The directors of a popular arts center located in the heart of Waveny are calling for entries for a new exhibition that’s designed to celebrate its historical 19th Century converted gallery by putting a spotlight on modes of transportation.
“Va Va Vroom! The Art of the Vehicle Prospectus” will open April 19 at Carriage Barn Arts Center.
The exhibition “celebrates the rich history of vehicles, cars, planes and trains set within the historic context of the Lapham Family, the original owners of the Waveny Estate,” said Eleanor Flatow, co-director of Carriage Barn Arts Center with fellow New Canaanite Arianne Kolb.
“In addition to telling the story of vehicles at Waveny through old photographs and didactic material, the exhibit will feature approximately 90 pieces of art selected by our guest curator—art and automobile curatorial expert Marianne Brunson Frisch—along with vintage motorcycles and racing posters.”
The exhibition may coincide with a 2015 installment of Caffeine & Carburetors (approvals at Waveny pending).
Restored by the Lapham family in 1913, around the same time that Waveny House was built, the Carriage Barn originally housed horses, carriages and cars, historians say.
According to the Carriage Barn Arts Center—which is sponsored by the nonprofit New Canaan Society for the Arts—Jack Lapham enjoyed flying and introduced airplanes to his parents’ Waveny estate.
“The design of cars and motorcycles is an art form in itself and its aesthetic qualities have inspired artists for generations,” said a press release for the upcoming exhibition. “Approximately 90 works by contemporary artists will be displayed with three vintage motorcycles from a private collection, and vintage racing posters.”
On the heels of last year’s hugely popular “Absolut Cuba” party, an attendant “Monaco Grand Prix” fundraiser is planned at Carriage Barn Arts Center for May 16—details to come.