Posted onMay 28, 2024|Comments Off on Fine Arts Festival: 4 Portraits
“06880” interns Jolie Gefen and Talia Varsano spent Sunday downtown, at the 51st annual Westport Fine Arts Festival.
They found plenty of interesting art — and artists. Here are 4 of their favorites, and the artists’ stories that give depth to the broad appeal of this popular show.
Jolie and Talia write:
At art festivals, Julia Gilmore is known for her red lipstick, pearls, fancy outfits — and her vibrant oil paintings.
Ever since she was a child, she has been passionate about painting.
“Everyone on the planet knows exactly what they want to be by the age of 7, but then we forget to listen to that,” she says.
“It was a long trip to get back to that, but it’s my passion.”
Gilmore describes her paintings as “hip and contemporary” — something she feels Westport has appreciated.
Julia Gilmore, with her favorite painting.
She says, “Even though I’m using some retro objects, my art is punchy. It has a little bit of edge, and Westport gets that.”
“It’s a very educated audience that has a spot-on understanding for the bit of tongue-in-cheek in my art.”
Gilmore “feels goosebumps” after enthusiastic customer reviews.
And, she says, she prioritizes “100% joy” as the message behind her art.
Many things make the Westport Fine Arts Festival special.
Besides the wide variety of art and artists — and the friendly vibe all along Main Street — there is the Saturday night artists’ reception.
After a long day of chatting up customers (and just-lookers), dozens of painters, photographers, sculptors, jewelers, ceramists and woodworkers gather at Christ & Holy Trinity’s Branson Hall a few yards away.
They relax, over good food (and an open bar).
There are a couple of brief speeches thanking the Westport Downtown Association organizers. Then come the awards.
This year’s “Best in Show” winner was GM Webb of Baltimore. A sculptor working with wire, his selection was roundly applauded by his fellow artists.
Click here to see some of his work. Better yet, head down to Main Street today, to see it in person — and all his fellow artists’ too.
The Fine Arts Festival runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
GM Webb, with his “Best in Show” ribbon. (Photo/Dan Woog)
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The Fine Arts Festival is in its 51st year.
The Parks & Recreation Department’s Summer Kickoff party at Compo Beach is in its first.
But it too was a huge success yesterday.
A couple of hundred families enjoyed activities like touch-a-truck, face painting, an obstacle course, and activities run by Longshore Sailing School, and golf and tennis instructors.
Plus (of course) food trucks.
Westport Police, Fire Department, EMS and Public Works were involved too.
Congratulations to all, for the start of a great new tradition.
Selectwomen Andrea Moore and Jen Tooker, Parks & Recreation interim director Rick Giunta and operations manager Carm Roda join Parks & Rec employees at the Compo Beach Kickoff.
One of the unfortunate consequences of the gas-powered leaf blower ban that went into effect May 15 has been harassment of landscapers.
“06880” has heard of several instances in which Westporters have screamed at employees using the blowers, demanding they stop, then growing even angrier when the men do not know why they’re being yelled at. Some do not even speak English.
Landscapers work for their employers. Their employers work for homeowners.
It’s unfair to blame men who are simply doing the job they’re instructed to do.
It’s also the easy way out.
Talk to the homeowner. Call the landscape company owner.
And to report a violation, email ckelly@westportct.gov, or write: Conservation Department, 110 Myrtle Avenue, Westport, CT 06880.
The Staples boys lacrosse team did it for the first time: winning the FCIAC (league) championship, in dramatic fashion. (Click here to read the stirring story.)
And Charlie Scott has done it again.
The Staples High School senior has produced another spectacular highlight reel of Thursday’s huge win.
It’s the latest in his year-long series of great videos. And it may be his best yet.
Today’s “Westport … Naturally” photo features blue-eyed grass, growing at the base of a spicebush. Both plants are native to our region, says photographer Melissa Chang.
And finally … Sally Ride was born on this day in 1951. She was the first American female astronaut, the youngest American astronaut to have flown in space (32 years old), and the first astronaut known to be LGBT. She died of pancreatic cancer in 2012, age 61.
