The international sensation - TAP DOGS - is back and ready to leave dents on stages all across North America. Created by Olivier Award-winning choreographer Dein Perry, with a construction site set by designer/director Nigel Triffitt, and a driving score by composer Andrew Wilkie, TAP DOGS is a rough, tough, rocking theatrical entertainment. Winner of 11 International Awards, TAP DOGS premiered at the Sydney Theatre Festival, moved on to London and New York, and has been a howling success all across North America, Europe, Asia, America, and Australia.

Saturday, November 21, 2009 at 3 & 8 pm

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.

The Comic Book Artists Guild brings aspiring and professional writers and artists together to improve their skills and offer them opportunities to have their work published. Members receive feedback on their work, participate in exercises to enhance their skills, and discuss the process of comic book creation. Workshops teach the writing, artistic, production, and business skills that are needed for producing comic books, including storyboarding your ideas, copyright protection, and how to get the most out of convention attendance. Meetings are open to the public.

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.

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

      Calling all Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Cub Scouts and Brownies!  Join fellow scouts for an exciting morning learning about traditional Northeast Native Americans, their tools, shelters, and hunting techniques.  You’ll also enjoy Native American stories and games!  Space is limited and registration is required.  Please call to reserve your spot by November 14th. 

Come early (10:00 am) and enjoy making your own Talking Stick under the guidance of an IAIS Educator. Or  stay late (1:00pm) and make a necklace from beads, shells and seeds.    

Smooth or raggy, hot or cool - no music is more American than jazz and none has more universal appeal.  Join Another Octave for a celebration of jazz, featuring our usual mix of familiar classics (think of the Andrews Sisters, Irving Berlin, Duke Ellington, Billy Strayhorn) with the unusual and contemporary.  Three members of the band Airborne (http://www.airbornejazz.com/)  will be rocking with us, and we promise you an evening that will have you tapping your feet and leave you humming.

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.

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.

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.

Exhibition tour of Mrs. Delany and her Circle at 12pm

Architecture Tour of the Yale Center for British Art.
11am

2 pm
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Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story
Directed by Michael Winterbottom (rated R 94 minutes 2005), a film about the making of a movie version of Lawrence Sternes eighteenth-century masterpiece, it cleverly dissects twenty-first-century conventions of cinematic adaptation.

Opening Reception: Pegasus Gallery Wednesday, December 2, 5:30-7:00 PM

Middletown Artist Cooperative resident, Erika Arneson is a MxCC Fine Art Alumnus and recent B.F.A. graduate from the Hartford Art School.   Arneson’s paintings address the symbolic and introspective nature of self-portraiture and the expressive vehicle of color.  The personal nature of this series explores the dynamics of self as an interdependence of past and present.

Opening Reception: Pegasus Gallery Wednesday, December 2, 5:30-7:00 PM

Middletown Artist Cooperative resident, Erika Arneson is a MxCC Fine Art Alumnus and recent B.F.A. graduate from the Hartford Art School.   Arneson’s paintings address the symbolic and introspective nature of self-portraiture and the expressive vehicle of color.  The personal nature of this series explores the dynamics of self as an interdependence of past and present.

Pegasus Gallery is located within the library on the first floor of Chapman Hall

Hours: Monday & Wednesday 5pm-8pm & Saturday 9:30-1:30pm when classes are in session.

In this three-hour, hands-on workshop, we will concentrate on learning poetic techniques, concentrating on the short poetic forms of haiku, senryu, and tanka. We will then use what we've learned about poetry and apply it to writing prose fiction. In the prose section we will learn how to draft an ending to your novel and block out your chapters before you even begin writing your story! This is one of two workshops Eileen is offering. If you are not yet ready to draft out an ending to your story, Eileen is offering a second workshop on December 5th that will concentrate on the fundamentals of the English sonnet and its iambic pentameter rhythm in the first half, and the early stages of character development in the prose segment of the workshop.

Whether you are a novice or advanced writer, poet or novelist, or looking to pen your meoir, these tools will help you to engage in a more productive and enjoyable writing experience.

Eileen Albrizio is an award-winning former radio news host and broadcast journalist. Holding a BFA in Theatre and an MA in English, she now spends her days writing, editing and teaching creative writing. She is a two-time winner of the GHAC Individual Artist Fellowships. Her third book of poetry, Perennials: New & Selected Poems, was nominated for the 2008 CT Book Award. In addition to her three volumes of poetry, Eileen has penned two novels, several plays and numerous short stories. She is currently working on two projects: a compilation of short fiction and a long-form supernatural drama. She has taught creative writing in educational and cultural institutions across the state, as well as the York Correctional Institute, CT's maximum security prison for women, under the writing program made famous by best-selling author Wally Lamb.

Visit www.EileenAlbrizio.com or www.Buttonwood.org for further details.

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.

The New Haven Oratorio Choir & Orchestra, under the direction of Artistic Director Mark Bailey, presents: “Mendelssohn’s Muse” – the composers who inspired, him, the music he rediscovered. Concert features: Palestrina’s Sicut Cervus, Bach’s Christ lag in Todesbanden, Mozart’s Eine kleine Nachtmusik and Mendelssohn’s Jesu meine Freude.  November 21, 2009, 8:00 pm, Trinity Lutheran Church, 292 Orange St., New Haven, CT.; Tickets: $25; $10/Students.  Pre-concert talk: 7:30 pm.  Visit www.newhavenoratorio.org or Call: 203-248-4416 for more information.

The Greater Middletown Chorale is honored to present two world premieres by Connecticut composers in its upcoming fall concert, billed as a tribute to living American composers.  Artistic Director Joseph D'Eugenio has created a program to showcase recently composed works by New England artists with compelling texts.  Hartford composer Peter Niedmann's premiere, "Come, Let Us Sound with Melody!" will provide a rousing start to the concert.  "One Loves" by Sarah Meneely-Kyder of New London will also premiere.  Accomplished Connecticut soloists soprano Adele Paxton and mezzo-soprano Margaret Tyler will perform Meneely-Kyder's "I Have Read You Like a Book" and the Chorale will perform her "I Do".  Vermont composer Gwyneth Walker's suite "Songs to the Lord of Peace", based on the writing of Thomas Merton, displays the lush harmonies and word-painting that characterize her unique compositional style.  Commemorating the recent anniversary of the death of Matthew Shephard, the acclaimed youth theater of the Middletown Oddfellows Playhouse will perform a scene from "The Laramie Project" followed by a Chorale performance of David Conte's "Elegy for Matthew".  Accompanist Allan Conway will perform two Dave Brubeck pieces.  In the spring of 2010 the Chorale will present Felix Mendelssohn's masterpiece orato "Elijah", and this concert will feature two Elijah solos as a prequel to that event.  There is something for everyone in this concert.  This is the year to come and see us.  Please join us as we celebrate New England.

Imagine if "NYPD Blue" had been written 60 years ago. Beginning November 20, Hole in the Wall Theater in New Britain presents the prototype of the modern cop drama, Sidney Kingsley's "Detective Story." "Detective Story" chronicles one steamy summer night in the lives of detectives at Manhattan's 21st Precinct in 1949. Amid cases small and large, Detective James McLeod confronts his own self-righteous ideas of good and evil as a steady parade of criminals both naive and dangerous come through the Precinct. Performances are Fridays and Saturdays, November 20 through December 19, at 8:00 p.m. and Sundays, December 6 and 13, at 2:00 p.m. Hole in the Wall Theater is located at 116 Main Street, New Britain. Admission is by a $20 suggested donation. Please call 860.229.3049 for reservations, and visit www.hitw.org for further information.

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.