Your guide to the heart of Litchfield County:
Discover local stories, hidden gems, and must-know events.

Mondays at 10:30 AM – August 4, 11, & 18
For ages 4 – 8 & their caregivers

Parents and caregivers are children’s first and most important teachers. Ensuring that your child learns to read to their highest potential is one of the greatest gifts that you can give them. Using Letters are Characters and Letters are Builders trademarked play-based methods, we will laugh and play our way to literacy and deep reading and empower you to be a confident and competent literacy guide for your child!

Register at OWL’s website and receive a Letters are Characters or Letters are Builders kit while supplies last. In addition to the in-person program, you will also receive weekly guidance delivered right to your inbox.

Does your child need to learn to recognize the letters and know the sounds that they make?

Does your child know their letter sounds and symbols and they are now ready to start sounding out and learning high frequency words?
Click here for a Letters are Builders Kit

This program is funded by the generous support of the Northwest Connecticut Community Foundation.

Oliver Wolcott Library
160 South Street
Litchfield CT 06759
https://www.owlibrary.org/childrens-events.aspx

Artist Gail O’Donnell will lead an indigo and clay resist workshop at the David M. Hunt Library on Thursday, August 14th from 2:00 – 4:00pm. Join us as we explore the exciting world of indigo!

People have used and been fascinated by indigo for thousands of years. It has influenced art and artists throughout the ages and has been used to color everything from crayons, paint, cosmetics and fabrics. Everyone will leave with two or three flour sack dish cloths they have painted themselves with a special clay paste and then dipped in indigo. No experience necessary, all materials provided.

Registration is required for this program as it is limited to twelve participants. Please register below or contact the library for assistance.

David M. Hunt Library
63 Main Street
Falls Village, CT 06031

Indigo and Clay Resist Workshop with Gail O’Donnell

Village Center for the Arts presents our gallery opening featuring artist Alissa De Gregorio “In Plain Sight”.
Located at 12 Main Street, New Milford, CT
Saturday, August 2nd at 6:00-8:00PM
This is a free event and all are welcome.

Alissa DeGregorio is a lifelong artist who enjoys painting the magical qualities of nature. She is inspired by the world around her, particularly the New England countryside, from pastoral landscapes to the beauty of a single flower.

Before focusing on painting, Alissa worked in a variety of creative fields such as floral design, prop fabrication, graphic design and art licensing. She holds a degree in Graphic Design and Illustration from Western Connecticut State University and has created branding design for various non-profits and small businesses as well as licensed art to companies such as Bentology lunch boxes and Cheerios. All the while she has been honing her skills as a painter and enjoying its meditative qualities.

“What I most hope to capture as an artist is to show the extraordinary in the ordinary.
To highlight what we see, but don’t always really truly see. The elegant forms of a leaf, the beauty of a familiar landscape, a simple moment with a child… there’s so much beauty in the everyday, right in plain sight”.

Alissa currently offers commissioned art as well as originals, house portraits, pet portraits and murals. She also teaches art classes locally. You can buy prints and greeting cards of her work at Compass Rose Boutique on Bank Street or contact her directly at alissadegregorioartist@gmail.com.
When she’s not painting she enjoys reading and spending time with her husband and three children.

Her show will be available for viewing for the month of August.

To see more visit www.villagecenterarts.org
(860) 354-4318

Village Center for the Arts 12 Main Street, New Milford, CT
https://www.villagecenterarts.org/eventscalendar

We are thrilled to invite you to step into the golden glow of Jennifer Sabella’s “Endless Summer”— a vibrant collection of works that capture the heat, haze, and heart of the season that never quite fades. From sun-drenched landscapes to vividly hued reflections of the season’s essence, this show is a celebration of warmth, wanderlust, and the beauty of lingering light.

Join us on Saturday, July 26th from 6:00 to 8:00 PM in Maggie’s Tavern for an evening of sunlit sips and seasonal fare. Wander in for a moment of inspiration or stay awhile to share conversation with the artist, surrounded by the soft glow of summer and art.

Kindly RSVP to myself at, ederusha@winvian.com or 860-393-3036 by July 23rd.

