Join us on in the Trefz Forum for a reception (6-7 pm in the South Gallery) and conversation (7-8 pm in the Trefz Forum) with Norm Siegel to discuss his new exhibit, Visual Curiosities, running in the South Gallery from October 27, 2023, through January 8, 2024.
Please register HERE
In case you missed the event, you may watch the recorded program here.
The Library is pleased to be able to offer free programs and events through the generous donations of patrons like you. Please consider giving to the Library so that we can continue to offer events like this one. Your donation is tax deductible. Donate Now!
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Pictured (L to R): The Scream (2020) and Crumpled (2016)
In celebration of Verso University's exploration of the CT Art Trail, join us on December 5, at 11 am, for a presentation about The Art Museum at University of Saint Joseph, located in West Hartford, Connecticut.
This event will take place in the Brooks Place program room on the Library's main level. Please register for this free event HERE.
The collection of the Art Museum at University of Saint Joseph was founded in 1937 with an initial gift of American art from a Hartford parish priest, including paintings by Georgia O’Keeffe, Thomas Hart Benton, and Milton Avery. Ann Sievers, director and curator of the Art Museum, will discuss the history and development of the collection as well as the many ways it is used to advance teaching and learning at the University, train K-12 educators, and provide programming for the wider community. A longtime member of the Connecticut Art Trail, the Art Museum at the University of Saint Joseph is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums.
Ann Sievers has been director and curator of the Art Museum at the University of Saint Joseph since 2002. A specialist in works of art on paper, her previous curatorial post was at the Smith College Museum of Art, where she was in charge of prints, drawings, and photographs. She has organized nationally and internationally touring exhibitions, including a show of master drawings presented at the Uffizi Gallery (Florence, Italy) and the Fondacion La Caixa (Madrid, Spain). Her exhibitions at University of Saint Joseph include In Memoriam (2018), which examined commemorative works by an international roster of contemporary artists, Tajima in Relief (2021), featuring one of Japan’s most prominent 20th century abstract printmakers, and the upcoming Evolution and Revolution: Identity and Power in Puerto Rican and Diasporican Art (Spring 2024). She holds degrees in art history from Wellesley College and Boston University.
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Each month, Verso University will bring individual curators and/or museum directors, from the CT Art Trail membership to the Library for a deeper dive into that museum’s particular mission and exhibits — past and present. Participants will have an opportunity for deeper learning and gain an insider’s view of the museums, their collections and history, along with an invitation for an on-site visit. The Connecticut Art Trail is a nationally recognized partnership between 23 world-class museums and historic sites, created to promote Connecticut’s rich cultural assets.
Verso University is the Library’s lifelong learning and education initiative, serving up year-round offerings of classes, workshops, and lectures designed to further education and learning. Offerings run the gamut of educational opportunities, ranging from one-time lectures to ongoing courses to classes that meet weekly or perhaps monthly.
Verso University programs are made possible by the generous support of the Nancy J. Beard Lifelong Learning and Education Fund.
Museum Passes
Virtual Museum Tours
This fall, comic art, deconstructed case-bound book boards, and visual mixed media all grace the walls of The Westport Library gallery spaces, collecting the unique works of local artists with national attention including Marc Zaref, Niki Ketchman, Rowan MacColl, and Connor McCann.
Connor McCann's instructive exhibition panel
Coinciding with the Neil Gaiman StoryFest Keynote Conversation and Fall 2023 Malloy Lecture in the Arts lecture (Friday, October 20) is the visual companion in the Sheffer Gallery, Panels & Gutters: The Comic Art of Rowan MacColl and Connor McCann.
The exhibition celebrates the form storytelling in comic art featuring MacColl's and McCann’s illustrations with added panels demonstrating their conceptual and technical process. MacColl and McCann are both recent graduates of Staples High School and the Rhode Island School of Design, navigating the art scene with great success.
Rowan MacColl's process panel for Panels & Gutters: The Comic Art of Rowan MacColl and Connor McCann
MacColl is a comic artist and illustrator whose work has been published in various anthologies and art fairs. MacColl’s latest graphic novel, Who Was Accused in the Salem Witch Trials?: Tituba will be published in September 2023 by Penguin Random House.
