Summer Scorcher is here!

Balkun Brothers: Album Release Tonight!!

9:30 pm Arch Street Tavern, Htfd

💿 𝐀𝐋𝐁𝐔𝐌 𝐑𝐄𝐋𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐄 𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐘 🤘🏻This Saturday 8/6 we are going to be throwing down in a very special way at @archstreettavern in Hartford, CT for the release of our new album ‘735 Farmington Ave’! 

We can’t wait to share this new body of work with you all and we hope to see everyone headbangin’ with us at the release party 🎸🥁 The new album was recorded at Balkun Brothers’ childhood home and features some incredible special guests! The new record was mixed by Jason Randall aka @jocko315 at @moresoundrecordingstudio in Syracuse, NY and mastered by Sean Magee at @abbeyroadstudios in London, England 🎶

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/balkun-brothers-album-release-party-at-arch-street-tavern-tickets-

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STATE HONORARY POSITIONS ANNOUNCED

Antoinette Brim-Bell Connecticut Poet Laureate & Kala Farnham Connecticut State Troubadour

Congratulations to Antoinette Brim-Bell of West Haven as Connecticut Poet Laureate and Kala Farnham of Pomfret Center as Connecticut State Troubadour. Both will serve in their respected honorary positions from July 1, 2022 – June 30, 2025.   Brim-Bell and Farnham were selected from an exceptionally strong field of candidates, whose works and public activities on behalf of poetry and music, reflect the richness and diversity of the arts in Connecticut today. Brim-Bell succeeds Margaret Gibson and Farnham succeeds Nekita Waller.

Antoinette Brim-Bell of West Haven is Connecticut’s 8th State Poet Laureate. Antoinette Brim-Bell is a poet, printmaker, and author of These Women You Gave Me, Icarus in Love, and Psalm of the Sunflower and her work has been featured in various journals and magazines. She has received recognition as a Cave Canem Foundation fellow, a recipient of the Walker Foundation Scholarship to the Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown, and a Pushcart Prize nominee. Her work has appeared in numerous anthologies including Villanelles, Stand Our Ground: Poems for Trayvon Martin and Marissa Alexander, Critical Insights: Alice Walker, 44 on 44: Forty-four African American Writers on the 44th President of the United States, and the Whiskey of our Discontent: an anthology of essays commemorating Ms. Gwendolyn Brooks, winner of the 2017 Central New York Book Award for nonfiction. Kala Farnham of Pomfret Center is Connecticut’s 18th State Troubadour. Kala Farnham is a multi-instrumentalist singer-songwriter from the Quiet Corner of Connecticut. She began her musical journey at a young age, and in high school she established herself as a working musician. In college, she furthered her studies in Music Performance and Composition while also pursing Human Services and Mental Health. Together, these interests drive her passion for the healing and transformative power of musical storytelling. Therefore, it is no surprise that Kala also serves as a certified Crisis Counselor, and works with an array of populations such as at-risk youth, those who suffer from mental illness, and survivors of trauma. She has taught, performed for, and worked with youth programs, students with learning disabilities, individuals recovering from addiction, and those who have lost loved ones to suicide. Kala is currently studying sound healing and Nada Yoga and plans to incorporate elements of the practice into her work.

KIDS FREE ALL SUMMER Art! Exploration! Air Conditioning! Thanks to the Connecticut Summer at the Museum program, admission is free for CT children (18 and under) plus one accompanying adult through September 1. Click here to learn more. With the support of Connecticut Humanities and the Department of Economic and Community Development, Office of the Arts, which also receives support from the federal ARPA.

"UPPER STATE STREET 1978" August 5 - 21
City Gallery, 994 State St, New Haven  CT 06511  (203) 782.2489
Hours Friday - Sunday 1 - 4pm or by appointment
Website: wwww.city-gallery.org
Instagram: #city-gallerynewhaven
facebook:https:www.facebook.com/City-Gallery-17815898070

River Valley Artists

Contemporary Works Back Gallery of The Space 1 Main Street, Chester, CT Show runs during August 2022 Gallery Hours: Monday & Tuesday: By appointment Wednesday: By chance Thursday: 12 to 5 p.m. Friday: 12 to 5  p.m. Saturday: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

WITNESS Juried Exhibition of New England Artists August 5 - 21, 2022 Above:  Christopher Sullivan: “Madres,” oil on canvas, 40” x 30”, $4000 From August 5 - 21, Bromfield Gallery presents a juried exhibition of work by New England artists that explores the idea of being a witness to personal or cultural history. Media includes weaving, embroidery, and photography, as well as painting in oil and acrylic. 450 Harrison Ave. Boston, MA 02118 (617) 451-3605 www.bromfieldgallery.com info@bromfieldgallery.com Hours: Wed - Sun, 12-5

New Britain Museum of American Art 56 Lexington Street New Britain, CT 06052

Sunday Music Series | Le Hot Club Guitar Duo, featuring David Giardina & Frank Varela Sunday, August 7, 3 p.m. The NBMAA’s longstanding monthly concert series features local & regional performances from a variety of musical genres. August 7: Le Hot Club Guitar Duo, featuring David Giardina & Frank Varela A presentation of Gypsy Jazz with two guitars and floor bass, in the style of Belgian guitarist Django Reinhardt.

LEARN MORE

Five Points Center for the Visual Arts  33 Main St, Torrington, CT 06790

Tuesday, August 9 at 7pm EST - VIRTUAL GALLERY TALK: The Human Condition, Geological Time & Economics with artists from the Printmakers' Network of Southern New England (Virtual)

Join artists Melody Leary, Rhea Nowak and Grace Bentley-Scheck in conversation about The Evocative Mark Twain Inspires the Printmakers Network of New England exhibit taking place at the Mark Twain House & Museum now through January 23, 2023.   Virtual Event! $5 Admission. LEARN MORE & REGISTER HERE.

