Living Well in Litchfield County, Connecticut

The Souterrain Gallery of The Wish House is inviting you to the Artist Reception of Joseph Clarke titled INCIPIENCE on Saturday May 25. 3-6pm

The exhibit will be running through July 31. Open Th-Su 11-5
www.souterraingallery.net

Artist Bio

Joseph Clarke Is a Connecticut based artist living in Litchfield County and working from his Kent studio. Clarke has been creating large colorful artworks that he describes as action sculptures. Working with house paints, epoxy resin and canvas he sculpts high gloss, textural pieces that are reminiscent of something within the realm of finish fetish. Each work, usually monocramatic, is stretched on a hand made strainer that Clarke builds himself in his wood shop. Coming from a line of do it yourself builders, working with his hands comes naturally. His Grandfather Victor was an electrician, plumber, mechanic, carpenter, and antiauthoritarian. These are all attributes that were passed down to Clarke’s father Mark who additionally became an impressive boat builder, with patented designs that are still in use today. Clarke’s Grandmother Yvonne was also an artist who illustrated professionally and painted often. Joseph Graduated from the Hartford Art School in 2018 with a Bachelors in Fine Art and immediately after started working as a studio assistant for his now ex-professor Power Boothe. This initial apprenticeship had a domino effect that landed him in many artists studios over the years, Including artist Kathleen Kucka who, after founding and opening Furnace Art on Paper in Falls Village, CT, made Clarke associate director of the gallery where he works today. Being a Skateboarder, snowboarder, and artist most of his life Clarke has never been one for following the rest of the pack, he finds joy in mapping his own path in ways that allow for more innovative and creative thinking.

He can be reached at [email protected]

Joseph is such a gentle unpretentious soul . His parents own Clarke outdoors on Route 7 . In my mind his art reflects the fast moving rapids of the Housatonic . He keeps a pretty low profile . We have a saying in German ” Stille Wasser sind tief ” meaning “Quiet waters are deep ” . That is what I feel about his body of work . The undercurrent is pretty enchanting .

The Souterrain Gallery of The Wish House
413 Sharon Goshen Tnpk
West Cornwall CT 06796
http://www.souterraingallery.net

The Judy Black Memorial Park and Gardens is hosting an outdoor movie night on Friday, July 12. The park will be screening the film, “The Fugitive,” sponsored by National Iron Bank.

After being framed for the murder of his wife and sentenced to death, vascular surgeon Dr. Richard Kimble (Harrison Ford) escapes from custody following a bus crash. Kimble sets out to find the real killer and clear his name while being hunted by the police and a team of U.S. Marshals, led by Deputy Samuel Gerard (Tommy Lee Jones).

This movie night will be held at One Green Hill Road, Washington Depot, CT 06794. This event is free and open to the public. Movie rolls at dusk. BYO chairs, blankets, food and beverages. Leashed pets only. Thank you to the Gunn Memorial Library for their contribution in bringing this movie to the public.

Check the website for any updates or changes.

The Judy Black Memorial Park and Gardens
One Green Hill Road
Washington Depot, CT 06794
https://judyblackpark.org/movies

The Judy Black Memorial Park and Gardens is hosting an outdoor movie night on Friday, August 2. The park will be screening the film, “Erin Brockovich,” sponsored by National Iron Bank.

Erin Brockovich (Julia Roberts) is a woman in a tight spot. Following a car accident in which Erin is not at fault, Erin pleads with her attorney Ed Masry (Albert Finney) to hire her at his law firm. Erin stumbles upon some medical records placed in real estate files. She convinces Ed to allow her to investigate, where she discovers a cover-up involving contaminated water in a local community which is causing devastating illnesses among its residents.

This movie night will be held at One Green Hill Road, Washington Depot, CT 06794. This event is free and open to the public. Movie rolls at dusk. BYO chairs, blankets, food and beverages. Leashed pets only. Thank you to the Gunn Memorial Library for their contribution in bringing this movie to the public.

Check the website for any updates or changes.

The Judy Black Memorial Park and Gardens
One Green Hill Road
Washington Depot, CT 06794
https://judyblackpark.org/movies

The Judy Black Memorial Park and Gardens is hosting an outdoor movie night on Friday, September 6. The park will be screening the film, “The Goodbye Girl,” sponsored by National Iron Bank. A live, in-person Q&A with actor Marsha Mason will be held before the film.

After being dumped by her live-in boyfriend, a former unemployed dancer, Paula McFadden (Marsha Mason), and her 10-year-old daughter are reluctantly forced to live with a struggling off-Broadway actor Elliot Garfield (Richard Dreyfuss). As time goes by, Paula finds herself falling for Elliott and he for her. Can she learn to trust again and not think Elliott will say goodbye like all the others?

This movie night will be held at One Green Hill Road, Washington Depot, CT 06794. This event is free and open to the public. Movie rolls at dusk. BYO chairs, blankets, food and beverages. Leashed pets only. Thank you to the Gunn Memorial Library for their contribution in bringing this movie to the public.

Check the website for any updates or changes.

The Judy Black Memorial Park and Gardens
One Green Hill Road
Washington Depot, CT 06794
https://judyblackpark.org/movies

The Forgotten Founding Father: Noah Webster’s Obsession and the Creation of an American Culture

May 13 @ 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm
FREE

Join us for a discussion on Joshua Kendall’s The Forgotten Founding Father: Noah Webster’s Obsession and the Creation of an American Culture on Monday May 13 at 1:00pm in the Library’s Wykeham Room.

