Area Events of Interest

 

Along with our Cultural Pursuit member events, this is a select listing of additional recommended area art exhibitions, musical performances, film events, lectures, programs and special events in both Fairfield and Westchester Counties. The list is updated regularly, so please check back for new events and exhibitions. Please note: Some of these events are weather-dependent. Please check with the individual venue when making plans.

Special Events, Programs and Lectures

Saturday, September 22 – Smithsonian Magazine Museum Day 2018 is an annual celebration of boundless curiosity hosted by Smithsonian magazine. Participating museums and cultural institutions across the country provide free entry to anyone presenting a Museum Day ticket which provides free admission for two people on Saturday, September 22, 2018. Participating museums in Westchester and Fairfield Counties include: Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum, Bruce Museum, Fairfield University Art Museum, Hudson River Museum, Lockwood-Mathews Mansion Museum, as well as more in New Haven, CT and New York City. For passes and more information: smithsonianmag.com.

Sunday, September 23 – Art House Theater Day –  Art House Theater Day celebrates the legacy of independent theaters as advocates for cinema arts. In an age where media has become more digital than tangible, more solitary than social, art house theaters remain the physical spaces where film lovers congregate and connect with intrepid, creative filmmaking. They are the beating heart for new and exciting cinema that is shaping the future of the medium. Every theater is unique, and the Art House Theater Day celebrations will reflect that. More: arthouseconvergence.org.  Independent theatres regularly featured here are the following, check out what they have to offer on Sunday:  Avon Theatre Film Centre in Stamford, CT; Jacob Burns Film Center in Pleasantville, NY and The Bedford Playhouse in Bedford, NY. 

Saturday, September 22, 5 – 8pm – Annual Benefit Party – Intersections: Celebrating Feminist Voices at Franklin Street Works, 41 Franklin Street, Stamford, CT. Contemporary Art Space, Franklin Street Works, one of our not-for-profit neighbors in Stamford, has their big annual benefit party Intersections: Celebrating Feminist Voices next Saturday. They will be honoring local activist and academic Ingrid Semaan, Director of Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies, UConn – Stamford as well as honoring internationally exhibiting artist and friend of the space, Trisha Baga, for their FSW Arts Awards. The DJ team of Artist Emily Larned and Producer Chris Ruggiero will spin vinyl again this year. Fulfilling culinary experiences are promised with dinner by the bite by Sweet Pistachio. For more: franklinstreetworks.com

Thursday, September 27, 6:00 – 7:30 pm – Artists Video Chat for Play and Rewind at Katonah Museum of Art, 134 Jay Street, Katonah, NY. Curator Olga Dekalo speaks live via video conversation with video artists Cengiz Tekin and Laida Lertxundi.  The informal format of this artist talk invites the audience into the conversation and facilitates a one-of-a-kind interaction with artists. About the exhibition: PLAY & REWIND: Ode to Summer on Film presents film and video installations that take on the form of repositories of images framed by the summer landscape. The title refers, in part, to ideas and images of play and recreation and also references the act of recalling and reminiscing about the past. Wine reception to follow. For more about the exhibition, click here, and about the program:  katonahmuseum.org.

Thursday, September 27, 6 – 8 pm – Oktoberfest at Bruce Museum, 1 Museum Drive, Greenwich, CT. The Bruce Museum in Greenwich will host its first-ever Oktoberfest celebration. Featuring German beer from Paulaner USA, Oktoberfest at the Bruce Museum will also include a light menu of classic German fare from Harlan Haus and a German band performing traditional Oktoberfest music. Weather permitting, the Oktoberfest celebration will take place outdoors on the grounds of the Bruce, as well as inside, where party-goers can enjoy an after-hours tour of the Museum galleries. On view will be: ReTooled: Highlights from the Hechinger Collection; Expressionism in Print: The Early Works of Richard Haas, 1957-64; A Continuous Thread: Navajo Weaving Traditions and Wild Bees: Photographs by Paula Sharp and Ross Eatman. For more information: brucemuseum.org.

Thursday, October 4, 6:00 pm – Art Lecture: Tools as Art at Bruce Museum, 1 Museum Drive, Greenwich, CT. Lecture held in conjunction with the exhibition ReTooled: Highlights from the Hechinger Collection: Sarah Tanguy, former curator of Tools as Art: The Hechinger Collection, explores how she and John Hechinger, Sr. developed this collection with a broad, intergenerational appeal into a unique time capsule that traces the use of tools as a hallmark of civilization and a source of artistic creativity. Reception at 6:00 pm, lecture at 6:30 pm, followed by Q&A. Advance registration required at brucemuseum.org.

