MILLERTON — A strong showing for an early April concert at the Annex at the NorthEast-Millerton Library kicked off the year for the concert series.Close to 50 people showed up for performances by Anthony Silvia and headliner Wooden Nickel at the April 2 show, which opened the season of concerts held in the annex building of the local library.“That’s as high as we had for any concert last year,” said Roger Cohn, the series’ concert coordinator. “It turned out really well.”The initial scheduling this year has nine shows, with the season ending in October. But Cohn said that he’s received so many requests from bands looking to play that there may very well be additional dates scheduled.“We have more people wanting to play than I have space for,” Cohn said. “But more to the point is that I have more people wanting to play than I have the money for.”One of the main points Cohn made after last year’s season of shows was that he wanted to have the funding to compensate the acts that performed, many of which did so last year for no charge. There is a suggested $5 entrance fee at each show to help support the program but officially the concerts are free to attend. Cohn said the ideal situation would be one where the concert program is self-sufficient and does not need to dip into the library’s budget.Donations have varied, from dropping a few dollars at a show to some larger private donations from “very generous” donors, Cohn said.“I think it’s a tremendous bargain for $5,” he added. “We have real quality entertainment, and I think that’s one of the things that will benefit from word of mouth and get more people coming to the shows.”All donations that are received go toward paying the musicians or small programming fees. Cohn said that the program operates “on a shoestring budget,” and the library, which owns the building, pays for the utilities to keep it open. Still, Cohn said he will be looking for other funding opportunities, including local grants, as the season develops.The variety of acts playing at the Annex this year has also increased, with concerts ranging from folk to pop, including acoustic performances and flamenco guitar showcases, as well as a jazz group. There’s even talk of a local rock band that would add an amplified ambiance to the venue.“I’d like to see the attendance numbers reaching what we had last Saturday night,” Cohn said. “That would be great. But as long as we meet the budget for the season, it’s a success. If we don’t meet the budget, then maybe we’ll have to sit down and see how we can approach it differently. But by hook or by crook we’ll continue the series.“I keep hearing from so many people, both the performing artists and the people who come, this series is a great thing not only for the library but for Millerton and the area as well,” he continued, saying that people have made suggestions including an open mic night or songwriter’s circle that could be incorporated into the venue’s calendar. The following is a list of concert dates currently scheduled this year at the Annex at 28 Century Blvd., behind the NorthEast-Millerton Library.All programs, unless otherwise noted, start at 7:30 p.m. Doors open at 7 p.m.April 30: Northwest Passage & Tapestry (folk, pop)May 7: Erin Hobson CompactJune 4: Greg Melnick (flamenco guitar)July 9: Library JamJuly 17: Duets for Flutes (starts at 2 p.m.)Aug. 6: Miami Mo Jazz TrioSept. 10: Steve & Beth AshtonOct. 1: Joint ChiefsCohn may be reached at nemillertonannex@gmail.com or check out the Annex’s Facebook page, which is updated with photos after shows and a complete schedule listing.
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Cusack recently moved his painting practice from Torrington into the former church at 58 Main Street. The move came about somewhat unexpectedly, after a change in ownership made his previous studio untenable.
“At first I thought it was just gonna be too much,” Cusack said. When he first saw it, the building still looked unmistakably like a church, with its vaulted ceiling, stained glass and architectural details intact. It had served as a place of worship for generations before closing roughly 12 years ago.
But the space began to make sense.
“I’m very philosophical, very spiritual, very humanistic,” said Cusack. “And so for me to be in a church sort of fits.”
Cusack still lives in West Cornwall, where he has a garden he describes as mature and beautiful, along with a saltwater pool. The church is strictly a working studio, though he hopes to bring students in and occasionally invite other artists to exhibit alongside him.
“From Ground to Gravity,” 2026, Oil on Canvas, 77 x 65 inchesProvided
As with every studio, Cusack says, there is a particular direction and position that feels right for painting. In the church, he gravitated toward a spot where the geometry of the building creates a distinct rhythm, near where the pews once ended, before the altar.
“I can already see the arc of the dome involved in my work,” he said.
The first painting he made in the new space, “Prophets and Proverbs,” grew out of three forms he encountered during his morning meditation at home. After drawing and reflecting on them, he came to understand them as expressions of different aspects of maturity: “ego, strategy, agency.”
The exhibition’s title comes from “Nature Eternal,” a painting of a young nude figure in a pink field that evokes, for Cusack, the Garden of Eden and an idea of bliss and perfection. “The Narcissist,” by contrast, considers what happens after that innocence is lost: the arrival of consciousness, self-awareness and the search for identity.
Two paintings of swimmers explore another dimension of that relationship. In “I Will Love You Completely,” Cusack sees a figure reaching outward from the canvas almost like an angel. “It’s a message from the divine,” he said. In another painting, the swimmer appears to be held by the water, suggesting the possibility of being held by something larger than ourselves.
Having grown up in New York, Cusack says his relationship with the natural world has deepened since moving to northwest Connecticut. He thinks about the glacier that passed through this region, leaving stones behind that have remained through countless chapters of human history. In a painting of stones, Cusack considers the wisdom of the landscape and the extraordinary passage of time. “To me, that’s an eternal wisdom.”
Cusack regularly visits the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where he sits in the sculpture galleries, contemplating and drawing the figures.
“Drawing is just a way of looking and continuing to look,” he said. “It just helps me ground myself and be very present.”
“Nature Eternal,” 2026, Oil on Canvas, 77 x 47 inches.Provided
That practice of extended observation can be seen in the paintings. At first glance, Cusack’s color palettes can appear remarkably simple, sometimes almost monochromatic. But the longer one spends with them, the more they open up. Subtle shifts in tone and color begin to emerge, deepening and expanding the visual experience. What initially seems restrained becomes increasingly expansive as the viewer gives the work time and attention.
Before turning fully to painting, Cusack spent 12 years as a commercial artist represented by Morgan Gaynin Inc., where his work became known for its emotive storytelling. His paintings have appeared in Architectural Digest, Veranda, New England Home and Litchfield Magazine, among other publications, and are held in the collections of the United States Air Force, the New York Transit Museum and the Society of Illustrators. His training included an MA at Syracuse University and a year of classical study in France’s Loire Valley with a master painter who was also a former Zen monk.
The church, meanwhile, has its own layers of history. During the many repairs required after Cusack moved in, a plumber mentioned that he had been married there. His wife had since died, and Cusack asked whether he was sure he wanted to return to the building. He was.
It is a small story, but one that seems to resonate with Cusack’s interest in the passage of time and the histories held by places and objects. Although he says he doesn’t feel a particular presence in the church, he is conscious of its history and of the community for whom it was once a gathering place.
For now, he is looking forward to welcoming people into his new studio and seeing how they respond to the paintings. “Interacting with the work” is important, he said. “It always feels good to have people in your studio space.”
“Eternal: New, Recent and Near Distant Paintings” will be on view Nov. 13–15, from 1 to 5 p.m., at 58 Main Street (the Stone Church) in North Canaan. An opening reception will take place Saturday, Nov. 14, from 4 to 7 p.m.
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