McCann is a cartoonist and designer. His critically acclaimed graphic novel God Bless The Machine was published and distributed internationally by Strangers Publishing in 2021, and the highly anticipated follow-up will be released this fall.
The opening reception and artist talk (Thursday, October 19, reception 6-7 pm, artist talk 7-8 pm) will have MacColl and McCann reuniting with their former art teacher, fellow artist, and Westport Artists Collective member Katherine Ross. The conversation will focus on MacColl and McCann’s transition from college to the art world, freelance commissions, the role of social media in art promotion, and their upcoming graphic novels.
Cascade 2023, by multidisciplinary artist Zaref, features a Jesup Gallery site-specific designed installation of recycled, deconstructed case-bound book boards.
“Cascade, along with its description of falling water, is a term in music referencing a progression of notes,” said Zaref. “I took advantage of an unusual feature—a partially open ceiling, a place to begin a cascade, the illusion of an unknown source of the piece—not unlike an underground stream or the mind of a musician.”
The South Gallery hosts Ketchman’s Resinations with mixed media resin 12" x 12" visual works. Over the years, Ketchman has exhibited extensively, including one-person museum exhibitions at the Katonah Museum, the New Britain Museum of American Art, and the DeCordova Museum and Sculpture Park. Reviews of her work have appeared in The New York Times, Art in America, Sculpture Magazine, and The Boston Globe, among others.
"I start each piece with a 12" x 12" stretched canvas. Then I either paint on the surface of the canvas or adhere a digital print of one of my photos that has often been manipulated in Photoshop,” said Ketchman.
“Once I have the initial image, I spread out many of my materials on a worktable in my studio: fabrics, beads, string, wire, metal ornaments, lace, etc. This is my palette. Once I am satisfied, I pour resin over the whole piece. The resin coating makes the whole piece feel more like an object than a painting or collage. With its shiny and indestructible surface, it is now a Resination."
The two former exhibitions celebrated with an opening reception and artist talk on August 29 moderated by Westport Artist Collective co-founder Miggs Burroughs.
All three exhibitions run through October 25.
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Rounding out the art activity at The Westport Library is The Westport Artists Collective “Affordable Art Trunk Show and Sale” on Sunday, October 1, from 11 am to 4 pm in the lower parking lot adjacent to the Library and Jesup Green (Taylor Lot).
Around 40 members of the Artists Collective of Westport will be displaying their artwork out of the trunk of their cars — all for sale at affordable prices. The Artists Collective of Westport is a vibrant group of 150 creative individuals who have joined forces to discuss, create, and develop dynamic experiences for the Fairfield County community. The collective is open to all active artists in pursuit of expanding their careers and in developing a strong, diverse arts community.
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Artists pictured at top of page, clockwise from top left: Niki Ketchman, Connor McCann, Rowan MacColl (self portrait), and Marc Zaref
Please join us on October 19 in the Trefz Forum for a reception (6-7 pm) and conversation (7-8 pm) with Katherine Ross in conversation with the artists Rowan MacColl and Connor McCann about their exhibit, Panels & Gutters: The Comic Art of Rowan MacColl and Connor McCann. The exhibit was conceived as the visual arts companion to Storyfest, bringing the celebration of the story and all its forms to the Sheffer Gallery with a dual exhibition showcasing the art of the comic.
In case you missed the event, you may watch the recorded program here.
The Library is pleased to be able to offer free programs and events through the generous donations of patrons like you. Please consider giving to the Library so that we can continue to offer events like this one. Your donation is tax deductible. Donate Now!
Panels & Gutters: The Comic Art of Rowan MacColl and Connor McCann was conceived as the visual arts companion to StoryFest 2023, bringing the celebration of the story and all its forms to the Sheffer Gallery with a dual exhibition showcasing the art of the comic. The exhibit is on view in the Library's Sheffer Gallery from August 12 to October 25.
