Past Events

Elliott Forrest photo courtesy of Music Conservatory of Westchester

Sunday, May 19, 2:00 pm – Musical Masters Lecture Series: “Film Music: Groundbreaking Director/Composer Collaborations” with Elliott Forrest at Music Conservatory of Westchester, 216 Central Avenue, White Plains, NY. In this exclusive presentation of “Film Music: Groundbreaking Director/Composer Collaborations,” Peabody Award-winning Broadcaster & Producer and WQXR radio host Elliott Forrest will explore the unique relationship of film composers and directors, charting the evolution of the art form. Within the discussion, he will also address why film composers’ scores were initially not welcome for performance in concert halls and how that has changed today. Film buffs and music lovers will experience an in-depth, interactive, cinematic ride. Through video clips from some of his favorite and historically significant films, Mr. Forrest will showcase music by such groundbreaking composers as Bernard Herrmann (Citizen Kane, Psycho, Vertigo, Taxi Driver), John Williams (Star Wars, Schindler’s List), Nino Rota (The Godfather), Ennio Morricone (The Mission), Danny Elfman (Edward Scissorhands), and more. For tickets and more: musicconservatory.org.

Join me for Young Picasso, a film that will take us to Pablo Picasso’s Málaga birthplace, Barcelona, and Madrid, to the Montmartre and Moulin Rouge of 1900s bohemian Paris, where he encounters Toulouse-Lautrec and and sees the art of earlier masters and the African sculpture that would soon inspire his Cubist masterpiece Les Demoiselles d’Avignon. A Q&A will be part of the evening, with Jim Coddington, the former Agnus Gund Chief Conservator at the Museum of Modern Art, where he was part of the team that restored the iconic work.

Join us for a performance of Quatuor Ebène in Caramoor’s Music Room. Considered one of the most exciting quartets playing today with their fresh approach to tradition and open engagement with new forms, this French ensemble has been successful in reaching a wide audience of listeners. Their characteristic style engages a traditional repertoire with a variety of other genres, earning enthusiastic acclaim from audiences and critics alike.

Celebrate spring at The Wadsworth Atheneum’s 38th Annual Fine Art & Flowers! Florists, garden clubs, and interior designers from across New England create floral arrangements and garden designs inspired by masterworks from the museum’s collection to display during this fundraising event. More than 60 exceptional floral designs are expected this year, and will be showcased throughout the museum galleries beside the artworks that inspired them.

Works spanning 100 years reflect Pablo Picasso’s far-reaching influence on the music world. The iconic painter collaborated on many theatrical and dance productions with his contemporaries, and had an enduring impact on successive generations of composers that has lasted to our own time. Music from Copland House explores composers surrounding the revolutionary Spanish master (Igor Stravinsky and Manuel de Falla), as well as newer works inspired by his seminal art by Robert Sirota and the World Premiere of their inaugural Harvest commission by 2015 Resident Viet Cuong.

As iFF’s Spring 2019 program, “In The Blink of An Eye,” presents short films from around the world that capture moving snapshots in time… from life-changing decisions we make at the spur of the moment to playful bursts of humor and joy. The Spring 2019 festival will take place on Saturday, March 30th at the Irvington Town Hall Theater — followed by an after-party for all filmmakers and audience members.

Georgia O’Keeffe’s art has intrigued viewers and artists alike for generations. This spring, the New Britain Museum of American Art will present The Beyond: Georgia O’Keeffe and Contemporary Art, an innovative exhibition that celebrates her work and legacy. Drawn from public and private collections across the country, The Beyond will bring together three dozen iconic works as the centerpiece of a unique exploration. O’Keeffe’s paintings and sculptures will appear alongside works by 20 contemporary artists that evoke, interrogate, and elaborate upon the images and approaches that mark her career.

Art on Paper returns to downtown Manhattan’s Pier 36 this March 7 – 10, with ninety-one galleries featuring top modern and contemporary paper-based art. Art on Paper’s medium-driven focus lends itself to significant projects – unique moments that have set the fair apart and established it as an important destination for the arts in New York City. This year we have been invited to attend with complimentary passes, courtesy of one of our members on the behalf of Heather Gaudio Fine Art in New Canaan, Connecticut – an exhibitor in the Fair.

