Tag Archives: Eric Chiang

Roundup: Staples Basketball, 8-30g Video, Heart Disease …

Posted on March 2, 2023 | 2 comments

There will be no 5-peat for the Ridgefield High School boys basketball team.

But there may be a first for Staples.

The 4th-seeded Wreckers demolished the #1, 4-time reigning champion Tigers last night 71-54, in the Fairfield County Interscholastic Athletic Conference (FCIAC) semifinal at Wilton High.

Staples’ only league championship came exactly 60 years ago, in 1963. But there was no actual tournament then — just the standings — so this title would be a long-awaited first.

First-year coach Dave Goldshore’s team faces #3 Danbury for the crown tomorrow (Friday, March 3, 6 p.m., Wilton). The Hatters topped Trumbull 52-50, in last night’s other semi.

The Wreckers — who got 23 points from Chris Zajac, 16 from Gavin Rothenberg, 15 from Cody Sale and 11 from Sam Clachko — proved their earlier 61-54 victory at Ridgefield was no fluke. After that loss, the Tigers went on a 16-game winning tear.

Beyond their first-ever FCIAC tournament crown, Staples has added motivation in tomorrow night’s title match: Danbury won this year’s regular season game, 63-54.

The 2023 Staples High School boys basketball team.

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Speaking of Staples:

Yesterday’s incident, in which a Jeep driven by a teacher crashed through a door and windows, and into a culinary classroom, could have been tragic.

Fortunately, it happened before school. No one was injured, including the driver.

Fire officials shut off a gas leak. Classes began, after a delay.

The classroom was a mess yesterday:

(Photo courtesy of Westport Fire Department)

But officials say it will be only a few days before the damage is fixed.

Meanwhile, here is the scene from the parking lot:

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Monday night’s informational session on 8-30g — the state’s affordable housing regulation — drew nearly 200 virtual attendees.

The event was recorded, and is now online. Click below to see:

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Andrew Wilk has a big heart.

The longtime Westporter — and Emmy-winning television executive producer and director of shows like “Live at Lincoln Center” — often donates his talents to his home town.

Up next: a 3-part Westport Library series focusing on cardiovascular health.

Part 1 (March 14) focuses on coronary artery diseases, with Drs. Robert Altbaum, Ari Pollack and Mitchell Dreisman in conversation.

Part 2 (March 22) covers valvular heart disease; Part 3 (April 17) is on atrial fibrillation.

All 3 sessions begin at 7 p.m. All will be led by Dr. Altbaum, with coronary experts. Click here for details.

NOTE: Heart disease may not seem to be in Andrew Wilk’s wheelhouse. But before he turned to television and the performing arts, he wanted to be a doctor.

Andrew Wilk’s first session on heart disease includes (starting 2nd from left) Drs. Robert Altbaum, Ari Pollack and Mitchell Dreisman.

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Jen Greely lives on Caccamo Lane. Though close to downtown, she often spots wildlife in her back yard.

In almost 10 years though, she’d never seen a bobcat.

Until Tuesday.

Click below for her fascinating video:

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Nathan Selsky went for a walk yesterday by the Saugatuck River boat launch, underneath I-95.

His good time was interrupted by racist graffiti.

(Photo/Nathan Selsky)

The spray-painted messages included “Tired of anti-white propaganda,” “Reject white guilt!” and “Blacks 14% population, 53% homicide.”

Nathan says: “I know of no better way to stop behaviors and actions and feelings like this, than to discuss and understand it.”

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Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward continue to make news.

This June, Sotheby’s will auction “The World of Joanne Woodward and Paul Newman.” A series of sales of more than 300 items — drawn primarily from their Westport home — will include film and entertainment memorabilia, automotive and racing collectables, family photographs, antique furniture and fine decorative arts.

Special items include autographed letters and photographs from presidents Jimmy Carter, George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton, and Joanne’s wedding dress and ring from her marriage to Paul in 1958.

PS: Happy belated birthday to Joanne Woodward. The actress turned 93 on Tuesday.

Click here for more information. (Hat tip: Valerie Szeto)

Joanne Woodward and Paul Newman, back in the day.

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Bridgewater Associates — the Westport-based world’s largest hedge fund — keeps a low profile.

But a Bloomberg article yesterday notes:

Bridgewater is capping the size of its flagship funds, plowing more money and talent into artificial intelligence and machine learning, expanding in Asia and in equities and doubling down on sustainability. To pare costs and free up resources, it’s also embarking on a firm-wide reorganization over the next two weeks, eliminating about 100 jobs in a workforce of roughly 1,300.

