The snow in Kathleen Motes Bennewitz’s image last week made it hard to figure out exactly what the Photo Challenge showed. (Click here to see.)
But not so hard that Andrew Colabella, Seth Schachter, Lynn Untermeyer Miller, Amy Schneider, Arthur Hayes, Mousumi Ghosh, Sean Doyle and Peter Barlow didn’t know the answer.
It was the big, abstract steel sculpture, created between 1976 and ’81 by Charles Ginnever titled “Charities.” It sits on Jesup Green, near the new entrance to the Westport Library by the Taylor parking lot.
According to Ann Chernow and Miggs Burroughs, writing in the Westport News’ “Art Town” column, it was donated to the town in 1996 by a friend of Ginnever,
It was originally placed in Winslow Park, facing the Post Road. The next year it was moved to Jesup Green.
It’s been there ever since, framing the library and serving as an inviting spot for kids to scamper on.
And for snow to collect.
This week’s Photo Challenge is easy to identify — for longtime Westporters, anyway. It’s the lighthouse that for decades stood between the marina and pool entrance at Longshore (near where the pavilion and snack bar are now).
So that’s not the challenge. What we want to know is: Where does this painting hang today?
That’s a question that any Westporter — no matter how recently you moved here — might be able to answer.
If you know, click “Comments” below.
Parks and rec office where you get beach stickers?
The artist inscription looks like “harriet ‘71.” Do we know the full name of the artist?
I agree with Fred. That’s the most logical place to display it.
Correct – on the right side of the Parks & Rec office in Longshore, when you walk in the front door.
Dan. Are you sure. I worked as a life guard at the pool and I believe it was right there Please correct me if I’m wrong
Yep – I took the picture!
It was right at the entrance to the pool area until someone decided to tear it down. Made me sad.
I’m sure not in the former Westport Historical Society.
Parks and Rec Office at Longshore
I can’t contribute much early history to the painting but I can fill in recent information. I found this painting behind a desk at the tag sale at the Red
Barn. It was heavily coated with dust, cobwebs and dirt. Recognizing what it was I bought it. I had it cleaned and repaired and donated to the Westport
Art Collection with the request it hang at Parks and Rec. office.
If memory serves me ( and it doesn’t all the time ) the paper label on the back said Horowitz. Some one could look to confirm. The little information I could find in the old town directories ( at the Library ) indicates she moved to New Jersey a few years later.
I have been told some of the granite foundation stones of the tower are around the marina parking lot. As far as I know it was not a light house but an observation tower.
Nice to see it has a good home and some history preserved.
If it is for sale, name the price and contact me!
My Mom, Julie Turner was an painter and friends with Harriet Hurowitz (sp?) They painted and played tennis together back when I lived in Westport, sometime between 1966-1989…This painting is in her style…
Sorry I didn’t finish reading. I don’t know where the painting is 😂
When was the stone (?) structure demolished?
Thank you, Richard E. Stein, for such a delightful contribution to the town. I hope there is a record somewhere of the original placement of the painting’s subject so future generations will know the significance. Don’t you think it might have been part of the original estate?
library
Town Hall
my parents have one in their kitchen..exact same one.