Category Archives: News

PARJE Selects Lead Artists for Sister Murals in Old Lyme, New London

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An opening frame from the time-lapse video by Emida Roller shows the Sister Mural in Norwich, which was unveiled on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, 2022.

OLD LYME/NEW LONDON — This spring, Public Art for Racial Justice Education (PARJE) will bring its Sister Murals Project to Old Lyme and New London.

PARJE, which was officially launched March 1, 2021, utilizes the broad appeal of art and education to confront racial injustice. Last month, after the unveiling of its first Sister Mural in Norwich on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the group has now partnered with two more artists; Jasmine Oyola-Blumenthal in Old Lyme, and Marvin Espy in New London. 

Lead artist for the Old Lyme Sister Mural is Jasmine Oyola-Blumenthal.

Oyola-Blumenthal will serve as the lead mural artist for the Old Lyme mural. She joins the Sister Murals Project as an alumna of Lyme Academy College of Fine Arts and is looking forward to her homecoming there.

The Old Lyme Sister Mural will be installed inside Lyme-Old Lyme Middle School,  adjacent to the gymnasium. In addition to her role as lead artist, Oyola-Blumenthal will work with school faculty to develop student workshops, which will coordinate with the project. 

Oyola-Blumenthal and her counterpart, Marvin Espy, in New London were selected from a field of nearly 20 applicants.

In her application, Oyola-Blumenthal referred to the ability for art to inspire people to talk to one another saying, “Art is a neutral vessel that can bring forth conversations that can be uncomfortable and promote opportunities to open dialogue on racial justice and education.”

Oyola Blumenthal also has extensive experience working with students.  

Marvin Espy is the lead artist for the New London Sister Mural.

Espy, the lead artist for the New London mural, is also committed to involving and empowering area youth through art and education. From mentoring young artists to promoting art therapy, Espy appreciates the countless applications of art.

Discussing the potential for Sister Mural sites to be safe spaces that assist in facilitating difficult conversations, Espy tells Eddie Long, PARJE Co-Chair, “What  excites me the most about this project is the chance to hear from the community, especially the  students.” 

Espy is a transplant to New London, but the local community has gotten to know him quite well. His  studio is inside the Dewart Building, which houses the studios of several New London artists. Last summer, Espy had a popular solo exhibition, ‘Patina,’ at the Thames River Gallery in New London.

The Sister Mural in New London will be installed in Fulton Park, which is located on Water Street. Easily walkable from New  London’s downtown, Fulton Park includes basketball courts as well as a playscape for children. The large space is nestled between two large apartment complexes and the New London Police Department. In 2018, Charlie King, owner of Hive Skate Shop in New London, led a successful effort to have a skate park built on the grounds of Fulton Park.  

With the help of RiseUP for Arts and CT Murals, PARJE will install five Sister Murals in five towns:  Norwich, Old Lyme, New London, East Lyme, and Old Saybrook.  

Public Art for Racial Justice Education is a broadly-based, interracial, non-partisan, non-sectarian organization consisting of volunteers from all around southeastern Connecticut.

For regular updates on the progress of the Sister Murals Project, check out Public Art for Racial Justice Education on Facebook and Instagram.  

For additional information, email racialjusticeart@gmail.com or visit racialjusticeart.org.

Editor’s Note: This article is based on a press release issued by PARJE.

Registration Opens for RTP Estuary Center Summer Camp, Limited Number of Spaces

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All the fun of the RTP Estuary Summer Camp!

OLD LYME — Join the Roger Tory Peterson (RTP) Estuary Center and spend the summer where science, nature and art combine with fun.

While each session has a natural science focus, children will be busy discovering animals and plants, conducting hands-on experiments, making new friends and enjoying outdoor activities. Each week-long session will focus on a project relevant to the week’s theme, participating in a hands-on curriculum tailored to meet each child’s interest and skills.

Camp will run from June 20 to Aug 19, 2022. Campers are organized in groups based on their ages. Each weekly session’s enrollment is limited to:

  • 12 campers for the Ecology Camp (Ages 5-7)
  • 12 campers for the Ecology Camp (Ages 8-10)
  • 8 campers for the Junior Naturalists Camp (Ages 11-13)

Adventure and discovery await all campers at the RTP Estuary Center, but space is limited so early registration is recommended.