“Just doing what we’ve been doing isn’t good enough,” (CEO Nir) Bar Dea, 41, said in an interview. “Evolve or die. That’s what’s happening here.”

Click here to read the full story.

In other Bridgewater news, Rob Copeland’s new book — “The Fund: Ray Dalio, Bridgewater Associates and the Unraveling of a Wall Street Legend” — is available for pre-order.

Called “the unauthorized, unvarnished story of famed Wall Street hedge fund manager Ray Dalio,” it “peels back the curtain to reveal a rarified world of wealth and power, where former FBI director Jim Comey kisses Dalio’s ring, recent Pennsylvania Senate candidate David McCormick sells out, and countless Bridgewater acolytes describe what it’s like to work at his fascinating firm.”

(Hat tips: Allan Siegert and Bill Dedman)

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Fresh off last night’s packed opening of the Artists Collective of Westport March pop-up show opening, Eric Chiang is showing various artworks — from small to very large, and from realistic landscapes to abstract — at 3 other high-quality group shows, now through May.

  • Through Mar 18: “Artists Collective Members Show” (Gordon Fine Art Gallery, 1701 Post Road East).
  • March 8 – May 9: “Music to Our Eyes” and “Piece by Piece” (Westport Library); opening reception March 8, 6 to 8 p.m.
  • Early March through April 16: “Home” (Greens Farms Church Gallery Hall).

NOTE: The Artists Collective show is on view at the Westport Country Playhouse barn now through Sunday, March 5 (2 to 6 p.m.). There’s an artists’ talk Sunday, at 5 p.m. too.

Art by Eric Chiang.

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Speaking of art: The Westport Book Shop‘s guest exhibitor for March is George Radwan.

He’s showing birdhouses, inspired by shacks he saw years ago in Soweto. He’s also exhibiting small mixed media pieces, constructed of found and repurposed materials.

All artwork is available for purpose. To see more of Radwan’s work, click here.

George Radwan, at the Westport Book Shop.

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Speaking still of art:

Bonnie Marcus has owned a design company (next to Arezzo Restaurant) for over 20 years. From her small studio, she and her team of Westport moms ship invitations and greeting cards to thousands of stores around the world, including Bloomingdales, Harrods, Target and Barnes & Noble. Celebrities like Britney Spears, Cindy Crawford and Christina Aguilera A-listers who have ordered invitations for special events.

Tonight you can see where Bonnie’s creativity comes from. An art exhibit featuring her great-uncle — abstract artist/painter/printmaker/social activist Louis Schanker opens at the Stamford JCC (7 p.m.).

Shanker and his wife, blues singer and socialite Libby Holman, enabled their close friend, Martin Luther King Jr,. to travel to India to learn firsthand non-violent techniques to battle racism in America.

Shanker’s paintings, sculptures and prints are on display through March 17. Click here for details.

Coretta Scott King and Bonnie Marcus.

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Today’s “Westport … Naturally” photo is celestial: Venus and Jupiter, taken by Diane Lowman from her window.

Is the one on top Venus (smaller than Jupiter?) or Jupiter (further away than Venus)? Diane did not say.

(Photo/Diane Lowman)

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And finally … Karen Carpenter was born on this day in 1950, in New Haven. She died 32 years later, from complications of anorexia.

(Wow — there’s a lot of news today. “06880” covers it all, every day. To help keep it coming, please consider a contribution. Click here — and thank you.)

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Posted in Arts, Entertainment, Environment

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Roundup: Hook’d (Hard To Believe, Again) …

Posted on July 5, 2022 | 12 comments

The Comments section of “06880” have been filled with Hook’d-bashing.

It started with a complaint about the Compo Beach concessionaire’s running out of food, random and unposted hours, and general corporate lack of care for customers.

Readers added their own experiences. Several noted that the situation was just as bad at Hook’d’s other 2 locations: the Longshore pool and halfway house.

But that was the equivalent of forgetting you asked for extra ketchup, compared to yesterday.

It was July 4th — probably the most important day of any summer. Spectacular weather brought huge crowds.

Yet at 4:30 p.m. — with the temperature 80 degrees, dozens of people in the pool, and many more playing tennis nearby — the concession stand was shut.

The windows were closed. The door was locked. No one was inside.

