Tag Archives: Westport Arts Center

Westport Arts Scene, Part 4: Artists Collective Arises

Posted on January 31, 2026 | 3 comments

This is the final story in a 4-part series about the splintering of the Westport Arts Center, into what is now MoCA\CT and the Artists Collective of Westport. (Click on Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3.) 

Our “06880” culture correspondent Robin Moyer Chung writes:

In 1996, Westport’s population was booming. Officials needed another school.

Despite a signed lease, and a promise from the schools superintendent that the Westport Arts Center would have the Greens Farms Elementary School building through 1999, he broke the lease and demanded they leave.

Greens Farms School, during its Westport Arts Center days — as portrayed by an artist with a studio there.

Greens Farms Elementary had been WAC’s home for almost 20 years.

Despite this, parents — many of them new to Westport — were upset that artists were taking up school space that could belong to their offspring.

Parents and other residents deemed the artists “frivolous,” and chastised WAC artists and board members.

The opponents did not know that the WAC had poured perhaps a million dollars — from studio rentals, dues, donations and ticket receipts — into repairs and maintenance.

Artur Holde Hall — an exhibit and performing arts space, in the former Greens Farms School gymnasium.

Greens Farms Elementary School was built in 1925. In 1991 it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Any work needed had to preserve its integrity. Such work was costly.

Opponents failed to acknowledge the WAC’s unique contribution to the community. It brought together national award-winning painters, musicians from international symphonies, well-known cartoonists, illustrators from major publications, an art instructor from the Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art, and emerging talent.

One artist calls the decision to take back the school “a cultural crime.”

Compo Shopping Center offered WAC administrators a small office above Gold’s Delicatessen.

Artists, staff and board members took advantage of any exhibit space they could, including Earthplace and school auditoriums.

In 2002, they moved into their own space: a gallery on Riverside Avenue.

Westport Arts Center, on Riverside Avenue.

They remained there until 2019, when Mo\CA CT opened on Newtown Turnpike (see Parts 1 and 2). 

Once again, many artists had no home.

But not all.

In a prescient move in 2014, 5 artists and WAC artistic director Helen Klisser During created the Artists Collective of Westport. The goal was to retain the WAC’s values and mission.

Four years later — amid rumors of the WAC evolving into MoCA — two Artists Collective members incorporated the organization as a 501(c)3 not-for-profit.

Their aim was to be “a more collegial group” — member-driven, with “renewed respect for local artists.”

Today there are roughly 150 ACW members. Painters, sculptors, photographers and other artists in Fairfield County inspire and assist each other in their creative process.

Artists Collective of Westport member Nina Bentley with her work, at one of the group’s quarterly shows. (Photo/Dan Woog)

A founding artist says that while some members enjoy renown and commercial achievement, the collective’s true measure of success is “how many of our members donate their time and talents to the community, and how much wall space we give to local artists who might not have any other opportunities.”

The Artists Collective partners with the Westport Country Playhouse. They host pop-up exhibits, special events and monthly meetings at the Lucille Lortel Barn.

One member says the Collective “opened the door to this whole new group of people that I wouldn’t have had the chance to know.”

The Artists Collective of Westport also opens doors for area art-lovers to meet, enjoy — and buy the works of — local working artists.

Last month — nearly a decade after the Artists Collective was formed, and Mo\CA CT opened its doors —  Mo\CA’s outgoing and incoming executive directors, Pamela Hovland and Robin Jaffee Frank, attended the opening reception for the Collective’s holiday exhibit.

It was the first time a MoCA director had attended an Artists Collective exhibit.

Though the “divorce” was difficult, and my interviews with artists from those periods dug up still-raw emotions, both sides agree that MoCA\CT and the Artists Collective of Westport have made the town’s arts community more vibrant.

That is the power of a collective passion.

(“06880” regularly covers the Westport arts scene, in all its forms. We highlight the history of our town too. If you enjoy stories like these, please click here to support our work. Thank you!)

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Westport Arts Scene, Part 3: Finding — And Losing — A Home

Posted on January 22, 2026 | 8 comments

Our town’s thriving visual arts scene includes 2 major institutions: MoCA|CT, and the Artists Collective of Westport.

How did they get there?