For more information and/or registration for any of the programs listed below, visit this link.

Weekly themes for the Ecology Camp are as follows:

Week 1: Estuary Explorers
June 20 – 24
Dive into the extraordinary world of estuary life! Campers will learn about the creatures, plants and algae that live in this environment through hands-on discovery. Seine nets, magnifying glasses, microscopes and buckets will give us the up-close view of critters before they’re released. Weekly project includes building and testing their own a clean water filter.

Week 2: Art and Science Discovery
June 27- July 1
Release the artist within! Science invites inquiry, while art inspires the creative process. The two will interconnect in this explorative hands-on session.  By experimenting with a variety of materials and mediums, we will witness firsthand the intriguing, beautiful results that can happen! And for campers who wish to capture everything they learn and do, there will be daily time for journaling. Weekly project includes a large scale collaborative multimedia art piece using found and repurposed objects.

Week 3: Nature Engineers
July 5- 8 *no camp on July 4
Build, test, design and trial -STEAM in ACTION! Put your skills to the test this week as you construct, explore, problem solve, test materials and work cooperatively! Campers will explore the ways animals engineer their environments and learn about biomimicry. Based on their observations, campers will create their own tools to solve real-life problems.

Week 4: Fantastic Flyers
July 11-15
Take flight and discover the mystery of birds, bats, dragonflies, and butterflies. Campers will search for these winged creatures and their homes as we discover the outdoors! We’ll unveil the mysteries of beaks, talons, and feathers as we explore the birds’ many talents and skills. Learn to use binoculars and field guides! Campers will create a bird feeding station and each day conduct a bird count and collect data on bird behaviors.

Week 5: Wild Water Wonders
July 18- 22
Investigate the mysteries of water, mud and soil! Worms, slugs, and snails are just the beginning of what you will discover! Campers will explore what lives in the water and help take care of our classroom tanks as well as learn about the importance of taking care of our water sources. Each day will bring a new water experiment for campers to explore.

Week 6: Super Scientists
July 25 -29
Explore and venture into the ologies! Biology, ecology, ornithology, hydrology and more!    While studying all the ologies learn about plant and animal adaptations, water and soil quality and much more! From birds to bugs and soil to water, we’ll see what the natural world is all about. This week, campers will conduct a plant study of their design.

Week 7: Eco-Adventurers
Aug 1-5
Frogs, salamanders, butterflies, and birds await! There will be a new adventure every day as we pond dip, catch insects, and explore nature. We’ll use nets, water quality testing equipment, microscopes, and much more. Captivating explorations, investigations, games, and creative activities fill the days! Weekly project includes designing and building your own mini-habitat diorama.

Week 8: Budding Scientists
Aug 8-12
Campers will catch and study insects, search for wild birds, track animals, and design their very own field journal filled with their weekly discoveries! Each day will explore a different topic as we investigate all our natural world has to offer!

Week 9: Art and Science Discovery
Aug 15-19
Science invites inquiry, while art inspires the creative process. The two will interconnect in this explorative hands-on session. By experimenting with a variety of materials and mediums, we’ll will witness firsthand the intriguing, beautiful results that can happen! Campers will participate in weekly sketching activities in their very own art sketchbook.

Weekly themes for Junior Naturalists are as follows:

River Rangers
June 27- July 1

Interested in science and ecology? Want to learn how to design your own research? Campers will collect data, conduct scientific investigations and design experiments using real scientific
equipment. Each day campers will work on their investigation as they ask and answer their own scientific questions.

Eco-Art
Aug 1-5

Be inspired by the natural world! Conduct mini science experiments and use digital microscopes to create nature – inspired works of art through sketching, painting, and mixed media. Campers will work on multi-day projects building on what they learned the day before.

Lyme-Old Lyme HS Students Win Major Awards at 2022 CT Scholastic Art Contest

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This work by Lyme-Old Lyme High School Senior Elle Myers titled, ‘Coming to the surface,’ was awarded a Gold Key in Painting at the CT Scholastic Awards.

