IAIS is proud to highlight the basketry of Liz Charlebois, Abenaki Descent, for the months of April through June. She has been making sweetgrass and black ash fancy baskets for ten years, learning as an apprentice with Master Abenaki basket maker Jeanne Brink. In keeping the tradition alive, Liz has begun teaching her young daughter the craft.

   Artist’s Choice is a unique exhibition of member artists work paired with the work of guest artists accompanied by a written statement.  Each artist in the show is accomplished.  There is a broad spectrum of work including: painting, sculpture, photography and drawing or paint, wood, stone, metal, paper, ink found objects and more.  Broad spectrums of work and member/guest shows are not unusual. Artist’s Choice is all this and more. It is the personal invitation from one artist to another, the particular pairings, the binding of one artist to another, which leaves the viewer wondering what stirred within the host artist to extend this invitation. The answers are provided by each of the twenty-two Kehler Liddell member artists in highly personal statements, which reveal inspiration and admiration among creative professionals.  It is the statements and moves the exhibition out of the ordinary. 

Post-film Q&A with filmmaker Bridget Stokes

ABOUT THE FILM: In this offbeat, quirky romantic comedy, high school chums Herman and Shelly navigate the odd transition from much-hyped youthful art prodigies to overlooked adult artists. Ambitions are pitted against lifelong bonds, with the zany mess of the art world acting as an ever-changing backdrop. A fresh take on coming of age, the murky space between lovers and friends, and the personal sacrifices endured for one's art.

ABOUT THE FILMMAKER: Prior to writing and directing Herman & Shelly, Stokes produced the short films Oui Oui Non Non (2010) and Coffee (2008), both written and directed by Vicky Wight.

Coffee was an official selection at 2008’s SXSW Film Festival and screened at New York’s IFC Center. Stokes has worked in film distribution at IFC Films and BEV Pictures, film distribution, production and sales at Elephant Eye Films and production on Jonathan Demme’s Untitled Bob Marley project.

Stokes is the Director of Communications at The Avon Theatre in Stamford, CT and teaches in the film department at the University of Hartford. Bridget Stokes received her BA from Brown University with a degree in Art Semiotics and Africana Studies.

Cult Classics

The Coen Brothers’

The Big Lebowski

Come dressed as your favorite character from The Big Lebowski to compete in our pre-show costume contest for a chance to win a T-shirt from Imaginations Smoke Shop in Stamford!

ABOUT THE FILM: The plot of this Raymond Chandler-esque comedy crime caper from the Coen Brothers pivots around a case of mistaken identity complicated by extortion, double-crosses, deception, embezzlement, sex, pot, and White Russians. Jeff "The Dude" Lebowski (Jeff Bridges) is content in his laid-back Los Angeles lifestyle. He enjoys hanging with his bowling buddies; pompous security-store owner Walter Sobchak (John Goodman) and mild-mannered ex-surfer Donny (Steve Buscemi). However, the Dude's life takes a turn when two goons break into his bungalow, rough him up, and urinate on his living room rug. Suddenly, The Dude has to go to uncover a mystery that goes deeper than he could have imagined.
 

95.9 THE FOX (WFOX-FM), Fairfield County’s Only Classic Rock , is the radio sponsor of The Avon Theatre’s 2012 Cult Classic Line Up!

Back by popular demand, the Newington Children’s Theatre Company’s five-week full-day SUMMER THEATER ARTS PROGRAM, for kids ages 8-15, gives participants the opportunity to learn and strengthen their musical theatre skills by working with theatre professionals in acting, dance and music. Participants receive hands-on experience by having the opportunity to apply the skills that they are learning throughout the program while preparing for a fully staged production of the beloved musical, ANNIE.  

The SUMMER THEATRE ARTS PROGRAM runs July 2^nd through August 5^th, Monday through Friday from 9:00am-4:00pm at the NCTC Performing Arts Theatre located at 743 North Mountain Road in Newington. Before and aftercare are available.

The SUMMER THEATRE ARTS PROGRAM will be run by NCTC’s Executive/Artistic Director, Claire Van Cott and choreographed by NCTC vet, Jessie Sattler. Every registered participant will receive a role in the show.

Public performances will be August 2^nd-5^th, Thursday-Saturday at 7:00pm and Saturday and Sunday at 2:00pm. The cost for this five-week program is $1,250.

For more information, please call 860.666.NCTC or visit www.NCTCArts.org.

More About the NCTC Performing Arts Theatre

NCTC Performing Arts Theatre provides year-round quality entertainment and hands-on educational programs in the performing arts to children and young adults from preschool through college.

NCTC Performing Arts Theatre is the home of the Newington Children's Theatre Company, Connecticut's longest operating children's theatre and Newington Mainstage, a new acting company for adults. www.NCTCArts.org

IMAGES features the work of local photographer Charles Ruger and the 4^th Annual Juried Photography exhibition celebrating the work of talented regional photographers.

Charles Ruger studied art history and politics at Connecticut College and Columbia University. He is a self-taught photographer whose work figures into private and corporate collections internationally.