(As Westport heads into summer, “06880” is your place to find out what’s happening, where and when. Plus what just happened. Please support our work, by clicking here to contribute. Thanks!)
For decades, Westport’s downtown arts festival was held in mid-July. It was a great outdoor event. But the Main Street and Parker Harding pavement was always boiling.
For decades too, the Memorial Day parade was the unofficial kickoff to Westport’s summer.
Several years ago, the Westport Downtown Association moved the Fine Arts Festival to Memorial Day weekend.
It made the event even more attractive to exhibitors and visitors. And it made that weekend even better than it already was.
Lots of art — and art lovers — at Westport’s Fine Arts Festival.
The 51st Westport Fine Arts Festival is set for Saturday and Sunday, May 25-26 (10 a.m. to 5 p.m.).
The juried show ranks in the Top 20 nationally. It features the award-winning work of over 140 fine artists from across the country, in painting, photography, sculpture, fiber, printmaking, mixed media, glass, ceramics, jewelry, wood, graphics and printmaking.
Gabriela Ferrera displays her work. (Photo/JC Martin)
This year, the WDA adds Encanto Village. The children’s area is based on the fantasy movie of the same name.
Encanto will include community project called “Westport Rocks.” Kids can write inspiring messages on rocks, which will be placed in planters throughout downtown. Like the movie, the rocks will reflect themes of strength, beauty and nature.
Other activities include face painting, tie-dyeing, jewelry-making and music.
There are food vendors too, and live music at several locations.
The Fine Arts Festival draws collectors and residents from the tri-state area, New England and beyond.
All artwork is available in various price ranges, themes and styles.
Everyone knows — or should know — that the William F. Cribari Bridge honors the long-time traffic officer who, with flair, dramatic moves and plenty of smarts directed traffic from and over the Saugatuck River span that now bears his name.
But only folks with long memories remember that Bill Cribari was also a high-strutting major with Nash Engineering’s crack drum and bugle corps.
He was at his finest every Memorial Day.
Here — decades later, thanks to his daughter, Sharon Saccary — is a wonderful shot of Bill Cribari: man, major, myth.
NOTE: I’m not sure what year this was from. I never recall the Memorial Day parade route going this direction past what is now Patagonia.
When the Westport Police Department saw a couple of kids had set up a lemonade stand on South Compo Road, and traffic was pulling over, they …
… pulled over too.
They learned the youngsters were raisin money for the Connecticut Humane Society. So the WPD posted a photo on social media, urging everyone to stop by.
We saw this too late to help. But it’s never too late to thank young Westporters like these 2 — or our always helpful, very caring Westport Police.
Many of the thousands of visitors to the 49th annual Westport Fine Arts Festival agreed: This was the best ever.
The (almost the entire time) great weather, the holiday weekend, the dozens of excellent artists, and the back-together-again vibe all contributed to the success of the weekend.
So did the great organizational skills and promotion of the Westport Downtown Association.
Congrats to all. And of course to the Best in Show artist: Dean DiMarzo.
2022 WEstport Fine Arts Festival Best in Show: Dean DieMarzo. (Photo/Tom Lowrie)
Dick Lowenstein was intrigued by yesterday’s lead story. Tom Feeley honored a Westport VFW friend, whose life was saved in World War II by a guard in a German prisoner of war camp. The man — an American, who had been conscripted by the Nazis — altered Tom’s friend’s dog tags, erasing a reference to the soldier’s Jewish faith. That saved him from execution the following day.
Dick writes:
My uncle Donahl Breitman (born Heschel, later known as Harry) was a Brooklyn Jew who served in the 743rd Tank Battalion. They landed in Europe during the D-Day invasion.
His dog tag lacked the “H” for Hebrew. (The religion indicator was apparently optional. “C” for Catholic and “P” for Protestant were the other choices.)
Because he spoke Yiddish and understood German, he was tasked with interrogating German prisoners. With the war near an end, my uncle was asked to accompany his commanding officer to meet a Russian unit approaching from the east. My uncle and the Russian noncom communicated in Yiddish.
