Town of Weston Seal by Blake Hampton


Weston Commission for the Arts - 2007-2008 (link to FORUM article)
Town of Weston, Connecticut

Members of the Commission as of June 2008:

Christine Lomuscio, Chair,
Christine Fulton, Vice-Chair, Treasurer
Johnny D. Boston
Peter Catucci
Laura Wilk
Donna May Robinson

Previous Events (opening completed):  activities and plans for the new season and GRANTS news!
  1. Jazz
  2. Memorial Day Fair concert
  3. "Rites of Spring 2008"
  4. Weston Self-Portrait
  5. Tango! 
  6. "Laughter, Hope and a Sock in the Eye!" theatrical, one-woman performance.
  7. "Rites of Spring XVI" dance festival
  8. "SPRING '07!" art show
  9. "Razzleberry" - exhibition of hand made dolls
  10. "Rites of Spring 2006"
  11. Spring '06!
  12. Figurative Art
  13. Rites of Spring 2005
  14.  Snapshots of Weston
  15.  Antiques Road Show
  16.  Art Talk
  17. Photographs of Westonites in history
  18. Original theatre readings
  19. Books, birds and art
  20. Flute concert
  21. "Rites of Spring 2005"

J U N E

Check it out...Mark Rapp music - So Cool!

The big finale to the 2007-2008 year...the Commission brings back JAZZ (and a performer who was spectacular in another role):

Saturday, June 7, 8:00 P.M.  Jazz Concert, trumpeter Mark Rapp.  Weston Library, 58 Norfield Road.  Free.  No reservations necessary.  Sponsored by the Weston Commission for the Arts. 



M A Y

Memorial Day Ceremony (Monday) after the Parade.

Report on speech from newspaper coming...

2nd Annual  Memorial Day Weekend Outdoor Concert

H U R L B U T T    P T O    F A I R   A D V E R T I S E D   O N    C A B L E V I S I O N   I N    N I C E    S T O R Y
Sunday, May 25
4:30 - Weston High School's "Poster Boys"
6:30 - "Cracked Ice" Motown/Rock Band
 
Hurlbutt Grounds - Bring lawn chairs
 
FREE!  NO reservations!
Weston Commission for the Arts
222-2590


Nancy Meehan Dance Company (l.) and Jennifer Foster, Soprano will be singing the beautiful Rachmaninoff's "Vocalise,"  Op.34 No.14.

"Rites of Spring" on the Town Hall Green
18th Annual Outdoor "Rites of Spring"
DANCE FESTIVAL
 
SUNDAY, MAY 18 3:00 PM
Town Hall Green
Bring lawn chairs
 
Rain: Intermediate School (and it did rain)!
 
FREE!
Weston Commission for the Arts
Call 222-2590

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And then...


A self portrait by Weston artist Nga Nguyen.
Apr 24, 2008
Weston self portrait exhibit
Opening reception Friday
A gala opening reception, featuring 35 Weston artists’ self portraits, is planned for Friday evening, April 25, 7-9 p.m. in the Community Room of the Weston Public Library. Hors d’oeuvres and wines will be served.

Both professional and amateur artists, including photographers, whose work will be on view will be there to meet and greet the public.

Co-curators of the self portrait show, Christine Lomuscio and Donna May Robinson, and the other members of the Weston Commission for the Arts, sponsor of this event, will also be on hand to introduce the Weston artists.  Like all arts commission-sponsored exhibits, concerts and lectures, the event is free and open to the public.

For more information, call 222-2590.


T H E   O P E N I N G    E V E N T    F O R    2 0 0 7 - 2 0 0 8... I T    T A K E S   T W O    T O    T A N G O  - 2 0 0    W e s t o n i t e s    t a k e    a    b o w  !

TANGO!  was attended by many, many Westonites including some candidates.

