Organ Concert  Sunday, November 23 at 4 PM.  Showcases the historic 1927 Estey pipe organ  at the Cutchogue United Methodist Church and features North Fork of Long Island organists amd musicians. Open to the public; a free-will offering will be collected for the final phase of the organ's restoration. 

The Simsbury Community Band will play its 2008 Fall Concert, Of Thee I Sing, at 3 p.m. on Sunday, November 23, in the Celebration Hall of Covenant Presbyterian Church, 124 Old Farms Road, Simsbury, CT. Admission is free.

This celebration of America will feature some of our most beloved tunes and composers including Irving Berlin, John Philip Sousa, and George M. Cohan. The featured performance will be A Copland Portrait, highlighting the music of one of our great American composers, Aaron Copland. The Band’s director is Mr. Ertan Sener. A reception will follow the performance.

The Simsbury Community Band is a 55-piece symphonic band. Its members come from 20 communities in north-central Connecticut and south-central Massachusetts. The band has been recognized in both Connecticut and Massachusetts for its musical quality and innovation.

For more information call Jeff Greenwood at 860.651.5085 or visit the band’s website at simsburyband.org.

Westport Country Playhouse presents jazz vocalist Tierney Sutton. $30, $40, $50.

For more information and tickets, call the box office at 203-227-4177, or for out-of-town callers, call toll free at 888-927-7529, or visit the box office at 25 Powers Court, off Route 1, Westport.

Information about the Playhouse is also available at www.westportplayhouse.com.

Westport Arts Center presents:
Not All Rubber Ducks Look Alike

Thurs., Oct. 30 - Sunday, Nov. 30

Studio Party: Thurs., Oct. 30, 6:30 - 8:30 p.m., Studio Gallery

Lucy Sander Sceery's whimsical, charming take on rubber ducks.

Open to the public.

For more information, contact Westport Arts Center at 203-222-7070 or www.westportartscenter.org,
or visit the gallery M-F 10-4 and Sat-Sun 12-4 at 51 Riverside Ave., Westport.

November 16 – December 23, 2008            Craft USA celebrates craft as art.  It is recognized as an exhibit of merit where original works of art made by hand are showcased.  This is the sixth year of the juried craft triennial competition/exhibition.  The competition draws over 1000 entries and over 400 artists from coast to coast working in various mediums such as ceramics, fiber, glass, jewelry, metal, paper, wood, basketry and mixed media.   This year’s juror is Gretchen Keyworth, Director of the Fuller Craft Museum in Brockton, MA.  A notable figure in the world of contemporary craft, she has extensive experience in curating and advising prominent craft shows.  The Fuller Craft Museum underwent a re-branding in 2004/05 to become the preeminent craft museum in New England.  The museum has recently exhibited Joan Morris, Thomas Mann, Megumi Naitoh, Carter Smith, and Alan Klein.  Ms. Keyworth has independently curated many craft exhibitions such as GlassForms, Charles Kaziun Early Works and Traditional Paperweights.  In 2005, Ms. Keyworth was named one of ten people to watch in American Craft by The Crafts Report. GALLERY HOURS: Tuesday – Saturday: 11 am – 5 pm; Sunday: 1 – 5 pm.

Playhouse on the Green presents: 

The Edge of Chaos

by E. Katherine Kerr

A staged reading of a comedy about a woman who decides to write and create a soap opera based on her life.

Sunday, Nov. 23 at 7 p.m.

"Page to Stage" New Play Reading Series, an ongoing Playhouse porgram that supports Connecticut playwrights by presenting staged readings of their latest creations in front of live audiences. A talkback with the playwright moderated by "Page to Stage" curator Mark Graham follows the reading.

Suggested Donation: $10

Playhouse on the Green, 177 State St., Bridgeport. Free parking available. www.playhouseonthegreen.org

Westport Arts Center presents:

Optomism

Sept. 26 - Nov. 30

An exhibition examining the role of art as a form of political activism. Open to the public.

Gallery Talkback: Wed, Nov. 12, 7:30 - 9:30 p.m.

WAC Main Gallery

For more information, contact WAC at 203-222-7070, www.westportartscenter.org, or visit the gallery, M-F 10-4; Sat/Sun 12-4 at 51 Riverside Ave., Westport.

Artistry on the Shoreline Holiday Sale

October 20 - January 11, 2009

Visit our website at www.guilfordartcenter.org.

Now through Dec. 14 -

Holidaze: The Real Story of Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas

Special exhibit at the Henry Whitfield State Museum

Learn why the Puritans did not celebrate Christmas, the myths behind the First Thanksgiving, and how All Hallow's Eve became a night of costumes and candy. The exhibit is available for viewing during regular museum hours and is included with museum admission.

Woodbury painter Matt Wood returns to nature’s essence
in “Pentimento” exhibition at Good News Cafe & Gallery

Woodbury artist Matt Wood returns to the essence of the subjects he paints from the natural world in his new exhibition titled “Pentimento,” showing through Jan. 5, 2009, at the Good News Cafe and Gallery, 694 Main Street South, Woodbury.

A native of southern California, Wood began his artistic odyssey with painting studies at the University of Iowa influenced by the work of Mauricio Lasansky. Wood notes that his own Polish and Russian heritage, and his marriage to Polish native Joanna Czaderna, have established a natural affinity for Lasansky’s passionate approach to the creative process that seeks to use art as a means to raise personal awareness.

