Darienite (https://darienite.com/category/arts-entertainment)
Art receptions, author appearances, performing arts and some film events
JoyRide is generously teaming up with STAR Inc., Lighting the Way to offer weekend spin classes to raise money benefiting local individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. — an announcement from STAR Inc. and JoyRide
All donations will be matched 100% by an anonymous donor. If you have never tried spinning — here is your fun, inclusive opportunity in a no judgment zone! The event is open to the public. Cost is $50 per rider payable to STAR Inc. at the door.
The Rowayton Arts Center (RAC) is offering a Zoom “Paint Along to Live Music” experience from 4:30 to 6 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 10, 2020. — an announcement from Rowayton Arts Center
RAC Instructor Karen Siegel will lead participants through a watercolor landscape, while world renowned musician Mary Ann McSweeney plays live music in the background. Students are welcome to follow along or choose an image of their own
The fee for the class is $60. All you need to participate is a basic set of watercolors, #6 round brush, jar of water and paper towels. For more info and to register online, visit rowaytonarts.org/workshops or call (203) 866-2744 (x2).
Online submissions are now being accepted in an Open Call to Artists for the “Autumn Juried Show” at Rowayton Arts Center (RAC) from October 18, 2020 to November 14, 2020. The show is open to all artists interested in exhibiting their artwork at RAC and the online gallery. — an announcement from Rowayton Arts Center
Categories include: oil painting, acrylic painting, watercolor, mixed media, color photography, black and white photography, sculpture, printmaking, pastels or drawing. Submit pieces for consideration here. Deadline is Sept.
A new show with “Photography and Sculpture” is now on view at the Rowayton Arts Center (RAC) through Sept. 6, and in RAC’s online gallery. — an announcement from Rowayton Arts Center
This open call, juried exhibition features 86 pieces by 45 area artists that were chosen from almost 150 submissions. Winners were announced Aug. 7:
BEST IN SHOW: Emily Kelting of Norwalk for “Sun Shower” (Color Photography).
A new show with “Photography and Sculpture” will be on view at the Rowayton Arts Center (RAC), from Sunday, Aug. 9 through Sept. 6, 2020. This open-call, juried exhibition features 86 pieces by 45 area artists. — an announcement from Rowayton Arts Center
RAC has resumed normal summer gallery hours: Sunday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., then Tuesday through Friday from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
The chair for the exhibition is Jay Wilson and the co-chair is Nancy Breakstone.
Online submissions are now being accepted in an open call to artists for the juried “Photography and Sculpture” show at the Rowayton Arts Center (RAC) from Aug. 9 to Sept. 6, 2020. — an announcement from the Rowayton Arts Center
The show is open to all artists interested in exhibiting their photographs and/or sculptures. Submit pieces for consideration here, on the RAC website.
The Rowayton Arts Center (RAC) is offering three weekly art classes for adults starting June 4 over Zoom. RAC Instructors Dana Goodfellow, Christy Gallagher and Susan Fehlinger will lead students online to provide an opportunity to learn and grow in their artistic specialties. — an announcement from Rowayton Arts Center
Dana Goodfellow will teach “From Realism to Abstraction” on Thursdays from 2 pm to 5 p.m., beginning June 4 for four weeks. The goal of this class is to use theories of composition, layout, design and perspective to allow for stronger realistic or abstract paintings. This class is a mixture of students whose work is either realistic or abstract or a mixture of both styles.
Rowayton Arts Center is offering two new weekly online art classes for children in Kindergarten through Grade 5. — an announcement from Rowayton Arts Center
Both classes will be taught on Zoom by Muffy Pendergast, the well known “Empress” of New Haven’s annual Giant Puppet and People Making Mayhem Parade. Zoom has now made it possible to share her creative teachings with the students of our community. The classes will be age appropriate and will focus on teaching the various elements of art through engaging and fun-filled projects, using items you already have in your house. Any extra supplies will be delivered to homes on a weekly basis.
The Rowayton Arts Center (RAC) is excited to jump into the world of Zoom in order to deliver an online “Paint and Sip” experience to all who yearn for some creative fun on Cinco de Mayo! — an announcement from Rowayton Arts Center
The Zoom class will take place from 4:30 to 6 p.m. on Tuesday, May 5, 2020. RAC Instructor Susan Fehlinger will lead participants through a Southwestern landscape painting using a palette knife only. The challenge, the fun and the laugh factor should be high as participants navigate this new platform together. The fee for the class is $25.