Reservations

Gunn Memorial Library
5 Wykeham Road
Washington, CT 06793

May 9 @ 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm
FREE

Join the Gunn Memorial Library and Museum on Thursday May 9 at 6:00pm for our program Cooking Through Time. For May, we will explore the history of American Tea Rooms and their menus. This bimonthly cookbook club will highlight recipes and cookbooks from yesteryear.  The program combines history and food as we will discuss the history behind the recipes and food fads while sharing our experiences and creations with fellow members.  Registration is required for this program.  Participants will receive recipes upon registering. Please feel free to bring your creations to our meeting for fellow participants to taste. Participants do not need to cook.

Reserve Now

Gunn Memorial Library
5 Wykeham Road,
Washington, CT 06793

Saturday, June 1 and Sunday, June 2
Two-day event with 16 artists creating on BIG INK’s legendary press, Juried Print Exhibition, Prints and Poetry, Interactive Print Activities for All Ages
Print Demonstrations: Wood Cut to Digital, “Give A Hoot, Don’t Pollute” Scavenger Hunt, Festival Gift Shop, Music, Food Trucks, Beer

Five Points Arts Center
855 University Drive
Torrington, CT 06790

Print Festival

The Hickory Stick Bookshop is thrilled to welcome authors Roxana Robinson, Mary Pope Osborne and Rachel Vail who will be in conversation with Elissa Altman about their one-of-a-kind collaborative book “Fourteen Days” which came out in February.

This is a ticketed event. Tickets can be purchased on Eventbrite (see link below) and include a copy of the book.

Sales of the book will benefit the Washington Arts Council to “increase support of cultural institutions and community events in order to foster independent artists and craftspeople”.

ABOUT THE BOOK –

Storytelling helps us navigate hard times. So, what might have happened if, during the early days of COVID-19, the locked-down tenants of a New York apartment building had gathered on the rooftop of their shabby tenement to tell each other stories? That’s the intriguing premise and inspired impetus of “Fourteen Days”, an irresistible collaborative novel from the Authors Guild made possible by the efforts of Margaret Atwood and Douglas Preston. Thirty-six American and Canadian writers, spanning all genres, ranging in age from their thirties to mid-eighties, and from a remarkable variety of cultural, political, social, and religious backgrounds, have come together for what Literary Hub calls “an interesting experiment in collective storytelling” and heralds as one of the Most Anticipated Books of the Year.

“Fourteen Days”, with a clever, suspense-filled framing narrative conceived and written by Preston, finds the offbeat, somewhat intransigent super of the Fernsby Arms on the Lower East Side seeking refuge on the roof in the early days of the pandemic. Much to her chagrin, the super is soon joined by others from the building. At first, none of the nameless tenants speaks, but soon, to pass the time and ease the tension, stories begin to flow. The woman they call Merenguero’s Daughter begins with a tragic story harkening back to another dark time in New York City. The floodgates open and others join in over the ensuing days, their competing personal narratives intersecting as gossipy intrigue builds. What secret has The Lady with the Rings been hiding for the last thirty years? Just who was the green-haired exterminator, anyway? How much can the neighbors trust the stories being told? Conflicts arise, differences are breached, and surprising moments of empathy and redemption break through, as these modern-day heirs to The Decameron or The Canterbury Tales shelter from the loss and suffering wrought by the pandemic.

The authors who give these characters their stories remain invisible (unless you peek at their bios in the back to see who wrote what). They are eminent in their various genres, from romance to thriller, from literary to children’s books, from poetry to nonfiction. Hence, “Fourteen Days” proves a celebration of the diversity of North American authors and a thumb in the eye of the literary balkanization of our culture.

The contributors are: Charlie Jane Anders, Margaret Atwood, Jennine Capó Crucet, Joseph Cassara, Angie Cruz, Pat Cummings, Sylvia Day, Emma Donoghue, Dave Eggers, Diana Gabaldon, Tess Gerritsen, John Grisham, Maria Hinojosa, Mira Jacob, Erica Jong, CJ Lyons, Celeste Ng, Tommy Orange, Mary Pope Osborne, Doug Preston, Alice Randall, Caroline Randall Williams, Ishmael Reed, Roxana Robinson, Nelly Rosario, James Shapiro, Hampton Sides, R. L. Stine, Nafissa Thompson-Spires, Monique Truong, Scott Turow, Luis Alberto Urrea, Rachel Vail, Weike Wang, De’ Shawn Charles Winslow, Meg Wolitzer.

Don’t miss out on this opportunity to connect with fellow book lovers and immerse yourself in the world of literature. See you there!

If you are unable to attend the event but would like a copy of “Fourteen Days” please call The Hickory Stick Bookshop at (860) 868 0525 or shop online 24/7 on our website – www.hickorystickbookshop.com

Judy Black Memorial Park & Gardens
1 Green Hill Road, Washington Depot, CT 06794
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/fourteen-days-author-discussion-tickets-885060458657?aff=oddtdtcreator

Join Materia for Mothers Day! Enjoy a Prix fixe Brunch from 11 am – 2 pm or Dinner a la carte from 4 pm – 7 pm.

Call to make reservations at 860 567 3326 or go to materiaristo.com.

Greenwoods’ annual benefit is a critical source of funding for the comprehensive mental healthcare that they provide to the community. This year they are proud to honor Pam Bowman with the Jane L Havemeyer award. Help them celebrate Greenwoods’ incredible growth by sponsoring this year’s event!

6 pm – 8:30 pm at Washington, CT Town Hall