Saturday, October 20, 5 – 8pm – Katonah Art Stroll, Downtown Katonah, NY. After five hugely popular events, the Katonah Gallery Stroll continues to amaze with the Sixth Gallery Stroll. The evening’s festivities will be kick-started at the Katonah Museum of Art beginning at 4 p.m. with free admission, snacks and drinks and a tour of its current exhibition, PLAY & REWIND: Ode to Summer on Film. When the museum closes at 5, the stroll will continue along Katonah Avenue at the following galleries with live music, artist visits and refreshments: Offerings Gallery, The Katonah Village Library, Oak and Oil, Katonah Artist Collective, The Lane Contemporary Arts Gallery, The Katonah Art and Frame, Gallarus Arts Space, The Eclectic Collector and Majestic Hudson. For more: kvis.org.

Film

September 28, 29, 30 – Grand Opening Weekend at The Bedford Playhouse Clive Davis Arts Center, 633 Old Post Road, Bedford, NY. The Bedford Playhouse has announced the Grand Opening of their eagerly anticipated film, arts and cultural center, featuring state-of-the-art facilities plus our vibrant and welcoming café.  Three days of celebration and exciting programming will kick off a new chapter for their beloved landmark after a $6m+ renovation and community effort to ‘save the Playhouse’ that began back in 2015.  Festivities will include parties, family films, “community choice” flicks, wine tastings, live entertainment, fabulous food and drink and some very special guests. For more: bedfordplayhouse.org.

October 3 – 14, 2018 – Dance on Film Series at Jacob Burns Film Center, 365 Manville Road, Pleasantville, NY. Jacob Burns Film Center’s annual celebration hoofs, waltzes, pirouettes, and runs the gamut from the gender-bending Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo to dances inspired by the great Swedish director Ingmar Bergman—plus flamenco, ballroom (with a twist!), contemporary dance, and the stories of young people around the world learning to express themselves through movement. The choreographer Stephen Petronio joins us for If the Dancer Dances, and two of today’s great tappers will be here for American Tap. We also continue our tradition of an evening dedicated to short films, curated by choreographer Peter Pucci. Series programmed by Kathryn Bonomi. For more: burnsfilmcenter.org.

November 2 – 10, 2018 – The Yonkers Film Festival, YoFiFest at their Digital Media Arts Center (DMAC) and various other locations in Yonkers, NY. This year marks the sixth annual YoFiFest film festival, which just received its second “Best of Westchester” award, this time for “Best Film Geek Event”, and was once again voted one of the “Top 100 Film Festivals” by FIlmFreeway. The festival celebrates the independent, artistic spirit with a full schedule of films that you might not see anywhere else, both from around the world and right in our own back yard. We screen all types of work, including features, shorts, comedies, dramas, documentaries, animation, and student work. They are all about connections and conversations, so in addition to including talkback Q&A sessions at almost every screening, the festival offers a “mini film school” series of workshops taught by award-winning industry professionals, “Speed Networking” events with the opportunity to connect in a fun and fast environment, and parties and receptions where filmmakers and film fans get the chance to meet and mingle. For more: yofifest.com.

New Releases and Film Series at Avon Theatre Film Center, 272 Bedford Street, Stamford, CT. The Avon Theatre features the best of independent, world and documentary films, foreign and Hollywood classics and educational programming that enhances the cultural richness of the downtown Stamford community. Itself a 1939 historic landmark, provides a forum for in-person, community dialogue with directors, actors and other luminaries in a vibrant “Main Street America” setting. Series include: French Cinematheque, Documentary Night, Discover Indian Cinema, Cult Classics, and other special events and film series for members and the public. For more information: avontheatre.org.

New Releases and Film Series at Jacob Burns Film Center, 364 Manville Road, Pleasantville, NY. Jacob Burns Film Center (JBFC) is a nonprofit five-screen cinema and education center located in Pleasantville, NY. One of the most successful suburban art houses in the country, they celebrate film as a vehicle for entertainment, education, and inspiration. With their films, events, community screenings, visiting artists, and special guests, they strive to further their nonprofit mission, spark dialogue and encourage an acceptance of a diversity of perspectives among their theatergoers and the community—something they started when they opened their doors in 2001. Film series include: Contemporary Arab Cinema (September 20 – 27), Jonathan Demme’s Rarely Seen Cinema (September 23 – October 21) and Ongoing Series – Inquiry: Science on Film; Global Watch: Climate & Social Action; Life on the Stage: Conversation & Film; Senior Afternoon Cinema; Community Matters; World Stage on Screen and Retro Revival. For more: burnsfilmcenter.org.