"...Some of the upcoming events the commission has planned are a hot jazz concert, ArtTalks, and exhibit of Weston artists’ self portraits, and, if a large enough venue in town can be found, an eclectic classical concert by the NOW Ensemble.

One event Ms. Lomuscio is very excited about is an 'Argentinean Tango Night,' featuring two award-winning Argentinean dancers, dance demonstrations, audience participation, and Argentinean food, beer, wine, and music.

'It will be part concert, part performance, part demonstration, part activity, and all fun,' Ms. Lomuscio said. And it’s all free.

Tango Night is scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 3, at 8 p.m. at Norfield parish hall..."


"Laughter, Hope and a Sock in the Eye"  starring Laurel Ollstein...
From her bravura, standing-room-only performance at Weston Library Community Room, June 29, 2007...

A toast...to Dorothy Parker, who had the right words for every occasion, most of them sharp and to the point!

Waiting for the telephone to ring...what's a nice girl from Jersey to do?

Sharp verse, tight scripts, gotcha scotch, and drop dead lines...voila! "A Star Is Born!!!"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Algonquin_Round_Table


READ GREAT PROGRAM NOTES HERE:  and yes, there was a Weston connection!.  And a standing room only crowd loved every clever word!!!

Actress and playwright Laurel Ollstein did the celebrated American literary icon Dorothy Parker to perfection, in her play "Laughter, Hope and a Sock in the Eye" at the Weston Public Library Friday, June 29, 7:30 p.m.


FRIDAY, JUNE 29, 7:30pm

Community Room, Weston Library

No charge. 
No reservations.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dorothy_Parker


Some favorites...


Men seldom make passes
At girls who wear glasses.


I'd rather have a bottle in front of me, than a frontal lobotomy.

You can lead a horticulture, but you can't make her think .


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Read about 2006 Rites of Spring (which was indoors at Norfield because of rain...).  Fifteenth festival in 2005 here!

D A N C E    F E S T I V A L   2 0 0 7  !
WHAT: RITES OF SPRING XVI - Featuring - Young People's Creative Dance Theatre, World Music of NANA, and Greek-American Folklore Society of NY
WHEN: Sunday, May 20, 2007 at 3PM
WHERE:  Town Hall Green

FORUM FRONT PAGE STORY (also front page in the Westport NEWS):
"Dancers from the Young People’s Creative Ballet Dance Theatre perform 'Carrosel,' choreographed by student Cassidy Liebman, at the outdoor Rites of Spring dance festival last Sunday on the Weston Town Hall Green."


OPENING APRIL 29th!

By Helen Roman
Commission for the Arts

Five Weston artists who participated in last year's "SPRING!" art and photography exhibit sponsored by the Weston Commission for the Arts, will be featured in their own art show in the Community Room of the Weston Library, April 29 through May 18. 
 
The five winning Weston artists are:  Helen Roman, 1st Prize; Jacquie Homschied; Mary Ann Barr, 3rd Prize; Sheila Goldman and Doris Kaye, both winning the "People's Choice" Award.
 
An opening reception, to which all are cordially invited, will be held Sunday, April 29, 4-6 pm.  Wine and delectibles will be served!

Donna May Robinson, curator.


"Razzleberry" and friends...

The Figurative Art of Local Artist

The public is invited to a gala opening reception to see the extraordinary talent of Westonite Donna May Robinson in an exhibition of her figurative art dolls on Sunday, September 24 through October 20 in the Community Room of the Weston Public Library, 56 Norfield Road.

Ms. Robinson’s creations, one-of-a-kind museum quality dolls, which will be featured in a show entitled “Razzleberry,” “Stellina” and “Stanley,” are entirely hand-made.  The expressive faces of children, old women, real characters and imagined creatures are oil painted onto gessoed canvas, a la tromp l’oeil, the hair is of mohair or cotton chenille as well as various other fibers, the bodies sewn from fabric and clothed with original, again, hand-sewn outfits or costumes. Many are adorned with antique buttons and trims.

