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 and Fundraisers
Friday, April 27 , 7 – 10 pm – HRM After Dark at Hudson River Museum, 511 Warburton Avenue, Yonkers, NY. Hudson River Museum’s HRM After Dark on April 27th is the second event in the new series geared toward 21-39-year-olds that celebrates art, music, and science. The event will include DJ and dancing, artists’ tours, and Planetarium shows. The theme is Gilded-Age glamour, inspired by the current exhibition The Neo-Victorians: Contemporary Artists Revive Gilded-Age Glamour. Three of the artists who are featured in The Neo Victorians—Ebony Bolt, Patrick Jacobs, and Deborah Simon—will be giving special tours, and speaking about their works in the exhibition and their art-making process. Festive dress is encouraged and there will be opportunities for guests to adorn themselves with temporary tattoos and wearable flowers inspired by the evening’s theme and ordered expressly for the occasion. For more information: hrm.org.
Saturday, May 5 – The PAC Gala at The Performing Arts Center, Purchase College, 735 Anderson Hill Road, Purchase NY. The PAC is celebrating 40 years of world-class music, dance, theatre, film, comedy and family programming, with a very special evening starring Jessica Lang Dance. Jessica Lang, Artistic Director and a former Twyla Tharp dancer, whose choreography is “reliably sophisticated and achingly beautiful” (Chicago Tribune), will present the world premiere of a brand new work, developed on campus and set to the music of Tony Bennett. Schedule for the evening: Reception – 5pm, Dinner – 6pm, Jessica Lang Dance Performance – 8pm, After-party – 9:40pm. For more information: artscenter.org.
Saturday, May 12, 2018, 6:30 pm – “Jewels of the Jungle”, 31st Bruce Museum Gala, Greenwich Country Club, 19 Doubling Road, Greenwich, CT. Formerly known as the Renaissance Ball, this annual benefit raises critical funds that not only support the Bruce’s ongoing art and science exhibitions and educational programs, but also will refresh its science offerings, strengthen its potential in the arts, and expand its educational reach. Organized by a team of committee members and museum staff, the event is led by Gala Co-Chairs Katie Fong Biglin, Kim Kassin, and Shelly Tretter Lynch. The honorary Gala Chair is Avril Graham, Executive Fashion & Beauty Editor at Harper’s Bazaar. The Bruce Museum Gala is a creative black-tie event that celebrates the contributions made by all the philanthropists, arts leaders, elected officials, and Museum supporters expected to attend. The Gala also provides a time to toast the evening’s honorees, Lucile and Richard J. Glasebrook and Gale and Robert H. Lawrence, Jr., who will be recognized for their longstanding commitment, leadership, and generosity to the Bruce Museum. For more information: brucemuseum.org.
Saturday, June 9, 2018 – KMA Gala 2018: Summer Soiree at Katonah Museum of Art, 134 Jay Street, Katonah, NY. Enjoy an evening under the stars as Katonah Museum of Art honors Ellen Grimes, Vice President of the KMA Board of Trustees and longtime supporter of creative self-expression in our community. Fabulous food, wine, and, of course, dancing with their beloved silent disco after party will be in store at our annual spring soirée. Gala chairs Tracey and Mike Davies and their committee of entertaining all-stars will ensure a night to remember. For more information: katonahmuseum.org.
Programs, Lectures and Artist Talks
Sunday, April 29 – Mansions of the Gilded Age Symposium at Lyndhurst, 635 South Broadway, Tarrytown, NY. For the Mansions of the Gilded Age Symposium at Lyndhurst, five esteemed speakers and authors discuss topics related to Gilded Age homes, society, and art. Schedule includes special tours of Lyndhurst Mansion, and authors discussing their books, some with book signings: Our Time at Foxhollow Farm with David Byars; A Dangerous Woman: American Beauty, Noted Philanthropist, Nazi Collaborator – The Life of Florence Gould with Susan Ronald; Ardrossan: The Last Great Estate on the Philadelphia Main Line with David Nelson Wren; “Houses of the Hamptons 1880-1930” with Gary Lawrance; “Jay Gould and His Daughters; the Forgotten Collectors of the Gilded Age” with Executive Director of Lyndhurst, Howard Zar. For more information: lyndhurst.org.