(Photo/Clark Thiemann)

Nothing says “We don’t care” more than that.

I’m not sure what Hook’d’s contract with the town says about being open on the biggest day of the year.

But it seems we’ve been reeled in by them too long.

Time to give Hook’d the hook.

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If you missed the June 30th fireworks at Compo — or just wished you could see pyrotechnics on the actual 4th of July — and were at the beach last night, you were in luck.

Towns all along Long Island’s North Shore of Long Island fired them off. So did a few towns on the Connecticut coast, to the west.

Fred Cantor captured this true July 4th fireworks view:

(Photo/Fred Cantor)

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Eric Chiang is July’s guest exhibitor at the Westport Book Shop.

The Jesup Green store features the oil painting “Moon Light Sonata,” from his Musical Planet series. He delves into weighty issues of human connection and the meaning of existence, showcasing loneliness, desperation, love and hope.

Chiang’s work has been exhibited from MoCA Westport and Silvermine to Texas and Taiwan. Concurrently with the Book Shop show, his Westport Library exhibit runs through July 14.

Chiang’s piece will be on exhibit at the Book Shop through July 31, 2022.

Eric Chiang, at the Westport Book Shop.

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Speaking of art: A plastic surgeon walks into a coffee bar, and shows his works.

That’s the story this Sunday (July 10, 4 to 7 p.m.). Dr, Jeffrey Rosenthal hosts a reception for his work at Steam, on Railroad Place.

He’s displayed his colorful paintings and photos previously throughout Fairfield County — and in New York and Europe. The show is open now during business hours, through September 12.

Art by Dr. Jeffrey Rosenthal.

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Longtime resident Tom Lowrie took today’s “Westport … Naturally” photo a few days ago, in his back yard. It’s an ephemeral — but always beautiful — early summer sight.

(Photo/Tom Lowrie)

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And finally … on this date in 1954, Elvis Presley recorded his first single, “That’s All Right,” at Sun Records in Memphis.

The world was never the same.

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Posted in Arts, Beach, Downtown, Local business, Longshore, Saugatuck

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Roundup: Hook’d (Again), Compo Church, PAL …

Posted on July 3, 2022 | 10 comments

Yesterday’s post about Hook’d struck a nerve.

Most readers agreed with the one quoted. They filled the Comments section with stories of their own, slamming the Compo Beach concessionaire for mediocre food, long wait times, and a lack of planning and care. (A couple of readers disagreed; they love Hook’d).

Much of that falls on the owners’ shoulders. Word on the street is that employees are frustrated and embarrassed — and sometimes bear the brunt of customers’ complaints.

The cooks and counter help are local teenagers. They have no control over whether enough burgers and hot dogs are ordered, the price, or the systems in place to make ordering simple and pick-up fast. They’re at the mercy of their bosses.

Give the kids a break. It’s not an easy situation to be in.

But — as many readers have noted — the owners deserve whatever they get.

Hook’d, last year. (Photo/Dinkin Fotografix)

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Speaking of Compo Beach:

Sunday church services began there this morning, near the cannons. They run every week, through the September 4.

It’s a BYOC event (bring your own chair). Parking is free; tell the gate attendant you’re going to the service.

Participating churches include Saugatuck, Greens Farms, Norfield and Wilton Congregational, and United Methodist Church of Westport and Weston. A different minister leads worship each week.

Rev. Heather Sinclair of the United Methodist Church leads this morning’s service. (Photo/Karen Como)

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Westport is still buzzing about the fantastic Independence Day fireworks on Thursday.

It couldn’t have happened without the generosity of Melissa & Doug, the locally based, internationally beloved toy company; the hard work of the Westport Police, Fire, EMS, Parks & Recreation and Public Works Departments — and the volunteer efforts of Westport PAL.

The biggest party of the year is a fundraiser for PAL. They could not run their many sports programs for boys and girls, or scholarships for Staples High School students, without that help.

So, whether you bought a ticket or freeloaded, consider a contribution to one of Westport’s most important organizations. Click here to see all they do; then click here to donate.

(Photo/Dan Woog)

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Kathie Bennewitz — our talented town art curator, who tirelessly finds, documents, preserves and exhibits the Westport Public Arts Collections — has taken on a new challenge: to preserve the legacy of iconic American artist Edward Hopper.

He’s the creator of classic works like the famed diner scene “Nighthawks (1942). She travels nearly every day to Nyack, New York, to steward and shepherd the  Edward Hopper House Museum & Study Center.