OLD LYME — Six students from the Lyme-Old Lyme High School (LOLHS) Art Department were recognized at this year’s prestigious Connecticut Scholastic Art Awards. The contest celebrates the work of talented young artists in the state in grades 7 through 12.

Student artwork is juried by professional artists and university art faculty and selected on merit for inclusion in a statewide art exhibition held at the Hartford Art School. Beyond the honor of being chosen for this highly selective exhibition, students are eligible for Gold or Silver Keys and Honorable Mention awards in each of 17 media categories.

Lyme-Old Lyme High School Senior Elle Myers received a Gold Key in Painting, as well as Silver Keys in both Painting and Drawing.

‘Timothy Posing’ by LOLHS Senior Elle Myers received a Silver Key in Drawing at the CT Scholastic Art Awards.

Lyme-Old Lyme High School Senior Olivia Schaedler was awarded a Gold Key in Photography for her work titled, ‘Cables,’ pictured below.

The winners of Gold Keys will subsequently have their artwork submitted digitally to the National  Scholastic Art Awards where they will be juried against Gold Key winners from all 50 states.

Senior Samantha Geshel received two Honorable Mentions in Painting, and Senior Shawn Grenier was given an Honorable Mention in Digital Art.

Junior Lea Wilson was awarded a Silver Key in Comic Art for the work titled, ‘Bread Duck,’ pictured above, and Sydney Goulding received an Honorable Mention in Ceramics and Glass.

The Connecticut Regional Scholastic Art Awards Program is sponsored by the Connecticut Art Education Association and the University of Hartford, Hartford Art School.

A virtual Awards Celebration was held Feb. 12.

A la Carte: This Five-Way Chili is All The Way From Cincinnati!

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Lee White

I get excited when I see old recipes in my computer and haven’t made in decades. 

Friends asked if I could make dessert for 12. I wanted it to be yummy and attractive and decided on a flan, or custard. I’d made it often as a dish but not in years. When you take it out of the oven and turn it onto a slightly oval plate, the caramel waves over and stays that way for hours.

I had all the ingredients but didn’t read the instructions carefully, so there were problems.

I came close to over-toasting the coconut, although I caught it in time and tossed it onto a cool granite counter so it continued to the right golden color.

Then I cooked the cup of sugar into a skillet. Then I sat down to read.

Uh-oh, it burned.

Used another skillet and another cup of sugar. I paid attention and it worked.

As I turned the caramel into the cake pan, I realized I’d misread the recipe: it needed 1 ½ cups of sugar and I should have used an 8-inch pan, not the 9-inch. The recipe worked, but I had not remembered my maxim: like a carpenter reads twice and cuts once, I had not read twice and cooked once. (With elbow grease, I saved the first skillet!)

This weekend I wanted something easier, something that require little precision.

I made a big pot of marinara with sweet and hot sausage. Then I made Cincinnati 5-Way Chili. I love this dish and a note by Kathy Gunst on Facebook reminded me that I have it in my own computer files. Recipes like this one gives me absolution: if you don’t have all the spices and don’t want to add spaghetti and prefer to deep-six the beans, it’s still delicious!

Cincinnati 5-Way Chili
Adapted from USA Cookbook by Sheila Lukins (Workman, New York, 1997)

Photo by American Heritage Chocolate on Unsplash.

Yield: serves 6 

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 pounds ground beef (or 1 pound ground beef and 1 pound ground lamb)
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons cumin
¼ teaspoon each of ground cinnamon, ground allspice, coriander and ground cardamom
1 28-ounce can plum or crushed tomatoes (Muir Glen if you have it)
2 tablespoon tomato paste
2 tablespoon red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons honey
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 pound spaghetti or linguine
2 cans (15 ½ ounces each) dark red kidney beans, rinsed and drained, for garnish
4 to 6 scallions (3 inches green left one), thinly sliced on the diagonal, for garnish
½ (one-half) pound grated Monterey Jack cheese, for garnish

Place oil and onions in a heavy pot over low heat, and cook, stirring, until wilted, 10 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 2 minutes, stirring often. Crumble in the beef (or beef and lamb, if you are using) and raise the heat to medium. Brown well, stirring often to break up the clumps, 10 minutes. Remove any excess fat from the pot.