Infant dolls, custom- made to reflect the child they are modeled after, are sweet and demure, while other figures are whimsical characters, made to delight the spirit.  These can be made from household objects ranging from toothbrushes as in the case of “The Real Tooth Fairy,” antique tea towels for “Lady Lemongrass,” or old jewelry for her prized “Jack in the Jewel Box.” Each one takes forty to one hundred hours to complete.  The facial expressions of each of the creations are a combination of sweetness, delight and whimsy while simultaneously exuding impishness, unabashed ness, some being downright devilish.  They have even been lovingly described as having “nicely warped” expressions.  Each one brings a smile to the admirer. 

The artist’s work is nationally and internationally acknowledged as outstanding in its field.  Ms. Robinson’s work has been shown at the prestigious IDEX International Doll Exposition in Atlanta, the CFM Gallery in New York as well as the Wachtanof Gallery in Moscow.  She is a member of the National Institute of American Doll Artists having followed a rigorous two year application process, and winner of the coveted Rosette Prize at the Seeley’s Convention of Original Dolls.  A graduate of the University of Connecticut, majoring in fashion design and dramatic arts honing her talent in puppetry, Ms. Robinson was awarded a  full scholarship to study for an additional degree at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City.

Sponsored by the Weston Commission for the Arts, the public is cordially invited to the gala opening reception Sunday, September 24, 4-6pm.  There is no charge for the reception or for entrance to the exhibit. 


Activities scheduled for Spring 2006 season completed...video of RITES OF SPRING 2006 to be ready some time soon.  See some of press reports after "RITES OF SPRING 2006" here!

"Dancers of India "  troupe to entertain at 16th "Rites of Spring"

Sunday, May 21, 3:00pm
"Rites of Spring" 16th Annual Outdoor Dance Festival
Weston Town Hall Green
CONTACT:  Christine Lomuscio, (203) 454-4774, Chair., WESTON COMMISSION FOR THE ARTS
  
 Sixteenth Annual Dance Festival in Preparation
 
Dancers of many disciplines and genre will convene upon the Town Hall Green on Sunday, May 21 beginning at 3 o'clock to celebrate, for the sixteenth year, the annual "Rites of Spring" Dance Festival sponsored by the Weston Commission for the Arts.
 
The brainchild of longtime Westonites Peg Bisceglie and Lisa Daugherty, this outdoor festival has entertained and delighted hundreds of audience members for years.  It is a treasured tradition for the local citizens and its neighboring towns.
 
In addition to repeat appearances of Victoria Sloat of Westport dancing in the style of the infamous Isadora Duncan, and dancers Elizabeth Gary and Nicole Horrigan from the Co-Op performers of the Young People's Creative Dance Theatre as well as a young dancers division from the troupe, this year's featured guest performers will include dancers of India and improvisational dance inspired by the haunting aura of the didgeridoo played by New York jazz trumpeter, Mark Rapp.
 
The event is free and open to the public.  Audience members are invited to bring lawn chairs or blankets.  In the event of rain the performance will be held at the Norfield Parish Hall next door.
 
For more information please call coordinators Christine Fulton or Johnny Fulton at 341-8824.
   
Follow the link io find out more about the South Indian Kuchipudi style.  The Dance of India troupe is scheduled to perform at the Sixteenth Annual Outdoor "Rites of Spring" Dance Festival, Sunday, May 21, 3:00 on the Weston Town Hall Green.

Read about last year's  event here.


May 7-31
Opening Reception:
Sunday, May 7, 4-6pm
Community Room, Weston Library

Join Laura Wilk, curator, at the Gala Opening Reception of...
SPRING!  Art & Photography Exhibit
Sponsored by the Weston Commission for the Arts;   featuring Weston artists' and photographers' work May 7-31
Inviting all Weston PHOTOGRAPHERS:
Professional and Avocational - to submit photos of antique objects foundin Weston - old barns, hitching posts, stone walls, antique automobiles, architectural details and so on...
 
