Monthly Archives: December 2013

‘Light Up Old Lyme’ Starts Tonight with Tree Lighting at Town Hall, Opening Reception at Lyme Academy College

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christmastree1:11pm Update: The Lyme-Old Lyme Chamber of Commerce and the Town of Old Lyme will host a Christmas tree lighting this afternoon at 4 p.m. outside the Old Lyme town Hall.

The Lyme-Old Lyme Middle School band will play carols and seasonal music inside the Meeting Hall to accompany the ceremony.

Hot chocolate and cookies will be offered after the event in the foyer.

The Student Holiday Show and Sale opens this evening in the Sill House Gallery at Lyme Academy College of Fine Arts at 5 p.m. with a free reception open to all.  The reception continues through 8 p.m.

The Tim O’Brien exhibition in the Chauncey Stillman Gallery will also be on view.

Student Holiday Art Show & Sale Continues at Lyme Academy College Through Dec. 14

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Prints of 'Holiday Cheer' (pen, ink and watercolor) by senior Emily Bridge will be on sale at the show.

Prints of ‘Holiday Cheer’ (pen, ink and watercolor) by senior Emily Bridge will be on sale at the show.

Get a jump-start on holiday shopping while supporting emerging artists by attending the Lyme Academy College of Fine Arts annual Student Holiday Art Show and Sale.  This always popular event opens with a festive reception at the College’s Sill House Gallery on Friday, Dec. 6, from 5 to 8 p.m.  All are welcome and admission is free.

The show will comprise a selection of original works by student artists from the College.  The exceptional quality of the artwork reflects the high-quality of teaching at the College by faculty who, in addition to their teaching roles, are all working artists.  The artwork is attractively priced and sold on a cash and carry basis.  All proceeds benefit the student artist.

The sale continues through Saturday, Dec. 14.  Sill House Gallery hours are Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.  All are welcome and admission is free.

For more information, call 860-434-3571 ext. 135.

Chester’s Annual Holiday Night Festival Tonight

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”Snow Daze,” a painting by Jean Dalton, will be among the featured art at Maple & Main's “Snow Show,” opening Dec. 6 at Chester's Holiday Night Festival.

”Snow Daze,” a painting by Jean Dalton, will be among the featured art at Maple & Main’s “Snow Show,” opening Dec. 6 at Chester’s Holiday Night Festival.

If you’re looking for holiday magic, look no further than Chester on Friday evening, Dec. 6. That night the historic Chester village will be especially festive with the annual tree-lighting and caroling, while all the galleries and shops beckon you in with holiday goodies and lots of holiday inspiration.

Chester’s Annual Holiday Night Festival, which is co-sponsored by the Town of Chester, Chester Rotary Club and the Merchants of Chester, will begin at 6:00 p.m. in Chester Center. Carolers from the Chester Elementary School, led by music teacher Meg Gister, and the United Church of Chester choir will sing as they walk through the center. They’ll pause for Chester Rotary’s lighting of the bushes along the old Chester Wall and then will gather around the town tree at the flagpole at Maple and Main Streets for the tree-lighting and community sing-along. The Chester Boy Scouts Troop 13 will line the streets with luminaries, Saint Lucia Girls will stroll around with cookies, and students from Rayna’s School of Dance will perform.

The plentiful art and photography galleries of Chester will host new exhibits and the shops will be full of holiday gift ideas. The town’s new 2013 pewter ornament, designed by Chester artist Peter Good, will be sold in the shops and galleries.

Free parking is available at the Water Street and the Maple Street parking lots, both a short walk to the center. More information about Chester can be found at visitchesterct.org.

Here’s a glimpse of some of the special events in the shops and galleries on Holiday Night:

The Al Malpa Photography Gallery will be open, showcasing photos by Al, holiday refreshments, and Chester books and movies from the Chester Historical Society.

Stop in at Ceramica for a cup of hot coffee AND to see some of our latest shipment from Italy! We’re also showing off our funky & fun ‘Vintage’ items and handsome Connecticut crafts! Remember to leave your email address in our ‘Free Drawing’ bowl for your chance to win a beautiful Ceramica piece! We’ll be open until 8:00 for your shopping pleasure…Tree Lighting evening and EVERY Friday leading up to Christmas!

Cummings & Good will feature their self-published long, literate and artful calendar, whose theme for 2014 is TREE. Both their second floor gallery and first floor boutique will entice with unique and original, art, artifacts, and body adornments.

The Chester Gallery’s annual Postcard Show, where all art is the size of a postcard or smaller, opens Friday, Dec. 6 from 6 to 8 p.m. Come sip champagne by the fire. This year’s C&G calendar featuring Richard Ziemann’s “Black Spruce” for the month of July will be available along with Chester Merchants pewter ornaments.