He lives and works in New York City. For more information on Ruger’s work, view his site: http://www.charlesruger.com/aboutthework.html

Come help us celebrate the 20th anniversary season of the Sunken Garden Poetry Festival! Enjoy readings by major American poets, live music, writing workshops, poet talks, film and drama, museum tours, Poetry on the Trails, contra dance, book sales and signings, food vendors...picnics are welcome! 

Admission:  OPENING WEEKEND, June 1–3: $10 per person, per day, or $25 per person for the weekend. WEDNESDAY NIGHTS, June 13 & 27, July 11 & 25, and August 1: $5 per person, children ages 12 and under free. Parking is free.

Guest poets include: Suji Kwock Kim, Bessy Reyna, B. Yung, Richard Wilbur, Minton Sparks, Toi Derricotte, Dana Gioia, Christian Wiman, Marilyn Annucci, Natasha Trethewey, Sue Burton, Donald Hall and Tony Hoagland.

For more information: http://sunkengardenpoetry.org/

Join us for a classic night out of family fun and nostalgia as Mystic Aquarium kicks off its Summer Drive-in Movie Series on June 28 with James Cameron’s “Titanic.” Enjoy the evening air and watch “Titanic” starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet come to life on a 40 foot movie screen. Grab some friends and get cozy within the comfort of your own set of wheels. No drive-in movie experience would be complete without some trips to the concession stand to soothe your sweet tooth with goodies, popcorn and hotdogs.  

The parking lot opens at 8 p.m. and the movie begins at 9 p.m.  Parking available for 140 cars only.

Cost: $20 per car. Hot dogs, popcorn, soda and ice cream will be available for purchase.

Donate your gently used furniture for the Amherst Survival Center's annual fall used furniture sale! See www.amherstsurvival.org, email furniture@amherstsurvival.org, or call 413-549-3968 x252 for information or to arrange pick-up or delivery. All contributions are tax deductible, and donations will be collected through the end of August so we can set up for the sale at the Survival Center September 7th and 8th. The sale supports Survival Center programs that provide food, health care and clothing to over 4,000 of our neighbors in need in Hampshire and Franklin Counties in MA each year.

Charter Oak Cultural Center and the UMOJA Music Series present the Josh Evans Septet.

Josh Evans will perform with his septet, “In The Tradition”, a swinging and hard hitting ensemble that features arrangements and compositions that are deeply rooted in the Jazz and African American Tradition, and includes Bruce Williams, Frank Lacy, Curtis Lundy, Kyle Poole, and Zaccai Curtis. Free.

       “Hair, The American Tribal Love Rock Musical,” the ground breaking 1960s phenomenon, will be presented by Phoenix Theater Company at Trinity-on-Main in New Britain, CT, from June 15 to 30 on Friday and Saturdays nights, and on two Sundays, June 17 and 24. This is the show’s 45^th anniversary.

        Featured in leading roles are Adam Boe (Broad Brook) as Claude, Mary Jane San Nicola (New Britain) as Sheila, Eren Lee (Middletown) as Woof, Kelley Mountzoures (New Britain) as Jeanie, Tony Palmieri (Middletown) as Berger, Meghan Rickard (Southington) as Crissy and Joshua Thompson (Berlin) as Hud.

       Hair will be presented at Trinity-On-Main, 69 Main Street in New Britain, CT. Show times are Friday and Saturday nights from June 15—30 at 8:00 p.m., with two Sunday matinees (June 17 and 24) at 2:00 p.m. The doors will open an hour before the performance. Tickets are $21 in advance and $24 at the door. The first five center rows of seats are available as special reserved seats for $28. A full bar and other refreshments will be available. Free parking is provided in the Chestnut Street municipal parking garage across the street from Trinity, and on-street parking is also available. For reservation and information, call (860) 229-2072, or visit trinityonmain.org or phoenixtheater.us

 The exhibit uses historic photographs, artifacts, and first-hand accounts to explore 260 years of Cornwall’s relationship with its forests, showing how and why the town transformed from forest to farm and back to forest. The exhibit will also explore changing attitudes about the forest, from the 18^th century view of woods as a source of timber to more recent concepts of the forest as a setting for recreation and as a vital ecosystem.

The Inaugural season of the Lisbon Farmers Market will kick-off on Thursday June 28, from 3:30pm until 6:30 pm on the grounds of the Lisbon Community Center (The Barn). It is located a tenth of a mile south of the Lisbon Town Hall on Burnham Highway (Route 169). It will run every Thursday evening through early October. The Lisbon Farmers Market will have a variety of vendors offering fresh, locally grown produce, eggs, meat, honey and dairy products as well as a variety of artisans selling quality hand-crafted items. Lisbon resident Donna Harris will be the Market Master. Please plan to stop by the Lisbon Farmers Market to help support our local farmers and pick up some fresh Connecticut grown products for your family. If you would like information on becoming a vendor, please contact Donna Harris at 860-608-2050,email info@lisbonfarmersmarket.com or visit us on Facebook.

All-Star Driver, Connecticut's leader in driver's education, is open in Norwalk! Classes will be offered at the Norwalk location during afternoons, evenings and on weekends. The new All-Star Driver facility is located at 430 Main Avenue (across from Merritt 7 about a mile from the DMV) and is now open for business!