Film
April 27 – May 1, 2018 – Focus on French Cinema: Locations in Connecticut and New York City. Now in its 14th year, Focus on French Cinema (FFC) , the annual Francophone festival for new cutting – edge cinema from France and across the French-speaking world presented by the Alliance Française of Greenwich, CT, returns to Connecticut and Manhattan for a five- day festival from April 27- May 1. FFC has announced an exciting lineup of 18 feature-length films in five days including World and U.S. Premieres, multiple César nominees and winners , award – winning short films and continued support of Québecois Cinema based on the FFC partnership with Cinemania. For more: focusonfrenchcinema.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. February 3 – March 4 – 2018 Oscar Nominated Film Festival – Including Oscar Nominated Shorts: Live action, Animated, Documentary and Feature films. 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. Current film series include: World Stage on Screen; Remix: The Black Experience in Film, Media and Art; Retro Revival Presents; Greenhouse: Emerging Documentary Voices from the Middle East and North Africa (April 22 – 26) and Jazz Sessions: The Greats on Camera (May 2 – 30). For more information: burnsfilmcenter.org.
Theater
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
April 29 – 30 – Transcendent Song: Greenwich Chamber Players Season Finale, Greenwich, CT. Performances are on Sunday, April 29 at 4:00 PM at the Round Hill Community Church, 395 Round Hill Road, and on Monday, April 30 at 7:30 PM at the Greenwich Arts Council, 299 Greenwich Avenue. Baritone Thomas Woodman, born and raised in Greenwich, will join the Chamber Players of the Greenwich Symphony as a guest artist in the final concerts of the 2017-18 season. He will sing selections from Beethoven’s “Twenty-Five Scottish Songs” Op. 108, as well as selected Lieder by Schubert. Bassist Timothy Cobb and violinist David Southorn will also be guest artists in these concerts, joining the ensemble in Rossini’s String Sonata No. 3 in C major, and Schubert’s beloved Piano Quintet in A major, D.667, the “Trout.” Mr. Cobb is Principal Bass of the New York Philharmonic, a position he has held with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and the Mostly Mozart Festival, and has toured with Musicians From Marlboro. For more: 203-637-4725 or greenwichsymphony.org.
Saturday, May 5, 8 pm – Stamford Symphony presents World Stage Solo Piano Recital with Stephen Hough, Pianist at The Palace Theatre, 61 Atlantic Street, Stamford, CT. Stamford Symphony welcomes back world renowned pianist, Stephen Hough for a World Stage Solo Piano Recital. Mr. Hough, who has performed with Stamford Symphony twice before is pleased to present his recital program from his worldwide tour that focuses very much on Debussy. Mr. Hough will be performing selected works by Beethoven, Debussy and Schumann. Since taking first prize at the 1983 Naumburg Competition in New York, Hough has performed with many of the world’s major orchestras and has given recitals at the most prestigious concert halls. He is a regular guest at festivals such as Salzburg, La Roque- d’Anthéron, Mostly Mozart, Edinburgh, and BBC Proms, where he has made more than twenty concerto appearances. For more information: stamfordsymphony.org.
Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts, 149 Girdle Ridge Road, Katonah, NY. Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts is a destination for exceptional music, captivating programs, spectacular gardens and grounds, and wonderful moments with friends and family. It enriches the lives of its audiences through innovative and diverse musical performances of the highest quality. Its mission also includes mentoring young professional musicians and providing educational programs for young children centered around music. Audiences are invited to explore the lush grounds, tour the historic Rosen House, enjoy a pre-concert picnic, and discover beautiful music in the relaxed settings of the Venetian Theater, Spanish Courtyard, Music Room of the Rosen House, and the magnificent gardens. Caramoor currently has a variety of performances on their schedule, which take place in their Music Room until their summer season begins on June 16th. Photo by Gabe Palacio. For more information: caramoor.org.