About the Artists:
MacColl is a comic artist and illustrator based in a tiny studio apartment in Queens, New York. She was born and raised in Westport, graduating Staples High School in 2014 and the Rhode Island School of Design in 2018. Since then, Rowan has been involved in various anthologies, art fairs, and publishing graphic novels. Her latest graphic novel, Who Was Accused in the Salem Witch Trials?: Tituba, e will be published September 2023. Rowan loves cats, fairy tales, and drawing voluminous historical outfits.
McCann is a cartoonist and designer based in Brooklyn, New York. A Westport native, he graduated from Staples High School in 2014. He received his BFA from the Rhode Island School of Design in 2018. His critically acclaimed graphic novel, God Bless The Machine, was published and distributed internationally by Strangers Publishing in 2021, and the highly anticipated follow up will be released this fall. He loves Pieter Bruegel paintings, vinyl toys, and falling asleep standing up.
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The Library is pleased to be able to offer free programs and events through the generous donations of patrons like you. Please consider giving to the Library so that we can continue to offer events like this one. Your donation is tax deductible. Donate Now!
Art of Comics
Westport Local Artists
On view in the South Gallery, August 12 to October 25, is an exhibit by artist Niki Ketchman: RESINATIONS.
Ketchman will also take part in an artist conversation on August 29 from 6-8 pm with fellow exhibitor Marc Zaref (Marc's work is on view in Jesup Gallery) and Miggs Burroughs.
About RESINATIONS:
"I start each piece with a 12" x 12" stretched canvas. Then I either paint on the surface of the canvas or adhere a digital print of one of my photos that has often been manipulated in Photoshop. I photograph anything that happens to catch my eye, such as a reflection in a window, tar spread on the road, or light on the water at the beach. As you can see, they are things one might see while going through a normal day.
"Once I have the initial image, I spread out many of my materials on a worktable in my studio: fabrics, beads, string, wire, metal ornaments, lace, etc. This is my palette. I work intuitively trying out different additions to my original image. Sometimes I cut the canvas leaving an opening through which one can see. Then whatever I add is attached behind the opening. This process is, in part, an investigation of actual depth verses perceived depth.
"Once I am satisfied, I pour resin over the whole piece. The resin takes 24 hours to cure. The resin coating makes the whole piece feel more like an object than a painting or collage. With its shiny and indestructible surface, it is now a Resination."
About the Artist:
Ketchman has been a working artist for more than 40 years, creating paintings, digital photographs, drawings, collages, resin-coated pieces, and sculptures. In recent years her primary work has been sculpture although she has continued to make 2D work, which often serves as a thinking process for her.
Over the years Ketchman has exhibited extensively, including one-person museum exhibitions at the Katonah Museum, the New Britain Museum of American Art, and the DeCordova Museum and Sculpture Park. Her work has been included in group shows at the Aldrich Museum of Contemporary Art, The Bruce Museum, Grounds for Sculpture, The Hammond Museum, The Fairfield University Art Museum, and the Neuberger Museum of Art.
In addition, Ketchman has exhibited at the Kouros Gallery in New York City, the Cortland Jessup Gallery in Provincetown, the Mona Berman Gallery in New Haven and the Gallery New World in Dusseldorf, Germany. Reviews of her work have appeared in The New York Times, Art in America, Sculpture Magazine, and The Boston Globe, among others.
Ketchman's work can be found in the permanent collections of the New Britain Museum of American Art, Picker Art Gallery (Colgate University), Grounds for Sculpture, DeCordova Museum, The National Museum of Women in the Arts, Housatonic Museum of Art, CUNY at Staten Island, Westport School System, and the Westport Historical Society, plus several corporate and private collections.
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The Library is pleased to be able to offer free programs and events through the generous donations of patrons like you. Please consider giving to the Library so that we can continue to offer events like this one. Your donation is tax deductible. Donate Now!
Visual Arts Collection
Westport Local Artists
Please join us on August 29 from 6 to 8 pm for a reception (6-7 pm) and conversation (7-8 pm) between Miggs Burroughs exhibiting artists Marc Zaref and Niki Ketchman, in the Trefz Forum.
