-1 diesel-electric locomotive* to the special pumpkin patch where each child will receive a free pumpkin. 

Of course, the exhibits, artifacts, and multiple operating model train layouts inside the restored 100-year old Danbury station will be open for your education and entertainment. The kids can also enjoy the free activities such as the "coloring station," temporary tattoos, cider & cookies, and more. There is a fully-stocked gift shop on the premises. No reservations are required; the event will be held rain or shine. Children are encouraged to come in costume.

The Danbury Railway Museum is a non-profit organization, staffed solely by volunteers, and is dedicated to the preservation of, and education about, railroad history. The museum is located in the restored 1903 Danbury Station and rail yard at 120 White Street, Danbury, CT and has many artifacts of area railroading on display, including over 70 vintage railroad cars and locomotives. For further information, visit the Web site at http://www.danburyrail.org, or call the museum at 203-778-8337.

For more area information www.litchfieldhills.com

Bruce Museum 34th Annual Outdoor Arts Festival

 The Bruce Museum’s 34th annual Outdoor Arts Festival takes place rain or shine on Museum grounds on Columbus Day weekend, Saturday and Sunday, October 10- 11, from 10 am to 5 pm. More than 90 artists from across the country, many new to the Bruce Museum festival, will be showcased this year. The juried works include painting on canvas, board and paper, mixed media in 2D and 3D, drawings and graphics, including digital media, sculpture and photography. All works are available for purchase and artists are on hand to discuss their work.

“The Bruce Museum's Outdoor Arts Festival has been ranked in the top 100 nationally among Fine Arts Fairs, drawing strong competition among artists who want to participate in the show,” says Sue Brown Gordon, the Festival’s organizer. “We are delighted this year to be welcoming many new artists and award winning veterans to the festival. What makes this festival so special is that it is an originals only show. The works being displayed are considered one-of-a-kind and of collectable merit.”

Live music, varied menu offerings, and children’s art activities are all available to provide family fun. Festival admission is $8 and includes admission to the Bruce Museum galleries. The Festival is free to Bruce Museum members and children less than 5 years old. Not yet a member? At the Festival entrance visitors will be able to join the Bruce Museum at a discount, and will receive instant free admission and many discounts both at the Festival -- many exhibitors offer discounts for Bruce Museum members -- and in the Museum store.

Visitors are asked to park on Museum Drive and Steamboat Road or in the Island Beach Parking lot near exit 3 off I-95. The Museum is a short walk from MetroNorth’s Greenwich railroad station. For information, visit www.brucemuseum.org, or call (203) 869-0376. 

For more area information visit www.visitwesternct.com