The Bedford Playhouse, 633 Old Post Road, Bedford, NY. After over three years of fundraising, planning, and construction, Bedford Playhouse opened its doors to its 167-seat Main Theater, the largest of its three theaters, in May. Home of the Clive Davis Arts Center, the new Playhouse will be a vibrant cultural and social destination featuring outstanding films, arts-related programming and educational offerings — as well as a fun, welcoming place to socialize. It will be a special place where culture and community come together every day. A Grand Opening Weekend is scheduled for late September 2018. For more: bedfordplayhouse.org.

Theater and Performing Arts

Friday, September 21, 8:00 pm – Shadowland 2:  The New Adventure – Preview at Quick Center for the Arts, Fairfield University, 1073 North Benson Road, Fairfield, CT –  Come to the Quick for a once in a lifetime, inside look at the rehearsal process of Connecticut’s own world renowned dance company, Pilobolus. Join us for a behind the scenes peek, as Artistic Directors Renee Jaworski and Matt Kent rehearse technical, choreographic, and dramatic elements of Shadowland: The New Adventure. Be a part of the process of the preparations for its first American tour. Pilobolus Artistic Directors and performers will be present for a discussion after the informal performance. Shadowland 2 uses exploration of mixed media to tell a love story about two people and their quixotic quest to save an imaginary bird. Employing animation, video, and shadow-theater, this madcap adventure dips its toe into the genres of science fiction, film noir, and romantic comedy. Shadowland 2 has toured the globe but has rarely been seen in the U.S., making this a special treat for local audiences. For more and tickets: quickcenter.fairfield.edu.

Saturday, September 22, 8:00 pm – Come to Your Senses — an evening of mixed repertoire by Pilobolus at Quick Center for the Arts, Fairfield University, 1073 North Benson Road, Fairfield, CT. The trilogy of performances concludes Saturday evening with a repertory that will include Gnomen, a quartet for men with a lyrical exploration of relationships emerging from an unusually inventive physical vocabulary. It will also feature Branches, a more recent work, scored with and based upon natural sounds, which explores the rich beauty, humor, and drama of the phylogenetic tree. Additionally, Pilobolus will team up with Indie rocker Thao Nguyen to create Warp & Weft by the company’s first all-woman trio. Working in the mode of collage, three mysterious shape shifters draped in red velvet will invoke darkly comic, physically theatrical expressions of identity, sacrifice, and power. For more and tickets: quickcenter.fairfield.edu

May 29 – December 22 – 2018 Season at Westport Country Playhouse, 25 Powers Court, Westport, CT. This year the Playhouse breaks new ground with the first world-premiere production incubated by their New Works Circle Initiative. They will also present two comedies — one modern and one classic; a thrilling drama of sisterhood and perseverance; plus the iconic American musical, Man of La Mancha. The Playhouse’s 2018 Season, from May 29 through November 17, features five plays: “Flyin’ West,” playing May 29 – June 16; “A Flea in Her Ear” is scheduled July 10 – 28; “The Understudy,” will run August 14 – September 1; “Man of La Mancha” will be staged September 25 – October 13; and “Thousand Pines” playing October 30 – November 17. For more: westportplayhouse.org.

Music

September 21 – 30 – Bernstein Bash at Copland House at Merestead, 455 Byram Lake Road, Mt. Kisco, NY. The region’s only multi-concert, wide-ranging celebration of the charismatic composer’s instrumental, vocal, chamber, and theater music, Copland House joins worldwide commemorations of the 100th Anniversary of LEONARD BERNSTEIN’s birth with a mini-festival of four concerts on back-to-back weekends (September 21 through 30), kicking off its 2018-19 season. The programs span Bernstein’s entire creative output, and include his first and last works, a tour-de-force two-piano version of his iconic Symphonic Dances from West Side Story, his major song cycle (and last important work) Arias and Barcarolles, his brilliant solo piano version of Copland’s El Salon Mexico, and other works about love, life, loss, family, relationships, and other matters both existential and fleeting. Performances include: Late Night with Leonard Bernstein: Friday evening, September 21, 9pm; Theater in Disguise, Sunday afternoon, September 23, 3pm; Bernstein in Black & White, Saturday evening, September 29, 8pm; The Way it Flows: Bernstein on Life, Sunday afternoon, September 30, 3pm. For more: coplandhouse.org.