Visual Art
April 28 – May 6, 2018 – 2018 Art in the Barn: Blue/Green: color/code/context at browngrotta arts, 276 Ridgefield Road, Wilton, CT. For its 2018 Art in the Barn exhibition, browngrotta arts challenged multimedia artists to enter a blue/green period of their own and provide work that explores these colors, literally or symbolically. The colors evoke myriad connotations. There was ground for those interested in exploring color as code for a mood, a musical genre, naiveté, fertility, greed, rebirth or an affinity for nature. Infinite hues — indigo, cerulean, celadon, seafoam — were available for those who chose a more literal direction.The more-than 50 artists from 15 countries participating in Blue/Green: color/code/context have interpreted these colors and what they symbolize in vastly different ways — as paintings, sculpture and tapestry. Image: “I Mirror You”, Åse Ljones, hand embroidery on linen, stretched on frames 32.25” x 81.75″ 1.125″, 2013-17. Artists Reception and Opening is Saturday, April 28th, 1- 6 p.m., co-sponsored by Litchfield Distillery. Visit during the week: April 29th-May 6th, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day or make an appointment earlier or later by calling 203-834-0623. If you have any further questions, please contact art@browngrotta.com.
April 22 – May 19, 2018 – Art in Design: Interior Design Artists and Guild Artists at Silvermine Arts Center, 1037 Silvermine Road, New Canaan, CT. Art is integral to the successful design of interior space. In a new Silvermine exhibition, Perfect Partners: Art in Design, five interior designers have been given the chance to create an innovative project to show the ways in which works of art can be a starting point for interior design. The exhibit will explore color, the mix of old and new, the curating of art and objects, and the eye of the collector. Featured Designers – Susie Earls, Southport, CT Krista Fox, New Canaan, CT Cherie Greene, Westport & Darien, CT Anna Maria Kinberg, Stamford, CT Danise Talbot, Westport, CT. For more information: silvermineart.org.
April 19 – May 26, 2018 – Clement Kamena: ILLUSIONS at Gilles Clement Gallery, 45 East Putnam Avenue, Greenwich, CT. Serge Clement and Marina Kamena first joined their talents to recreate ten masterpieces for the French film Rembrandt (1999), and they have worked in tandem ever since, represented by and exhibited at the Allan Stone Gallery in NYC, and co-authored a book “The Joy of Art” (Abrams 2001). Featured in the current show are a diverse range of paintings, sculpture and mixed media constructions that share the theme of illusion and perspective. The results are offbeat, clever works of enormous craftsmanship that outguess the viewer. For more information: gclementgallery.com.
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. Image: Paula Sharp, Small Carpenter Bee on Wild Rose (detail), © Sharp-Eatman Nature Photography. For more information: brucemuseum.org.
April 7 – June 3 – In Time We Shall Know Ourselves: Photographs by Raymond Smith at Bruce Museum, 1 Museum Drive, Greenwich, CT. In Time We Shall Know Ourselves is an exhibition of black-and-white photographs by New Haven photographer Raymond Smith. Inspired by the photographs taken in the American South in the 1930s by Walker Evans, a teacher and mentor of Smith at Yale University, as well as by Robert Frank’s The Americans (1958), in the summer of 1974 Smith embarked on a photographic expedition of his own. Smith traveled with his friend Suzanne Boyd in an aging Volkswagen from New England through the South and into the Midwest, camping and photographing people and places he encountered during the three-month journey. Along with the exhibition, on Sunday, April 15 from 3 – 5:00pm there will be a Sunday Afternoon Lecture: “I Am a Camera,” which will be followed by a Q&A and signing of his book of the same name. Pictured: New Picture Books, Stoneville, North Carolina, 1974, gelatin silver print, 7.25 x 7.5 inches. Lent by the artist, courtesy of the Bruce Museum. For more information: brucemuseum.org.
March 24 – May 5, 2018 – 18-3838 at Heather Gaudio Fine Art, 66 Elm Street, New Canaan, CT. Last December, PANTONE declared 18-3838 Ultra Violet as the official color of 2018. The blue-based purple pigment shade is known to evoke spiritual and meditative reflection, as well as elicit cosmic and futuristic outlooks. “18-3838” is a group exhibition featuring works by Charles Arnoldi, John Clement, Leah Durner, Matthew Heller, Madeleine Keesing, Martin Kline and Jill Moser, who have been gracing Heather Gaudio Fine Art’s roster with their personal styles and individual processes. They are brought together for the first time to showcase a visually rich installation that is as dynamic as it is au courant. Pictured: Leah Durner, darkvioletfuschiablackpaleblue pour, 2017, Poured latex enamel on canvas, 48 x 60 inches. For more: heathergaudiofineart.com.
