The Judy Black Memorial Park and Gardens is pleased to welcome “In Transit,” an art exhibition by Jeff McCracken on view beginning Friday, May 2. 

An opening reception will be held on Saturday, May 3 from 3 to 5 pm. The public is invited to attend.

The paintings in this show demonstrate a mastery of realism, mood, and human presence.

The foundation of McCracken’s practice is linked to being emotionally influenced by the story each individual conveys. His subway series of paintings focus on individuals being private in a public place, capturing that fleeting moment when their inner humanity is revealed regardless of who they are or where they’re from.

Check our social media for weekly open hours: @judyblackpark on Instagram and Facebook. 

The Gunn Memorial Library Stairwell Gallery is pleased to present Restoration: Landscapes & Botanical Abstracts in Gouache, an exhibition of beautiful landscapes and botanicals by artist Susan Newbury, on view from April 5 through May 31.

Susan’s work is a celebration of nature’s depth and detail, drawing inspiration from the stunning landscapes, waterscapes, and gardens of her rural New York State roots and her home in Litchfield County. With a background in graphic and fashion design, her artistic practice has evolved into a dynamic exploration of color, pattern, and movement. She works primarily in gouache, acrylic, and mixed media on paper, canvas, and wood panel, using a bright, rich palette to create layered compositions that blend natural elements with abstract forms.

“Nature not only provides the subject matter but the solitude, joy, and purpose for my paintings, creating a place of quiet introspection and restoration,” she says. Her work reflects this philosophy, infusing familiar landscapes with energy and emotion while maintaining a sense of tranquility and balance. Inspired by both the botanical world and interior design elements such as fabric, wallpaper, and tilework, her paintings feature repeating shapes and striking color contrasts for an unexpected visual experience.

Her instinctive approach to painting allows her to let go of the rules, creating compositions that are both structured and free-flowing. She paints in her Litchfield County studio and accepts commission work.

Gunn Memorial Library is located at 5 Wykeham Road at the juncture of Route 47 opposite the Green in Washington, CT. Library hours may be found at gunnlibrary.org.

For more information call (860)868-7586 or email, adoerwald@gunnlibrary.org.

You are invited to Flashes & Fragments - an art exhibit that is a fusion of mixed media, artistic lettering, video & photography. New works by Debra Lill and Kathleen Borkowski combine the beauty of visual storytelling with the expressiveness of hand lettered art. We hope you will join us as we celebrate this new work, created specifically for the Whiting Mills Gallery!

Opening: Thursday, April 24th, 5-7 pm.

Show dates: April 17-June 27

The Morris Public Library offers Story and Music Time for participants ages 9 mo. - 5 y.o every Tuesday at 10 am.

Please call to ask if a spot is available: 860-567-7440.

Sing songs, read a story, do a craft!

Join the Monthly Critique sessions at Five Points Arts Center – Bring in an original work for personal, constructive feedback and discussion with Founder and Executive Director, Judy McElhone. All skill levels and mediums are welcome!

Free and open to the public

Tuesday, May 13

2 – 3 PM

Five Points Arts Center

MORE INFO & RSVP

Join local historical costuming enthusiast Abigail Yanaway to...

• Ask questions about 18th century sewing Access resources related to 18th century sewing
• Get help with your own 18th century projects
• Meet other people interested in historical sewing
• Join other historical sewing enthusiasts to work on projects together

The Guild, the Library's new volunteer organization, welxomes any and all lovers of books and culture. You do not need to love in Sharon to volunteer with the Guild. 

Presented by Oblong Books in partnership with The White Hart & Scoville Memorial Library.
An Economist Best Book of 2024!

Tickets Required.
Tickets $15: Include a complimentary glass of house wine, beer or non alcoholic beverage plus a $5 voucher towards the purchase of THE EDITOR at this event.

Author Sara B. Franklin and Alice Quinn will discuss Franklin's book THE EDITOR - the story of the woman behind some of the most important authors of the 20th century. During her more than fifty years as an editor at Alfred A. Knopf, Jones nurtured the careers of literary icons such as Sylvia Plath, Anne Tyler, and John Updike, and helped launched new genres and trends in literature. At the forefront of the cookbook revolution, she published the who’s who of food writing: Edna Lewis, M.F.K. Fisher, Claudia Roden, Madhur Jaffrey, James Beard, and, most famously, Julia Child.

Sara B. Franklin is a writer, teacher, and oral historian. She received a 2020–2021 National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) Public Scholars grant for her research on Judith Jones, and teaches courses on food, writing, embodied culture, and oral history at NYU’s Gallatin School of Individualized Study. She is the author of The Editor, the editor of Edna Lewis, and coauthor of The Phoenicia Diner Cookbook. She holds a PhD in food studies from NYU and studied documentary storytelling at both the Duke Center for Documentary Studies and the Salt Institute for Documentary Studies. She lives in Kingston, New York.