A SNAPSHOT OF WESTON: 
"All things antique"                          
 
April 23-26, Weston Library
(SUBMIT WORK: 4/23, 10AM)
Sponsored by the Weston Commission for the Arts
 
Opening Reception: SUNDAY, APRIL 23, 4-6pm
THE PUBLIC IS INVITED!

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Perhaps a little something from your French relations that was handed down?  Or some small object found?
 Weston will be having it's very own, 2nd annual

Antiques ROAD SHOW !
Sunday, April 23, 2-4 pm
Community Room, Weston Library
 
All Westonites are welcome to bring 1 small fine antique (silver, porcelain, very small pieces of furniture, sculpture...) for a FREE evaluation and appraisal by LEON McNAMARA of Westport Appraisers.
 
Pieces will be reviewed on a first come, first served basis. You may come just to hear Mr. McNamara share his knowledge of the pieces presented by being a member of the audience.
 
Those who prefer a more private assessment may come at 3:30.

The event will close promptly at 4.
 
Sponsored by the Weston Commission for the Arts.


Weston Commission for the Arts
invites you to
 
ArtTalk: "the spiritual, philosophical nuances of visual art"
by Isaac Sonsino
 
SUNDAY, APRIL 2 at 3pm
 
and
 
Opening Reception, 4-6pm
featuring Mr. Sonsino's contemporary oils, acrylics and pencil sketches
 
Community Room, Weston Library

 



Adolf Duda, b.1913, Poland, father of Westonite, with his "wheels," Boursin, France, 1930


A most cordial invitation to you...from the WESTON COMMISSION FOR THE ARTS  
WESTONITES TO CELEBRATE THEIR HERITAGE IN PHOTO GALLERY EXHIBIT

 

All Westonites are invited to participate in an all-town celebration of their individual heritage as captured in early photography. They are asked to submit a treasured photograph of a relative - the older the photograph, the better!  An interesting pose perhaps at the piano, in front of their place of business, or sitting beside a fountain would be nice. 
 
Each submitted photograph will be labeled with the name of the person pictured, the date of their birth and death, date and place where the photo was taken, and the name and the relationship of the person submitting them.
 
These framed photos will be hung in the Community Room and will remain on view from November 18 through 27 with a Gala Reception scheduled on November 18, 8:00 pm. to which all Westonites are invited!  The event will be sponsored by the Weston Commission for the Arts.
 
We will be accepting last minute submissions on THURSDAY EVENING at 6pm in the Community Room of the library!

  Gala Reception Wine, Hors d'oeuvres and desserts   FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 8:00 PM Community Room, Weston Library   All are most cordially invited!



AT TOWN HALL...
The playwright, at Town Hall for reading of "Miss Crandall's Classes" - hear it now and be in the know when it hits Broadway later!

"Miss Crandall's Classes"

A play reading

by Catherine Gropper of Weston

 

Ten actors tell the story of the Connecticut heroine Prudence Crandall who, in the 1830s, opened her academy to black women thus advocating the right to an education for all women in America.

 

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 3:00pm

Weston Town Hall, 56 Norfield Road

        

Free.  All are cordially invited! 

Reception following.

Sponsored by the Weston Commission for the Arts

 
 

Gerda Da Rif - Art Opening - breaks all (unofficial) records for turn-out!!!  Must see!!!
Weston Public Library - 56 Norfield Road
Champagne Reception was Sunday, October 30, 2005, 4-6pm
Exhibit through November 12th.
The Weston Commission for the Arts
The Weston Historical Society



HAROLD JONES in CONCERT -  Nationally renowned flute soloist..."He's exhilarating, he's vibrant!  Don't miss this fabulous event!"
An evening of Bach, Mozart, Saint-Saens, Hasse, Charminade, Coleridge-Taylor Perkington and Demersseman SATURDAY, October 22, 7:30pm at the Weston Library
  Sponsored by the Weston Commission for the Arts.  FREE!