His older Russian-born cousin, Marine Capt. David Kipness, fought in World War I, and was awarded the Silver Star for gallantry in the Battle of Belleau Wood.
Dick Lowenstein’s uncle’s dog tag — without the religious indicator.
Mark LeMoult, was killed last week, in an automobile accident on Saugatuck Avenue, while driving his cherished 1968 Pontiac Catalina He was 58, and lived in Norwalk.
Born in Bronxville, New York, he was raised here and was a lifelong area resident. He attended Staples High School and graduated from The Culinary Institute of America.
Mark was a highly esteemed chef. His culinary career began at age 13, squeezing limes at Viva Zapata. Mark worked at Café Christina in Westport, the Hudson River Club and Rainbow Room in New York, and Tamarack Country Club in Greenwich. He had been the executive chef at the Field Club of Greenwich for the past 14 years. He met his fiancée Elizabeth 21 years ago, while working at Stamford’s Beacon Restaurant.
One of the highlights of Mark’s career was serving as the president of the Club Chefs of Connecticut from 2006-2010.
Mark enjoyed camping, river rafting and spending as much quality time with his sons as possible. Many “Tuesday Dad Days” were spent barbecuing and cheering on the New York Yankees.
His favorite places to visit were Lake George and Cape Cod with family. He loved to get his hands dirty planting in his garden. He cherished his dogs Leo and Teddy, and loved mornings at the dog park and walks through the neighborhood.
He was a cigar aficionado, and relished his relaxing evening. Mark and Elizabeth enjoyed entertaining in the backyard with friends and family around the firepit, concerts at the Levitt Pavilion, and experiencing wonderful meals at local restaurants.
His family says, “All those who knew him will always remember his roaring laugh, unyielding hugs, and his gentle heart and soul.”
Mark is survived by his sons Scott of Stamford and Eric of Fairfield; fiancée Elizabeth Kenny of Norwalk; brothers, Michael (Mary) LeMoult of Trumbull, Chris (Carole) of Trumbull, and Kevin of Murrells Inlet, South Carolina; the mother of his children, Ellen LeMoult of Fairfield; stepfather, Bert Furgess of Murrells Inlet, SC, and several nieces and nephews. In addition to his parents, he was predeceased by his sister Kelly.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated June 1 (10 a.m., Our Lady of the Assumption Church, Fairfield). Interment will follow in Oak Lawn Cemetery.
Friends may greet the family Tuesday, May 31 (4 to 8 p.m., Spear-Miller Funeral Home, Fairfield). Cheerful attire is encouraged to honor the vivacious life that Mark lived.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in Mark’s memory to the Culinary Institute of America’s scholarship fund: www.ciachef.edu/give. For information or to offer an online condolence, click here.
Everyone is at today’s Memorial Day parade — except these guys. They’re cooped up at Wakeman Town Farm. But they do make a nice, tight “Westport … Naturally” shot.
And finally …. today is Memorial Day. As we enjoy our holiday — at the beach, at backyard barbecues, with friends and family — let us not forget what this day is rally about.
Most art shows invite exhibitors. They give them a spot, a badge, and maybe — if the artists are lucky — a thank-you email.
Not Westport.
The Westport Downtown Association’s Fine Arts Festival makes every artist, sculptor and photographer feel welcome, throughout the process.
And last night — after the first day of the show, when exhibitors and organizers alike were tired and hungry — the WDA threw a nice party at Christ & Holy Trinity Church’s Branson Hall.
There was music, a couple of short speeches by 1st Selectwoman Jen Tooker and association president Maxx Crowley, a great spread from Garelick & Herbs — and awards.
Congratulations to this year’s Fine Arts Festival honorees: Jim Sprinkle, Taman Van Scoy, Andrew Soujani, Amee Hussey, Valerie Romano, Nicole Deponte, Patrick Seufert, Jerry Brem, Ralph Rankin, Dan Callister, and “Best in Show” artist Dean Dimarzo.
You can see them — and dozens of other artists — today (Sunday, May 29), now through 5 p.m.
You can find out where those winners (and everyone else) are by clicking here for booth numbers; then click “Artist Map” for their exact location. Click here for more information on the Fine Arts Festival.