March 23 – June 2, 2018 – Handmade: Women Reshaping Contemporary Art at The Westport Arts Center, 51 Riverside Avenue, Westport, CT. This exhibition is curated by Elizabeth Gorayeb, Executive Director of the Wildenstein Plattner Institute, Inc., a non-profit art historical research foundation based in New York, and as the senior vice president and senior specialist in the Impressionist and Modern Art department at Sotheby’s and as director of research, she led provenance research and restitution projects in London, Paris, and New York. Featured artists in the exhibition include Ghada Amer, Anna Betbeze, Ligia Bouton, Orly Cogan, Lesley Dill, Terri Friedman, Sermin Kardestuncer, Norma Minkowitz, Sophia Narrett, Faith Ringgold, Miriam Schapiro, Judith Scott, Beverly Semmes, Chiyoko Tanaka, Rosemarie Trockel, Margo Wolowiec, and Carolina Yrarrázaval. For more: westportartscenter.org.
March 15 – April 25 – Hazardous Beauty at Flinn Gallery, Greenwich Library, 101 West Putnam Avenue, Greenwich, CT. Hazardous Beauty features artists Alejandro Durán and Willie Cole as they use their creativity to interpret the environmental problems of plastic pollution and explore the impact from our increasing disposable culture. Through aesthetically beautiful works and educational programming, the viewer reflects on the collision of consumer culture on the natural world. For more: flinngallery.com.
March 1 – May 19 – William Kentridge Universal Archive at Fairfield University Art Museum’s Walsh Gallery in the Quick Center for the Arts, Fairfield University, 1073 Benson Road, Fairfield CT. An opening reception, free and open to the public, will take place on Wednesday, February 28, 2018, from 6-7:30 p.m. The exhibition presents new works on paper by renowned South African artist William Kentridge (b. 1955), inspired during the writing of his Norton Lectures. In more than 75 linocut prints based on ink sketches and printed on dictionary and encyclopedia pages, Kentridge revisits a familiar personal iconography, including coffee pots, typewriters, cats, trees, nudes and other imagery, exploring a thematic repertoire that has appeared in art and stage productions throughout his long career. Pictured: Twelve Coffee Pots, 2012, from Universal Archive series. Linocut printed on non-archival pages from Shorter Oxford English Dictionary. 41 1/3” x 40 3/4”. Image courtesy of Gund Gallery, Kenyon College, and David Krut Projects, Johannesburg/New York. For more information: fairfield.edu.
February 25 – June 17 – Long, Winding Journeys: Contemporary Art and the Islamic Tradition at Katonah Museum of Art, 134 Jay Street, Katonah, NY. Long, Winding Journeys: Contemporary Art and the Islamic Tradition presents a focused look at a group of artists of Middle Eastern and South Asian descent whose work engages the diverse forms of Islamic visual tradition to explore religion, culture, and socio-political issues today. It takes its title from Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Ayad Akhtar’s essay, The Breath of Miraj, a response to artist Shahzia Sikander work, Portrait of the Artist. The text speaks to the manner in which Islam and its history can inspire creative life to become a “long, winding journey.” It simultaneously serves as a metaphor for the travel of a visual tradition through time and its ability to nimbly adapt to an ever-changing world. The works in the exhibition draw from centuries-old forms—such as calligraphy, miniature painting, geometric patterning, textiles, and architecture—that have come to define historical Islamic art. Pictured: Ala Ebtekar, Zenith V, 2014, acrylic over cyanotype on canvas, four panels 60 1/4 x 30 1/4 in. each. © Ala Ebtekar. Courtesy of the artist and The Third Line, Dubai. For more information: katonahmuseum.org.
February 24 – May 28 – Birds in Art at the Stamford Museum & Nature Center, 39 Scofieldtown Road, Stamford, CT. Birds in Art presents a juried collection of 60 outstanding contemporary artistic interpretations of birds and related subject matter. Two- and three-dimensional artworks in all media, except crafts and photography, are included. More than 60 artists have created original paintings, sculptures, and graphics, within the past three years, for inclusion in this 42nd annual exhibition. Wildlife enthusiasts, ornithologists, and backyard birders will be delighted by the quality and variety of the artworks that capture birds in all their natural splendor. Pictured: Laura Quinn Harris, Lilac-crowned Amazon, 2017. Oil on hardboard, 9 x 9 in. Courtesy of Stamford Museum & Nature Center. For more information: stamfordmuseum.org.
