Willard Metcalf’s "Kalmia"

Old Lyme, CT - One of the highlights of the current exhibition Connecticut Treasures: Works from Private Collections is no longer privately held. The painting – a magnificent view of mountain laurel by the American Impressionist Willard Metcalf (1858-1925) – recently became one of the most significant collection additions the Florence Griswold Museum has made in its history. It makes its debut in Connecticut Treasures as an example of how a work of art can, over generations, be held privately before entering a public collection like the Florence Griswold Museum.

Willard Metcalf painted Kalmia (which he named after Kalmia latifolia, the botanical name for mountain laurel) in 1905 during his first summer staying at Florence Griswold’s boardinghouse as part of the Lyme Art Colony. Metcalf had only to walk just short distance from the Griswold property to capture on canvas this vista of the gentle Lieutenant River partially screened by a blossoming stand of mountain laurel along its banks. For a few years the painting was seen in various exhibitions in New York and elsewhere to much acclaim. Critics instantly recognized the painting’s significance: “Willard Metcalf is at his best in Kalmia,” one wrote, “with its flowering bushes at the side of a stream, the delicacy of the pink and white blossoms being caught with tenderness and feeling, the result being a picture having much of the poetry of nature.” Perhaps inspired by this example, Metcalf’s artist contemporaries in Old Lyme made a practice of depicting mountain laurel. The flower not only became Connecticut’s state flower, but a key motif in American Impressionist paintings associated with Lyme.

Kalmia was eventually sold in the 1930s to a private family, who held it for over seventy years, transferring it from one generation to the next. During this time, the painting remained largely unseen and forgotten by art historians until it was offered for sale to the Florence Griswold Museum. With the help of a consortium of generous supporters, the Museum is nearing completion of a campaign to raise sufficient funds to acquire Kalmia as part of the permanent collection. The painting joins what is today the largest public holding of Metcalf’s work, comprising oil paintings, pastels, drawings, and diaries representing each phase of the artist’s career, as well as Metcalf’s naturalist collection, a unique group of butterflies and bird eggs the artist gathered during his world travels. In commenting on this acquisition, the Museum’s director Jeffrey Andersen exclaimed: “What a find! Kalmia is a breathtakingly beautiful painting and without a doubt one of Metcalf’s most significant paintings from his years at the Lyme Art Colony. We are thrilled to have the opportunity to acquire this painting for the public to enjoy for years to come.” Andersen will be presenting a gallery lecture entitled “The Rediscovery of a Lost Masterpiece: The Story Behind the Acquisition of Willard Metcalf’s “Kalmia” on Wednesday August 18th at 6:30 p.m. at the Florence Griswold Museum. The public is invited to attend this special program to learn more about this acquisition.

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Shelton, CT - The Griffin Hospital Development Fund will host the first ever “Housy One-Miler” swim at 10:00 am Sunday, August 22, 2010. This one-mile swim event, sponsored by Prudential, will begin at the Housatonic River Bank, 36 Birchbank Road in Shelton.

The inaugural Housy One-Miler offers a challenge to local corporations, schools, community/civic groups, families and individuals to swim for the fight against breast cancer, with all net proceeds from this event directed toward the establishment of the Griffin Hospital Breast Wellness Center. Griffin is creating this new, comprehensive breast care facility to offer its community the highest quality screening, diagnostic, and follow-up services to detect and treat breast cancer at its earliest stages.

The swim event is being organized by the Hospital’s Development Fund and a committee of community leaders who are lending their time and talents to this worthwhile effort. Committee members include Patricia Tarasovic, Co-Chair of the Campaign for Breast Wellness, Joyce Barcley, Joe DeFelice, Patrick DiCaprio, Liz Kennard, Pam Petro, Charlie Sullivan, and Jack Walsh.

“I’ve lost two great friends to Cancer in the past two years,” said Sullivan, who is serving as chair of the swim committee. “In their honor I joined the fight against breast cancer and the building of the Breast Wellness Center at Griffin Hospital.”

Early registration for the event is encouraged, as the swim is limited to the first 100 to register. All swimmers must be 16 years of age or older within 2010 calendar year to participate, and written parental permission is required for those under 18. All participants will receive a commemorative t-shirt. No swim aids are allowed, wet suits are optional, and swimming caps are required.