Bloom Where Planted: Pressed Flower Suncatcher
11:30 am – 12:30 pm
$20 per person
* Pre-registration & Pre-registration required.Limited spots

Time for self care with nature therapy! Join Amy Lopez, Bloom Where Planted Facilitator, in crafting pressed flowers to create a summery suncatcher to take home and enjoy.

Litchfield Community Center
421 Bantam Road
Litchfield, CT 06759
860-567-8302
https://thecommunitycenter.org/event.php?id=21045

Sound Bath with Gong
10:30 am – 11:30 am
$20.00
* Pre-registration required.

Immerse yourself in the soothing and transformative experience of a Sound Bath with Gong. This unique class combines the ancient practice of sound healing with the powerful vibrations of a gong and other instruments, offering a holistic approach to relaxation and well-being.

What to Expect:

*Guided Meditation: Begin with a brief guided meditation to help you settle into the space and prepare for the sound journey.
*Sound Immersion: Lie down comfortably as the facilitator plays the gong and other instruments, creating an immersive soundscape. The vibrations and tones of the gong promote deep relaxation, reduce stress, and support mental clarity.

This class is suitable for all levels, from beginners to experienced practitioners.

What to Bring:

*Comfortable clothing
*Yoga mat or blanket to lie on
*Pillow and additional blankets for warmth and comfort
*Eye mask (optional)
*Water bottle

Litchfield Community Center
421 Bantam Road
Litchfield, CT 06759
860-567-8302
https://thecommunitycenter.org/event.php?id=20863

10:00 am – 11:00 am
Free, Donations Welcome
* Pre-registration encouraged.

Join Us Under the Tent for an Extraordinary Talk with Jan Dow.

Step into the mysterious and thought-provoking world of reincarnation with Jan Dow, local author, researcher, and Professor Emeritus. In this captivating talk under the tent, Jan will share her personal journey exploring the realms of past lives, soul connections, and the hidden threads that weave through lifetimes.

With wisdom drawn from decades of research and deeply personal experiences, Jan invites you to open your mind, challenge what you think you know, and consider the possibility that life doesn’t begin—or end—where you think it does.

Come curious, leave transformed.
This is a unique opportunity to engage with a brilliant storyteller and spiritual explorer right in our community. Don’t miss it!

Litchfield Community Center
421 Bantam Road
Litchfield, CT 06759
860-567-8302
www.thecommunitycenter.org

Craven Contemporary is excited to announce its latest show “Two Voices In Tandem” featuring work by New York painters Michael De Feo and Shira Toren. The show opens on Saturday July 19th with a reception for the artists from 4pm to 6pm.

Two artists with different histories and practices intersect and converse in their same overlapped interests. De Feo and Toren create paintings that explore chaos and order, organic abstraction, and beauty in the ephemeral. The artists seek to create living objects that are imbued with these ideas and energy.

Their output is physically manifested predominantly in the medium of painting on canvas. De Feo uses oils and oil sticks whereas Toren uses Venetian plaster, pigments, and acrylics. Both artists activate their surfaces by layering and building with their chosen materials. They have developed unique lexicons within their work, languages that were born out of their individual process-driven studio practices that tap into memory and perception. Although both artists employ additive techniques of layering as well as utilizing subtractive methods to partially or completely alter their surfaces, De Feo’s paintings have pronounced or course texture whereas Toren’s are a mostly smooth, slick texture. Constant change is embraced.

Renewal, loss and growth are frequent themes for both artists. De Feo has said of his work, “the perpetual spinning of the cycle of life and the idea of the temporary are major influences on me.” Of her 2019 series, Stepping Stones, Toren has expressed, “there is a latent tension lingering between presence and absence.”

Two Voices in Tandem is a presentation of two passionate artists who recognize that letting go can be synonymous with creation and progress.

A preview of the show can be seen here and I hope to see you in the gallery:

Two Voices in Tandem | Artsy

About Michael De Feo

De Feo is widely known for his paintings which examine themes of ephemerality, play, growth, and the cycle of life. De Feo’s use of, and inspiration from flowers has earned him the nickname, “The Flower Guy”.