In part 3 of this 4-part series, “06880” culture correspondent Robin Moyer Chung explores the history. Click here to read her first story. Click here for the second piece.

After the Westport Arts Center became MoCA\CT, many members felt abandoned by the very board cobbled together to support them.

They felt that their Riverside Avenue gallery had been exchanged for a grander “regional culture center,” straddling the Norwalk border.

One member says, “All of us were shocked and upset by the relatively sudden decision by the Westport Arts Center, after 50 years, to divorce themselves from the very artists who were the heart and soul of that organization from day one in 1969.”

Early Westport Arts Center logo.

Being kicked out of their gallery, however, was not new to the WAC.

In the early 1980s, fewer students in Westport rendered unnecessary the Greens Farms Elementary School building. WAC paid $1 a year for the space.

In exchange, WAC paid for its upkeep.

A WAC board member at that time recalls, “The town only took care of the roof in that building. Everything else was our responsibility. So we had to deal with a rather ancient boiler. We painted walls and we did everything to make it look nice.”

The WAC rented classrooms to artists as affordable studio spaces, at $80-100 a month. Members would wander to other studios to spark ideas and share techniques.

Artist Sue Sharp, in her Westport Arts Center studio.

One of the first artists to rent space was Herz Emanuel. His sculptures and drawings are on display at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Whitney, an the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

He worked in the same space that — more than 25 years earlier — had been his son Adam’s 3rd grade classroom.

Other artists at the WAC included Howard Munce and Miggs Burroughs.

Sculptor Herz Emanuel, at work in his studio.

Pianist Heida Hermanns donated about $500,000, to turn the gymnasium into a 200-seat performing arts space for the Theatre Artists Workshop, and symphonies and orchestras. Named Artur Holde Hall, after her husband, and designed by architect Arthur Rothenberg, it was also used for visual arts exhibitions.

Jason Robards read “Long Day’s Journey into Night,” surrounded by works by Paul Cadmus, the controversial Weston artist whose works are now in the collections of the Whitney, Met and many more institutions.

Artur Holde Hall, as exhibition space.

The WAC was funded by studio rentals, ticket sales, and donations.

Best of all, the school superintendent — brightly, warmly, with a signed agreement — guaranteed their lease through 1999.

In 1992, executive director William “Clancy” Thompson told the New York Times, “I have never seen a model like it. I know of theater companies and ballet companies sharing facilities, but not a community of artists such as this, such fine performance space in a town with the wisdom to make the building available. It’s’ an unusual combination of factors, filled with promise.”

The center thrived.

Westport Arts Center, by a resident illustrator.

Until 1996 when the same superintendent broke the lease, and demanded that WAC compliantly leave the premises. The town schools were now packed with students.

Instead of building another school, officials decided to renovate this one.

Greens Farms School, as the Westport Arts Center.

Greens Farms School had been WAC’s home for almost 20 years.

However some parents — many of them new to Westport — were upset that  artists were populating school space that could belong to their children.

A then-WAC board member says, “They thought the Arts Center was full of frivolous housewives with all this money to burn, who wanted to become painters so they could rent from us.”

In fact, some of those “frivolous housewives” included Anne Chernow, a lithographer with works at the Met, and artists like Marianne Rothballer and Judy Kamerschen, well noted for their work in juried exhibits and shows.

Still, according to an accomplished WAC member, “We became pariahs. It was really horrible. People would come to exhibitions and grab anybody they realized was part of the board or an artist and tell us, you know, you’re not very nice people.”

How did the artists respond to the loss of their home? That’s part 4 of this series. Much of this information comes from a WAC film, produced by Katie Hacala and 4th Row Films.

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Westport’s Arts Scene: The Back Story, Part 2

Posted on January 17, 2026 | Comments Off on Westport’s Arts Scene: The Back Story, Part 2

How did the Westport Arts Center splinter into what is now MoCA\CT and the Artists Collective of Westport?

In part 2 of this 4-part series, “06880” culture correspondent Robin Moyer Chung explores some of the important reasons. Click here to read her first story.

Around 2018, the Westport Arts Center (WAC) board and executive director decided to expand, in space and scope.

They searched for larger properties, beyond their cramped Riverside Avenue space, to accommodate their new vision: to become the Museum of Contemporary Art Westport.