1st Selectwoman Jen Tooker addresses the artists, at Branson Hall.
Wakeman Town Farm’s 2nd annual EcoFest is set for Saturday, June 11. It’s rain or shine, which makes sense considering the theme.
The day begins with the season opening of the WTF farm stand (9 a.m. to 1 p.m.). There’s produce grown on the farm, fresh-cut flower bouquets, logowear, WTF honey, and hand-selected products from Connecticut vendors (artisan bakers, jams, goat soaps and lotions, maple syrup and more).
Goat yoga is 10 a.m. Humans do their thing, while goats graze and jump in their pen next door.
A curated collection of Fairfield County sustainable goods vendors and local artisans is open for shopping at 11 a.m. They sell:
Handwoven baskets and housewares
Handmade soaps, body butter and essential oils, skin and hair care products for teens
Candles, bags, clothing, and more.
While parents shop green, kids get their face painted, apply tinsel to their hair, or visit with farm animals like fuzzy alpacas and new baby goats. Animal care expert Judy Panzer will answer questions.
CTony Napolitano Pizza will sling his wood-fired pizza throughout the event. There’s live music too.
The sustainability theme continues June 13 (7 p.m.): “Home Hacks with the Eco Dude.”
Brad Kerner (aka the Eco Dude) will show how to reduce reliance on plastic, and reduce trash.
He’ll show an array of products that are good for people and the planet, from bathroom, laundry and kitchen to skin care, kids, pets and more. Click here for tickets.
As Ethan Hawke’s “The Last Movie Stars” — a 6-part CNN/HBO Max series about longtime Westporters Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward rolls out — The Wrap provides a bit of the back story.
‘”The Last Movie Stars’ was made with the cooperation of the Newman family, and with on-camera interviews by 4 of the couple’s daughters.
“But one of the interesting wrinkles, Hawke said, is that when Newman was contemplating writing a memoir, he had hundreds of friends and colleagues interviewed – and when he decided not to go ahead with that book, he burned the tapes – after they had been transcribed.
“The family gave those transcripts to Hawke – who called the gift ‘an unbelievable blessing’ – and Hawke had actor friends read the lines: Sam Rockwell as ‘Cool Hand Luke’ director Stuart Rosenberg, Zoe Kazan as Newman’s first wife Jackie Witte, Laura Linney as Woodward and George Clooney as Newman.”
Another Westport connection: Our neighbor Emily Wachtel is the creator and lead producer of “The Last Movie Stars.” It not have been made — or gotten to Cannes — without her
Click here for the full story.(Hat tip: Bill Dedman)
Joanne Woodward and Paul Newman.
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The weather has been off and on, up and down, lately.
Okay, for weeks.
But nothing can dim the beauty of these Compo Beach roses — today’s “Westport … Naturally” treat.
The 49th annual Westport Fine Arts Festival was bopping along today.
Just-right weather — the sweet spot between last year’s unseasonably cold rain, and previous years’ sweltering July temperatures — drew a couple of thousand folks to Main and Elm Streets.
(Photo/Lauri Weiser)
At 2 p.m., a brief thunderstorm rolled in.
But it quickly passed. The sun returned. Dozens of artists — and many more art-lovers — smiled again.
Popular photographer (and Westporter) Tom Kretsch.
The show is on until 5 p.m. today. It runs tomorrow (Sunday, May 29) from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Click here for more information.
One work for sale …
… and another.
Great Stuff, for sure …
… and more sculptures.
Westporter Nancy Breakstone exhibits …
… while others came from all over.
Booths line Main Street …
… and artists of a different kind take the “stage.” (All photos/Dan Woog, unless otherwise noted)
PS: It takes a ton of work to make a show like this happen. Kudos to the Westport Downtown Association — including their Abbey Road-like volunteers (below):
The Planning & Zoning Commission is creating Westport’s first 5-year Affordable Housing Plan — a state mandate.
To ensure that the plan represents town values, the P&Z is conducting a community survey. Click here to begin.
