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Scott Reinhard, graphic designer, cartographer, former Graphics Editor at the New York Times, took time out from setting up his show “Here, Here, Here, Here- Maps as Art” to explain his process of working.Here he explains one of the “Heres”, the Hunt Library’s location on earth (the orange dot below his hand).
obin Roraback
Map lovers know that as well as providing the vital functions of location and guidance, maps can also be works of art.With an exhibition titled “Here, Here, Here, Here — Maps as Art,” Scott Reinhard, graphic designer and cartographer, shows this to be true. The exhibition opens on June 7 at the David M. Hunt Library at 63 Main St., Falls Village, and will be the first solo exhibition for Reinhard.
Reinhard explained how he came to be a mapmaker. “Mapping as a part of my career was somewhat unexpected.I took an introduction to geographic information systems (GIS), the technological side of mapmaking, when I was in graduate school for graphic design at North Carolina State.GIS opened up a whole new world, new tools, and data as a medium to play with.”
He added, “When I moved to New York City, I continued that exploration of cartography, and my work eventually caught the attention of the New York Times, where I went to work as a Graphics Editor, making maps and data visualizations for a number of years.”At the New York Times, his work contributed to a number of Pulitzer Prize winning efforts.
In his work, Reinhard takes complex data and turns it into intriguing visualizations the viewer can begin to comprehend immediately and will want to continue to look into and explore more deeply.
One method Reinhard uses combines historic United States Geological survey maps with “current elevation data (height above sea level for a point on earth) to create 3-D looking maps, combining old and new,” he explained.
For the show at Hunt Library Reinhard said, “I knew that I wanted to incorporate the place into the show itself. A place can be many things.The exhibition portrays the exact spot visitors are from four vantage points: the solar system, the earth, the Northwest Corner, and the library itself.” Hence the name, “Here, Here, Here, Here.”
He continued, “The largest installation, the Northwest Corner, is a mosaic of high-resolution color prints and hand-printed cyanotypes — one of the earliest forms of photography. They use elevation data to portray the landscape in a variety of ways, from highly abstract to the highly detailed.”
This sixteen-foot-wide installation covers the area of Millerton to Barkhamsted Reservoir and from North Canaan down to Cornwall for a total of about 445 square miles.
For subjects, he chooses places he’s visited and feels deeply connected to, like the Northwest Corner.“This show is a thank you to the community for the richness that it has brought to my life. I love it here,” he said.
The opening reception for the show is on June 7 from 5 to 7 p.m. On Thursday, June 12, Reinhard will give a talk about his work from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at the library.“Here, Here, Here, Here” will be on display until July 3.
Scott Reinhard’s 16-foot-wide piece of the Northwest Corner is laid out on the floor prior to being hung for the show. L. Tomaino
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Love letters from Goshen
Jun 04, 2025
The marquee at Goshen Players for “A Goodnight Kiss.”
Cinzi Lavin
"A Goodnight Kiss,” premiering June 6 at Goshen Players Playhouse, is a dramatization of real Civil War-era love letters. Written by award-winning playwright Cinzi Lavin and directed by regional theater veteran Kathleen Kelly — both Litchfield County residents — it serves to reminds us that while wars are waged by nations, it is the people who live through them, their lives forever changed.
At the center of “A Goodnight Kiss” is the relationship between Sarah Jane “Jennie” Wadhams, a college student in New Britain, and Sergeant Major Frederick Lucas, a young soldier stationed in Alexandria. Lavin discovered the story of the letters by the couple in a 2002 book by Ernest B. Barker called “Fred and Jennie: A Civil War Story.” Lavin, who holds a certificate in applied history from the University of London and has performed at the White House, read all 90 letters the couple exchanged between 1863 and 1867. “It was like falling into another time,” she recalled. “You hear the dialect, the moral concerns, the humor. Jennie once said someone ‘must think she’s some pumpkins.’ I had to keep that.”
Cinzi LavinAnna Zuckerman-Vdovenko
While staying true to the historical narrative, Lavin and Kelly took pains to adapt with sensitivity, editing outdated language, softening harsh racial terms, and trimming some of the religious fervor of the original texts for modern ears. “We didn’t want to rewrite history,” said Lavin, “but we did need to present some things so that it translated.”
The result is a story of two young people navigating distance, war, and the slowness of the mail. It’s also about community, duty, and the Connecticut town of Goshen itself where Fred and Jennie lived, wrote, and now lay interned. It’s fitting, then, that the Goshen Players opened their doors to this production.