DAMMED YANKEES:
Available thru bookstores...Barnes and Nobles and the Weston Historical Society...a great read, in our opinion!

Lecture and book signing at Weston Library Saturday, June 25, 2005 - all seats taken to hear the dramatic tale of three water company land schemes (2 recent) a half-century apart!  Cablevision Channel 79 Town TV will be showing "un-cut version" beginning Friday, July 29 - an edition of "About Town" (this show to run for three weeks Friday and Saturday from 5:30-6pm on Cablevision Channel 77).


THE RITES OF SPRING DANCE FESTIVAL 2005, WESTON TOWN HALL 'GREENSWARD'...
continues on CABLEVISION CHANNEL 77 at 1PM Mondays ("Part One") and Tuesdays ("Part Two").
THE WESTON COMMISSION FOR THE ARTS' 15th 'RITES OF SPRING  DANCE FESTIVAL', MAY 15, 2005, 3 - 4:30pm

                                                                                                                                                      (Westport NEWS photo)
PROGRAM AND POST-EVENT PRESS:
Lisa Lindsay Daugherty, program;  Peg Bisceglie's dancers;  Skidmore College student Sasha Lehrer performs "Ball Dance" - part of a tribute to Isadora Duncan by the Isadora Duncan International Institute.  The sun came out (finally) on a spectacular series of performances by Isadora Duncan International Institute, directed by Jeanne Bresciani, Ph.D.


                                                                                                            (Margaret Wirtenberg, photos)
Sculpture by Andrew Reiss depicting Spring growth:
(Sculpture courtesy of Hamilton's Landscaping.com).
Young People's Creative Dance Theatre huddles for final words of wisdom in Town Hall...Isadora Duncan dancers warm up in the Town Hall Meeting Room--where they would have performed had it rained...

DANCERS CO-OP

Commission, crowd and dancers braved foreboding weather - Dancers Co-op, with lead dancer Liz Coprio Gary (l.) having emerged from dormancy within the Andrew Reiss sculpture, set a bold course for the afternoon!  And from camera #2, at right, personifications of Isadora Duncan, lead dancers in opening number, Faure "Pavane" opus #50.


                                                                                                        (Weston Forum photo)
The Green Chair Dance Group of Swarthmore College (pictured above) made the dance funny, satiric and just wonderfully expressive!!!

Crowd of 200+ plus photographers and videographers cluster by the wall at the Town Hall greensward...which looks as if had been designed for just this event!!!




Please note that there are exciting opportunities for artists including grants and awards from the Arts Division!

New Director Named For State's Film Division
By MARK PETERS | The Hartford Courant
1:09 PM EST, February 26, 2008

The office overseeing a program to attract film, TV and website production work to Connecticut with lucrative tax credits has a new director.

The Commission on Culture & Tourism announced today that George Norfleet is the new director of the state film division. Norfleet has been serving as senior program manager for the tax credit program since October. Before that, he spent 15 years in advertising and film and TV production, most recently as a freelance producer and production manager on the ABC sitcom "Ugly Betty," the commission said in a statement.

"We need to show Hollywood that, in addition to great locations, Connecticut provides a range of support services that, along with the tax credit program, offer compelling reasons for producers to select our state for their next film project," Norfleet said.

Connecticut put in place some of the most generous film tax credits in the country a year and half ago. The credits resulted in a large increase in the number feature films shooting in Connecticut, including ``Indiana Jones and the City of the Gods'' last summer. State legislators have added additional incentives to get film and TV production companies not to just shoot here but relocate to the state permanently.

Norfleet replaced Heidi Hamilton, who last fall was put on administrative leave and then fired over what she had characterized as a clash with her supervisor over the handling of location scouts. Hamilton is challenging her dismissal.