WAC member sources for this article say they were not made aware of the search, the new name, or the new mission. Instead, they learned of it from the press release announcing its opening in early fall of that year.

Westport Arts Center, on Riverside Avenue. (Photo/Lynn Untermeyer Miller)

Many members opposed this new Arts Center, and bristled at the announcement’s tone of inclusivity and enthusiasm. Artists accused the WAC board of chasing personal collateral achievement in founding a prestigious “cultural destination,” when they should be supporting WAC’s “founding mission of being a home for local artists.”

According to one WAC member — all of whom requested anonymity, to discuss sensitive details — “In 2019 they abandoned that mission, and essentially kicked its member artists to the curb. The president of its new board told me to my face that he didn’t see the benefit of showing the work of local artists anymore.”

Then-WAC board members I spoke with, who supported MoCA at that time, had a different perspective. They remained committed to the arts, but believed the organization needed to grow in scope to remain financially viable. The existing model, they felt, no longer attracted sufficient audiences or donor support.

Staff members at that time recall the tension. WAC employees were told the organization needed more money. They were asked to work unpaid overtime, and were promised rewards for raising revenue. Those rewards rarely, if ever, materialized, they say.

“Everybody who was there was there because they love art,” said someone familiar with the situation. Yet they felt that love and appreciation no longer mattered.

Despite the tensions, MoCA opened in Martha Stewart’s former television production facility at 19 Newtown Turnpike — on the Norwalk border —  in September of 2019.

MoCA\CT, on Newtown Turnpike.

A few rumors rippled through town about the controversy. But only those truly involved knew the details.

Many people were excited to see the new MoCA. I was one of those. We now had a cosmopolitan museum right in our backyard. Whether it was Norwalk or Westport hardly mattered to museum-goers.

The first exhibit at MoCA Westport was by acclaimed Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama. One of her Infinity Mirror Houses was praised as her 1965 artistic “breakthrough” in 1965, and had become Instagram-famous. The exhibit also included Narcissus Gardens, an installation of pristine mirrored orbs.

It was a stunning, high-profile show. Scores of visitors lined up to witness her work. I recall standing in her mirrored room, door closed, light reflecting and winking off every surface, thinking, “This is in my town?!”

Yet even the savviest among us would have difficulty convincing anyone she was “local” or even “regional.”

Still …

Today — 7 years later — MoCA\CT (as it is now known) is a significant regional museum and tremendous cultural resource. It hosts exhibits from world-class as well as regional artists, and is home to the Heida Hermanns International Music Competition.

2025 Heida Hermanns Piano Competition winner Zhu Wang, at MoCA\CT.

Hermanns — perhaps ironically — was one of the WAC’s greatest benefactors in the ‘80s and ‘90s. A pianist, teacher and philanthropist, and founder of the Connecticut Alliance for Music, she endowed the competition (which began in Westport) in 1972.

Today, the entire staff and most MoCA board members are different from those in 2019.

Much else has changed too. More on that will come in part 3 of this series.

(“06880” regularly covers Westport’s arts scene — and the town’s history. If you enjoy stories like this, please click here to support our work. Thank you!)

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Westport Arts Scene: Drawing Out The Back Story

Posted on January 14, 2026 | 7 comments

Westport’s arts scene is robust. And it has been, for over a century.

Right now the 2 major visual arts players are MoCA\CT, and the Artists Collective of Westport.

In this first of a 4-part series, “06880” culture correspondent Robin Moyer Chung explores how we got here.

Sources asked for anonymity, to describe sensitive issues.

The management of any institution is rife with roadblocks. And in an institution for the arts, financial realities can sometimes guide, or perhaps overwhelm, artistic missions.

Which brings us to the highly anticipated — and controversial — 2019 opening of MoCA Westport (now MoCA\CT).

As early as the 1920’s, Westport’s arts scene drew attention. In 1929 a newspaper called this “the home of the most distinctive arts community in the world.” (Um … Rome? Paris?)

James Earle Fraser was one of Westport’s earliest, and best known, artists. He designed the buffalo nickel, the “End of the Trail” sculpture of a Native American slumped over a tired horse, and the Theodore Roosevelt statue at the Museum of Natural History.