“They’ve been wonderful,” said Kelly. “It’s a story from Goshen, and now it’s being told in Goshen. I think audiences will really appreciate that. It’ll be so interesting to see their reactions as ancestors.”
Kelly’s direction brings a collaborative, actor-driven energy to the stage. “I always say the only good playwright is a dead one,” she laughed. “But Cinzi? Thank God she’s not. She’s a dream.” Lavin, in turn, credits her theatrical background for that flexibility. “Both of our background as actors really helped us connect and then the cast came in with ideas and heart and it became something so much bigger.”
Kathleen KellyProvided
Starring David Macharelli and Olivia Wadsworth as Fred and Jennie, with a supporting cast including Robert Kwalick as Narrator, John Fabiani as Jennie’s father, Joel Osborne as Fred’s fellow solider, Harmony Tanguay and Roni Gelrmino as a gossiping villagers, the play layers historical narration with humor, heartbreak, and a surprising amount of warmth. “There’s a lot of humanity here,” Kelly said. “And a little gossip. The Goshen women definitely bring that.”
Adding texture is a curated selection of Stephen Foster songs arranged by Lavin which the U.S. Library of Congress included in its national “Song of America” archive. And for history buffs, Sunday’s 3 p.m. performance will include a talkback with historians Peter Vermilyea, Carolyn Ivanoff, Kevin Johnson, and Natalie Belanger, whose insights will ground the drama in even deeper context.
“Theater is the one place, even more than television and film, where you can really deal with difficult topics,” said Kelly. “You go into a theater, and you are changed.”
“A Goodnight Kiss” will be performed at Goshen Players Playhouse, 2 North St., Goshen, June 6 to 8. For tickets and more info, visit: goshenplayer.booktix.com
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Paul Hawken on ‘Carbon’ at AMP
Jun 04, 2025
Author Paul Hawken speaks with American Mural Project founder
Ellen Griesedieck about his latest book, “Carbon: The Book of Life.”
Brian Gersten
On Saturday, May 31, the American Mural Project in Winsted, Connecticut hosted renowned environmentalist and best-selling author Paul Hawken for a free talk and book signing centered around his latest release, “Carbon: The Book of Life.” AMP founder, Ellen Griesedieck moderated the discussion, which drew a crowd of environmentally conscious attendees from across the region.
“We have made carbon the culprit,” Hawken said. Though, with his newest book, Hawken hopes readers “fall in love with who we are, where we are, and how much we are intricately, beautifully, exquisitely interconnected with the living world, as opposed to seeing it as something that you have to fix.”
Hawken, a pioneering voice in the global climate conversation, is widely known for his influential works “Drawdown” and “Regeneration.” In “Carbon,” he offers a poetic and profound exploration of the elemental force that binds all life on Earth. Moving beyond the typical doom-and-gloom framing of climate issues, Hawken reframes carbon not as an enemy but as the central thread of existence — present in every living being, tree, breath, and story. The book thus proposes a renewed relationship with our natural world.
Brian Gersten
During his talk, Hawken emphasized that climate solutions must be rooted not in fear, but in reverence and wonder. Hawken did not shy away from discussing our current environmental predicament with the audience in attendance. “The climate movement has failed,” he said. “It really has failed because [it] ignores the innate qualities of human beings and children that want to reimagine who they are, where they are, and how they create more life on Earth.” According to Hawken, “regeneration is the only path forward for the Earth.”
The American Mural Project, home to the largest indoor collaborative artwork in the world, provided a fitting venue for an event focused on collective action and environmental imagination. Find Hawken’s book at Oblongbooks.com.
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Spotlight Gala
Jun 04, 2025
A company of 15 local youth and teens joined the Spotlight Gala at the Sharon Playhouse for ensemble numbers to honor Emily Soell, Board President. Right, Landry Champlin returned to the Sharon Playhouse to perform at the Spotlight Gala.
Aly Morrissey
The Sharon Playhouse kicked off its 2025 season on Saturday, May 31 at the annual Spotlight Gala. Said Carl Andress, the Playhouse’s Artistic Director, “The 2025 Sharon Playhouse Spotlight Gala honoring Emily Soell, Board President, was a tremendous success with a full and enthusiastic audience. The evening’s festivities featured stunning performances, raised vital funds to support our nonprofit theater, and celebrated our beloved Emily in unforgettable style. We are deeply grateful to everyone who came out to support the Playhouse and made this night so memorable!”
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