Saturday, September 29, 8:00 pm – 8:00pm – Norwalk Symphony 79th Season Opening Concert, Beethoven Violin Concerto with Francisco Fullana and Sibelius Symphony No. 5 at Norwalk Concert Hall. The Norwalk Symphony Orchestra opens its 79^th season with “3 Stitches in Time,” a lively program consisting of Sibelius’ Symphony No.5, Beethoven’s Violin Concerto and Arvo Pärt’s iconic short piece Fratres.  “Each of the masterpieces in this program looked back in time, but were, and are, in essence new,” commented conductor Jonathan Yates, who returns for his seventh season with the Symphony. Francisco Fullana will be the violin soloist in the Beethoven and the Pärt.  “We are thrilled to bring such an amazing young talent to Norwalk area audiences,” Yates continued.  Francisco is one of a handful of young musicians to be awarded the prestigious Avery Fisher Career Grant for this year. For more: norwalksymphony.org.

Sunday & Monday, October 7 -8 – “Keys and Reeds” Opens Greenwich Chamber Players 47th Season, Greenwich, CT. The Chamber Players of the Greenwich Symphony opens their 47^th season with a pair of concerts on  Sunday and Monday, October 7 and 8. This ensemble has been, for an unusually long time, a treasured component of our music community which welcomes their return after the summer. Be there as they begin a season befitting their reputation by opening  with  Mozart’s Piano and Wind Quintet, K. 452. In a 1787 letter to his father, Mozart wrote. “I myself consider it the best thing I have ever written in my life.” Also programmed is Trio for Flute, Oboe and Bassoon, by  Julius Röntgen Op.86,   one of 650 compositions by this prolific German-Dutch composer. Rimsky- Koraskov’s  Piano, Wind Quintet- full of energy and humor- completes the program. Sunday’s concert will be at 4 p.m.at  the Round Hill Community Church, 395 Round Hill Road. Monday evening’s concert will be at 7:30 at the Greenwich  Arts Council, 299 Greenwich Avenue. Tickets are $30 for adults and $10 for students, and are available at the door. Their new website has detailed information about season subscriptions, concert dates, their musicians and also videos of past performances. For more: chamberplayersofthegso.org.  

June 24 – September 18 (Select Tuesdays), 6:30 – 8:30 pm – Sounds of Liberty Square presented by Norwalk 2.0 at Constitution Park, 182 Liberty Square, Norwalk, CT. The Pink Containers is quickly becoming the showcase for musicians to launch new original songs and albums. Bring your chair or blanket and grab a seat on the hill at Liberty Square. Located at the foot of the Stroffolino Bridge in Constitution Park, parking is available all around the park, whether it is Veteran’s Park, the Imax Lot, or on the street in SoNo. Grab dinner before or after, and be sure to take a stroll along the harbor and experience the waterfront. Featuring (all Tuesdays) – 7/24: Glenn Roth, Belle of the Fall; 8/14: A Surfin’ Beach Party with The Clams; 8/28: Jake and the Lowdown, James Mauri & the Black River Stones; and 9/18: Songwriter Circle with Sean Ryan, Kate Callahan-(CT State Troubadour), Seth Adam. For more: norwalk2.org.

Fall-Spring 2018-19 Season at Caramoor Center for Music & the Arts, 149 Girdle Ridge Road, Katonah, NY. A perennially beloved summer destination, Caramoor remains a hub for musical and artistic exploration all year round. The 2018-19 fall-spring season offers a wealth of the diverse and imaginative programming with which the Westchester estate has long been synonymous, with presentations spanning the musical spectrum from jazz, American roots, and cabaret to chamber and vocal recitals, a period-instrument orchestral concert, and a musical lecture. Some performers featured this season: The English Concert, Alexandre Tharaud, and Quatuor Ébène are among the A-list acts making Caramoor debuts, while stellar returning artists include Julia Bullock, New York Polyphony, Cécile McLorin Salvant, Acoustic Hot Tuna, and Christine Ebersole. Fall and spring concerts are held indoors amid the authentic Renaissance furniture, paintings dating from the 16th century, and terra cotta reliefs of the Rosen House Music Room. For more: caramoor.org.