In 1934 the town of Westport provided $3,000 ($75,000 today), to kick off the Westport- Weston Arts Council (WWAC). The goal was to encourage and nurture the burgeoning arts scene, including writers, actors, fine artists, cartoonists, illustrators, musicians and more.

WWAC thrived for decades, in a variety of venues. In 1983 it found a physical home in what had been Greens Farms Elementary School. After years of declining birthrates, it and 2 other elementary schools were closed.

The WWAC leased the building from the town, for $1 a year. They changed their name to the Westport Arts Center (WAC). They rented the school’s classrooms at affordable rates, as studios for members.

The WAC also built an exhibition space for shows and performances, in the former gymnasium. In return, they were responsible for the building’s maintenance and upkeep.

From 1983 through 1998, this was the Westport Arts Center.

Gradually, the school population rebounded. In the late 1990s, town officials decided the building would revert back to a school.

They broke the WAC’s lease, leaving members without economical studio options or dedicated exhibition space.

After a years-long search the WAC landed in a brightly renovated Riverside Avenue gallery, not far from the Post Road. They sponsored exhibits from members and other artists around Connecticut, and offered arts education for youngsters.

The long, narrow space was not adequate, however. Offices were cramped, and it could not accommodate large pieces.

Westport Arts Center, on Riverside Avenue.

Around 2018, the executive director of the WAC and supporting board members decided they needed a larger, more suitable location. After examining the Baron’s property on Compo Road South, and Martha Stewart’s former television production facility, they chose the latter.

A press release gushed, “Thanks to 50 years of connecting an entire community around a love of the arts, it will open its new doors at 19 Newtown Turnpike under an evolved identity and mission.”

A town official added, “We are excited to see the Arts Center expand to meet the creative demands of our active, artistic town … the new campus will be a regional cultural destination, drawing audiences to Westport from all over Connecticut, Westchester County and New York City.”

Mo\CA, at 19 Newtown Turnpike.

WAC member sources for this article say they were not made aware of either the search, the new name or the new mission — which mentioned a local audience but not local artists.

Nor did it say that the building is primarily in Norwalk, with most taxes paid to that city.

Instead, members learned the news from the press release.

What happened next? That’s in Part 2 of this series.

(“06880” regularly covers Westport’s arts scene — and the town’s history. If you enjoy stories like this, please click here to support our work. Thank you!)

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Roundup: Today’s Holiday Stroll, Last Night’s Tree Lighting, This Weekend’s Toy Drive…

Posted on December 7, 2024 | 1 comment

Today is the day: the 4th annual “06880”/Westport Downtown Association Holiday Stroll.

It’s 5 to 7 p.m., on Main Street, plus the parking lots at Elm Street, and all around downtown.

There is something for everyone. For kids, there’s a candy wagon, photos with Santa and the Grinch, face painting, crafts, Buddy the Elf and other Staples Players costumed characters, piglet reindeer, a mailbox for Santa letters … you get the idea.

Plus smores at Nômade, a DJ dance party, kettle corn, hot chocolate, a human snow globe, and a holiday market with artisans, non-profit booths, plus goodies from non-downtowners like Alina’s Cakes, and The Clubhouse.

Don’t forget to bring an unwrapped toy too, for the Westport PAL and Police Department collection.

Plus, nearly 100 stores, restaurants and other businesses offer deals, discounts and giveaways.

Here’s a small sampling: Complimentary nibbles and hot chocolate at stores. Cocktails and Champagne at restaurants. Raffles. Gifts with purchases. 15, 25, 50% off. Free classes.

To see the entire list, click here, then scroll down. See you tonight at the Stroll!

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Westport’s second tree lighting ceremony of the week — the Wakeman Town Farm one — “lit up” a large crowd yesterday.

The Wakeman Town Farm tree …

What started as a Wakeman family tradition has continued for all Westporters.

The Porch and Sweet P Bakery supplied cookies, treats and hot chocolate. The Westport Fire Department kept eye on a bonfire. Greens Farms and Saugatuck Elementary, and Staples High School, musicians played. Awesome Toys handed out gifts.

And 1st Selectwoman Jen Tooker — accompanied by Wakeman family member Bill Constantino — did the switch-throwing honors.

… and tree lighters Bill Constantino and 1st Selectwoman Jen Tooker.

