A group of local artists is “drawing” plenty of attention. And they’re doing it in partnership with one of Westport’s oldest cultural institutions.
On Tuesday night, the Artists Collective of Westport met in the Lucille Lortel White Barn Center at the Westport Country Playhouse. The interior space has now been christened “The Gallery at the Westport Country Playhouse.”
The Westport Country Playhouse’s Lucille Lortel White Barn Center. Sure, it’s red. But it’s named for the legendary founder of the White Barn Theater on Newtown Turnpike — which really was white.
This was the Collective’s largest meeting in 3 years of existence. Almost 90 of the area’s top artists attended.
This is a great creative match. The Playhouse has agreed to host future meetings, as well as exhibits. There’s a lot to choose from: The Collective includes 150 artists, in a wide variety of mediums.
Westport Artists Collective members enjoying the new Playhouse gallery space are (from left) Susan Fehlinger, Nina Bentley (founder) Miggs Burroughs (founder),
Dale Najarian, Tammy Winser, Jen Greely, Dan Long and Eric Chiang.
The Playhouse has reached out to other artists in a big way too. The Friends of the Westport Public Art Collections will share the space with the Collective. WestPAC plans to show parts of their 1,500 works, in a series of public exhibits.
Playhouse executive director Michael Barker says the historic theater is excited to partner with Friends of the Westport Public Art Collections and the Artists Collective of Westport “to create a new visual arts exhibit space on the Playhouse campus.
“The Gallery at Westport Country Playhouse will showcase the varied and vibrant visual arts scene in Westport. In addition, it will celebrate the role of the Playhouse as one of the cultural centers of our town.”
The Playhouse was founded 87 years ago, and has long been one of the country’s iconic regional theaters.
The Collective — now an official 501(c)(3) — has other partners too, including The Cultural Alliance of Fairfield County, Westport Downtown Merchants Association, the Drew Friedman Community Arts Center, UNLOAD: Foundation, and the Westport Arts Center.
(To see the work of all Collective members, and for more information, click here. The group will host a kids’ activity booth at the Downtown Merchants Association’s WestobertFest on Elm Street, from 1 to 5 p.m. on Saturday, October 13.)