Jazz Forum Club, 1 Dixon Lane, Tarrytown, NY. On June 9th, 2017 Mark Morganelli and his wife, Ellen Prior opened the Jazz Forum as the only dedicated Jazz club in Westchester County, New York. This 90-seat weekend-only live music venue is an intimate listening room with a warm and welcoming mood, affordable ticket prices and clear sightlines from all seats. It has been presenting internationally renowned and master musicians. The club presents headliner Jazz artists on Friday and Saturday nights, Brazilian groups on Sundays afternoons, top-notch Jazz groups on Sunday nights, and monthly jam sessions. With a Steinway grand piano, hand-crafted walnut bar, informal dinner and full bar menu, separate lounge and pool room, and contemporary art gallery, the club has been an astonishing success. It is now the affordable alternative to NYC clubs for music lovers from New Jersey, Rockland County, Connecticut as well as across Westchester as a “wonderful new addition to the New York area Jazz scene.”  For more: jazzforumarts.org

Visual Art

September 22 – December 25, 2018 – ReTooled: Highlights from the Hechinger Collection at Bruce Museum, 1 Museum Drive, Greenwich, CT. Featuring more than 40 richly imaginative, quirky, and thought-provoking paintings, sculptures, photographs, and sketches, ReTooled celebrates the prevalence of tools in our lives with art that magically transforms utilitarian objects into fanciful works that speak of beauty, insight, and wit. The Bruce Museum’s signature fall exhibition, ReTooled profiles 28 visionary artists from the Hechinger Collection and includes major artists such as Arman, Richard Estes,Howard Finster, Red Grooms, Jacob Lawrence, and Fernand Léger; photographers Berenice Abbott and Walker Evans; as well as pop artists Jim Dine, Claes Oldenburg, and James Rosenquist. For more: brucemuseum.org

September 20 – October 25, 2018 – The Photography of s.m. dyer at Handwright Gallery, 93 Main Street, New Canaan, CT. Brooklyn-based photographer, Suz Dyer, began her “Shrouded Series” in 2012 when the Brooklyn Bridge began its much needed 6 year construction project to repair and revitalize the aging iconic structure. Dyer, enamored with the tarps covering the bridge at this time, describes them as “…..something Christo could have imagined: covered, cocooned, and shrouded, the span turned into a beautiful combination of steel, stone, canvas, and human effort, glorified by an accommodating sun.” Dyer ended up taking daily walks over the bridge and was taken by the motion of the many layers of tarps as they caught the wind at the bridges high altitude. “What the camera saw was a cacaphony of show and light, graffiti and paint, architecture and structure. I was there to catch the sun as it cast shadows, and at night, as the lights of the city illuminated the shroud.”  There will be an opening reception with the artist and her newer works on Thursday, September 20th from 5:30  – 7:30 pm. Contact: info@handwrightgallery.com, Tel: 203-966-7660. For more: handwrightgallery.com

September 15 – October 27, 2018 – Top of the Hill: New Paintings by Brian Rutenberg at Heather Gaudio Fine Art, 66 Elm Street, New Canaan, CT. This new body of work by Brian Rutenberg is entitled Top of the Hill, after a Frank Vincent DuMond painting. For Rutenberg, Connecticut has played a significant, subtle role in his education and development as an artist. As a student of art history, he has been guided by the Tonalism of John Henry Twachtman, J. Alden Weir and other Cos Cob painters, as well as the Grassy Hill landscapes of Old Lyme painter DuMond. Rutenberg has lived and worked in New York City for over thirty years and during that time has taken pleasure in enjoying the four seasons in the Nutmeg State.There will be an opening reception on September 15th, 4 – 6:30pm. For more: heathergaudiofineart.com.

September 14 – November 9, 2018 – PARADISE at Westport Arts Center, 51 Riverside Avenue, Westport, CT. PARADISE, curated by Todd von Ammon, embodies the Anthropocene, the proposed geological epoch wherein human activity is the dominant influence over the climate and the natural environment. Each artwork examines some aspect of how contemporary culture both influences and is influenced by the natural environment since the 1980s. This is a period of time, initiated by the Reagan and Thatcher administrations, when free market capitalism and the appetite for economic growth began to intensify across the developed world. The last 40 years has brought an incredible surge in tech innovation in conjunction with the serious acceleration of human-influenced climate change. Features works by Benjamin Bertocci, Julian Charrière, Carl Cheng, Ryan Estep, Damien Hirst, Roni Horn, Katja Novitskova, Dominic Nurre, Pat O’Neill, Max Hooper Schneider, Paul Thek, Julia Wachtel, David Wojnarowicz and Guan Xiao. There will be an opening reception on Friday, September 13, 6 – 8pm. For more: westportartscenter.org.