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The annual Westport Police Department toy drive kicks off today. The joint effot, with the Police Athletic League and Police Benevolent Association, continues tomorrow, and next weekend too.

New, unopened and unwrapped toys for all ages and genders — along with cash, to buy toys — will be collected at Athletic Shoe Factory (1560 Post Road East) Saturdays and Sundays, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

You can also drop off unwrapped toys at Police headquarters on Jesup Road (any time), or Awesome Toys & Gifts and The Toy Post, during business hours.

There will be a collection box on Elm Street too, during tonight’s “06880”/ Westport Downtown Association Holiday Stroll (5 to 7 p.m.).

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Some people call next weekend’s Staples High School concert “Candlelight.”

Generous audience members will also make it “Can-Delight.”

On Friday and Saturday, the Tri-M National Music Honor Society is sponsoring a canned food drive. Collection boxes will be set up in the main lobby.

Concert-goers are invited to bring boxed or bagged stuffing; canned sweet potatoes, vegetables, fruit, tuna, chicken, meat, soup, beef stew and chili; instant mashed potatoes; boxed macaroni and cheese; brownie, cake and pie mix; cranberry sauce; shelf-stable milk and almond milk; hot and cold cereal.

Come on, Candlelight guests. You “can” help our neighbors in need!

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The Romanacci team followed up last month’s great “Evening in Rome” 5-course dinner at Old Mill Grocery & Deli with a second, Thursday night.

It was another night for beach neighbors to come together. Old friendships were rekindled and new ones were made, over excellent food and very good wines.

Based on raves for the first 2 dinners, Romanacci’s plans more after the holidays.

Old Mill Grocery’s “Night in Rome” dinner. (Photo/Carol Alexander)

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Among its many treasures, the Westport Senior Center has a room devoted to painters.

The other day, Ed Simek saw Jerry Meli putting final touches on a pretty flower.

Ed took this photo — which is just as compelling as Jerry’s oil painting.

(Photo/Ed Simek)

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Yesterday’s Roundup item about Staples High School’s Italian Club fundraiser for Centra La Tenda, a community organization serving needy children in Naples, omitted a link.

Click here to donate. Click here, then scroll down to read more about the project.

Children at Centro La Tenda, in Naples.

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Several dozen people filled Rizzuto’s last night, for Neighbors & Newcomers of Westport’s annual holiday party.

In keeping with the organization’s mission of helping new and longtime residents connect through common interests and social events, guests ranged from born-and-bred Westporters, to those who moved here this summer.

For more informaiton on Neighbors & Newcomers of Westport, click here.

Neighbors & Newcomers of Westport president Alma Sarelli (2nd from left), and members at last night’s party. (Photo/Dan Woog)

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Speaking of parties: Non-members are welcome at the upcoming Westport Weston Chamber of Commerce Holiday Party.

It’s this Wednesday (December 11, 5 to 7 p.m., Harvest restaurant). Tickets ($35 for members, $40 for non-members, $5 extra for walk-ins) include one drink. Click here for reservations.

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Joyce Thompson — longtime president of the Westport Arts Center — died peacefully at her Weston home, surrounded by her family. She was 90, and had been diagnosed with cancer.

She graduated from Wheaton College, and earned a master’s degree from the University of Bridgeport.

During her tenure as WAC president, the organization restored, improved and maintained Greens Farms Elementary School as a gallery and home for artists. When the town needed the school again, the Arts Center moved to Riverside Avenue, where her participation continued. The WAC was the forerunner of what is now MoCA CT.

Joyce continued her interest in painting while also pursuing sailing and boating. She and her husband David were a familiar sight on Long Island Sound in the sloop Bluejacket and trawler Rambler.

An active member of Saugatuck Harbor Yacht Club, she was also in the Power Squadron. She won a citation for the high number of boats she inspected on their behalf.

She was an avid gardener, and took pride in the restoration and maintenance of her pre-war International style house. Her paintings, especially cloudscapes, are hung with pride by family and friends, there and in other homes.

Married for 66 years, she is survived by her husband; children John of Stratford, Jennifer Van de Graaf (Stephen) of New Canaan (Stephen) and Sarah Marcotte (James) of Los Angeles, and grandchildren Gwen, Owen, Sarah and Rowan.

