A Veterans Memorial Garden is an installation created by Connecticut artist Noelle Carr to honor American Veterans of Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation Enduring Freedom, and the global war on terror. "My intent is to express gratitude to our troops and their families and remember all of the men and women who have served in America's Armed Forces, especially our fallen heroes," said Ms. Carr.

A Veterans Memorial Garden  will include an A Million Thanks receptacle for visitors to leave their own letters of thanks to the troops that will be sent at the close of the exhibit. A portion of proceeds from the exhibit will be donated to Wounded Warrior Project.

10:00am – 4:30pm Daily; Sunday, 12:00pm-4:30pm

10:00am – 4:30pm Daily; Sunday, 12:00pm-4:30pm

10:00am – 4:30pm Daily; Sunday, 12:00pm-4:30pm

10:00am – 4:30pm Daily; Sunday, 12:00pm-4:30pm

10:00am-5:00pm

The Discovery Museum’s Big Read Mystery Lab will bring out your inner
detective, whether you’re a puzzle ponderer by nature or not. Visitors can
gather clues and examine evidence to solve totally fictional, historically
hokey “Crimes of Science”. Included with general admission.

Showings are at 3:30pm AND 7:30pm

Dandelion Productions/Connecticut Free Shakespeare perform a live radio drama version of The Maltese Falcon. Audiences at the theatre or tuned in to Bridgeport's WPKN will hear a story that employs Hammett's knack for engaging dialogue and understanding of the human soul as the falcon circles. Performance directed by CFS's Ellen Lieberman, replete with period music and real sound effects, for a 1/2 hour that will bring back old-time radio.

The works in this exhibition reflect the visions of Swedish women who broke from their traditional roles of women, mothers and homemakers to explore their creativity as textile designers, weavers, painters, sculptors and glass artists. Their art resonates with dream-like images of free-flying birds evoking flight and escape from domestic confinement, year-round idyllic visions of midsummer blossoms, and spare Nordic landscapes filled with greenery, water, space, and light.  

Women's Work, Women's Dreams celebrates a remarkable legacy from a country whose art and artists are little known to American viewers.  The Benton Museum is grateful to Samuel and Ann Charters for sharing their extraordinary collection of Swedish Art and Art Glass and for curating this exhibit.

Gallery Hours: 

Thursday & Friday: 10 am - 4:30 pm

Saturday & Sunday: 1 - 4:30 pm

The Benton will be closed:

November 23 - December 2

Three decades of wars have deeply marked the entire culture of Afghanistan, yet artistic expression, particularly through carpets, has been maintained in spite of hardships including displacement to refugee camps.  

In traditional Afghan carpet-weaving, patterns tended to be geometric or floral, reflecting the Islamic rejection of anthropomorphic depictions.  However, by the mid-1980s, in response to the 1979 Soviet Invasion, Afghani weavers, principally women, were creating carpets that showed Russian tanks, helicopters and guns.  The subtle geometric borders often contained rows of bullets and grenades.  Most recently, these "war carpets" have included references to the American conflict and even to 9/11.  Although many of the carpets have Arabic or Persian woven into their designs, the Afghani who created them found a market for these rugs in the West.  In part this may be presumed anti-war sentiments but also, while the rugs are generally traditional in design and relatively inexpensive, they are nonetheless a contemporary artistic expression of a century old craft.  

In this exhibition of over fifty contemporary Afghan carpets showing both war and traditional designs, the rugs offer a commentary on modern Afghan history and, in their maintenance of a vibrant tradition, a measure of hope for the future.

Gallery Hours:

Thursday & Friday: 10 am-4:30 pm

Saturday & Sunday: 1-4:30 pm

The Benton will be closed:

November 23-December 2

November 19, 20, 21, 2009, 8:00 pm, November 21 & 22 @ 2:00 pm DOUBT, A PARABLE By John Patrick Shanley

Directed by Nancy Hoffman Tansill

Theater tickets; students $6.00, general $8.00

Solve infectious disease mysteries by examining interactive patients, analyzing lab tests and identifying culprit microbes. Running Monday to Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday noon to 5 p.m. through Jan. 31.

Hartford Public Library Exhibit

The American Mural Project (AMP) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the creation of the largest indoor collaborative artwork in the world – a mural 120 feet long, 5 stories high, and up to 10 feet deep. Over 10,000 people have worked on it since artist Ellen Griesedieck conceived of it ten years ago. This exhibition at Hartford Public Library will feature some of the finished pieces of the mural, as well as a scale model and plans for elements in progress. Visitors will also have the chance to work on an eight-foot paper-pulp sculpture, one of many AMP is now sending across the country to be painted before their eventual installation in the mural. Throughout the month of the exhibit, AMP will also be coordinating projects with kids from local schools, the Wadsworth Atheneum, the Hartford Stage, and other arts organizations around the city.

The Artist’s Vision

In the American Mural Project, Ellen Griesedieck celebrates the engineers and ironworkers, heart surgeons and athletes, cattle workers and craftsmen, and many others who have defined our nation through their work. Ellen paints on a large scale but with an intimate relationship to each of her subjects.