The other day, Westport artists Eric Chiang and Mark Yurkiw took up Bennewitz’s offer to visit. Yurkiw reports: “The walkable and vibrant destination, with the Hudson River as a backdrop, makes a fabulous day trip. See the museum, stroll down Hopper Way and around the village of Nyack, with plenty to eat and experience.”

And say hi to Kathie at the museum, before she heads home to us.

(From left): Eric Chiang, Kathie Motes Bennewitz and Mark Yurkiw, outside the Edward Hopper Museum.

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Speaking of Eric Chiang:

If you missed his fascinating talk — “The Musical Planet” — the other day at the Westport Library: You’re in luck.

Click below to hear his thoughts on his art, its place in the world — and Westport’s role as an artists’ town.

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A reader writes:

“I was at Old Mill Beach with my husband and 3 young boys. We have come at low tide for years, to swim and find hermit crabs. Today, we saw this:

“At first we thought the owners would return to pick up the bags, but there were no dogs or owners around. The tide was coming in, and these bags would have been washed away into the sea. I took them to the trash. It was very disappointing, and obviously disgusting.”

No s—.

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Paul Cohen, formerly of Westport and Fairfield, beloved husband of Barbara R. (Bobbie) Herman, passed away peacefully yesterday in Redding, He was 98 years old.

The New York City native enlisted in the Army Air Corps on his 19th birthday in 1942, the earliest that was permitted at the time. He served in the Galapagos and Central America, commanding a radio operations group to protect the Panama Canal.

After the war he attended Goddard College in Plainfield, Vermont. then the Sorbonne and La Cinémathèque Française in Paris, where he studied cinematography.  He was employed by the March of Time in Paris.

After returning to the US Paul worked at Owen Murphy Productions, a producer of documentaries and commercial films. After several years, he acquired the company. He produced films for clients like IBM, the USIA, Western Electric, the 1960-61 World’s Fair and the States of New York and New Jersey. and won many awards. He traveled with 3 presidents: Kennedy, Johnson and Nixon.

He and his wife Helene moved to Westport in 1974, and became involved in town activities. Paul produced bulletins, posters and newsletters for the Westport Arts Center, Y’s Men, Y’s Women, Westport Woman’s Club and Unitarian Church.  He won several awards in the Y’s Men annual photo contest.

Helene died in 1993. Paul married Bobbie in 1997. In addition to Helene, he was predeceased by a daughter Susan, a brother and 2 sisters.

Survivors include his son Peter, stepsons Randall Schein (Ann Reingold), Jonathan Schein (Cynthia Hewett), and step-grandaughters Samantha and Lily Jo Schein.

A memorial service will be held in the fall. Donations in his memory may be made to the Unitarian Church in Westport, or a charity of your choice.

Paul Cohen

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Longtime Westporter Stanley Bryk died Wednesday, at Norwalk Hospital. He was 87.

The Bridgeport native lived in Westport for 55 years, before moving to Southport 2 years ago.

Bryk — a Marine Corps veteran — spent 41 years with Sikorsky Aircraft. He was a member of the Frank C. Godfrey American Legion Post,  and the VFW. He was also a lifelong New York Giants fan, and an avid traveler.

Survivors include his wife, Laura Renzulli Bryk; daughters Linda (Brent) Norton of Goshen, New York, and Susan (Robert) Tierney of Glastonbury, and grandchildren Taylor, Kelly, Erika, Casey, Rebecca and Kevin. He was predeceased by his brother Frank and one sister Mary Murphy.

AMass of Christian Burial will be celebrated Saturday, July 9 (11 a.m., St. Luke Church). Internment with military honors will follow in Willowbrook Cemetery. There are no calling hours. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Saint Jude Children’s Hospital for Cancer.

Stanley Bryk

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Former Staples High School media teacher Mike Zito’s wife of 32 years, Joni Gaines, died last month after a long battle with cancer.

Despite insurance, Zito faces medical bills approaching $10,000. He has started a GoFundMe page. Click here to help.

Jodi Gaines

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Dick Truitt lives near Winslow Park. Dogs occasionally wander through his yard.