September 9 – October 13, 2018 – Carriage Barn Art Center 2018 Member Show, Carriage Barn Art Center, Waveny Park, 681 South Avenue, New Canaan, CT. The Carriage Barn Arts Center in Waveny Park kicked of the 2018/19 season with last Sunday’s opening of the 2018 Member Show.  The show features over 150 pieces that celebrate the range, interests, and talents of Carriage Barn member artists working across all subjects, styles, and media in art.   Nancy Woodward’s piece Two Stories won the Betty Barker Award for best in show.  The exhibit runs through October 13 and gallery hours are Wednesday-Saturday from 10am-3pm and Sundays from 1-5pm (note the gallery will close at 3pm on 9/30).  Admission is free and open to the public. For more: carriagebarn.org.

September 8 – December 2, 2018 – 21st Annual International: American Society of Botanical Artists at Wave Hill, 675 West 252nd Street, Bronx, NY – Wave Hill is pleased to partner with the American Society of Botanical Artists to present the juried 21st Annual International exhibition that advances the tradition and contemporary practice of botanical art. This collaboration celebrates art that inspires gardeners and the vibrant, burgeoning horticulture at Wave Hill that inspires artists.  ASBA recognizes the power of botanical art to educate, promote ecological awareness and enrich our lives. Botanical artworks by 47 international artists from the United States, Australia, Canada, France, Japan, Russia, Slovenia and the UK are presented. The artists’ renderings of exotic and native flowers, fruits, roots, and trees provide unique points of view with precise attention to detail that astonish and provoke close observation. For more: wavehill.org.

September 2018 – March 2019 – Practicing 2018 | Julianne Swartz: Joy, still. at Grace Farms, 365 Lukes Wood Road, New Canaan, CT. The temporary sound installation Julianne Swartz: Joy, still. is comprised of three new, collaborative, site-responsive works in the River building at Grace Farms. This project is part of the Arts Initiative’s Practicing series, which since 2015 has brought together interdisciplinary cohorts of collaborators to explore empathy, awe, silence, and joy. The multisensory works—Joy, still. in the Sanctuary; Transfer Objects in the Library, and Prelude / Postlude in the corridor that connects the Sanctuary and Library sites—are directly inspired by Foundation’s Practicing Joy workshop, a multifaceted study involving poets, theologians, composers, musicians, choreographers, dancers, chefs, and humorists. This practically invisible installation makes use of the SANAA-designed River building’s acoustic character, creating shared and singular sonic spaces where visitors may contemplate joy and appreciate the splendor of the site. For more: gracefarms.org.

September 6 – October 17, 2018 – Looking Forward, Looking Back at Flinn Gallery, 2nd Floor Greenwich Library, 101 West Putnam Avenue, Greenwich, CT. Looking Forward, Looking Back will launch Flinn Gallery’s 90th Anniversary Season. The show includes four artists whose work takes a contemporary look at the work of famous artists and prior periods of art, emphasizing the importance of the artist’s conversation with history. Featuring: Rebecca Clark, Rebecca Smith Ford, Hilary Irons, and Alexandra Rozenman. There will be a public opening reception on Thursday, September 6th from 6 – 8 pm, an Artist Talk on September 16, and other exhibition-related programming. For more: flinngallery.com.

August 20 – October 4, 2018 – Stamford and The LAA presented by The Loft Artists Association with The UCONN Gallery at The University of Connecticut Art Gallery, 1 University Place, Stamford CT. For this unique exhibit, Loft Artists Association members will create work that interprets and celebrates the artistic organization’s 40-year history in Stamford’s historic south end. “We felt this was an important opportunity to honor our 40-year relationship with the city of Stamford,” said LAA co-director, Mark Macrides. “The LAA has been completely woven into the fabric of this city and as one of Stamford’s premier cultural organizations, we wanted to celebrate our dynamic city in this creative manner.”  Work ranging from painting to photography to sculpture and mixed media will be exhibited. All artist members of the organization will be represented as well as historical documentation highlighting the groups enduring journey in the south end. There will be a public opening reception on Thursday, August 23 from 5:30 – 7:30pm. For more: loftartists.org.