Each swimmer is encouraged to raise a minimum of $100 in pledges from their families, friends, and/or co-workers, and will and special color swim cap corresponding to the amount of pledge they raise ($100 – Red Cap; $1,500 – Silver Cap; $500 – Blue Cap; $1,000 -Bronze Cap; and $2,000 – Gold Cap).

The Griffin Hospital Radiology Department has raised more than $700 in pledges to support the effort of Naugatuck High School swim captain James Streifel, son of James and Kateri Streifel, Supervisor of the Radiology Department’s Invasive Imaging Unit.

Individuals interested in participating in the Housy One-Miler can register online at www.griffinhealth.org or go directly to the fundraising page for the event at www.FirstGiving.com/GriffinHospital. The FirstGiving website allows participants to register and do all of their fundraising online.

In addition, various sponsorship opportunities exist for non-swimmers looking to join the effort, with each including a specific benefit package. For more information on the Housy One-Miler, contact the Griffin Hospital Development Fund at 203.732.7504 or go to www.griffinhealth.org.

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Live Mural Art on 7/29

Middletown, CT - If you’re looking for a bit of entertainment during your happy hour next Thursday (7/29), swing by Eli Cannon’s Tap Room where two artists known as the Drone Robot Killers will be working on a mural somewhere in the bar live before your very eyes.  They’ll be doing this between 5pm and 11pm, so if you can’t make happy hour you can still check out the action.  Also that night Eli’s will be holding their Bartender’s Challenge, with 3 Olives Vodka starting at 7pm.  No details on this challenge, but the combo of vodka and art sounds pretty interesting.

If you’ve never been to Eli’s it’s worth a visit.  It’s a dive-bar lover’s dream come true.  They describe themselves as an Irish / English Pub / American Trailer Park Fusion, with barber chairs, theater seats, leather couches and chairs to lounge on. One of the first things you’ll notice when you walk in is the massive beer bottle chandeliers hanging in the main area. They have thirty-three “real ales” on tap, include many local beers, and the food is fantastic (they have cheddar ale!!). Check it out.

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Puddle of Mudd plays Uncasville 8/4

Uncasville, CT - Puddle of Mudd drummer Ryan Yerdon recently spoke with CT Weekender’s Ryan Spain about their upcoming stop at the Mohegan Sun Arena on Aug. 4th, as well as their latest album Volume 4: Songs In The Key Of Love and Hate.

Yerdon talks about the new album, playing old favorites & new tracks at their shows, tour-bus rituals, how to meet the band, his love for coffee and more.  Listen to the interview below:

Interview with Puddle of Mudd Drummer Ryan Yerdon

Puddle of Mudd joins rockers Sevendust, Shinedown, Chevelle, and 10 Years as a part of the nationwide Carnival of Madness Tour.  The show begins at 6:00 pm at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, CT.  Full details about the tour, tickets and the full band line-up can be found on the tour website: www.carnivalofmadness.com.  For more about Puddle of Mudd visit www.puddleofmudd.com.

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Hartford, CT - In honor of Hartford’s 375th anniversary, the Wadsworth Atheneum and the Hartford Party Starters Union team up to present a free concert, Still Wavy 375.

An eclectic blend of new young artists from around the country unite to create an evening of musical bliss, including Grammy nominee, Janelle Monae, as well as Holy Ghost!, Tobacco, Maluca, Cubic Zirconia, and Rizzla. A fusion of musical genres including pop, disco, house, funk, and salsa (just to name a few) will resonate through the crowd as these performers light up the stage.

The show takes place Friday, July 23rd, 2010, from 5-10pm in Bushnell Park in Hartford. For more info check out http://stillwavy375.com/.

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Fairfield, CT - “One of our members, Town Building official Jim Gilleran – Roger Ludlowe, Class of ’65 – suggested we hold a class reunion here for the entire Sixties decade. “It was too great an idea to pass up,” says Miles Marek, FTC Producing Director. Never a man to think small, Marek suggested FTC hold a non-stop, weekend- long party and open it up to everyone in town.  The event takes place September 10-11, 2010.