February 10 – May 13 – The Neo-Victorians: Contemporary Artists Revive Gilded-Age Glamour at Hudson River Museum, 511 Warburton Avenue, Yonkers, NY. This exhibition explores a resurgence of interest over the last decade in ornamental lushness, with works of art that conceal pointed social commentary beneath seductive surface techniques. More than 20 contemporary artists whose work is inspired by the aesthetics of the 19th century have shaped, molded, and transformed these ideas to reflect today’s concerns, commenting on gender roles and societal tensions under the guise of the overt beauty. The artists use a wide variety of media, including large-scale installations, textiles, cut-paper sculptures, video, photography, and more. A wide variety of programs, special tours and lectures accompany the exhibition. Pictured: Chet Morrison, Man and His Bird, 2005. Epson enhanced matte paper, courtesy of the artist and Hudson River Museum. For more information: hrm.org.
February 2 – May 19 – The Holy Name – Art of the Gesù: Bernini and his Age at the Fairfield University Art Museum’s Bellarmine Hall Galleries, 1073 North Benson Road, Fairfield, CT. This landmark exhibition’s focus is the Church of the Gesù (Chiesa del Santissimo Nome di Gesù all’Argentina) in Rome and features artistic treasures from the Gesù itself, never before seen in America: Bernini’s bust of Roberto Bellarmino (patron saint of Fairfield University), Gaulli’s monumental painted wood model of the apse, a gilt bronze altar sculpture by Ciro Ferri, the sumptuous 3-piece jeweled cartegloria from the altar of St. Ignatius, and the magnificent embroidered chasuble of the church’s great benefactor, Cardinal Alessandro Farnese. These masterpieces will be joined by more than fifty paintings, sculptures, rare books, precious objects, drawings, prints, and historical documents by Bernini, Domenichino, Gaulli, Ciro Ferri, Carlo Maratti, and Andrea Pozzo, among other Italian Baroque masters, generously lent by museums and private collections around the country. Image credit: Giovanni Battista Gaulli (Italian, 1639-1709) The Triumph of the Name of Jesus, 1676-79. Oil on paper, laid down on canvas. 64 3/16 x 43 11/16 in. (163.03 x 110.96 cm) Princeton University Art Museum. Museum purchase, Fowler McCormick, Class of 1921, Fund and Laura P. Hall Memorial Fund, 2005-34. Photo: Princeton University Art Museum / Art Resource, NY. For more information: fairfield.edu/museum.
January 28 – June 24 – Stephen Antonakos: Proscenium + Bending Light: Neon Art 1965 to Now at Neuberger Museum of Art, Purchase College, 735 Anderson Hill Road, Purchase, NY. Stephen Antonakos: Proscenium, curated by Helaine Posner, Chief Curator, features a monumental, site-specific work, originally created in 2000 for the Neuberger Museum’s vast Theater Gallery. Bending Light: Neon Art 1965 to Now presents the work of twelve artists who explore the use of this versatile medium as well as their close collaboration with skilled glass-benders. The exhibition will focus on the oft-blurred lines between commercial and fine art, and consider the complicated interplay among light, chemistry, and artistic vision. Image credit: Stephen Antonakos, Proscenium, 2000, neon and painted raceways, overall 20 feet 6 inches x 189 feet; Collection of the Neuberger Museum of Art, Purchase College, SUNY. Photo credit: Jim Frank. For more information: neuberger.org.
January 27 – May 20 – Hot Art in a Cold War: Intersections of Art and Science in the Soviet Era at the Bruce Museum, 1 Museum Drive, Greenwich, CT. The Bruce Museum’s provocative new exhibition Hot Art in a Cold War: Intersections of Art and Science in the Soviet Era examines one of the dominant concerns of Soviet unofficial artists—and citizens everywhere—during the Cold War: the consequences of innovation in science, technology, mathematics, communications, and design. Produced from the 1960s to the 1980s, the works on view address themes of international significance during a turbulent period marked by the ever-escalating competition for nuclear supremacy and the space race. Produced from the 1960s to the 1980s, the works on view address themes of international significance during a turbulent period marked by the ever-escalating competition for nuclear supremacy and the space race. Creative interpretations of these key historical events and their repercussions are presented here through nearly 40 works by 17 artists from the former Soviet republics of Estonia, Latvia, Ukraine, and Russia. Image: Laika Cigarette Box, Bruce Museum Collection. Photo by Paul Mutino. For more information: brucemuseum.org.