August 18 – November 25, 2018 – A Continuous Thread: Navajo Weaving Traditions at Bruce Museum, 1 Museum Drive, Greenwich, CT. A Continuous Thread: Navajo Weaving Traditions traces the history of the Navajo weaving tradition from the earliest Mexican-inspired Saltillo serapes, c. 1880, to mid-20th century pictorial rugs. Featuring a dozen items from the Museum’s Native American ethnographic collection – some of which have never been publicly exhibited – the exhibition will be on display in the Bantle Lecture Gallery.The ability to conceive and execute two-dimensional designs in extraordinary patterns and colors set Navajo weavers apart from the creators of other Native rugs and blankets. Knowledge of this traditional process is an important cultural tradition that has been maintained through intergenerational instruction and mentoring despite the obstacles of displacement, discrimination and isolation experienced by the Navajo Nation. For more: brucemuseum.org.

August 12 – October 7, 2018 – PLAY & REWIND: Ode to Summer on Film at Katonah Museum of Art, 134 Jay Street, Katonah, NY. PLAY & REWIND presents film and video installations that take on the form of repositories of images framed by the summer landscape. The title refers, in part, to ideas and images of play and recreation and also references the act of recalling and reminiscing about the past. Using both digital and analogue processes, the majority of the works allude to how images are constructed and their physicality. Also noteworthy, the majority of the artists in the exhibition take traditional approaches to media utilizing constructed and found materials, 3-D and slide projection, as well as 8mm and 16mm film that further inflect nostalgic overtones. These methods of storytelling hint at parallels between the act of reminiscing and the nature of working with film where scenes are cut, sequenced and often reordered to suggest meaning. The public is invited to the exhibition’s Opening Night Party with DJ and filmmaker Ephraim Asili on Saturday, August 11th, 6-9pm. Light refreshments included. $10, members and children under 12 years free. For more: katonahmuseum.org.

May – November, 2018 – Indicators: Artists on Climate Change (5/19 – 11/11) and Outlooks: Elaine Cameron-Weir (5/19 – 11/25) at Storm King Art Center, 1 Museum Road, New Windsor, NY. Indicators: Artists on Climate Change uses Storm King’s Museum Building and 500-acre site as platforms for seventeen contemporary artists to present work that engages with some of the many challenges—scientific, cultural, personal, psychological—that climate change has brought to humankind. Several artists draw inspiration from Storm King’s landscape and local ecosystem to speak to broader issues impacting the environment, global climate trends, and human ways of life. Outlooks, now in its sixth year, is an exhibition series that invites one emerging or mid-career artist to engage with Storm King’s landscape and history and create a new, site-specific work to be installed on-site for a single season. The work by this year’s artist, Elaine Cameron-Weir, is the result of both associative thinking and a research-driven artistic process. While each element suggests a kind of real-world functionality, when viewed in the context of Storm King’s collection they also ask to be seen for their similarity to large-scale abstract sculpture. In addition to these exhibitions, there are programs, concerts and performances throughout the season.  For more: stormking.org.

July 1 – October 14, 2018 – Brand New and Terrific: Alex Katz in the 1950s at Neuberger Museum of Art, Purchase College, 735 Anderson Hill Road, Purchase, NY. Brand-New & Terrific: Alex Katz in the 1950s is the largest museum exhibition to showcase Alex Katz’s (b. 1927) innovative portraits, landscapes and still lifes from this pioneering period. Organized by the Colby College Museum of Art in Waterville, Maine, in close collaboration with Katz, this presentation explores the first decade of the artist’s career, a period characterized by fierce experimentation from which his signature brightly colored figurative paintings emerged. The exhibition’s title derives from Katz’s early manifesto announcing his intentions to invigorate traditional artistic subject matter. Creating work at a time when abstract painting dominated the art scene, Katz forged an ingenious way to wed abstraction with recognizable imagery by paring down his compositions to their most fundamental elements. In retrospect, these works prefigured the subsequent development of Pop Art. For more: neuberger.org.

June 23 – October 21, 2018 – Expressionism in Print: The Early Works of Richard Haas, 1957 – 64 at Bruce Museum, 1 Museum Drive, Greenwich, CT. Richard Haas’s expansive oeuvre is predominantly marked by trompe l’oeil murals and detailed renderings of New York City’s architecture. But before he began recording urban landscapes, Haas sought inspiration from German Expressionist printmakers and Abstract Expressionist painters. Included in the exhibition are prints produced between 1957 and 1964—a seven-year period that, in many ways, encapsulates the artist’s graphic evolution. While attending the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, a city heavily settled by German immigrants in the 19th and 20th centuries, Haas began studying German Expressionism. Informed by the emotive woodcuts of Emil Nolde, Max Beckmann, and Erich Heckel, Haas’s large-scale prints include abstract portraits of European artists and great thinkers. For more: brucemuseum.org.