Alice Quinn, executive director of the Poetry Society of America for eighteen years, was also the poetry editor at The New Yorker from 1987 to 2007 and an editor at Alfred A. Knopf for more than ten years prior to that. She teaches at Columbia University’s School of the Arts and is the editor of a book of Elizabeth Bishop’s writings, Edgar Allan Poe & The Juke-Box: Uncollected Poems, Drafts, and Fragments, as well as a forthcoming book of Bishop’s journals. She lives in New York City and Millerton, New York.

The White Hart Inn is a fully wheelchair accessible space with on-site van accessible parking. Microphones and speakers will be used at this event. If you have specific questions about the space or how an event can be made more accessible to you, please do not hesitate to contact us: info@oblongbooks.com.

Open to all levels of experience, this workshop offers an in-depth exploration of oil painting techniques and traditional still life. Develop foundational painting skills, including glazing and layering oil paints to create luminosity and depth.

Oil Painting: Explorations in Still Life

with Sarah Paolucci

Wednesdays, May 7, 14, 21 & 28, 2025

10 AM – 1 PM

Members: $162 / Non-Members: $180

MORE INFO & REGISTER

Shakespeare’s Queens

Shakespeare grew up under the reign of Elizabeth I, a mercurial, intelligent, powerful queen. And her influence is written across many of Shakespeare’s finest female characters. Whether in his dangerous siren-queens like Lady Macbeth and Margaret, or in playful, wayward leaders like Titania and Kate, or in redemptive characters like Hermione and Miranda, Shakespeare seems fascinated by how each of these women wielded power and made choices. Should they speak their minds, or keep to the shadows? Work together or stand alone? And where does their power lie: in mystery, wordplay or swordplay? Created and performed by Shakespearean actress, Poornima Kirby, this jewel of a play dances between Elizabeth’s story, and Shakespeare’s own life as a writer and father to two strong-minded daughters. With history, humor and sparkling poetry, Shakespeare’s Queens is a heartfelt and refreshing exploration of some of the bard’s loveliest verse.

Cost: "Give Local" Donation at door or online

* Pre-registration required for lunch.

Yarn Bomb Drop-in Sessions are taking place at Five Points Arts Center throughout the winter and spring - free and open to the public of all ages, skills and techniques welcome!

MORE INFO HERE

Wednesdays (weekly):

2 - 4 PM

Jan 8 - May 28

Saturdays:

2 -4 PM

January 11 & 25

February 8 &22

March 8 & 22

April 12 & 26

May 10

Join us every Friday night from 5-8 in the NHAG studio, at 37 Greenwoods Road, New Hartford CT - Floor 2 #9A for life model drawing. Participants must be 18+ to attend.

registar at nhagct.art or newhartfordartisansguild.com

The Mystery Book Club will take place at the Morris Public Library on Wednesday, May 14, at 6:30 PM and discuss “The Antique Hunter’s Guide to Murder” by C. L. Miller.

Freya Lockwood is shocked when she learns that Arthur Crockleford, antiques dealer and her estranged mentor, has died under mysterious circumstances. She has spent the last twenty years avoiding her quaint English hometown, but when she receives a letter from Arthur asking her to investigate—sent just days before his death—Freya has no choice but to return to a life she had sworn to leave behind.

Joining forces with her eccentric Aunt Carole, Freya follows clues to an old manor house for an advertised antiques enthusiast’s weekend. But not all is as it seems. It’s clear to Freya that the antiques are all just poor reproductions, and her fellow guests are secretive and menacing. What is going on at this estate and how was Arthur involved? More importantly, can Freya and Carole discover the truth before the killer strikes again?

New registrations and book requests: https://morrispubliclibrary.net/library-calendar-event.../

Join us for our monthly somewhat literary book discussion for adults! Books in various formats are typically available at the library circulation desk approximately one month prior to the discussion. No registration is required! Refreshments served, courtesy of the Friends of the Library. This month we are reading and discussing Tom Lake by Ann Patchett. 

The Judy Black Memorial Park and Gardens is pleased to welcome “In Transit,” an art exhibition by Jeff McCracken on view beginning Friday, May 2. 

An opening reception will be held on Saturday, May 3 from 3 to 5 pm. The public is invited to attend.

The paintings in this show demonstrate a mastery of realism, mood, and human presence.

The foundation of McCracken’s practice is linked to being emotionally influenced by the story each individual conveys. His subway series of paintings focus on individuals being private in a public place, capturing that fleeting moment when their inner humanity is revealed regardless of who they are or where they’re from.

Check our social media for weekly open hours: @judyblackpark on Instagram and Facebook.