The Connecticut River Artisans will be open until 8 p.m. offering Sparkly Angel kisses and 10% off with postcard and email address. Nibbles will be available.

Glowing Gold! New collection of artisan jewelry created in 14kt and 18kt gold for the holiday season by Dina Varano. Join us for a glass of wine, wonderful gift ideas and our signature wrapping all season long!

Visit the Hammered Edge Studio & Gallery on its 19th Holiday Night in Chester from 5 to 9 p.m. during our last winter season in Chester before moving to an expanded gallery and studio at 108 Main Street in Ivoryton across from the Ivoryton Playhouse.

Lori Warner Studio/Gallery: Black and White never goes out of style…. Neither does glitz or glamour! Join us for the unveiling of Mandy Carroll Leiva’s exquisite Black and White jewelry collection featuring black and gray diamonds, Tahitian pearls and moonstones. Lori Warner unveils a new series of black and white artwork. We’ll be celebrating like it’s 1966!

The “Snow Show” will open at Maple and Main Gallery. The exhibit in the newly renovated Back Gallery features depictions of winter from abstract to realistic by the gallery artists. The gallery Christmas tree will make its debut, loaded with small paintings perfect for gift giving. and they all are priced at just $75. Wine and cookies will be served.

The Chester Gallery's annual Postcard Show, where all art is the size of a postcard or smaller, is one of the many special events on Friday evening, Dec. 6 during Chester's Annual Holiday Night Festival. All are welcome to participate in the town carol sing and tree-lighting in Chester Center beginning at 6 p.m. as well as the many gallery openings and special events in town.

The Chester Gallery’s annual Postcard Show, where all art is the size of a postcard or smaller, is one of the many special events on Friday evening, Dec. 6 during Chester’s Annual Holiday Night Festival. All are welcome to participate in the town carol sing and tree-lighting in Chester Center beginning at 6 p.m. as well as the many gallery openings and special events in town.

Meetings Today at Old Lyme Town Hall, Volunteers Still Needed for Boathouse Improvements Committee

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The Old Lyme Historic District Commission will meet at 9 a.m. today in the Second Floor Conference Room at Old Lyme’s Memorial Town Hall.

There will be two further meetings this evening in the town hall.  At 5:30 p.m., the Rte. 156 Bike Way and Sound View Improvements Grant Committee will meet and followed later at 7:30 p.m. by the Old Lyme Board of Selectmen.

The Old Lyme Board of Selectmen has issued a final call for applications to serve on Boathouse Hains Park Improvements Committee (BHPIC).  Send your application to selectmansoffice@oldlyme-ct.gov by Dec. 2.

A Letter from Paris: Art Déco in the Air

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Nicole Prévost Logan

Nicole Prévost Logan

“When Art Déco seduced the World” is one of the most popular  exhibits of this season in Paris.  It celebrates the artistic movement which bloomed in the 1920s and the 1930s.  Monuments of that period can be seen around the world — from Moscow to Shanghai or Brussels and particularly in New York City.

What is Art Déco?  In the lineage of late 19th century Art Nouveau and the Arts and Crafts movement, it is a celebration of “total art” forms with the use of multiple materials:  glass, wood, ceramic, wrought iron, and the introduction of reinforced concrete.  The style even included the production of furniture featuring textiles and fashion made famous by designer Paul Poiret.

The architecture and sculpture were characterized by geometric and stylized forms.  Completed for the 1937 international exhibit,  the Palais de Chaillot,  also called Trocadéro  is probably the most imposing monument of Paris and is built along classical, but very sober lines.  It replaced the much-maligned neo-moorish former Trocadéro.

Art Déco was the artistic expression of modernism.  It was emblematic of the relief felt after the end of World War I. Artists had a field day applying their creations to the most visible buildings of urban life like swimming pools or stadiums.

But what they enjoyed most were the department stores.  Their elegant cupolas, grand staircases, decorated with colorful ceramic, their crystal chandeliers dazzled the new consumer class.  In Paris, the department stores multiplied, including Le Bon Marché, La Samaritaine or Le Printemps.  Les Galeries Lafayette even orchestrated the  publicity stunt of a small plane landing on its roof.

Modern times meant an ever faster pace of life.  Nothing was more dashing than a Bugatti sports car surrounded by elegant “flappers” ready to take the wheel.  The new era also meant traveling the world.   On May 29, 1929,  the Normandie, the largest, most luxurious ocean liner ever built, made its maiden voyage from Le Havre to New York.  The ship turned into a “floating embassy” — a showcase for the diffusion of French art around the world.  Lalique, the master of glass carving,  created the panels of the Normandie’s first class.

In New York, the 14 original Art Déco buildings of the Rockefeller Center still stand.  One cannot miss the Alfred Janniot’s sculpture  placed above the entrance of the Maison Française.  The gilded bronze bas-relief represents the meeting of the American and the European continents.