In case you missed the event, you may watch the recorded program here.
On view in the Jesup Gallery, August 12 to October 25, is an exhibit by Zaref entitled CASCADE, 2023. In the South Gallery is Ketchman's work, RESINATIONS.
The Library is pleased to be able to offer free programs and events through the generous donations of patrons like you. Please consider giving to the Library so that we can continue to offer events like this one. Your donation is tax deductible. Donate Now!
On view in the Jesup Gallery, August 12 - October 25, 2023: An exhibit by artist Marc Zaref: CASCADE, 2023. This is a site-specific installation of deconstructed case-bound book boards.
Zaref will also take part in an artist conversation on August 29 from 6-8 pm with fellow exhibitor Niki Ketchman (Niki's work is on view in South Gallery) and Miggs Burroughs.
From the Artist:
“My book board installations begin with the deconstruction of case-bound books — all destined for recycling. I then reassemble the materials of linen and/or paper wrap covers to form dimensional panels. Each site-specific installation is unique however a musical theme is common. Cascade, along with its description of falling water, is a term in music referencing a progression of notes.
“Color, like music, is often described with words such as rhythm, harmony, and melody. The artist/musician has limitless choices in creating contrasts, harmonies, contradictions, and patterns. Assembled in a free and improvisational manner, color associations may draw the viewer into an area of the piece, perhaps triggering memories, emotions, or simply personal tastes.
“For the Library, the Jesup Gallery offered a unique and challenging environment to create within. Limited to a wall installation and in a popular seating area, I took advantage of an unusual feature– a partially open ceiling. A place to begin a cascade. The illusion of an unknown source of the piece–not unlike an underground stream or the mind
of a musician.”
More about Marc Zaref:
A multidisciplinary artist, Zaref is known to some as a sculptor, others as a painter, and many as a designer. Drawing is the foundation of his processes, and is apparent in his work on paper, through playful assemblages of forged and welded steel. His broad range of skills are paired with a comfort and knowledge of working with an extensive palette of methods and materials. This enables him to freely articulate his ideas and expressions in two and three dimensions.
Zaref’s design background, concentrated in the world of museums and galleries, gives him an understanding of partnership and collaboration. His role in the curatorial planning and execution of major exhibitions, from creating monographic, thematic, and period specific books, to designing exhibition spaces, exposed him to limitless visual influences. In this capacity he worked closely with artists, curators, museum board members and staff. While Marc continues to consult with institutions and provides design services on a per project basis, he transitioned to dedicating his time to his fine artwork in his studio and shop.
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The Library is pleased to be able to offer free programs and events through the generous donations of patrons like you. Please consider giving to the Library so that we can continue to offer events like this one. Your donation is tax deductible. Donate Now!
History of Music
Westport Local Artists
In celebration of Verso University's exploration of the CT Art Trail, join us on October 12 for a presentation about the New Britain Museum of Art in New Britain.
Dr. M. Stephen Miller will give a talk titled Masterworks of Shaker Design: Mount Lebanon, NY. This will be an illustrated lecture focused on the current exhibit at the museum.
This event will take place in the Brooks Place program room on the Library's main level. Please register for this free event HERE.
Miller has been a collector, researcher, writer, teacher, and speaker in the world of Shaker material culture for the past 47 years. His last two major books, From Shaker Lands and Shaker Hands: A Survey of the Industries and Inspired Innovations: A Celebration of Shaker Ingenuity were published by University Press of New England. Steve has been the curator, now guest curator, of a series of Shaker exhibitions in the NBMAA’s Shaker Gallery since 2015. The gallery was established and endowed by Steve and his wife, Miriam.
New Lebanon was the first fully formed Shaker community, founded in 1787. It closed in 1947. This was the home to the Parent Ministry, the acknowledged leaders of the seventeen other long-lasting Shaker villages that stretched from Maine to Kentucky. For most of its existence, it was also the largest of the Shaker communities, with up to 600 members by the middle 1800s. The name was changed from New to Mount in 1861, when congress granted them their own post office. In theory, at least, this was the place that all Believers looked to for leadership.