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Sep 1, 2007
Commission’s mission to bring art, culture to Weston
by KIMBERLY DONNELLY

Most of Weston’s boards and commissions regulate activities or oversee the day-to-day operations of the town. But there’s one commission whose sole concern is to enhance the town’s cultural life.

The Weston Commission for the Arts was formed by the Board of Selectmen in 1992, three years after the town began participating in the joint Westport/Weston Arts Council.

The commission’s current chairman, Christine Lomuscio, believes that  having its own arts commission that sponsors activities in town instead of “next door” strengthens the Weston community. And it makes sense, she said, because there are more than 60 professional artists, photographers, art promoters, and arts center personnel who live in Weston — and those are just the ones she knows about.

“Our mission is very simple: To provide art and cultural events for the townspeople of Weston,” Ms. Lomuscio said.

Those events, which range from traditional art exhibits to music programs to dance demonstrations, are a mixture of homegrown talent and performers from around the world.

“I think there’s an excellent balance of both,” Ms. Lomuscio said. “We use local talent when accessible and available and they can do it, but we also try to bring interesting things in from outside Weston.”

The events are always free, something that undoubtedly contributes to their success.

Some of the “outside” talent the commission has brought to town include music from China, flutist Harold Jones, reminiscences of George Balanchine, and a one-woman play about the life of Dorothy Parker that played to a standing-room-only crowd at the library this past spring.

Local fare has included exhibits of heritage photography, photographers’ takes on spring in Weston, the artwork of former Westonite Gerda Da Rif, and an evening of limerick recitations.

It was one such event that brought Ms. Lomuscio to the commission about eight years ago. She attended a reading by Emmy award-winning Burry Fredrik of stories from the Newsletters of the Jarvis Academy, a military school that used to be located in Jarvis House on the corner of Norfield and Weston roads.

“It was absolutely mind-boggling,” Ms. Lomuscio said. “I thought, this is quality, good stuff, and I wanted to be a part of it.”

The arts commission (not to be confused with the similarly named WestonArts, which is a grassroots fund-raising group) can have up to 12 members, but there are currently only six. Members, who serve two-year terms, are interviewed and recommended by sitting commissioners and are appointed by the Board of Selectmen.

The commission is always looking for anyone affiliated with or interested in any of the arts who might be interested in serving. Ms. Lomuscio acknowledged it’s often hard to find people to fill the commission’s seats, because artists and performers tend to “lead very busy and productive lives, and are not always in the local limelight.”

It’s also a fairly big commitment, she said. “We do have people that enthusiastically join us, and then find it’s a time-consuming effort.”

The commission meets on the second Friday of each month at 9:30 a.m. in the Commission Room at town hall. The meetings are posted and open to the public. There is a lot of brain-storming and planning for upcoming events.

“Sometimes we get so enthusiastic, we have to reel ourselves in. After all, we have a limited budget,” Ms. Lomuscio said.

The Weston Commission for the Art’s funding is included in the selectman’s budget and is voted on at the Annual Town Budget Meeting each year. The present budget for the commission’s activities is just under $9,000.

“It’s not a big budget, but even we are surprised every year by how many events we pull off with it,” Ms. Lomuscio said.

Some of the upcoming events the commission has planned are a hot jazz concert, ArtTalks, and exhibit of Weston artists’ self portraits, and, if a large enough venue in town can be found, an eclectic classical concert by the NOW Ensemble.

One event Ms. Lomuscio is very excited about is an “Argentinean Tango Night,” featuring two award-winning Argentinean dancers, dance demonstrations, audience participation, and Argentinean food, beer, wine, and music.

“It will be part concert, part performance, part demonstration, part activity, and all fun,” Ms. Lomuscio said. And it’s all free.

Tango Night is scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 3, at 8 p.m. at Norfield parish hall.

For more information about serving on the Weston Commission for the Arts or on upcoming events, contact Ms. Lomuscio at 454-4774.