To make the mural as large in spirit as it is in size, Ellen asked people in all 50 states to contribute. Thousands of artists, scientists, teachers and children from coast to coast have responded. Children have worked together with remarkable people, including the quilters of Gee’s Bend, Alabama, an inner-city dance troupe, scientists of the 2003 Mars Explorer Rover Mission, survivors of a Japanese-American internment camp, and an intergenerational foster-home community.

About one quarter of the mural is finished. Collaborative projects are in progress around the country, and work on the mural’s new home, in the Whiting Mills complex in Winsted, CT, is about to begin. With soaring ceilings, open floor plans, and long rows of windows, this 19^th century complex of mills and warehouses is an ideal setting for a monumental mural about working Americans. The future includes a visitor’s center with spaces for a theater, studios, and classrooms, as well as a woodland park for outdoor summer concerts and special events.

Dr. Scott Long, Director of the LGBT Rights Program of Human Rights Watch, will discuss his work on LGBTQ activism in the Middle East, final lecture on International LGBTQ Human Rights series.

Part of the 41st annual Celebration of American Crafts, this special reception honors the excellent local craft artists who are part of the show, offering visitors the opportunity to meet the artists and shop their amazing work.

Hayrides are available every WEEKEND in November as well as SCHOOL holidays. Rides begin at the W.O.L.F. Cabin and are $2.00 each.

November 19, at 6:00pm

This will be a night devoted solely to our Latin American lovers! After a

brief lesson on how to cook a Latin American dish, be prepared to be swept

off your feet by a Latin American performance and beginner dance lesson!

What an excellent way to practice your Spanish speaking skills!

In order to cover the food and lesson expenses, we ask that you pay $10.00.

We also ask that all payments be received along with your RSVP by November 13, 2009.

To RSVP please call 860-561-3233

Hunt Hill Farm invites you to “A Home Town Holiday” at The Silo Gallery, the theme of this year’s 37^th annual Christmas tree beginning Saturday November 7^th, at 44 Upland Road, New Milford, CT.  View the 27 ft. towering tree decorated with hand-crafted wooden ornaments by folk artist Joy Gaiser.  Adorning the tree are 21 well-known New Milford buildings, over 40 snow-capped pine trees and a moon with the silhouette of Santa and his eight reindeer at the top.  Gaiser’s garland of festive picket fences and snowflakes made by 4^th graders at Sarah Noble Intermediate School add the finishing touches to this spectacular tree!  The New Talent Gallery will feature artist Diana Luscombe for a second year, displaying her “Healing Strokes” paintings and a new line of note cards.  Silo tastings from The Silo Cooking School will be served throughout the exhibit’s opening day from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Joy Gaiser and her father started “Handmade by Dad and Me” in 1985 consisting mostly of Christmas ornaments, wooden jewelry, birdhouses, home decorations and historic buildings of New Milford.  After her father passed away in 1997, Joy’s husband John took over the task of cutting the wood, formerly her father’s job, so the business could continue and renamed it “Dad and Me Too”.  The husband and wife team with the help of their daughter and Joy's sister worked over a year to complete the ornaments in time for this year’s show.  Over 200 additional ornaments and decorations made by the artist will be for sale in The New Talent Gallery.

Diana Luscombe’s acrylic paintings continue to be inspired by scenes from nature.  Her study on birds has progressed with more sensitivity to detail compared with last year's paintings which were derived primarily from memory and imagination.  After a serious car accident over two years ago resulted in Diana being paralyzed, painting became an emotional release for her.  She is having fun with her new endeavor and is amazed at what flows from her paintbrush!  Prior to the accident, being an artist had never crossed her mind.  The gift of painting, Diana says is “an emotional and spiritual place for me to heal and let go because it’s peaceful.”   It also is much needed “me time” for the painter who is married with two young children, all who are extremely supportive of her efforts.  “Hannah is my biggest fan!  With Cole, I just have to keep his fingers out of the paint!”  Donations from her “Healing Strokes” exhibit will go towards a handicap accessible van for Diana.

This holiday season, plan on spending some extra time on the farm to see all that The Henderson Cultural Center has to offer.  Find your traditional Silo favorites like Marzipan Stolen and Holly Berry Wreaths under the tree.  View a slice of Skitch’s life touring The Skitch Henderson Museum.  Stop by The Silo Cooking School to register for a holiday cooking class including; Gingerbread House Making, Rick Rodgers’ Thanksgiving Bash, Christmas Cookie Workshops for all ages and more!  A Home Town Holiday is free and open to the public.  Hunt Hill Farm hours are Wed. through Sat., 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. and Sunday’s noon to 5 p.m.  For more information, please call Valerie Culbertson, Silo Gallery Director at (860) 355-0300 or visit their website www.hunthillfarmtrust.org. 

Stanwyck Cromwell

Journey (2):  A Renewed Consciousness

Downtown Library, 3rd Floor

November 6, 2009-January 15, 2010

Artist Reception November 6, 6:00-8:00 p.m.

