You probably know Cory best from Season One of Last Comic Standing (NBC), but she has had plenty of television appearances throughout her career. She was the ‘comedy coach' on Nick at Nite's Funniest Mom in America series, she's had her own stand-up special, Comedy Central Presents, and in June 2007 Cory made her second appearance on the Late, Late Show with Craig Furgeson (CBS).

Cory was also a regular on Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn (Comedy Central) and made multiple appearances on Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher. Cory's most recent success was her critically acclaimed off-Broadway show, The J.A.P Show. The J.A.P. Show is a multi-media homage to the brilliant Jewish comediennes who paved the way for all women in stand up, presented by the top Jewish comediennes of today. The show had a spectacular run at New York City's Actors Temple. Cory conceived and developed The Radio Rita's a nationally syndicated talk radio show for Greenstone Media; a company created by Gloria Steinem and Jane Fonda to provide radio programming for woman. Up until April of 2007 Cory was the co-host of this daily morning talk show currently airing in nine markets around the country. She was featured in the 2001 & the 1998 Just For Laughs festival in Montreal. Her one-person show Having it all and other Myths premiered at the 1999 US Comedy Arts Festival in Aspen. Having it all and other Myths was later produced as a half hour special for HBO, which lead to development deals with Warner Brothers and CBS. Cory returned again in 2000 to the Aspen Comedy Arts Festival as a featured stand up.

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.

   Featuring Christmas carols old and new.

The state-wide Russian language premiere of "Evgeni Onegin" by Tchaikovsky will be produced in cooperation with the Connecticut Lyric Opera, and presented both in New London (home of the CLO) and New Britain. The Production will include an all-star cast of performers. The New Britain performance will take place on Nov. 28 and Dec. 7.

Visit www.thevirtuosi.org for more information.

Westport Arts Center presents:
c2 = (CP + CL): Creative Connections = Creative Process + Learning Process

Friday, Dec. 5 - Jan. 11

Friday, Dec. 5, 6:30 - 8:30 p.m. for Opening Reception

WAC Gallery

Curated by WAC's Education Manager, Danielle Cavanna, featuring Westport Arts Center's teaching artists, who have made signifigant contributions to our Connections program. The works that will be selected will directly relate to each teaching artist's work as an educator. For more information visit www.westportartscenter.org.

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.

Sunday, Dec. 7, 3 - 5 p.m.

Presented by the CT Alliance for Music

Westport Town Hall

Members and guests: $20, Age 18 and under free

Come hear the stars of tomorrow compete in the 2008 Heida Hermanns International Voice Competition in this weekend-long event. These highly motivated musicians from around the world have already garnered top prizes in important international competitions and performed with leading orchestras and chamber groups worldwide. A festive reception will follow the competition.

For more information, contact WAC at 203-333-7070, www.westportartscenter.org, or visit the gallery M-F 10 - 4 and Sat./Sun. 12 - 4 at 51 Riverside Ave., Westport.

On Dec. 6 & 7 in Deep River

Performing Poulenc "Gloria" and Bass "Christmas Ornaments"

Patricia Schuman is our internationally-known Soprano soloist and will also sing "Song to the Moon" by Dvorak.

For more information visit www.cappellacantorum.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.

Professional storyteller Sara deBeer will perform a collection of stories for children of all ages about the cold winter months that is sure to warm your heart. There is no additional charge for this program and no pre-registration is required. Just be at the museum at 2:00 PM on Sunday 12/7 ready to have fun!

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.
 

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 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.

 Mario Pires will be showing a solo exhibition of his new series of paintings, titled "Visions from the Mundane Traveler." This series has a direct link to his Masters Thesis, which focuses on imagery from everyday society. There will be an Opening Reception on December 6th, 2008 from 2-4 p.m. at the Gallery at the Barney Library, located at 71 Main Street in Farmington, CT. The show will run through the entire  month of December. For more information about Mario Pires and his artwork, the artist will be available to take questions and comments at his exhibit Opening on December 6th. You may also find more information in the itowns section of the hartford courant online. Type in Itowns cover art to search article. Also, you may courant.comcontact him at mariopires@yahoo.com.

Poulenc GLORIA &  Bass CHRISTMAS ORNAMENTS Concert

Gloria  by Poulenc and Christmas Ornaments by R. Bass will headline Cappella Cantorum’s Winter Concert on Saturday, Dec. 6 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, Dec. 7 at 3 p.m. at John Winthrop Middle School, Route 80, (Exit 5, Rte 9) Deep River. The concert will feature internationally acclaimed soprano-Patricia Schuman, who has performed at the Metropolitan Opera House, Vienna State Opera House and Covent Gardens. Come and enjoy a musical beginning to the holiday season. Tickets are $15 – 18, and can be purchased by calling (860) 434-9135 or (860) 669-2702, (860) 739-7236. Tickets are available at Celebrations, Deep River; Homeworks, Old Saybrook, Turning Page, Old Lyme and Stewart’s Music, Niantic. Children, 12 and under are free. Refreshments after Sunday’s performance.

6:00 p.m. at the Pond House Cafe in Elizabeth Park, featuring a Superb Game Dinner Menu.

Ticket prices: $65 per person

Friend of the Rose Garden: $100 per person

Hunter-Gatherer: (Sponsor - includes 2 dinners) $200

-Raffle and Silent Auction-

Proceeds to Support the Friends of Elizabeth Park

-Game Dinner Menu-

Appetizer: Pheasant barley shoup w/ wild mushroom puff

Main Course: Family style platters of caribou, boar and venison, roasted root vegetables, caramalized brussel sprouts, lingonberry demi glace, winter fruit compote

Dessert: Ginger and hot buttered rum cake; warm chocolate pudding

BYO Wine and Beer

For More Info.: Ed Dombroskas, 860-521-7274 or edombroskas@snet.net

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

Support the Arts!

With the holidays coming, what better way to honor the spirit of the season than to support the Arts and Crafts Association of Meriden/Gallery 53 and its artists.

Give a unique, hand crafted gift to all the special people in your life.

Fabulous holiday items include oil paintings, pottery, jewlery, accessories and more.

Dec. 6 - 24

Reception on Dec. 6 from 2 - 4 p.m.; Holiday fun and hors d'oeuvres!

Gallery Hours: 12 - 4 p.m. Tues. - Fri. and Sat. 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.

Free parking is available across the street and there is easy access from I 84 and I 91. For more information visit www.gallery53.org or call 203-235-5347.

Hear First Church choirs and soloists, with organ, harp and handbells, present Robert Hebble’s popular “Glad Tidings of Great Joy” and excerpts from Benjamin Britten’s exquisite “A Ceremoy of Carols,” plus carols for choir and carols for all to sing. James Barry, organist; Joan Ceo, harpist. Plus, the Wethersfield High School Choralaires will provide pre-concert music beginning at 3:20, and pieces during the concert. Offering received. Childcare available up to the age of 8.

The Cathedral Choir performs Hugo Distler's "A Christmas Story" with projected art images from around the world. Supported in part by a grant from the Greater Hartford Arts Council.

CELEBRATION OF WOMEN'S CRAFTS

For additional information:

Connecticut high school students are challenged to write mainstream, mystery or fantasy fiction from source photography for the $1000 Grand Prize and publication with your byline in our e-magazine: Cum Laude, The Scholarly Evening Post. GOOGLE: stellar scholars aurora awards