De Feo’s monograph, Flowers, was published by Abrams Books in 2019 and was supported with a tour of museums and bookshops in both America and Europe. His most recent book Out of Fashion was published by Poster House in New York in 2022. De Feo’s work has appeared in a variety of film documentaries including Alice Arnold’s To Be Seen (aired on PBS/WNET and screened at The Museum of Modern Art, 2006); and Banksy’s Exit Through The Gift Shop: A Banksy Film (Paranoid Pictures, 2010) which was an Academy Award best documentary nominee. De Feo’s work has been featured in over 40 books and he has collaborated with fashion brands such as Neiman Marcus, Christian Louboutin, La Mer, and presently with French luxury perfume house, Guerlain. In addition to Craven Contemporary, his work has been exhibited at museums and galleries around the world including The New Museum of Contemporary Art, New York, NY; The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum, Ridgefield, CT; Rice Gallery, Rice University, Houston, TX; Museo de Arte, San Juan, Puerto Rico; and most recently, Hexton Gallery, Aspen, CO.

About Shira Toren:

Toren is an American visual artist originally from Tel Aviv, Israel, currently working in Brooklyn, New York. She holds a BFA from Pratt Institute and an Associate Degree in Art Therapy from The New School. She also studied painting and printmaking at The Art Students League of New York.

After graduating from Pratt, Toren worked as a fashion designer specializing in knitwear and pattern construction. Her work led her to travel extensively throughout Asia and Europe. This experience – rooted in a deep understanding of materiality, structure, and color – continues to inform her visual art practice, which often weaves together Eastern and Western influences.

In addition to Craven Contemporary, her work has been exhibited both nationally and internationally at a wide range of museums and galleries, including: Thierry Goldberg Gallery (New York, NY); NYU Gallery (New York, NY); Front Room Gallery (Hudson, NY); Bernay Fine Art (Great Barrington, MA); Susan Eley Fine Art (New York, NY); Gallery Sitka (Newport, RI); Sweet Lorraine Gallery (Brooklyn, NY); The Arsenal Gallery in Central Park (New York, NY); The Painting Center (Chelsea, NY); Katonah Museum of Art (Katonah, NY); Islip Museum (Islip, NY); Galerie Bij de Boeken (Ulft, The Netherlands); and Galerie Schaeffer Gate 5 (Oslo, Norway).

CRAVEN CONTEMPORARY LLC
4 Fulling Lane
Kent, CT 06757

EMAIL: cravencontemporary@gmail.com
TELEPHONE: (646) 355-8142
INSTAGRAM: @cravencontemporary
WEBSITE: Craven Contemporary

The Arthur Miller Writing Studio will host award-winning director Rebecca Miller for a fundraising event with a screening and discussion of her 2017 film Arthur Miller: Writer on Friday, August 8 at 5:30 PM. at the Minor Memorial Library, 23 South Street, Roxbury. Seating is very limited and tickets will not be available at the door. Refreshments will be served. Following the screening, Rebecca will answer questions and talk about her efforts to initiate the preservation of her father’s studio in its home town of Roxbury.
The film, produced by HBO, illuminates the private life of the tremendously public playwright and captures moments between father and daughter, never before seen home video footage, and in-depth interviews with those who shared work and life with Arthur.
Tickets are available at $150 each and will help support raising the funds needed to move the legendary playwright’s Roxbury studio building to a site adjacent to the Minor Library.
To purchase tickets, please visit the eventbrite link.

Minor Memorial Library, Roxbury, CT

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/fundraiser-screening-of-arthur-miller-writer-by-rebecca-miller-registration-1474683551199?utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=listing&utm-source=cp&aff=ebdsshcopyurl

The David M. Hunt Library in Falls Village CT will host AugustFest in the Village on Sunday, August 24, from 4 to 6PM. Held outdoors on the library’s shady lawn, this fundraiser will feature grilled brats from Nodine’s Smokehouse, craft beers from Norbrook Farm Brewery, hot pretzels from The Falls Village Inn, a silent auction, and live music by Vance Cannon and Friends! A vegetarian option and lemonade will also be served, and each guest will receive a limited-edition Hunt Library cup.

This event is one of the library’s biggest fundraisers and is the perfect open-air occasion to get out and catch up with your Falls Village community neighbors and friends. Tickets are $30; $5 for children under 12. Tickets can be purchased at the event or online.

David M. Hunt Library
63 Main Street
Falls Village, CT 06031

Augustfest in the Village