Around Town

‘Art Was His Whole Life’: Celebrating the Life and Work of Norm Jensen, Sunday at the Carriage Barn

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The Carriage Barn Arts Center is set to host a unique celebration Sunday of the life and art of a beloved member of the New Canaan community. 

Norm Jensen, a Brooklyn, N.Y. native and 30-year town resident who worked as a graphic artist and was prolific in painting, ceramics and photography, died Feb. 13 at 84. A member of the Carriage Barn, Jensen “was always showing art at the Carriage Barn and all the other neighboring centers—Rowayton Arts Center, Ridgefield, Wilton,” according to his daughter, Laura Jensen.

At those places, “most people know him,” Jensen told NewCanaanite.com

Jensen experimented with various kinds of art during his lifetime, she said. 

“He originally did photography and also some painting, like oils and acrylic,” she said. “He also did sculpture, computer art, and then he got into making diorama boxes.” 

From 2 to 5 p.m. Sunday, the Carriage Barn is hosting “The Life & Artwork of Norman A. Jensen,” where guests will be invited to take home a piece of Jensen’s art to remember him by, and may leave a donation in his honor. “We love Norm—he’s part of the Carriage Barn community,” the organization’s executive director, Hilary Wittmann, said.

Dionna Carlson

Town Approves ‘Third Annual Waveny Arts Festival’ for Sept. 28

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Town officials have approved use of Waveny for a hugely popular arts festival organized by a nonprofit organization. The 3rd Annual Waveny Park Arts Festival will be held Sunday, Sept. 28 following unanimous votes by the Parks & Recreation Commission and Board of Selectmen at their most recent meetings. The first year of the festival was a test to see how it would go “and it was a huge success,” according to Hilary Wittmann, executive director of the Carriage Barn Arts Center. 

“We did grow quite a bit last year, and everything went really smoothly,” Wittmann told the selectmen at their Feb. 25 meeting, held at Town Hall and via videoconference.

Around Town

‘They’re Excited, They’re Proud’: Social Justice Youth Art Showcase Opens at Carriage Barn

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Dozens of Students, families and art appreciators from New Canaan and throughout Fairfield County visited the Carriage Barn Arts Center on Saturday for the opening reception of an exhibition focused on social justice. Presented by Stand Together Against Racism or “STAR,” in partnership with The Glass House, Carriage Barn and NewCanaanite.com, the Third Annual Fairfield County Social Justice Youth Art Showcase, titled “Through Your Looking Glass,” will run through Nov. 24 at the popular gallery in Waveny Park. The number of students participating in the exhibition has tripled since its first year, according to Susan Borst, co-chair of the Showcase together with Blessings Misomali. “It has grown, especially by age,” Borst told NewCanaanite.com as artists mingled with friends, family and art-lovers, taking in a wide range of media including paintings, sculpture, photography, drawings, mixed media and poetry.

Around Town

2nd Annual Waveny Park Arts Festival Set for Oct. 6 [Q&A]

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The second annual Waveny Park Arts Festival is less than two weeks away. Presented Oct. 6 in partnership with the New Canaan Parks & Recreation Department, and with support from the Waveny Park Conservancy, the Carriage Barn Arts Center’s festival features a juried collection from fine artists and artisans across a wide range of media. The Carriage Barn is looking to build on a very successful inaugural event, with live music, family activities, refreshments and food trucks and more—including a new “Young Entrepreneurs Marketplace.”

We put some questions to the organization’s executive director, Hilary Wittmann, ahead of the Oct. 6 festival.

Around Town

Q&A: NCHS Art Exhibition ‘Through Our Eyes XII’ Opens This Week at Carriage Barn

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The annual New Canaan High School art exhibition opens with a reception to be held 5 to 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 14 at the Carriage Art Barn Center. The exhibition, “Through Our Eyes XII,” runs March 15 to 30, featuring dozens of paintings, drawings, photography, mixed media and other work from 120-plus NCHS students. Sponsors include Williams Raveis, Anderson Kenny Architecture, HTG Advisors and NewCanaanite.com. 

We put some questions about the exhibition to Carriage Barn Executive Director Hilary Wittmann ahead of the opening. Here’s our exchange. ***

New Canaanite: Tell us about this year’s annual NCHS exhibition.