The family is deeply grateful to her caregivers Jackie Brown and Judith Bryan, who showed empathy and love.

A celebration of Joyce’s life will be held on Saturday, December 14 (10:30 a.m., Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Westport). The service will be livestreamed.

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Former Westport Emergency Medical Technician Toni Cribari died peacefully on November 26 in Hartford. She was 80.

The Hartford native worked in many roles throughout her life, from waitress and Norwalk Hospital pharmaceutical technician, to EMT.

But, family says, “perhaps her most cherished role was nanny, caring for and nurturing countless children whom she loved as if they were her own.”

An avid music fan, she was known for her “independent spirit, sense of humor, and beauty both inside and out.”

Toni is survived by her husband Ed; son Justin (Morgan), and granddaughter Ophelia. She was predeceased by her sister Denise, and daughters Chitra and Tara.

A graveside service will be held Monday (December 9, 11:00 a.m., Assumption Cemetery). Click here to leave online condolences.

Toni Cribari

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No, these are not birds flying south for the winter.

But their silhouette is interesting, and the sky is a perfect background for today’s “Westport … Naturally” feature.

(Photo/June Rose Whittaker)

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And finally … in honor of today’s very fun community event, downtown from 5 to 7 p.m.:

(“06880” is your hyper-local blog. If it happens in town, you’ll read about it online. Please click here to support our work. Thank you!)

 

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Remembering Christo

Posted on June 3, 2020 | 5 comments

Christo — the one-named artist who constructed thousands of gates in Central Park, strung a curtain across a Colorado mountain pass, and wrapped the Reichstag in Berlin — died Sunday in New York. He was 84.

He also had several connections with Westport. Ann Chernow — long active in our local arts scene — writes:

My husband Burt Chernow and I met Christo in 1970. We traveled the world with him, his wife Jeanne-Claude and his crew for each project — an army of engineers, reporters, cooks and many artists from Westport.

Burt and I worked in various capacities on 6 major projects, including The Valley  Curtain, The Running Fence, Pont Neuf in Paris, The Umbrellas in Japan and California, and the wrapping of the Reichstag (the last Burt worked on before he died). Our bedroom in Berlin, across from the Reichstag, was Joseph Goebbels’ during World War II.

During these decades Burt worked on the only authorized biography of the Christos. Christo and Jeanne-Claude was published in 1999, first in Germany and then in the US and other countries. It would take another book to write the stories of our travels with them.

When I met Martin West — a documentarian working on the history of art in Westport, the year after Burt’s death — he was brought into Christo’s fold. He filmed for them, and we both worked  on the Gates in New York City.

We became  part of their family. Christo’s death last week — not long after Martin’s this past January — was a staggering blow to me, as was Burt’s in 1997.

WestportNow publisher Gordon Joseloff took a number of photos of Christo. This was
his last one, at Christo’s final Westport Arts Center exhibition.

Westport played a large part in our relationship.  The Christos had 4 Westport exhibitions, with lectures about their work accompanying each show. One was at Greens Farms Elementary School, when it served as the Westport Arts Center. Another was at the WAC after it moved to Riverside Avenue. The others were at Bedford Middle School and the Westport Library.

These exhibitions were thronged, filled to capacity beyond the fire laws. The Christos visited Westport  several times to prepare for these, and loved this town.

We had dinners  at our house with Christo’s family, and local supporters. Helen Klisser During — a former director of the Westport Arts Center — became a fast friend of the Christos.

Many Westporters remember Christo personally. Many others admired his work. We will all miss him.

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MoCA’s New Executive Director Pledges Outreach To Westport

Posted on February 21, 2020 | 6 comments

Over the last few years, the Westport Arts Center lost its focus on supporting and promoting local artists.

Last year — with a name change to MoCA Westport (it stands for Museum of Contemporary Art), and a move from Riverside Avenue to the former Martha Stewart TV studio on Newtown Turnpike — the organization seemed to become even less connected to Westport.

MoCA, at 19 Newtown Turnpike.

The Artists’ Collective of Westport — developed as part of the WAC, by prominent artists like Miggs Burroughs and Nina Bentley — became the pre-eminent group in town. MoCA’s outreach to local educators and civic groups ground to a halt.

Recently, the handsome gallery space on the Norwalk border — and the educational, music and other programs MoCA sponsored — risked losing its Westport identity altogether.