They’re not the only visitors. This midnight guest stars in today’s “Westport … Naturally” feature:

(Photo/Dick Truitt)

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And finally … since everyone seems to have feelings about the Compo Beach concessionaire (story above):

 

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Posted in Arts, Beach, Environment, Library, Local business, Obituaries, religion

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Roundup: Parker Harding Driving, Burying Hill Jetty …

Posted on June 24, 2022 | 5 comments

Sure, the traffic pattern in Parker Harding Plaza is odd. But it’s almost entirely one-way. There are signs, and the angles and directions of parked cars offer a pretty clue as to what direction to drive.

Not to everyone, though. Diane Lowman reports a recent epidemic of wrong-way drivers.

Several times this week, she has seen cars enter from Main Street by GG & Joe’s, and drive all the way — the wrong way — toward Starbucks.

Someone else drove the wrong way on the narrow road that hugs the river.

Just when you think you’ve seen or heard everything …

It’s kind of hard to drive the wrong way here. But people try. (The police in this file photo are responding to a different issue than that.)

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The Burying Hill jetty replacement project is nearing completion.

Final work must be done when the tide is low. The parking lot will need some attention too. But the ARPA job is looking good — just in time for summer.

(Photo/Peter Swift)

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Country/folk music comes to MoCA Westport this Saturday. A Tale of Two perform their songs of revenge, murder, stealing and drinking at 7 p.m. on the outdoor stage. Former Barrage8 violinist Kyle Pudenz joins the fun.

Guests should bring their own lawn chairs. Chicken, steak, shrimp and corn skewers will be available for purchase.

The next day (Sunday, June 26, 1 p.m.). A Tale of Two leads a free workshop, on how new artists can break into the music business. Click here to register.

A Tale of Two

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The Westport Library hosts noted artist Eric Chiang next Wednesday (June 29).

A 6:30 p.m. reception for “Musical Planet” — a selection of his paintings, will be followed at 7 p.m. by an interview on the Forum stage. Artists Collective of Westport co-founder Miggs Burroughs will lead the chat, as Eric’s artwork is projected on the large screen. Click here for more information.

“Coral Lyrics” — oil on canvas.(Eric Chiang)

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A memorial gathering for Dr. David Beck — the highly respected, longtime Westport Police Department physician — is set for this Sunday (June 26, 11 a.m., Beth Israel Chabad, 40 King Street, Norwalk). A full buffet brunch follows.

RSVP: info@bethisraelchabad.org.

Dr. David Beck

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The word is out: Old Mill Beach is the place to be.

At least, for a “Westport … Naturally” photo …

(Photo/Rick Benson)

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And finally … James Rado died Tuesday in New York. He was 90.

The New York Times described his legacy well: He “jolted Broadway into the Age of Aquarius as a co-creator of ‘Hair,’ the show, billed as an ‘American tribal love-rock musical’ that transfigured musical theater tradition with radical ’60s iconoclasm and rock ’n’ roll.” Click here for “Hair”‘s fascinating back story.

(“06880” relies on donations from readers like you. Click here to support your local blog.)

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Posted in Arts, Downtown, Entertainment, Library, Police

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From Wall Street To Westport: Eric Chiang’s Arts Journey

Posted on October 25, 2021 | 4 comments

When Eric Chiang moved to Westport in 1993, he lived across the street from the legendary illustrator Howard Munce.

Growing up in Taiwan, Chiang had loved art. But he didn’t know anyone who made a career of it. So he went to New York University, majored in computer science and math, earned a master’s, and got a “normal job” as a programmer and financial modeler at Goldman Sachs.

Watching Munce — then in his 80s — create sculptures outside, even in winter, intrigued Chiang. He watched with added interest as Leonard Everett Fisher — another iconic artist — came to visit Munce.

Chiang realized that Westport’s arts legacy lived on, in the spirit of real, working artists.

Around 1997, he carved out half an hour or so every night to create art. He had no formal training. He did not have an actual studio either — just a small easel in a corner of his living room.

But after nearly a decade, he’d accumulated plenty of works. He had ideas for many more.

Chiang wanted no regrets. He decided to leave Wall Street. His wife gave her blessing.

In 2007, Chiang became a full-time artist. His painted realistic objects, arranged surrealistically.

“The Year 2020, No. 2” — oil on canvas.

In the past few years he’s moved into less precise landscapes. His works are big, and tied to his love of nature.

For example, he says, he always wondered what would happen if the earth wrote a story about itself.

To keep his hands off the work — he wanted the art to be as primordial as possible — Chiang sprayed paint to represent rain, storms and the erosive process at work. To mimic gravity, he tilted the canvas.

The resulting “Land Scripts” series of more than a dozen paintings is 50 feet wide.