Landscape sculptor Andy Goldsworthy is renowned throughout the world for his work in ice, stone, leaves, wood. His own remarkable still photographs are Goldsworthy’s way of talking about his often ephemeral works, of fixing them in time. Now with this deeply moving film, shot in four countries and across four seasons, and the first major film he has allowed to be made, the elusive element of time adheres to his sculpture.

Rick Shaefer was Best in Show in Silvermine’s Art of the Northeast, and this solo exhibition is a result of that honor. He draws with charcoal—using a language of mark-making that is defined, gestural, and rhythmic—to create life-sized images on vellum paper. The richness of detail, reminiscent of Rembrandt’s etchings or Durer’s woodcuts, imbues the work with a resonant stillness and dignity.

Clay Art Center will be using its exhibition space to understand and celebrate cultural heritage; they will be telling the story of the Great Race – a short story narrating the travels of the 12 Chinese zodiac animals to the Jade Emperor to solidify their place in the calendar. Each artist has chosen one animal of the zodiac to represent in clay – their own unique history shapes their contemporary interpretation.

Join me for an artist talk with Elena Lyakir at Flinn Gallery – she will be talking about her inspiration and creative process. Her work is one of three artists featured in Forces of Nature, the current exhibition at the gallery, which is on view through January 23.

Join me for the Opening Reception of the 39th Annual Photography Show at Carriage Barn Arts Center.  This annual event is a good opportunity to join with the community to see the work of local photographers: amateur, student and professional. Jurors are Susan Carlson & Claartje van Dijk, International Center of Photography

Join me for an artist talk with Amy Talluto at Flinn Gallery – she will be talking about her inspiration and creative process. Her work is one of three artists featured in Forces of Nature, the current exhibition at the gallery, which is on view through January 23. 

Join us for a visit to The Metropolitan Museum of Art for Delacroix, a joint project with the Musée du Louvre, which illuminates Delacroix’s restless imagination with over 150 paintings, drawings, prints, and manuscripts, and Jewelry: The Body Transformed, which explores how jewelry acts upon and activates the body it adorns, with some 230 objects drawn almost exclusively from The Met collection.

The beauty and wonder of nature provides endless visual influences and opens infinite possibilities for art making. Experiences with the natural world can evoke memories, enhance the meaning of imagery and inspire the creative process. Artists Rebecca Hutchinson, Elena Lyakir and Amy Talluto guide us through their visions in Forces of Nature. The exhibition is curated by Laura Schroeder and Claudia Schipper.

The London-based period-instrument ensemble makes its Caramoor debut in a rare area appearance. The English Concert performs Baroque and Classical repertoire with the passion, sophistication and technical mastery established at its creation in 1972.

The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum is pleased to present Helena Hernmarck: Weaving in Progress, organized by The Aldrich’s interim co-director Richard Klein. In addition to exhibiting a selection of her work, Hernmarck, one of the most important contemporary figures in the evolving history of woven tapestries, will be in residence at the Museum from October 14, 2018, to January 13, 2019.

Glass House Presents at New Canaan Library is an occasional series of talks and events about architecture, design, and Modernism in New Canaan and beyond. The series is collaboratively organized by the Glass House and New Canaan Library. This talk will feature Samuel White, a founding partner of PBDW Architects, a practice that combines historic restoration and adaptive reuse with new designs in historic settings. The firm’s current commissions include the conversion of the Park Avenue Armory into a major cultural venue and galleries for the New-York Historical Society.

Stamford Symphony has announced four guest conductors who will lead the Orchestra in a wide range of repertoire throughout its 2018-19 Classics season. On November 11, they will present Vivaldi Four Seasons with Andrés Cárdenes, Guest Conductor and Violin. Also included in the program are Theofanidis’ Visions and Miracles and Mendelssohn’s Sinfonia No. 8. 

Join us for a walk in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan to visit five galleries, I will be researching the options and will update soon. Before the walk, members are invited to have brunch as a group at an area restaurant. In past years some shows we have seen include Lee Krasner at Paul Kasmin Gallery, Mark Rothko at Pace, Ai Weiwei at Mary Boone, Joseph Albers at David Zwirner, and Mark di Suvero at Paula Cooper Gallery.