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Each month, Verso University will bring individual curators and/or museum directors, from the CT Art Trail membership to the Library for a deeper dive into that museum’s particular mission and exhibits — past and present. Participants will have an opportunity for deeper learning and gain an insider’s view of the museums, their collections and history, along with an invitation for an on-site visit. The Connecticut Art Trail is a nationally recognized partnership between 23 world-class museums and historic sites, created to promote Connecticut’s rich cultural assets.
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Verso University is the Library’s lifelong learning and education initiative, serving up year-round offerings of classes, workshops, and lectures designed to further education and learning. Offerings run the gamut of educational opportunities, ranging from one-time lectures to ongoing courses to classes that meet weekly or perhaps monthly.
Verso University programs are made possible by the generous support of the Nancy J. Beard Lifelong Learning and Education Fund.
Museum Passes
Virtual Museum Tours
L to R: Exhibit Curator Carole Erger-Fass, Ellen Naftalin, artist Charles Joyner, Anne Levine, Joan Miller, MaryEllen Hendricks, and Katherine Ross
Patrons who come into The Westport Library probably don’t think about what it takes to mount the rotating art exhibits that grace the walls of its three dedicated art galleries — or maintain the artwork on the walls throughout the building. The Library’s all-volunteer art committee, along with Westport Library Exhibit Curator Carole Erger-Fass, make it all happen.
Exhibiting original art is a key part of the Library’s programming and is the direct outgrowth of the town’s rich roots as an artist colony. Dating back to the early 1900s, and continuing through today, the Library has been committed to supporting Westport’s visual artists.
During the many years prior to the transformation of the Library in 2019, the esteemed artistic trio of Howard Munce, Leonard Everett Fisher, and Neil Hardy curated the Library’s exhibits of local artists, working in conjunction with then-Exhibit Curator Chris Timmons. In 2011, while contemplating retiring, the committee members recruited Ellen Naftalin and Anne Levine, both active volunteers at the Westport Historical Society; artist and Westpac member Joan Miller; and Westpac Co-Chair and Art Director Erger-Fass to join their crew. At their first official meeting together, Munce, Everett Fisher, and Hardy revealed their plans and turned over their hammers and nails to their new recruits.
Munce and Fisher were also responsible, along with Shirley Land, for assembling the Library’s 100-plus item collection, Black and White Works on Paper. That, along with many paintings, prints, and photographs, make up the Library’s extensive permanent collection. These holdings, plus the dozen or so yearly rotating exhibits, are part of the art committee’s purview. Prior to the transformation project, all the permanent works needed to be photographed, catalogued, and packed up — a painstaking job that Timmons managed with the help of the committee. And once the rebuilding was complete, the team was responsible for rehanging it all in the Library’s new home.
Miggs Burroughs interviews botanical artist Dick Rauh in the Library's Trefz Forum.
In 2020, just before the pandemic, Timmons announced her own retirement as exhibit curator, and the Library subsequently hired Erger-Fass as her successor. Looking to expand the team, Erger-Fass added artist Katherine Ross, photographer MaryEllen Hendricks, and finally, local artist/legend Miggs Burroughs to the team. These three members are also members of the Artists Collective of Westport, bringing a natural synergy with one of the town’s robust artistic resources.
“As a local photographer, I was so honored to be involved in such a forward-thinking institution as The Westport Library,” Hendricks said. “Being a part of the committee has been such a joy for me. Meeting the artists and hanging their work has been very inspiring.”
The committee meets several times a year to discuss and plan the gallery schedule, and generally books ahead about two years. Their goal is to showcase the diversity of Westport’s art scene, including a variety of media. The Sheffer, South, and the Jesup galleries each have three to four shows per calendar year, which Erger-Fass and the committee curate, install, and ultimately de-install. They also host artist receptions and talks, with each member participating in the exhibit process from start to finish.
“I have been on many volunteer committees over the years, and this is by far the most gratifying,” said Naftalin, a 12-year veteran of the committee. “The artists we work with are a diverse group of Westport’s finest, and we try to continue Westport’s tradition of being an artist’s colony.”