Add cocoa and all the spices to the meat and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add tomatoes and their juice, tomato paste, vinegar and honey. Bring to a simmer and cook, uncovered, until the flavors are well blended, 20 to 30 minutes.

Adjust the seasoning, then season generously with salt and pepper, to taste. (You can now turn off the heat and cover the chili until ready to serve, up to 3 or 4 hours. If not ready to use until tomorrow, refrigerate. Bring to a simmer before serving.)

Shortly before serving, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the spaghetti or linguine until just tender, about 10 minutes. Heat the beans in a covered saucepan over low heat.

Drain pasta thoroughly. Divide the pasta among six shallow pasta bowls. Top with the chili, then the kidney beans, scallions and grated cheese.

Serve immediately.

About the author: Lee White has been writing about restaurants and cooking since 1976 and has been extensively published in the Worcester (Mass.) Magazine, The Day, Norwich Bulletin, and Hartford Courant. She currently writes Nibbles and a cooking column called A La Carte for LymeLine.com and the Shore Publishing and the Times newspapers, both of which are owned by The Day. She was a resident of Old Lyme for many years but now lives in Groton, Conn. Contact Lee at leeawhite@aol.com.

‘Estuary’ Magazine of Old Lyme Celebrates Second Anniversary with Spring 2022 Edition 

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The cover of the Spring 2022 ‘estuary’ magazine.

OLD LYME — Estuary Magazine, Life of the Connecticut River, founded in 2020 by Estuary Ventures of Old Lyme, Conn., celebrates its second anniversary with the publication of its Spring 2022 issue available by subscription or at select retail venues the first week of March. 

Estuary is a unique publication and the only magazine dedicated to the watershed of the Connecticut River, an area twice the size of the state itself.

The source of the 409-mile-long river is near the Canadian border in New Hampshire; it flows down along the border between New Hampshire and Vermont, passing through western Massachusetts and central Connecticut to the estuary, below Middletown, Conn., with Old Saybrook and Essex on the west side, and Old Lyme and East Haddam on the east side. 

Estuary covers the watershed: its history, wildlife, plant life, recreation, conservation, restoration, art and culture.  The people and the future of the Connecticut River are captured in fascinating articles and award-winning photography.

A magazine has thus been created to reflect the rich diversity of the Connecticut River valley, its people, and its potential with content directed to the interests of the more than 2 million people, who live in the watershed. 

“We want our readers to enjoy the Estuary experience and learn through the stories, photographs and other images.,” says Dick Shriver, founder and publisher of the magazine.

He adds, “With regard to conservation and restoration, we believe that as more people learn about the challenges faced by the watershed in lay terms, more people will volunteer and contribute talent and other resources to the care of this special natural resource.”

Estuary’s readership now numbers in the thousands, more than double the number a year ago.  Advertising pages have also more than tripled in the past year.

“Our advertising partners understand and applaud Estuary’s mission and their support demonstrates their commitment to protect, preserve and restore the Connecticut River watershed,” explains Laura Lee Miller, Director of Advertising for estuary.

A story on the Lyme Land Trust can be found in the Spring 2022 edition of ‘estuary’ magazine.

Estuary works closely with the CT River Conservancy (CRC) in Greenfield, Mass.  Headed by Dr. Andrew Fiske, CRC and estuary collaborate to support the work of CRC and other non-profits operating for the benefit of the watershed.  

Thanks to a grant directed to help the magazine, all 700 participants in Lyme Land Trust’s May 22 event, the Tour de Lyme, will receive a free copy of the Spring 2022 issue.  

“The magazine itself is the best marketing tool we have,” notes Shriver, “and the more copies we can put in peoples’ hands, the more support we will have for Estuary and awareness of the work to be done.” 

An example of the type of articles found in estuary is this piece by the late Eleanor Robinson, titled, Meeting of the Waters.

Estuary magazine, is published quarterly and is available in print and online for $40 per year (four issues).  Subscribe now or give as a gift. For either option, visit this link:  https://estuarymagazine.com/subscribe/