“The Impossible Dream” comes to life in this beloved American musical. Take an imaginative journey with Don Quixote as he tilts at windmills and battles for good and the love his fair maiden, Aldonza. Rediscover the magic with songs like “Dulcinea” and be transported by the power of this sweeping tale based on Cervantes’ masterpiece.

The American artist and muralist Richard Haas will talk about his early work, influences, and printmaking techniques of works that are a part of the Bruce Museum’s current exhibition Expressionism in Print: The Early Works of Richard Haas, 1957 – 64. A celebratory reception with wine and cheese will immediately follow.

Join me for a visit to the Cooper Hewitt Museum to experience their current exhibitions, including The Senses: Design Beyond Vision: Wander through a scented snowstorm, play a furry instrument in a Tactile Orchestra, investigate the sonic properties of glass, and experience many more multisensory experiences from some of the world’s most creative thinkers. Saturated: The Allure and Science of Color explores the elusive, complex phenomenon of color perception and how it has captivated artists, designers, scientists, and sages with objects from all four curatorial departments present a globally and stylistically diverse installation of iconic, experimental, and vernacular design.

Enjoy the happiest hour of the month during this monthly after-work social gathering with friends and colleagues at the Neuberger Museum of Art. Stop by before heading home and relax with a glass of wine, beer or soft drink. Chat with old and new friends or wander the galleries to view works in the current exhibitions: Brand-New and Terrific: Alex Katz in the 1950s, Then and Now: Modern & Contemporary Selections from the Permanent Collection, and opening July 22, Andy Warhol: Subject and Seriality.

A preeminent artist of the twentieth century, Alberto Giacometti (1901–1966) investigated the human figure for more than forty years. This comprehensive exhibition, a collaboration with the Fondation Giacometti in Paris, examines anew the artist’s practice and his unmistakable aesthetic vocabulary. Featuring important works in bronze and in oil, as well as plaster sculptures and drawings never before seen in this country, the exhibition aims to provide a deeper understanding of this artist, whose intensive focus on the human condition continues to provoke and inspire new generations.

Three-time Grammy-winning vocal group Chanticleer makes their Caramoor debut in our stunning Spanish Courtyard. Celebrating their 40th Anniversary, they will perform works by Palestrina, Lassus, Gibbons, Byrd, Steven Stucky, Chen Yi, Matthew Aucoin, Ellington, Rodgers & Hart, Berlin, and other classics from their extensive and varied repertoire. Hear why The New Yorker calls this San Francisco-based group “the world’s reigning male chorus.”

Now in its 4th year in collaboration with Jazz at Lincoln Center, Caramoor’s annual Jazz Festival is back with performances of exceptional talent planned throughout the stunning gardens and historical venues of Caramoor. Enjoy an afternoon of jazz, picnicking, and strolling the property as we hear from a variety of musical artists.

The National Geographic Photo Ark, led by photographer Joel Sartore, is a multiyear effort to document every species living in wildlife sanctuaries, inspire action through education, and help save wildlife by supporting on-the-ground conservation efforts. With ingenuity and wit, National Geographic photographer Joel Sartore has captured portraits of more than 6,000 creatures in 40 countries to date. Many of the animals live in the world’s zoos and aquariums, institutions dedicated to preserving and caring for species of all kinds.

The Norwalk Art Festival features the works of 125 juried artists from local to national talent. They will exhibit a wide variety of media including photography, drawing, ceramics, jewelry, painting, mixed media, printmaking, fiber, metal sculpture and glass. Hosted with the support of The Center for Contemporary Printmaking, Stepping Stones Museum, Mathews Mansion Museum and The Norwalk Parks Department, this Art Festival will be a premier cultural event in the area. The Center for Contemporary Printmaking will also be open for their annual FOOTPRINT show and sale.

Curated by Theresa Papanikolas, Ph.D., of the Honolulu Museum of Art, the landmark exhibition Visions of Hawai’i at New York Botanical Garden offers a rare focus on 20 of O’Keeffe’s depictions of Hawai‘i from a nine-week sojourn in 1939 while on commission to produce images for a Hawaiian Pineapple Company promotional campaign.