The party starts on Friday night with a dancing, food, open bar and a live music featuring the Jay Stollman Band, followed by Chad and Jeremy, the iconic British Invasion duo famous for hits songs “A Summer Song” and “Before and After.” All reunion attendees are encouraged to come and mingle with their old friends.

The party continues through the weekend with an all-day arts and food festival, The Flavors of Fairfield, at FTC and Sanford Street. The festival, the first of its kind at FTC, will offer food from dozens of Fairfield’s finest restaurants as well as art from local talent curated by the Fairfield Arts Council. At 7:00 PM that night, the all star Beatles Tribute Band, The Fab Faux plays The Klein Memorial Auditorium. The Fab Faux is an 11-piece band that plays the entire catalogue. “Who in the sixties did not grow up with the Beatles? They were the biggest thing since Cheerios, it’s something we all have in common,” says Jim Gilleran. The Fab Faus concert is generously underwritten by the Bridgeport based law firm Cohen & Wolf.

Proceeds from the weekend long event will benefit FTC, a not-for-profit arts center.

For information and registration go online to www.fairfieldtheatre.org, or call the FTC box office seven days a week from noon to five, 203-259-1036.

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Mystic, CT - Mystic Seaport is extending the summer weekend experience with “Summer Sunday Evenings” and will offer complimentary after-hours Museum admission to all visitors Sundays in July and August from 5-8 p.m.

Outdoor dining will be available at Schaefer’s Spouter Tavern, located in the heart of the Museum’s village and overlooking the Mystic River. A cash bar will be available, as well as the tavern’s regular menu which features freshly made salads, sandwiches, wraps, soup and desserts.

Visitors are invited to stroll through Museum’s historic grounds and 19th-century village, walk along the picturesque waterfront and listen to live music performed by local musicians. All exhibits will be closed.

The offer is valid July 4, 11, 18, 25 and August 1, 8, 15, 22 and 29. For more information, as well as a list of upcoming performers, visit www.mysticseaport.org/summersundays.

Mystic Seaport is the nation’s leading maritime museum. Currently celebrating its 80th anniversary, the Museum is home to four National Historic Landmark vessels, including the Charles W. Morgan, the last wooden whaleship in the world. Admission is $24 for adults, $15 for youth ages 6-17 and free for children ages 5 and under. Second-day admission is free upon ticket validation. For more information, visit www.mysticseaport.org.

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Shelby Lynne comes to Stage One August 7th.

Fairfield, CT – Grammy winner Shelby Lynne is on an acoustic tour in support of her album, Tears, Lies, And Alibis, and will be playing in Fairfield, CT on August 7th at Stage One.  U.K. artist Findlay Brown will be opening. Tickets are on sale now.

Tears, Lies, And Alibis, in stores now, marks the first release on Lynne’s own newly founded label, EVERSO RECORDS, which will be distributed through Fontana, the award-winning independent distribution division of Universal Music Group. Coming on the heels of Just a Little Lovin’, Lynne’s critically acclaimed 2008 tribute to Dusty Springfield, Tears, Lies, And Alibis affirms her position as a visionary, iconoclastic artist who deftly weaves country, soul, rock, blues, pop and folk influences to forge her own unique style. Like Identity Crisis (2003) and Suit Yourself (2005), this sparse, unguarded collection was produced by Lynne, who evokes a live-in-the-studio vibe from a stellar group of musicians.

Drawing inspiration from the everyday, Lynne uses the familiar to render a complex internal landscape. From the exuberant “Rains Came” and dreamy “Something To Be Said,” her ode to the iconic Airstream trailer, to the restless, bluesy “Old Dog“ and poignant “Alibi,” her evocative imagery brings to life the scarred yet determined group of survivors whose stories are told in Tears, Lies, And Alibis.

