Torrance York will talk about her work in conversation with Art Historian and Independent Curator, Arianne Faber Kolb, PhD, on Thursday, October 3rd at 6:00 pm at Gores Pavilion in Irwin Park, New Canaan, CT. The discussion will focus on York’s current solo exhibition, Common Ground: Irwin, that includes twelve landscape photographs created in Irwin Park over the past 4 years. The exhibit will be on display in the Gores Pavilion in Irwin Park until November 3, 2019. A closing reception will be held on Friday, October 18th from 5:30 – 8:00 pm. The Gores Pavilion is open Friday-Sunday 11 am – 3 pm, or by appointment.
The inaugural New Canaan History Day celebration will take place on Sunday, September 29, from 2:00- 4:00 pm on the grounds of the New Canaan Museum & Historical Society. Museum buildings will be open with knowledgeable docents in the Hearth and Craft rooms of the Hanford-Silliman House, the Tool Museum, Rock School and Cody Pharmacy. See the Acorn Printing Press in action and enjoy family friendly activities, including making corn husk dolls, lemonade and butter. Games—hoop rolling, hop scotch and more—will be run by the Service League of Boys. Old-fashioned snacks and vintage toys will be available for purchase.
A beloved piece of New Canaan history, the Little Red Schoolhouse at 211 Carter Street, will open its doors to the town on Saturday, September 21, from 1 – 3 pm. Inside you’ll see a wood burning stove, maps dating back to 1898, Silvermine artist Justin Gruelle’s magnificent WPA paintings of Aesop’s Fables, original text books and much more. Former students Ruth Kelley and Steve Gravereaux will be on hand to guide tours and answer questions. The Little Red Schoolhouse was the last of 11 one room schoolhouses in New Canaan. It was built c.1865 and operated continuously until the retirement of its last teacher Miss Mary Kelley in 1957.
In conjunction with the Shoes exhibition now open at the New Canaan Museum & Historical Society, The Mystique of Shoes luncheon with design director and author Linda O’Keeffe will be held June 20th, 12 – 2 pm. O’Keeffe has been championing design for more than three decades, most notable during the sixteen years she spent as creative director for Metropolitan Home. She now writes for a variety of magazines. Her book Shoes is in its 25th edition, and will be available for sale and signing at $14 each. Guests are invited to bring a special shoe to share with a story.
Cady Carroll knew ahead of time that this weekend’s gathering in New Canaan of her former elementary school community would be emotional. Yet in reconnecting with fellow Center School students, parents, faculty and staff during a first-of-its-kind remembrance held at the New Canaan Historical Society, Carroll said she found it “so much more emotional than I thought it would be.”
“There is no way to describe how much anybody who went to Center School connects with someone else who went to Center School, it’s on a level that you can’t explain,” Carroll said from a bustling conference room filled with Center School photos, news clippings, memorabilia and displays. “It’s a family and a home. And when I see a brick, a Center School brick, I am immediately transported into sadness that the building isn’t there anymore. And I can’t visit it.