To accompany their upcoming exhibition Becoming Tiffany: From Hudson Valley Painter to Gilded Age Tastemaker (opening June 1) Lyndhurst will host a public Symposium on Louis Comfort Tiffany’s career, focusing on new and ongoing research. It will feature esteemed speakers Professor Roberta Mayer, Professor Patricia Pongracz, Professor Martin Eidelberg and Sam White, FAIA. Howard Zar, Lyndhurst executive director will explore Jay and Helen Gould’s overlooked roles as one of Louis Comfort Tiffany’s most important and consistent patrons.

Greenwich International Film Festival is a favorite late spring event that we’ve enjoyed for the past three years as – it’s a terrific opportunity to see new films and special features locally, while supporting the Festival and filmmakers. Members are invited to join me at any of the following films during the Festival: McQueen, Connecticut Shorts, The Price of Everything, Shakespeare Wallah, Generation Wealth, Joao, O Maestro and the Panel: Women at the Helm: A Conversation about Female Directors.

Join me for a Wave Hill History Walk, followed by a visit to their Glyndor Gallery where Curator of Visual Arts Eileen Jeng Lynch, Curatorial Fellow Natika Soward, and artists Marna Chester, Peter Morgan and Tanya Chaly will be on hand to give a behind the scenes look at Avifauna: Interplay of Birds + Habitat. Artists will speak to their specific environmental concerns and the way that they study birds and habitat to create their work. They will share insights into their techniques and practice as artists/naturalists.

The Fairfield County Chorale will conclude its 55th season with J.S. Bach’s sacred masterwork, Mass in B minor on Saturday, May 12th at the Norwalk Concert Hall. The concert, conducted by music director David Rosenmeyer, features the 100+ voices of the Fairfield County Chorale, the Fairfield County Chorale Orchestra, and four dazzling young soloists: soprano Sarah Hawkey, mezzo soprano Kate Maroney, tenor Charles Sy, and baritone Elijah Blaisdel. Bach’s monumental Mass in B minor is widely regarded as one of the supreme achievements of classical music.

Join me for a visit to The Metropolitan Museum of Art to see Thomas Cole’s Journey: Atlantic Crossings and Public Parks, Private Gardens: Paris to Provence. Thomas Cole’s Journey marks the 200th anniversary of Cole’s first Atlantic crossing, when he emigrated from England to the United States in 1818, and brings to prominence the dialogue between American and European artists in the mid-19th century by hanging Cole’s work in direct juxtaposition with works he studied on his formative journey. Public Parks, Private Gardens will feature some 150 works by more than 70 artists, spanning the late 18th through early 20th century, from The Met’s collection, as well as other private collections.

On Thursday, May 3, the Flinn Gallery at the Greenwich Library will launch an opening reception for “Art Students League Revisited.” The exhibition includes diverse works of eight artists at the League and will feature sculpture, prints and paintings. Complementing a similar popular exhibit ten years ago, this exhibit seeks to highlight several current award-winning League artists and their varied and interesting work.

Join me to meet the artists in Gilles Clement Gallery’s upcoming exhibition, Clement Kamena: ILLUSIONS, for a special event as we celebrate the kick-off of Alliance Française Focus on French Film Festival. Serge Clement and Marina Kamena, Parisians now based in Westport, Connecticut, have been making collaborative art in the contemporized spirit of Renaissance ateliers for over twenty years – a prolific body of work that reflects the couple’s relentlessly dynamic, creative and visionary approach. Focus on French Cinema is an international independent film festival showcasing a diverse selection of the best and the latest contemporary French-language films from around the world.

The fifth and final concert in the New Maestro Series with the Stamford Symphony will feature Guest Maestro Rei Hotoda, with Cecile Licad, piano. The Stamford Symphony has generously offered two tickets to match our two tickets for each weekend, so the first four members to respond can enjoy a complimentary performance. We will be attending Sunday afternoon performances for each weekend in this series, the concerts begin at 3:00 pm. Afterwards, members are invited to join me for dinner at a restaurant nearby.

Join me for a visit to The Morgan Library & Museum to see their current exhibitions, including Power and Grace: Drawings by Rubens, Van Dyck and Jordaens which features the greatest works on paper by the artists and highlights the distinctive graphic styles of each artist and their influence on one another. Joseph Cornell: The Saint-Exupéry Dossier marks the seventy-fifth anniversary of the publication of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s classic story The Little Prince and presents five newly discovered drawings by the author as well as intimate memorabilia from his time in New York during the 1940s.