All that may now change. Westport artists, educators and organizations will hear soon from Ruth Mannes.

Ruth Mannes (Photo/Kerry Long)

She’s MoCA’s new executive director. And one of her first priorities is outreach to the town where the Westport Arts Center began, 50 years ago.

Mannes took over Monday from Amanda Innes. She brings a 20-year career in publishing (including executive managing editor of HarperCollins) and 12 years of involvement with Westport schools (townwide PTA executive board, fundraising for Staples Players), along with a passion for art (ARTnews named her one of the top 30 young contemporary collectors in the country.)

She and her husband began collecting in their West Village apartment, before their children were born. They met artists, gallery owners and dealers. “Art made our lives,” Mannes says.

They knew Derek Goodman through the art world. Soon after moving to Westport, Mannes saw him selling lemonade with his kids. They were neighbors.

Now Goodman has helped bring Mannes to MoCA. The board understood the need for greater engagement with Westporters.

Ruth Mannes, by the MoCA gift shop.

“We’re bringing excellent shows. We have wonderful music programs.” Mannes says.

“We can be a beacon of art and film. But we really need to connect with Westport: the library, PTAs, Westport Public Art Collections — everyone. We want their thoughts on dynamic programming.

“Our art should be accessible. Westport is a community with really curious people. If we bring in great shows, they’ll be engaged.”

As a first step, she’ll reach out to teachers, senior citizens, organizations — and artists. She’ll also look at changes in areas like admission structure and member benefits.

She’s spent this week getting up to speed on all things MoCA: shows, concerts, even a children’s art class that runs during the current school vacation.

She knows that when WAC/MoCA moved from near downtown to the midst of a residential neighborhood, it risked a loss of visibility.

But Mannes points to Beacon, New York as an example. An old train building was converted into a center for minimalist art. It now attracts art lovers from far away. “People sit, have coffee, see art and educational programs,” she says. “Community thrives there.”

Can that happen at out-of-the-way Newtown Turnpike?

“The other day, 3 French people knocked on our door,” Mannes says. “They were in Westport for a business meeting, but wanted to see what we have. They were disappointed we were closed between shows.” (A Helmut Lang exhibition opens March 15.)

Getting ready to hang the Helmut Lang show.

“We have benches outside. We’ll make our cafe area more attractive. If this place is dynamic, people will come. We don’t want it to be an ivory tower.”

Mannes says that MoCA’s educational programs are ready to “explode.” She’s eager to bring back adult programming that was dropped or weeded out.

Mannes says the board — including Westporters like Tom Hofstetter and Michael Kalman — is committed to addressing the alienation that some local artists, and other Westporters, have felt.

“It’s a fresh start,” she says.

(MoCA’s annual gala has a new date: April 25. For details, click here. For more information about MoCA, including exhibitions, programs and other events, click here.)

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Calling All Young Shoots

Posted on July 30, 2019 | Comments Off on Calling All Young Shoots

The Westport Farmers’ Market celebrates creativity.

Every Thursday, the Imperial Avenue parking lot teems with vendors offering creative ways to prepare fresh food (and not just produce — there’s meat, baked goods and more). Musicians perform. It’s fun, funky and alive.

There’s a lot to do, and see. It’s a photographer’s paradise too.

Which is why I’m happy to promote one of the the Farmers’ Market’s more creative opportunities.

An annual contest highlights images taken all summer long. And it’s got an especially creative name: The Young Shoots Digital Photography Competition.

Get it?

“Towhead Tomatoes” — 2016 Fan Favorite winner, and 2nd place in 15-18 age group. (Photo/Margaret Kraus)

There are 3 age groups: 8-10 years old, 11-14 and 15-18. All photos must be taken somewhere on the Farmers’ Market premises. Submissions are due by September 6.

This is no rinky-dink affair. Jurors include noted photographers Eileen Sawyer and Bonnie Edelman, graphic artist Miggs Burroughs, and Westport Arts Center executive director Amanda Innes.

First-place winners in each category receive a $100 cash prize, and the chance to lead a food photo shoot with Bill Taibe (chef/owner of The Whelk, Ka Wa Ni and Jesup Hall). Second-place winners get $50.