Meanwhile, a draft of the Affordable Housing Plan has been posted to the Town’s website. Click here to see; click here for the “06880” back story.
The survey will be available until June 23.
Among the Planning & Zoning Commission ideas for affordable housing: this “model pocket neighborhood/cottage commons” design, courtesy of Ross Chapin AIA.
Speaking of food: The Chocolatieree just opened on Church Lane, near Myrtle Avenue. Owner Laureen Haynes — a former laboratory diagnostics worker, who traveled to South America to learn the chocolate business — makes all the treats herself.
The name is a combination of “chocolatier” and “Ree,” Haynes’ nickname. Click here for the full story, in Westport Journal.
Speaking of downtown: In years past, Bridgeport artist Linda Colletta was a popular exhibitor at the Westport Fine Arts Festival.
In April she opened her own gallery on Elm Street, in the new building near Brooks Corner.
This weekend, the 49th annual Fine Arts Festival takes place all around her new space.
That’s one of the many intriguing stories surrounding the long-running event. It’s set for Saturday and Sunday (May 28-29, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.).
The juried show features national and international fine artists exhibiting in a variety of categories, from painting, photography, sculpture, fiber and printmaking to mixed media, glass, ceramics, jewelry, wood and graphics. All artwork is for sale in a wide variety of price ranges
The Fine Arts Festival includes food, live music and children’s activities. Click here for details.
I know, I know: The universe of “06880” readers interested in this item is astonishingly small.
But I’m posting it as an example of the kinds of things for sale on eBay — and the kinds of things anyone can (apparently) sell, if you 1) keep it in the first place, and 2) hold on to it for decades.
So here it is: The 1966 Staples High School Homecoming Queen Candidates’ ballot.
It’s “used,” and has “various creases.” So it can be yours for the bargain price of $9.99. Click here to buy! (Hat tip: Robert Gerrity)
“This sign was recently installed at Haskins Preserve. Some smart alec left their poop bag on the ground next to it. I walk my dog there, as well as around town, and am mystified why folks bag the stuff and leave it about.
Longtime Westporter Crescienzo (Christy) John Boccanfuso of Saugatuck Shores died peacefully May 20, surrounded by loved ones.
Christy was born in New York City but moved to Saugatuck Shores in 1948 with his family. He was a life member of Saint Ann’s Club in Norwalk, and a former Engine 4 volunteer firefighter. He took pride in his work, and built his life with his own two hands.
The former owner of Boccanfuso Brothers, Christy lived for fixing, building and improving things around him. For the last 18 years he helped his 2 sons run their auto repair shop.
He loved spending his time with his children and grandchildren, making (and drinking) wine with his brother, and cooking.
He is survived by his wife of 39 years Judith Capossela Boccanfuso; sons Giuseppe (Olivia) Boccanfuso of Easton and Crescienzo (Andrea) Boccanfuso of Fairfield, and daughter Anna Maria (Steven) Angelo of Chesapeake, Virginiia; his twin brother Dominic Boccanfuso and sister Sophia Freitag; 9 grandchildren and many nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his sisters Mary DiMeglio and Carmella Oboy, and brother Joseph Boccanfuso.
Visitation will take place tomorrow (Wednesday, May 25, 4 to 8 p.m., Harding Funeral Home), with a Mass of Christian Burial on Thursday (10 a.m., Assumption Church). Interment will follow in Assumption Cemetery, Greens Farms. Click here to leave online condolences.
Christy Boccanfuso
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Longtime Westporter Francine Gram died last year, at 100 years old.
We just saw her obituary. It is impressive — and timeless. It reads:
“Francine was born on April 23, 1920 in her grandmother’s house in the medieval walled town of Semur-en-Auxois in Burgundy, France.
“She grew up in Paris, and lived under Nazi occupation. When the US entered World War II, she and her family fled the country because her father was a former US Army officer and expatriate American citizen working for the Paris Herald Tribune.
“Francine and her family traveled through southern France to Spain. She crossed the last Nazi checkpoint at Irun in Basque country, carrying photos of British pilots shot down over France hidden in her undergarments.
“They made it to Sintra, Portugal, where they lived for a year before obtaining passage to the United States on the USS Excalibur.
