Housatonic Museum of Art, located on the Housatonic Community College campus in Bridgeport, CT, is pleased to announce Making Your Mark: Prints and Drawings from the Hechinger Collection, on view from February 3 – March 25, 2022.
Making Your Mark: Prints and Drawings from the Hechinger Collection brings together a rich array of works on paper, breaking down the various methods and materials used in modern artistic practice. Showcasing 50 superb prints and drawings, this exhibition samples the breadth and beauty of International Arts & Artists’ own Hechinger Collection, which has the unique theme of hand tools and hardware. Focusing on the creative process, the featured works represent a variety of media and disciplines at an artist’s disposal. Audiences will learn about the intricacies of these assorted techniques, and directly see how an artist makes a statement through the graphic arts. Making Your Mark’s celebration of the visual and conceptual aspects of drawing and printmaking educates and inspires in the best way, leaving viewers engaged, and rapt with curiosity.
Some of the most influential artists of the twentieth century are featured in the exhibition, including Berenice Abbott, Jim Dine, Richard Estes, Walker Evans, Howard Finster, Ke Francis, Jacob Lawrence, Hans Namuth, Claes Oldenburg, James Rosenquist, Lucas Samaras, Aaron Siskind, and Wayne Thiebaud.
Making Your Mark begins by establishing drawing as its foundation, then moves through five distinct printing styles, then shifts to the contemporary method of screen printing. The final technique, photography — whose name unites the Greek words for light (photos) and drawing (graphé)—brings the exhibition full circle, returning the viewer to the inception of mark-making. Each section highlights the complexities of the unique artistic process, and a timeless affinity for the beauty of lines and the bewitching utility of tools as instruments of craft.
The exhibition will be on view in the museum’s Burt Chernow Galleries, located in Lafayette Hall at 900 Lafayette Blvd. in Bridgeport. There will be no opening reception. Tickets must be reserved in advance of visiting, and masks must be worn at all times. Visit www.HousatonicMuseum.org to sign up.
Scheduled U.S tour dates for Making Your Mark: Prints and Drawings from the Hechinger Collection are as follows: Carnegie Arts Center, Turlock, CA (September 18, 2021 – January 3, 2022); Susquehanna Museum of Art, Harrisburg, PA (June 10, 2022 – September 18, 2022); Hillstrom Museum of Art at Gustavus Adolphus College, St. Peter, MN (November 21, 2022 –January 27, 2023).
Making Your Mark: Prints and Drawings from the Hechinger Collection is organized and toured by International Arts & Artists, Washington, DC.
About International Arts & Artists
International Arts & Artists (IA&A) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting cross-cultural understanding and exposure to the arts internationally. Since 1995, IA&A has fulfilled its mission by providing programs and services to artists, arts institutions, cultural organizations, and the public—reaching over 2.1 million people. Visit www.artsandartists.org for more information.
About the Housatonic Museum of Art
Housatonic Museum of Art is located on the Housatonic Community College campus, located at 900 Lafayette Blvd. in Bridgeport. It is home to one of the premier college art collections in the country, spanning the history of art from the ancient to the contemporary, and is on continuous display throughout the 300,000 square foot facility. The museum also hosts changing exhibitions in the Burt Chernow Galleries, and engaging lectures, workshops, films, special events and programs throughout the year, both in person and online. Visit www.HousatonicMuseum.org to learn more.
with Amy Kurtz Lansing, Curator
Free with Museum Admission
Kurtz Lansing offers an overview of the Solitary Garden.
Created in 2021 in collaboration with artist jackie sumell, the prison cell-shaped garden is planted with flowers selected by a currently incarcerated person. Nurtured by volunteers, nature offers the medium for cultivating beauty, repair, and connection.
Presented in partnership with the Polish American Foundation of Connecticut, this brand-new series features the classical talents of regional performers.
All tickets are $10. Doors open at 5:30 p.m., performance at 6 p.m.
Wine & beer available for purchase.
Concert seating is first come, first served on day of show and seating capacity is limited to 80.
July 6: “Summer Romance”
Corbin Beisner & Veronika Schreiber will present classical, romantic and soulful compositions for piano and violin; featuring works by Dvorak, Schumann, Chopin, and Franck.
July 20: “From Broadway to the Met”
Opera highlights from smash productions like “Merry Widow,” “Porgy and Bess,” “Carmen,” “Samson and Delilah,” and other Broadway hits by George Gershwin, Cole Porter, Rodgers & Hammerstein, and more.
Featuring Monika Krajewska, mezzo-soprano, and Natasha Ulyanovsky, piano.