Winners will also have their work shown in a gallery-like setting at Sugar & Olives (a favorite Farmers’ Market vendor).

Anastasia Davis won 1st place in 2016 in the 11-14 age group for this shot.

The public can also vote online for their favorite images. “People’s Choice” winners in each category get a 1-year membership to the Westport Arts Center (soon to be called MoCA), and a Farmers’ Market t-shirt. All photos will be on display this fall at the Arts Center’s new home at 19 Newtown Turnpike. There’s a fun awards reception October 4 at Sugar & Olives in Norwalk.

Click here for photo guidelines and submission info. Click here to see past submissions.

Then fire away!

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Westport Arts Center Disappears

Posted on July 25, 2019 | 18 comments

When the Westport Arts Center moves to 19 Newtown Turnpike, they’ll leave more than their longtime Riverside Avenue home behind.

There’s no need to ship the large, recognizable logo  over to Martha Stewart’s former TV studio (which is actually a few feet over the border, in Norwalk).

They’re changing their name too. From now on, it’s MoCA Westport.

You won’t find an explanation anywhere in the press release, sent yesterday afternoon a few minutes before 5 (and headlined, somewhat awkwardly “Westport Arts Center Re-names as MoCA Westport”).

In fact, the new name is mentioned only obliquely — in the 7th paragraph, under “About the Organization.” It says:

“MoCA Westport, previously known as the Westport Arts Center  is a destination dedicated to using the Arts to enrich our community. We thoughtfully design and curate experiences of all types, from Visual Arts to Classical Music, including performances, juried exhibitions, lectures, excursions and other educational opportunities.”

But, I’m told, the acronym stands for Museum of Contemporary Art.

The organization was formed in 1969 — exactly 50 years ago — as the Westport-Weston Arts Council. The name was changed to the Westport Arts Center in 1986. It was housed in a variety of locations, including the then-closed Greens Farms Elementary School, before moving to Riverside Avenue in 2002.

Westport Arts Center, 51 Riverside Avenue.

Working artists still remember that Greens Farms space fondly — especially their individual studios. Together, painters, sculptors and others formed a true artists’ community.

In recent years, the Westport Arts Center has focused increasingly on non-local artists. Exhibits, shows and talks feature a number of artists and photographers with no connection to the town.

Art — and organizations — always evolve. The WAC’s — er, MoCA’s — new space in Westport — er, Norwalk — will have 2 state-of-the-art galleries, a members’ lounge, gift shop, cafe, and “an indoor/outdoor set of studios for an expanded immersive curriculum.”

19 Newtown Turnpike, before renovation. (Photo/Johnny Fogg)

It will all be on display September 19 to 22, during a grand opening weekend.

MoCA has big goals. They’re launching a new education experience, “re-inventing” the Heida Hermanns International Music Competition, planning “exciting opportunities for emerging artists of all ages,” and curating a permanent collection featuring the works of Westport’s “best visual artists.”

So long, Westport Arts Center. 

Hello, MoCA. Whatever that means. 

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Happy 95th Birthday, Leonard Everett Fisher!

Posted on June 29, 2019 | 11 comments

Leonard Everett Fisher is a Westport icon.

One of our our town’s most cherished artist/illustrators, he’s designed 10 US postage stamps. His works hang in the collections of the Smithsonian, Library of Congress, New York Public Library, Yale Art Gallery and New Britain Museum of Art.

He’s also a World War II veteran. Between 1942 and ’46, as a topographical mapmaker he planned, edited and produced maps for campaigns in Italy, France, Iwo Jima, Okinawa, and the aborted invasion and occupation of Japan. In 2013 he served as grand marshal of Westport’s Memorial Day parade.

A longtime Westporter, Fisher just turned 95. Last night, at the Westport Arts Center — of which he’s a founding member, past president and current board member — friends, fans and family members celebrated his birthday.

Leonard Everett Fisher, last night at the Westport Arts Center.

Fisher has seen the WAC in and through many incarnations, from an itinerant organization, to its home at the then-closed Greens Farms Elementary School, to its current home on Riverside Avenue.

Now, the Westport Arts Center is on the move again. It will relocate soon to new digs at 19 Newtown Turnpike.

Fisher looks forward to being there for the grand opening. And for many shows and events to come.

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