In celebration of Verso University's exploration of the CT Art Trail, join us on November 15 at 11 am for a presentation about the The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum.
Join Cybele Maylone, executive director of The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum in Ridgefield, to learn about the institution's long history of groundbreaking exhibitions and about upcoming shows, including Yvette Mayorga: Dreaming of You and Chiffon Thomas: The Cavernous.
This event will take place in in the Komansky Program Room on the Library's main level. Please register for this free event HERE.
The Westport Library has a museum pass available for The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum, which entitles the holder of the pass and four family members entry to the museum. Learn more by clicking here, and explore all our museum passes here.
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Cybele Maylone has served as the executive director of The Aldrich since 2018. Prior to joining the museum, she was the executive director of UrbanGlass in Brooklyn, New York, and also held positions with apexart and the New Museum in New York City.
Founded by art collector and fashion designer Larry Aldrich in 1964, The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum is one of the oldest contemporary art museums in the United States. The museum is one of the few independent, non-collecting institutions in the country and the only museum in Connecticut solely dedicated to the presentation of contemporary art. The Aldrich is internationally recognized for its artist-centric programs and visionary exhibitions, presenting first solo museum exhibitions by emerging artists, significant exhibitions of established artists, and thematic group exhibitions.
In subsequent months, Verso University will bring individual curators and/or museum directors, from the CT Art Trail membership to the Library for a deeper dive into that museum’s particular mission and exhibits — past and present. Participants will have an opportunity for deeper learning and gain an insider’s view of the museums, their collections and history, along with an invitation for an on-site visit. The Connecticut Art Trail is a nationally recognized partnership between 23 world-class museums and historic sites, created to promote Connecticut’s rich cultural assets.
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Verso University is the Library’s lifelong learning and education initiative, serving up year-round offerings of classes, workshops, and lectures designed to further education and learning. Offerings run the gamut of educational opportunities, ranging from one-time lectures to ongoing courses to classes that meet weekly or perhaps monthly.
Verso University programs are made possible by the generous support of the Nancy J. Beard Lifelong Learning and Education Fund.
Museum Passes
Virtual Museum Tours
In celebration of Verso University's exploration of the CT Art Trail, join us August 2 for a presentation about Weir Farm National Historical Park: A National Park for Art! Be inspired by of generations of world-class artists, including America's most beloved Impressionist Julian Alden Weir.
Weir Farm National Historical Park, located in Wilton and Ridgefield, was the first national park in Connecticut and one of the founding members of the Connecticut Art Trail. The only national park dedicated to American Impressionism, Weir Farm was home to three generations of artists including Julian Alden Weir, a leading figure in 19th century art and America’s most beloved Impressionist. Weir described his home as the “Great Good Place.” Weir’s farm is a national legacy to American Impressionism, the creative spirit, and historic preservation.
Jessica Kuhnen, Weir Farm National Historical Park's curator, will be at the Library to talk about the artistic legacy of Weir Farm and how contemporary artists use the park as a source of inspiration and creativity. Jessica will also highlight upcoming events and programs.
This event will take place in in Brooks Place. Please register for this free event HERE.
In subsequent months, Verso University will bring individual curators and/or museum directors, from the CT Art Trail membership to the Library for a deeper dive into that museum’s particular mission and exhibits — past and present. Participants will have an opportunity for deeper learning and gain an insider’s view of the museums, their collections and history, along with an invitation for an on-site visit. The Connecticut Art Trail is a nationally recognized partnership between 23 world-class museums and historic sites, created to promote Connecticut’s rich cultural assets.
Verso University is the Library’s lifelong learning and education initiative, serving up year-round offerings of classes, workshops, and lectures designed to further education and learning. Offerings run the gamut of educational opportunities, ranging from one-time lectures to ongoing courses to classes that meet weekly or perhaps monthly.
Verso University programs are made possible by the generous support of the Nancy J. Beard Lifelong Learning and Education Fund.
Museum Passes
Virtual Museum Tours