August 3: “A Night of J.S. Bach: Six Sonatas for Violin and Harpsichord”
Composed during Bach’s years as Capellmeister (1717–22) at the court of Prince Leopold of Anhalt-Cöthen. In 1774, Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach wrote “the six [sonatas for violin and obbligato harpsichord] are among the best works of my dear late father…they sound very good even now, and give me much pleasure, despite their being over 50 years old.”
Featuring Veronika Schreiber, violin & Gregory Hayes, harpsichord.
August 17: “Beethoven Sonatas”
A solo performance by Corbin Beisner on piano. Witness the heroism and tragedy of Ludwig van Beethoven in three of his most moving piano sonatas; “Pathétique”/”Tempest”/”Appassionata.”
August 31: “Musical Vigil for Peace”
Sacred music selections that span the centuries, including a recently recovered 15th c. Ukrainian Orthodox Chant. Works by composers Bach, Barber, Strauss, and Durufle.
Featuring Karolina Wojteczko, Mezzo- Soprano, and Julian Revie, Piano/Organ.
Ridgefield storyteller and women’s studies scholar Dr. Darla Shaw will take on the role of Suffragist, Alice Paul, who lived less than a mile away from Weir Farm during the same time period as Dorothy Weir Young. This program celebrates women’s history on the anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment, which gave women the right to vote on August 18, 1920.
Registration is free, but space is limited, so please call early to secure a spot! To register or for more information, please call 203-834-1896 ext. 28.
These special Thursday evening events will have something for everyone to enjoy! Live music, vendors, lawn games, artist talks and demonstrations, and hands-on art making.
July 21, 4-8 p.m.
- Tea and Tarot Boutique | 4-8 p.m. (Talk by the owner, Heather Wright Fitzgerald from 4-5 p.m.)
- Unveiling Celebration: Piecing Together a New Britain Story | 5 p.m.
- Art Happy Hour, featuring live music by Sarah Hanahan Jazz Quartet | 5:30-8 p.m.
August 18, 4-8 p.m.
- Tea and Tarot Boutique | 4-8 p.m. (Talk by the owner, Heather Wright Fitzgerald from 4-5 p.m.)
- Paint Night with Posh Paint | 5-6 p.m.
- Live Art Demonstration with Corey Pane | 6-7 p.m.
- Art Happy Hour, featuring live music by Dr. Violin! | 5:30-8 p.m.
Free Admission
Enjoy cocktails, live music, and activities on Thursday nights all summer long, with a front-row seat to the best view of Walnut Hill Park.
Live Music Schedule:
- July 7—Sal Basile
- July 14—Ramblin’ Dan Stevens
- July 21—Sarah Hanahan Jazz Quartet
- July 28—Martin Piggot
- August 4—Joe Grieco
- August 11—Brian MacDonald Duo
- August 18—Dr. Violin!
- August 25—Brian MacDonald Duo
(In case of inclement weather, call ahead! Most nights, we can move the party indoors!)
Registration will close the Wednesday before each session.
Join Michele Morcey as she teaches strength-building poses, balances, and flows that link breath with movement. Students will explore pranayama (breath work), meditation, and final relaxation. While this practice is more vigorous than a gentle yoga class, it is accessible to most levels, as it is led with the idea that all practices serve us differently. Bring your own mat.
Museum Members call 203-753-0381 ext 117 to register for Yoga-Intermediate Vinyasa
Support provided by the Connecticut Community Foundation.
Registration will close the Thursday before each session.
Leave behind today’s concerns and distractions with Mindfulness teacher, Ranji Latchmansingh, as he leads you through a guided mindfulness session utilizing art. Interact with art in a different way as you learn to slow down and focus.
Support provided by the Connecticut Community Foundation.
Join us every Friday evening to unwind, renew and reconnect to nature in the serenity of Weir Farm National Historical Park’s stunning gardens. This weekly outdoor yoga series is part of the Park’s Healthy Parks Healthy People program and is the perfect way to end your week! No registration required! Just bring your yoga mat and water bottle!
Experience how the Park can improve your physical and mental wellbeing with yoga instructor Suzan Converse. Suzan has been practicing yoga for almost 40 years and is skilled in leading Amrit Yoga – a meditative practice intended to still the mind as well as give you maximum physical benefits. Suzan’s intention is to reach as many people as she can to reveal the inherent peace that is naturally within each of us.
Grab your sketchbook and join field mycologist Zaac Chaves for a super-fun Fungi Walk! Develop basic tools to better recognize several species, learn about fungal forensics, and find insights in the stories a mushroom might tell us about places and things that once happened there.
Registration is free, but space is limited, so please call early to secure a spot! To register or for more information, please call 203-834-1896 ext. 28.