The biggest names in comedy are coming together to help health workers on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic with a special virtual comedy fest on Friday, May 1. The Covid Is No Joke comedy show will be a night of levity, laughter and community in support of frontline health workers—the heroes of the COVID-19 pandemic. — an announcement from Americares
The show will air LIVE on covidisnojoke.org and Americares YouTube channel at 8 p.m. EDT, benefitting Americares COVID-19 response. The star-studded event will feature a mix of sketches, stand-up comedy and heart-felt messages from:
Elizabeth Banks, Ike Barinholtz, Jack Black and Tenacious D, Wayne Brady, D’Arcy Carden, Kristin Chenoweth, Tom Cotter, Mackenzie Davis, Mark Duplass, Will Ferrell, Gal Gadot, Kyle Gass, Linda Hamilton, Chelsea Handler, Mindy Kaling, Kerri Louise, Jonathan Mangum, Patton Oswalt, Natalia Reyes, Adam Scott, Finn Straley, Paige Weldon, Jenny Yang and more. Americares board member and actor, director, producer Tony Goldwyn will host the one-hour event.
One Darien High School classmate, Doug Allen, is performing an online concert this Friday to benefit the Jesse Lewis Choose Love Movement, founded by another DHS classmate, Scarlett Lewis, and they both hope you’ll watch and listen. — an announcement from Corbin Cares
This special concert with Doug Allen, sponsored by Corbin Cares, runs from 7 to 8:30 p.m., Friday, April 24 on Zoom. Allen, born in Darien and a member of DHS’s first lacrosse team, is a Nashville based singer-songwriter who is quickly becoming known for his high energy, acoustic shows and rich voice. Often compared to a cross between Zac Brown & John Denver he’s an artist whose songs, killer stage presence and voice make you take notice. Along with having two successful albums and several singles available online, Doug has had songs featured in Universal Pictures and Lions Gate Films. He keeps busy playing over 200 shows a year in theaters and corporate events between LA, Chicago, Nashville, and New York.
This past Saturday’s bell-ringing event in Darien is being repeated, the First Selectman’s Office just announced, for the next five Saturdays, through May 16. “Ring Your Bells, Loud and Proud,” the announcement says, during the repeats of Saturday’s five-minute event, where people around town were encouraged to ring a bell, bang a pot or otherwise make a noise for several minutes to give a loud “Thank you!” to healthcare workers and first responders on the frontlines of the COVID-19 battle. As with the event last Saturday, the noise-making is scheduled for five minutes, starting at 7 p.m. The ringing, gonging, honking and yelling takes place rain or shine, right from your own window, door or, as the announcement suggests, “your front lawn or front steps.” “From 7 to 7:05, come stand on your front lawn or front steps and ring cowbells, shake holiday bells, bang a pot and pan or simply clap hands,” the announcement says.
A new show at the Rowayton Arts Center (RAC), “Spring Juried Show,” is now online at racgallery.carbonmade.com. — an announcement from Rowayton Arts Center
This all media exhibition features artwork by over one hundred artists chosen from almost 350 submissions. Winners were announced on April 8:
Best in Show, Melissa Orme of Ridgefield for “Celebration,” (Acrylic on Linen; see image below), 1st Place, Nancy Woodward of Wilton for “Sisters,” (Digital Photography), 2nd Place, Katharine Draper of Norwalk for “Environmental Spiral” (Ink on Paper), 3rd Place, Gregg Welz of Norwalk for “Spiral Vortex” (Paper Cuts) and Honorable Mention, Joanie Landau, “Roses for Sara Diptych” (Prints on Plexiglass). The chair for the exhibition is Joanna Bridges and the co-chair is Pamela Davis. The judge, Lisa Cooper, grew up surrounded by artists including her mother, a painter and jewelry designer, and father a successful businessman with a passion for creating Nevelson-like wood sculptures.
Avon Theatre, a nonprofit film center in downtown Stamford, is now offering first-run, independent films online in partnership with Magnolia Pictures. The new service not only lets you watch while stay safe at home during the COVID-19 pandemic, but supports the Avon for the same price most people would spend on a ticket. Avon is calling the new service AVON ONLINE. Tickets are $12, No Discounts
You can see descriptions of the five current offerings below, along with trailers and links to purchase $12 tickets. The Avon “is grateful that every film rental helps support the Avon through these challenging times,” the organization said on its website.
Barrett Bookstore invites you to watch and listen to William McKeever, author of “Emperors of the Deep” (and producer of a documentary of the same name) about sharks, in an online discussion. The event takes place this Thursday, April 2, starting at 5 p.m. on Zoom, an app which you’ll need to download before the event. From the Barrett Bookstore announcement:
We’re starting to get into the rhythm of this new normal and while it’s not perfect, we’re getting along. We miss you. To that end, we’re working on coming together for some virtual events, the first of which will take place THIS Thursday, April 2 at 5 p.m. with William McKeever.
Piece together a shark, jellyfish, seal or other marine animal to add to an enormous ocean scene March 7 and 8 during “Lego Weekend” at The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk. Editor’s note: This is a prudential question for individual parents to answer: Do you mind if your kid goes to an event now or in the very near future where your kid might pick up COVID-19? Or is it better to get your child to some events now, before we find out that COVID-19 is already nearby and it may be much less safe for a while? Now is safer than later, when the pandemic inevitably comes here, but is it safe enough? On the other hand, will you be keeping them at home (when they’re not in school) for months, perhaps well over a year, until a vaccine is created?