Eric Chiang with his “Land Scripts XIII.”

Chiang applied the same technique to “Water Scripts,” a series of 12-foot high waves and waterfalls.

“Water Scripts I” — oil on canvas.

Another work fills a large space at Coleytown Middle School. When Westport Permanent Arts Collections officials realized they had nothing suitable to hang near a staircase and skylight in the newly renovated school, they asked Chiang to help.

He presented 5 options. Students chose an intriguing work called “Are We Born Connected?,” which included guitars.

“Are We Born Connected?” (Eric Chiang, acrylic on canvas)

When that was selected for an exhibit at the Housatonic Museum of Art, the second choice — a 16-foot, 4-panel “History of Civilization” — took its place.

“A History of Civilizations,” at Coleytown Middle School.

Not all of the artist’s creations are enormous. His most recent work — “Westport: A Perspective From Early Days” — is one of 5 murals unveiled this month at the Main Street entrance to Bedford Square. His depicts the earliest days of our town.

Chiang explains:

This mural brings us into an imaginary world back in the early days of Westport, when the Paugussett Indians occupied the area with a farming and fishing culture. Then the European traders came to transact with the indigenous tribes, just to be followed by the English colonists, who built towns, church, and farms.

From there, someone in the painting invited us to peek into the future – Let’s go over the bridge and see a bigger town and a much greater nation in the making.

“Westport: A Perspective From Early Days”

Inspired by Howard Munce and Leonard Everett Fisher — and his own career change — Chiang is a firm believer in the importance of arts to Westport.

“It’s less about the exhibits and displays, than the spirit of the people,” he says. “And it’s not just visual artists. It’s musicians, dancers and writers. Their activities make the whole town artistic.”

In Taiwan, Chiang had no role models. In his first years as an artist here, he worked alone. But when the Westport Artists Collective began in 2014, he was an avid founding member.

He is eager to keep passing Westport arts’ “spirit and culture” on to future generations.

Meanwhile, visitors to Bedford Square — and hundreds of students at Coleytown — are enjoying Eric Chiang’s work.

A long way from Taiwan — and Goldman Sachs — he enjoys creating it too.

(To see more art at Eric Chiang’s website, click here. Hat tip: Kris Szabo.)

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Posted in Arts, Education

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New Artwork Hangs At CMS

Posted on February 21, 2021 | 4 comments

It snowed this past week. Westport schools were on winter break.

But Coleytown Middle School was filled. Busily and happily, volunteers hung art.

After renovation was completed in January, the Westport Public Art Collections committee got ready to reinstall over 70 works that were removed last year.

Town arts curator Kathie Motes Bennewitz noticed a beautifully refurbished, vast empty wall in the main staircase. It screamed for a giant piece to fill it

WestPAC  had none. But Bennewitz and Westport Arts Advisory Committee chair Nancy Diamond had a plan.

Eric Chiang

WAAC member artist Eric Chiang — who lives near CMS — creates large, multi-canvas acrylic paintings depicting themes like love, connection and hope. Many are colorful and fantastical — perfect for middle schoolers and a big, blank wall.

Could Chiang loan the school one of his pieces?

Of course!

Chiang measured the wall, photoshopped a few images onto it, then suggested possibilities for consideration.

CMS Principal Kris Szebo created a survey to engage students and teachers in the decision-making process. A vote was taken.

The winner: Are We Born Connected? The triptych acrylic on canvas measures 4 feet by 15 feet.

Eric Chiang (center) with his triptych. CMS building chair Don O’Day looks on.

Chiang notes, “The sound of the cello is in the same range of that of human beings. I used cellos to represent humans, emphasizing their voices. The big cello in the foreground faces two choices: Sing a solo dirge like those floating cellos on the left, or band together for Ode to Joy and celebrate the existences together like those cellos on the right. We are wounded, we are in despair, but we have each other. We are born connected, and can sing together.”

Are We Born Connected? is on loan to CMS until the end of the school year. The fanciful work will greet the students when they come back from vacation tomorrow.

The artwork is hung. From left: team member Scott Bennewitz, Westport arts curator Kathie Motes Bennewitz, artist Eric Chiang, CMS building chair Don O’Day.

The public may not visit, due to security protocols and COVID. But the piece can be viewed on the WAAC website — along with more than 1,500 other works from Westport’s extensive public collection.

(Click here for more of Eric Chiang’s work. Hat tip: Nancy Diamond.)

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