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The Farm at Pond Lily in Elizaville will be the site of The Ancram Center’s 10th Anniversary bash.
The Ancram Center for the Arts is marking a milestone this summer with a celebration of its 10th Anniversary Season. The Anniversary Bash will be held on Friday, Aug. 2, from 6:30 to 10:30 p.m. The Farm at Pond Lily in Elizaville, promising an unforgettable evening of performance, community, and one-of-a-kind experiences.
Hosted by honorary co-chairs Joan Osofsky of Hammertown and Taylor Mac, the evening will spotlight a lineup of celebrated guest performers including David Cale, Matthew Dean Marsh, Kate Douglass, Maria Christina Oliveras, and a possible appearance by Taylor Mac himself.
A vibrant roster of emcees will guide the festivities, featuring longtime Ancram favorites James Occhino, Danielle Skraastad, Drew Ledbetter, Andrus Nichols, and MaConnia Chesser.
Adding to the evening’s excitement is a silent auction packed with unique experiences, from a curated night out in NYC and a private pontoon party on Copake Lake to a stay-and-play trip to the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival and an exclusive Santa Fe opera getaway.
Whether you’re a longtime supporter or new to the Ancram Center, this anniversary celebration promises a night of heartfelt performances, community spirit, and generous surprises in a stunning setting.
For tickets and more information, visit www.ancramcenter.org
Betsy Vorce and preservationist Edward F. Gerber, trustee of Historic New England.
At Norfolk Library on July 22, Vin Cipolla, President and CEO of Historic New England, and Melvin Chen, Director of Norfolk Chamber Music Festival discussed the rich tradition of music and arts festivals and their role in preserving culture.
Edward F. Gerber, a trustee of Historic New England, sponsors “Connecticut Preservation at Work,” a series of conversations with civic leaders, preservationists, and educators. Speaking to a full house, Gerber introduced Cipolla as, “a lifelong preservation and arts advocate protecting our cultural fabric.”
Cipolla has held leadership roles at the National Park Foundation, the Municipal Art Society of New York, David Geffen Hall at Lincoln Center, Fidelity Capital, the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and has taught at Columbia.
Historic New England is the oldest, largest, independent preservation organization in the United States, with 38 history museums, farms and landscapes, and a collections center in Haverhill, Massachusetts that houses 1.5 million archival documents, plus 125,000 decorative arts objects. Cipolla shared plans for a “bold transformation” of their historic shoe manufacturing factories into Haverhill Center, a “cultural catalyst for the region that will reverberate internationally.”
Cipolla introduced Chen. “What I find spellbinding about chamber music is that connection, that warm intuitive partnership among musicians. Why is Norfolk important to artists and audience?”
Chen garnered global acclaim for his own musical performances, taught at Bard and was artistic director at Hotchkiss School Summer Portals. He received a doctorate in chemistry from Yale, and a double master’s degree from Juilliard in piano and violin.
Chen responded, “Norfolk is a small town, perhaps an unexpected place to have a major summer music festival. Early families Battell, Eldridge, Stoeckel had a vision for Norfolk. They commissioned architect Ehrick K. Rossiter in 1906 to build our Music Shed. Norfolk Chamber Music Festival is a natural outgrowth of that original vision.”
Ann Havemeyer, Director of the Norfolk Library and Vin Cipolla, President and CEO of Historic New England.Jennifer Almquist
Chen went on to say, “The important part of what we do is educating the next generation. When our young musicians arrive from around the world, I tell them they follow in the footsteps of great musicians who performed on our stage: Rachmaninoff, Caruso, Kreisler, Ralph Vaughn Williams, Percy Grainger, Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, and Sibelius.”
Vin Cipolla observed, “Something special happens in summer festivals that is irreplaceable in the field. Has the Norfolk experience affected your own music?”
Chen smiled. “It is rare in the life cycle of a professional musician to have the luxury of time to work on a piece. Here musicians delve deep, perform for an audience, then meet their audience.”
“At a time of much pressure,” observed Cipolla, “we are blessed with an abundance of festivals, yet we must be vigorous supporting them. What does preservation mean to you?”
Chen replied, “We are responsible for the programmatic preservation of the original spirit of Norfolk, while strengthening the current role of classical music in society. We have extraordinary talent here. I am optimistic that if we educators continue to encourage the creativity of young musicians and artists, people will be drawn to the arts and music.”
For more information on Historic New England Events visit: historicnewengland.org
Arts nonprofit holds opening party
Young artists express creativity at Canaan Arts Space’sgrand opening.
NORTH CANAAN — This past Sunday, July 27, Canaan Kids Artspace celebrated its grand opening party at the historical Colonial Theatre at 27 Railroad St.
The Canaan Kids Artspace is a nonprofit organization run by Executive Director and Founder Breetal Graves that aims to make art accessible to all children while also caring for the environment. The organization values creativity and hopes to push children towards self-discovery and exploration through their artwork.
At the grand opening, kids took part in activities like arts and crafts, face painting, curated music and games. The light drizzle stopped nobody from enjoying posing for live watercolor portraits, eating ice cream, or romping through a cardboard box maze.
In particular, the fog machine attached to the speakers was a big hit, prompting squeals of joy every time it went off.
Guests were given the choice to move between stations both inside and out, with different activities at each. While all stations were welcoming, the freedom given to each kid to choose their own interests and expression of self felt particularly in line with the mission of Canaan Kids Artspace.
Canaan Kids Artspace offers additional programs like an after school art club that gives kids age six through 10 more opportunities to manifest their creativity. More information can be found at canaanartspace.com.
Critter time at Hunt Library
From left, Eli Sher, Noah Sher and Samuel Leers examined scat samples and other interesting items from the animal kingdom at the David M. Hunt Library July 26.
FALLS VILLAGE — A toad stole the show at the David M. Hunt Library Saturday morning, July 26.
The occasion was a visit from the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection’s Elisa Black.
Black works at the Kellogg Environmental Center and Osborne Homestead Museum in Derby and puts on educational events at schools and libraries around the state.
This one was based on a children’s book, “Around the Pond: Who’s Been Here?” written and illustrated by Lindsay Barrett George.
In the book two children take a walk to a pond in search of blueberries and discover signs of eight different wild creatures that live in and around the pond.
Black had a couple of big canvas pieces covered with large colored circles spread out on the lawn. (It was reminiscent of a game of Twister.)
The children could recreate the pond walk, using props Black brought along, such as scat from different animals (some real, some replica), various hides and pelts, and bones, including skulls and jaws.
Black also had the tools of the wildlife spotter’s trade, such as magnifying glasses and wildlife and plant guidebooks.
The latter came in handy. The children were about to gather in a semicircle around Black, who was set to read the book to them.
But young Samuel Leers spotted something hopping in the grass.
It was a toad.
The toad allowed itself to be gathered by Samuel, and the group clustered together to admire it.
Black asked that the toad be put back down so it could be on its way.
The toad showed no inclination to escape to a quieter place.
Instead it hopped right into the center of the semicircle.
Black alertly put down the children’s book and grabbed a field guide instead.
The next several minutes were devoted to a discussion of toads, their general habits, and hopping ability as compared to frogs.
Eventually the toad declared “mission accomplished” and hopped away, and the regularly scheduled program resumed.