Good News Cafe & Gallery is open from 11:30 am to 10 pm daily; closed Tuesdays.
 

    A staged reading of "Body & Sold"  will be performed Sunday, Nov. 23, 2008 at 2 p.m. at the Little Theatre, 1 Lincoln St., New Haven (just north of the Audubon Arts District).

    "Body & Sold" is a powerful documentary play that sheds light on a frequently ignored epidemic: the exploitation and sex trafficking of American children and teens. It tells the stories of young people who were lured, coerced and kidnapped into lives of prostitution and violence. A panel discussion will follow the performance.

    This performance of "Body & Sold," written by playwright Deborah Lake Fortson, is being presented by Soroptimist International of Greater New Haven and Fairfield University 's Project Peg.

    Tickets are $10 in advance or at the door (cash or check only), and proceeds will benefit Ahava Kids www.ahavakids.org. For information, tickets, or group discounts, e-mail nhsoroptimist@yahoo.com.

The Connecticut Plein Air Painters Society presents its annual members exhibition at Hartford Fine Art, 80 Pitkin Street, East Hartford, beginning with the opening reception and awards presentation on Friday November 7, 2008 from 6-8 pm. This year's juror is David Dunlop, well-known to CPTV viewers for his thirteen-episode series Landscapes Through Time With David Dunlop, which debuted this year to rave reviews. His careful selection of 72 works in oil, watercolor, pastel and acrylic makes this the most exciting show ever for this talented group of artists. The public is cordially invited to the opening reception to share insights and a glass of wine with many member artists. All works will be for sale and a drawing will be held for one lucky guest to win an original painting by a member artist. The exhibit will continue through January 31, 2009. Please go to www.hartfordfineart.com for gallery hours and directions.

In conjunction with the annual exhibit, the Gallery will host a series of artist demonstrations and panel discussions on selected Saturdays in November and December, including a hands-on demo by David Dunlop himself on December 6 from 11-1. This is an opportunity for artists and art lovers alike to gain insights from several artists into the painting process. For a complete schedule of events, please go to www.cpaps.org.

Art Exhibition Reception and Musical Performance

Tuesday, November 18th 5 – 7pm
Free and open to the public

Clare Gallery is pleased to present Completing the Journey: The Art of Hospice Care,an extraordinary and powerful multi-media exhibition depicting the use of the arts in hospice care. Artists participating in this exhibition are constituents of The Complementary Therapy Team, a Connecticut VNA Partners organization. Along with the artists, professional musicians from The Complementary Therapy Team will perform original music during the reception.

Along with this exhibition there are also other programs that might be of interest to people dealing with loss. The first program, sponsored by the ministries of Women of Hope and Bereavement from the Franciscan Center for Urban Ministry, is “Grief – Shattered and Mended: How Hopeful Women Survive” on November 12th from 5 to 9 pm. This Twilight Retreat includes dinner, a discussion on how women deal with grief, and a hands-on project. The cost is $15.00. The second program, sponsored by several Ministries of Pastoral Care is a “Service of Remembrance” on November 25th from 7-8 pm. If one would like more information on either of these programs, please call the Urban Center at 860-756-4034.

Free parking in Saints Lot across the street. Please bring ticket for validation.

So bring a friend and start your holiday shopping with our nature-related gifts for all ages. There’s plenty of free parking and

no charge to visit the Nature Center or to attend the Fair on this date.

All proceeds benefit the Roaring Brook Nature Center Auxiliary who sponsor programs and services at the Center. 

For more information visit www.roaringbrook.org or contact:

So you think you know the whole story of Ebenezer Scrooge and his late partner, Jacob Marley?  Then you haven’t seen Jacob Marley’s Christmas Carol, playing November 14 through December 13 at Hole in the Wall Theater in New Britain. 

In Tom Mula's funny, irreverent spin on the Christmas classic, Jacob Marley sets out to redeem Ebenezer Scrooge's soul and, in the process, save his own.  Accompanied by a jaunty Hell-sprite called a “Bogle,” Marley embarks on a journey filled with laughter, terror, the power of redemption, and the promise of second chances.  Four actors play multiple roles in this highly theatrical holiday entertainment.  Dennis Hull directs. 

Jacob Marley’s Christmas Carol runs Fridays and Saturdays, November 14 through December 13, at 8:00 p.m. and Sundays, November 23 and December 7, at 2:00 p.m. at Hole in the Wall Theater, 116 Main Street, New Britain.  Admission is a $20.00 suggested donation.  Seating is limited, so please call (860) 229-3049 for reservations.  For more information, visit www.hitw.org.

Jennifer Jane Gallery has organized an art exposition with a cooperative of local artists in New Haven.

The best place around this holiday season to buy handmade, original gifts.

Original photography, paintings, stained glass, giclees, watercolors, jewlery, etc.

Located at ArLoW

838 Whalley Ave.

The Westville Arts District

New Haven, CT 06515

Hours: Wed - Sat, 12 - 6 p.m.; Sun 11 a.m. - 3 p.m.

www.GroupX20.com

ART@jenniferjanegallery.com