Hieronymus Bosch’s astounding masterpiece, The Garden of Earthly Delights, lures us into a fever dream of a landscape, with a bird-headed creature eating a naked man, giant strawberries, a pig dressed as a nun, and figures of all sorts caught up in scenes of carnal frenzy and hellish torment. What does it all mean? Featuring insights from opera star Renée Fleming, artist Cai Guo-Qiang, former Metropolitan Museum director Philippe de Montebello, writers Orhan Pamuk and Salman Rushdie, and other creative thinkers.

Join me for brunch and a visit to Katonah Museum of Art for a tour of Long, Winding Journeys: Contemporary Art and the Islamic Tradition, which 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. The exhibition brings artists’ voices to the fore as they mine links between the seemingly distant past and contemporary experience.

Join me for a performance in Caramoor’s elegant Music Room with favorites Colin Jacobsen (founding member of The Knights and Brooklyn Rider), Nicholas Cords and Edward Arron (both Evnin Rising Star alumni) when they join forces for a special performance of Bach’s iconic and beloved Goldberg Variations, arranged for string trio. Opening the program will be Biber’s haunting Passacaglia from his Mystery Sonatas, for solo violin. 

In conjunction with NEON:  Stephen Antonakos: Proscenium and Bending Light: Neon Art 1965 to Now, the Neuberger Museum of Art will present “In Conversation: NEON”, a discussion with Thomas Rinaldi, author of New York Neon; Jeff Friedman, owner of Let There Be Neon studio, and Sarah Blood, contemporary mixed-media artist. Avis Larson, Assistant Curator at the museum will be the moderator.

The fourth concert in the New Maestro Series with the Stamford Symphony will feature Guest Maestro Paul Watkins, with Benjamin Beilman, violin. The Stamford Symphony has generously offered two tickets to match our two tickets for each weekend, so the first four members to respond can enjoy a complimentary performance. We will be attending Sunday afternoon performances for each weekend in this series, the concerts begin at 3:00 pm. Afterwards, members are invited to join me for dinner at a restaurant nearby.

Corey Flintoff, former Moscow correspondent for NPR, presents a timely and topical discussion about current U.S.-Russian relations and how past events – from the October Revolution of 1917 to the end of the Cold War to the 2016 U.S. elections – continue to shape the public perceptions and official policies today. Joining Mr. Flintoff in the conversation is Dr. Daniel Ksepka, Curator of Science at the Bruce Museum and co-curator of the museum’s provocative new exhibition Hot Art in a Cold War: Intersections of Art and Science in the Soviet Era. There will be time to view the exhibition and have refreshments beforehand, and a 30-minute Q&A session will follow the discussion.

With In Spite of Wishing and Wanting, Wim Vandekeybus created a performance not about the chemistry between men and women, but a primal desire in a world of men alone – fierce, wild, naïve, and playful. The performance derives its power from the organic symbiosis between dance, theatre, and film. Captivating dance sequences underpinned by the sensual soundtrack by David Byrne, founding member of Talking Heads, dissolve into monologues on fear, the desire for security, and the dreadful magic of sleep. Cultural Pursuit members are offered a special rate for this performance!

The third concert in the New Maestro Series with the Stamford Symphony will feature Guest Maestro David Lockington, with Joshua Roman, cello. The Stamford Symphony has generously offered two tickets to match our two tickets for each weekend, so the first four members to respond can enjoy a complimentary performance. We will be attending Sunday afternoon performances for each weekend in this series, the concerts begin at 3:00 pm. Afterwards, members are invited to join me for dinner at a restaurant nearby.

Please join me for a series of artist talks by 4 internationally renowned artists from the exhibition Beyond Street Art at the Flinn Gallery, an exciting multimedia art exhibition that encompasses the work of 5 iconic street artists who have evolved their careers into becoming globally recognized contemporary artists. Featuring the work of Billy the Artist, Paul Deo, Blake Jamieson, Lady Pink, and Swoon.  Curated by Ruth Sutcliffe-Heagney.

Please join me for the public opening reception for Birds in Art at the Stamford Museum & Nature Center. This will be a juried collection of 60 outstanding contemporary artistic interpretations of birds and related subject matter. 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.