Once in this country, our mother went to work for the Office of War Information’s Voice of America in the French department, as a broadcaster and feature writer. She sent messages of hope to Nazi-occupied France.
“At the VOA she also worked on the radio adaptation of Jean-Paul Sartre’s “Rue Sans Issue” (“No Exit”), and with André Breton, the father of surrealism. She was a frequent visitor to the White House; her godfather, Dr. George Fox, was President Roosevelt’s personal physician.
“In 1946 she met naval oficer and PT boat commander Albert Whitworth Gram, at an Officers’ Club dance at the Delmonico in New York. They married the next year.
“Our parents eventually settled in Westport, where they raised their family. Francine was active in the Alliance Française, the Officer’s Club of Fairfield County, St. Luke’s Parish Church, and the Westport Dance Cotillion.
“She is survived by her daughters Nathalie Emerson and Christine Croarkin; 4 grandchildren and 2 great-grandchildren.”
Think back to a year ago this Memorial Day weekend. Life was a lot worse. So go out and enjoy Westport’s 2 big events. They’re great. Many people have worked hard to make them happen. And they’re important to the sponsors.
The 48th annual Fine Arts Festival runs from now through 5 p.m. Artists on displya includes painting, photography, sculpture, fiber, printmaking, mixed media, glass, ceramics, jewelry, wood, graphics and print making.
There’s music, food, and plenty of activities for children. Click here for more details.
Today is also the last day of the Westport Library Book Sale — which means all books, CDs and DVDs are half price.
Every customer gets a coupon for The Westport Book Shop (used book store on Jesup Green). The sale is open from noon to 5 p.m. And you’ll be dry: It’s all inside the library!
The University of Connecticut baseball team plays in this afternoons Big East finals (1 p.m.).
Yesterday, Ben Casparius got them there.
The 2017 Staples High School state championship team captain and Connecticut Gatorade Player of the Year pitched 7 innings great innings against Creighton. The Huskies won 2-0 in the conference semifinal, played in Mason, Ohio.
Casparius struck out 13, while allowing just 3 hits. After the game he said, “it was an awesome experience, an awesome day for us, and we’re ready to go [Sunday]. We’re not even close to done yet.” (Hat tip: David Goldstein)
Ben Casparius, in a post-game interview yesterday.
Speaking of Staples grads: Class of 2012 alum Ellen Kempner leads Palehound, an indie rock duo. She met Melinda (who records as Jay Som) on tour
They realized they’re compatible — “two breathy-voiced songwriters whose music can be fragile or bruising, offering both vulnerability and resolve,” the New York Times‘ Jon Pareles writes — and joined forces.
In January 2020 they rented an Airbnb house for two weeks, and recorded an album. They called themselves Bachelor.
It’s been released as “Doomin’ Sun.” Pareles says:
Kempner and Duterte brought out the best in each other. In the songs they wrote together, satisfaction often stays just out of reach. They look at desire, estrangement, insecurity, pop fandom, shoplifting and, in the album’s title song, climate change. And they sing like sisters who know each other’s secrets.
Click here for the full Times story. (Hat tip: John Karrel)
On Friday night, MoCA Westport welcomed the Alexa Tarantino Quartet. The Jazz at Lincoln Center Emerging Artist performed a great set — including the Connectcut premiere of their “Firefly” album. Attendees enjoyed a Firefly aperitif too.
Next up in the Music at MoCA Series: Jocelyn and Chris, a sibling rock duo seen recently on “The Today Show.” They perform outdoors on June 11 (7 p.m.). Click here for tickets.
Tina Green sent along today’s “Westport … Naturally” photo, of a newly hatched peregrine falcon. She notes that the birds been nesting in the Saugatuck area for many years.
Click here to help support “06880” via credit card or PayPal. Any amount is welcome, appreciated — and tax-deductible! Reader contributions keep this blog going. (Alternate methods: Please send a check to “06880”: PO Box 744, Westport, CT 06881. Or use Venmo: @blog06880. Or Zelle: dwoog@optonline.net. Thanks!)
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