Last December, Lynne played a sold-out show at New York City’s Carnegie Hall for public radio station WFUV, eliciting praise from The Wall Street Journal’s “Speakeasy” for her “lean, elegant arrangements” and the “soulful” new song “Alibi.” Upcoming tour dates are as follows:

4/22 West Hollywood, CA - The Roxy Theatre
4/23 San Francisco, CA - Great American Music Hall
4/26 Portland, OR - Doug Fir Lounge
4/27 Seattle, WA - The Triple Door
5/1 Minneapolis, MN - Dakota
5/2 Milwaukee, WI - Turner Hall
5/3 Ann Arbor, MI - The Ark
5/4 Chicago, IL - Martyrs’
5/5 Cleveland, OH - Beachland Tavern
5/7 Northampton, MA - Iron Horse Music Hall
5/8 Somerville, MA - Johnny D’s
5/9 Philadelphia, PA - World Café Live
5/10 New York, NY - The Concert Hall
5/11 Alexandria, VA - The Birchmere
5/13 Nashville, TN - The Belcourt Theater
5/15 Atlanta, GA - Variety Playhouse

Stage One is located at 70 Sanford St., in Fairfield, CT. Tickets can be purchased by calling the box office at (203) 259-1036 or by visiting http://fairfieldtheatre.org/.

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On display at the Kehler Liddell Gallery

New Haven, CT – This month the Kehler Liddell Gallery presents ARTIST AS CURATOR, an exhibition curated by the gallery’s artists, who live and work in New Haven and surrounding areas. The exhibition began on July 1st and continues until August 8, 2010. There will be an opening reception on Sunday, July 11 from 3–6pm, with an artist talk at 3pm.

Connecticut has a rich history of attracting artists to settle along its shoreline. Over the past decade, New Haven has established itself as one of the Northeast’s most densely populated, academically minded artist enclaves, poised to become an alternative to the New York art scene.

For this exhibition, each Kehler Liddell Gallery artist has invited one regional guest artist, whom he or she thinks is making exceptional work, to partake in the show. The result is a compelling installation of new painting, sculpture, mixed media constructions, and works on paper.

ARTIST AS CURATOR explores tacit dynamics of the curatorial experience, possibly offering concrete examples of what it means to be an “Aritst’s Artist.” The 22 pairings between artist and their invitees document idea-exchanges that many outsiders have no means of detecting. In many instances, these collaborative relationships are unbound by medium, age or art world status.

Following is the list of artist curators and their invited guests: Joseph Adolphe to Ting Ou-Yang; Amy Browning to Lori Glavin; Frank Bruckmann to Jason Noushin; Jason Buening to Gulgun Aliriza; Susan Clinard to Janice Bielawa; Rod Cook to Melody Best; Emilia Dubicki to Jonathan Waters; Matthew Garrett to Kevin Van Aelst; John Harris to Tom Reilly; Lisa Hess Hesselgrave to Alanna Fagan; Blinn Jacobs to Richard Lytle; Keith Johnson to Andrew Hogan; Gigi Horr Liverant to Jean Dalton; William McCarthy to Catherine Doocy; Lawrence Morelli to Chris Durante; Hank Paper to Terry Dagradi; Joseph Saccio to Fethi Meghelli; Gerald Saladyga to Jeremy Keats Saladyga; Deirdre Schiffer to Thomas Stavovy; Alan Shulik to Douglas Nygren; Gar Waterman to
Richard Carleton; Marjorie Wolfe to Susan Cutler Tremaine.

Gallery Hours are Thursday and Friday, 10am-4pm; Saturday and Sunday, 10am-4pm, or by appointment.

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The Webster Treat Truck in Torrington, CT

Hartford, CT – Who couldn’t go for a free cone?  In celebration of 75 years in business, The Webster Treats Truck will be driving around the greater Hartford area giving out free ice cream starting this week.  Here’s a short list of some of the upcoming stops:

• Today: 6/3 – New Milford, CT & Torrington, CT
• 7/8 – Main Branch, New Britain, CT (1 PM – 5 PM)
• 7/8 – Porter & Chester Institute, Rocky Hill CT (10:30 AM – 2 PM)
• 7/10 – Berlin Rotary Alert Program, Kensington, CT (9 AM – 3 PM)

You can follow the Webster Treats truck on Twitter (@WebsterTreats) for additional upcoming stops in your area and live updates from the truck en route. You can also find a full list of dates and locations on the Webster Treats Truck website: http://bit.ly/webstertreats.