The American Mural Project will create the single largest piece of indoor collaborative artwork in the country.  A mixed-media painting and relief sculpture, it will ultimately be housed in the Whiting Mills Complex in Winsted, CT and measure 120 feet long, 5 stories high, and up to 10 feet deep. This exhibition features some of the huge finished pieces of the mural, a scale model, drawings and plans for elements in progress, and an eight-foot sculptural element.

Downtown Library

October 26-November 29, 2009

Artist Reception Friday, November 13, 5:30-7:00 p.m.

Rainbow Girls is a Youth Group for Girls ages 8 to 21

There are assemblies all over the state but Branford host the 3rd Thursday of each much a fun meeting for curious girls and parents to see what it is all about. Join us for a game or craft or ?.

Refreshments and friendship.

7PM to 9PM

* Eade St., Branford, CT

Exhibition tour of Horace Walpole's Strawberry Hill at 11am

Exhibition tour of Horace Walpole's Strawberry Hill at 11am

The Windsor Conversation on Race Committee, in partnership with the National Conference for Community and Justice (NCCJ), presents filmmaker Katrina Browne and her award winning feature documentary Traces of the Trade: A Story from the Deep North, in which Browne tells the story of her forefathers, the largest slave-trading family in U.S. history. Given the myth that the South is solely responsible for slavery, viewers will be surprised to learn that Browne’s ancestors were Northerners. Browne and nine cousins retrace the Triangle Trade on a remarkable journey which brings them face-to-face with the history and legacy of New England’s hidden enterprise, revealing a powerful new perspective on the black/white divide.

The Astrological Society of Connecticut, Inc. presents their monthly lecture at 7:00 PM featuring counseling astrologer and tele-class teacher Dian Bustillo from Meriden, CT. Her topic is MARSing Forward - Transits of New AND Old Jobs. She will explain how the planet Mars provides "get up and go" in our careers. It doesn't act alone but is a clear marker that something is about to happen. No matter what this feisty planet represents in your chart, it will affect your work when it returns to its position at your birth approximately every two years. Get in touch with this cycle - you can't stop it and you don't want to. Optimize your Mars! Re-energize your chart! The lecture is free for ASC members, $10 for non-members and half price with a student ID. If you are unfamiliar with astrology, come at 6:00 PM for the "pre-lecture" which explains terms that will be helpful to understand the lecture. Free parking behind the Keeney Center.

NEW HAVEN- Handmade Christmas decorations, a yarn boutique, raffles for themed baskets, homemade pies, cakes, cookies and more are available at the 17th Annual Holiday Bazaar at Trinity Episcopal Church on the Green, corner of Temple and Chapel Streets, New Haven. The Bazaar opens on Thurs., Nov. 19, from 12-8 p.m., and continues Fri., Nov. 20 and Sat., Nov. 21, from 9 a.m.to 6 p.m., and Sun., Nov. 22, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The Bazaar also features a huge Tag Sale and Silent Auction. Homemade lunch and snacks are offered for sale each day.

This event is the perfect beginning to your holiday shopping. Free parking is available after 4 p.m. and on Saturday/Sunday in Yale University lots.

WEST HARTFORD, CT – Saint Joseph College’s Queenes Companye and the University of Hartford’s University Players will present Sophie Treadwell’s play, Machinal, on the following dates: Thursday and Friday, November 19 and 20 at 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, November 21 at 8:00 p.m. in The Bruyette Athenaeum's Hoffman Auditorium. Note: The performance on November 20 will be accompanied by American Sign Language interpretation for our hearing impaired patrons. Tickets are $10 per person and $5 for students; available at the door or by calling The Frances Driscoll Box Office at 860.231.5555.

Sophie Treadwell’s Machinal is one of the most acclaimed dramas of the early 20th century and is regarded as the epitome of Expressionist theatre on the American stage. Inspired by the real-life murder trial of Ruth Snyder that snared sensational headlines during the 1920s, this emotional play tells the story of a working-class woman through nine episodes. Each scene follows a subsequent time in the young woman’s life, depicting the different phases of life that the woman comes in contact with; none offer her any sense of place or peace. The woman is essentially soft and tender while life around her is hard and mechanized. Told in true Expressionist style, this thought-provoking story was hailed by the New York Times upon its Broadway debut in 1928 as, “a triumph of individual distinction, gleaming with intangible beauty.”

For mature audiences only due to offstage violence and adult themes. If you would like more information, contact Mark Zelinsky, Ph.D., director and faculty advisor to Saint Joseph College's Queenes Companye, at 860.231.5252 or mzelinsky@sjc.edu.

David Rabinowitz, Research Scientist at the Yale Center for Astronomy and Astrophysics, is the co-discoverer of Sedna and other dwarf planets in the outer Solar System, as well as near-Earth asteroids and Kuiper Belt Objects. Learn about the origin of the planets, comets and asteroids in our own and other solar systems.

This exhibit is ONGOING through Feb. 27, 2010. Museum hours are Tuesday through Friday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday noon to 5 p.m.

The New Haven Museum announces the opening of a new exhibit, “East Shore Reflections,” a shining review of this neighborhood’s evolution from agrarian farm area, to seaside resort, to modern day family enclave and residential setting.