June 8 – October, 2018 – Rick Shaefer prints at Eleish Van Breems, 22 Railroad Place, Westport, CT – Now on view at Eleish Van Breems in Westport: Limited-edition, signed prints by Rick Shaefer for many of the large-scale pieces he has done over the years. These allow people interested in the original art to acquire less expensive versions that also offer sizes that may be more manageable for many situations. About Eleish Van Breems: Rhonda Eleish and Edie van Breems are known for imparting their inviting  aesthetic into homes ranging from rustic back country retreats to larger estate properties and city apartments. To achieve each client’s vision they work with the finest artisans, builders and workrooms on both sides of the Atlantic and are known for their expertise in the layering of textures and soothing use of colors. The designers are totally focused on creating spaces that are highly livable and that are always personal and inspiring to their clients. Photo courtesy of Rick Shaefer. For more: evbantiques.com and rickshaefer.com.

June 1 – September 24, 2018 – Becoming Tiffany: From Hudson Valley Painter to Gilded Age Tastemaker at Lyndhurst, 635 South Broadway, Tarrytown, NY. A groundbreaking new exhibition of works by legendary artist Louis Comfort Tiffany will fill the Lyndhurst Mansion and gallery this summer. Charting the development of Tiffany’s career from the 1870s through the early 1900s, the display features more than 50 pieces, focusing primarily on early and rarely-exhibited works. The exhibit includes glass and mosaics from the Haworth Collection in Accrington, England, the home town of Tiffany’s glass foreman, rare textiles from the Mark Twain House, rarely seen early paintings from the Brooklyn and Nassau County Museums and furniture and decorative arts from the Driehaus and other notable private collections. For more: lyndhurst.org.

May 20 – September 23, 2018 and January 13, 2019 – The Domestic Plane and Analia Segal: contra la pared at The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum, 258 Main Street, Ridgefield, CT. The Domestic Plane(May 20 – January 13, 2019) is a meta-group exhibition divided into five chapter exhibitions, organized by five curators, and including more than seventy artists that will feature tabletop art objects from the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Analia Segal: contra la pared(May 20 – September 23) is a solo exhibition of the artist’s recent work that expands her interrogation of the boundaries between art, design, and architecture intertwining the conceptual, aesthetic, and functional nature of objects that inhabit our domestic environments. Pictured, Double Cherry by Genesis Belanger, from Objects Like Us, from The Domestic Plane: Genesis Belanger, Double Cherry, 2017. For more: aldrichart.org.

April 14 – November 11, 2018 – Wild Bees: Photographs by Paula Sharp and Ross Eatman at Bruce Museum, 1 Museum Drive, Greenwich, CT. The exhibition Wild Bees features exquisite color photographs of native bees in their natural habitats, along with an exploration of their varied lifestyles. The photographs are part of an ongoing wild bee project undertaken by photojournalist and writer Paula Sharp and nature photographer Ross Eatman, who began documenting wild bees inhabiting New York’s Rockefeller State Park Preserve and neighboring Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture in 2014. Their lenses capture in beautiful detail the tremendous variety of shapes, colors and sizes of the insects. The essential role bees play in our planet’s health also comes into view. For more information: brucemuseum.org.

 

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FAIRFIELD WESTCHESTER MUSEUM ALLIANCE: Established in 2009 to help promote the rich and diverse offerings of eight cultural institutions in Fairfield, Westchester, and the Bronx, the Fairfield Westchester Museum Alliance continues to give local families and visitors the opportunity to enjoy eight great museums for the price of one. The eight FWMA member institutions are: Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum (Ridgefield, CT); Barnum Museum (Bridgeport, CT); Bruce Museum (Greenwich, CT); Hudson River Museum (Yonkers, NY); Hudson Valley Center for Contemporary Art (Peekskill, NY); Katonah Museum of Art (Katonah, NY); Neuberger Museum of Art (Purchase, NY); and Wave Hill (Bronx, NY). Become a member at any of these participating organizations and get free admission at eight neighboring institutions, from the Bronx to Bridgeport. Visitors who are not members of an FWMA organization can request a free same-day pass to all FWMA museums when paying admission at any one of the eight institutions.

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