At the Elusie Gallery TRIFECTA This exhibit, featuring a selection of recent work by Marlene Rye, Laura Radwell and David Brewster, continues until August 27. No appointments are necessary, the gallery is open: Tuesday through Friday from 10am to 5pm and Saturday from 9am to noon

Big Red Frame | The Old Town Hall, 43 Main St., Easthampton, MA 01027 413-529-9265

Story Sharing at The Institute Library 

Second Thursdays | 7:00-9:00 p.m.

Story Sharing meets the SECOND THURSDAY of the month. Join the Institute Library Story Sharing group on Thursday, August 11th, at 7:00 p.m.

After two outdoor sessions, we will be returning to the Institute Library. We hope that you will come in person, but please bring a mask.

If you cannot come in person, you may participate via Zoom, at the following link:  https://us06web.zoom.us/j/82984857044

If you are coming, it would be very helpful if you would tell the group coordinator, Arnie Pritchard, and let him know whether you will attend in person or on Zoom, and whether you expect to offer a story. You can also contact him for questions at apritchard01@snet.net. See you here!

Gallery @ The Institute Library

Summer 2022: DECOYS & MIMICS

Curator Martha Willette Lewis has psyched us all out and created a monster in the Gallery Upstairs. Come see works that will have you questioning your eyes, if not your sanity. 

Decoys; fakes; malicious attempts to confuse you; benign attempts at entertaining you -- all can be found in this exhibit featuring work from artists and devious minds from near and far. 

The Gallery is open during the Library's operating hours: Please note that in August, the Library is closed from the 8th until we re-open on the 23rd. The Gallery will be open Saturday August 6th & 27th, from 12:00-2:00 each of those days. 

Your voice is needed!  Connecticut Arts Alliance, Connecticut Humanities, and Connecticut Tourism Coalition are hosting a series of virtual community conversations to gather sector-wide input that will inform the advocacy strategy and messaging for the 2023 legislative session with the goal of increased funding for all.   If you have a connection to the arts, culture, and tourism sector as an artist, volunteer, business owner, non-profit executive, trustee, or some other role entirely, your voice is needed! RSVP for a Zoom session to provide feedback on how increased and consistent funding in these sectors would benefit your work, your business, or your organization.   Dates & Times: While participants are encouraged to join the session for their region, all are welcome at any session.   August 8 I 8:00 AM I Statewide August 9 I 4:00 PM I Western Connecticut

RSVP Here

Bomba Workshop: August 11th

Sonia Plumb Dance Company (SPDC) in partnership with Movimiento Cultural Afro Continental Inc, (MCAC) invites you to a Bomba Dancing Workshop on Thursday, August 11^th at 7:15pm. The workshop will take place in SPDCs new studio space in the historic G.Fox building in downtown Hartford.

SPDC is dedicated to promoting the inclusion of individuals who may not have the financial means to participate. Suggested ticket price is $25 or pay-what-you-can.

Pre-Register Here

SECOND SATURDAYS FOR FAMILIES SIGHT AND SOUND Free, in person

Saturday, August 13 noon-2pm Explore how Naama Tsabar creates objects that function both as artworks and musical instruments. Design a musical instrument of your own and watch a presentation by our friends at the Connecticut Science Center as they unravel the mysteries behind sound. Find the Ice Cream for a Dream truck, parked outside the museum, for free ice cream while supplies last. Family-friendly tours take place at 12:15 & 1:30pm.

HOURS: Thursday-Sunday, noon-5pm

GET TICKETS: Advance registration is recommended but not required

CAFÉ: Berkins on Main is open Thursday-Sunday, noon-4pm

The Bruce S. Kershner Gallery inside the Fairfield Public Library

Cordially Invites You! Have a look or come again to see these fine works of art. On View Aug 13th to Oct 8th Opening Reception Thursday  Aug 18th  5:30-7:30pm Artist talk at 6:15pm  Zvi Goldman Steve Magee  Kristen Ambrosi GALLERY/LIBRARY HOURS: Monday, Wednesday, Friday:  9:00am - 5:00pm Tuesday & Thursday:  9:00am - 7:00pm Saturday & Sunday:  1:00m - 5:00pm Copyright © 2015 Bruce S. Kershner Gallery, All rights reserved. 1080 Post Road, Fairfield, CT  06824  |  bskgallery@gmail.com   Mary Rogers Williams – Defying Her Era’s Expectations  Julie Keggi Lecture   Sunday, August 14  2:00 – 3:00 PM  $25 Members | $30 General  The revolutionary artist Mary Rogers Williams (1857-1907), a baker’s daughter from Hartford, biked and hiked from the Arctic Circle to Naples, exhibited from Paris to Indianapolis, trained at the Art Students League, chafed against art world rules that favored men, wrote thousands of pages about her travels and work, taught at Smith College for nearly two decades, but sadly ended up almost totally obscure. Eve M. Kahn will lecture on how one research phone call on impulse in 2012 led to her prizewinning book, Forever Seeing New Beauties: The Forgotten Impressionist Mary Rogers Williams, 1857-1907 (Wesleyan University Press, 2019).  Kahn, an independent scholar, was the weekly Antiques columnist for The New York Times from 2008 to 2016. She contributes regularly to the Times, The Magazine Antiques, and Apollo magazine.  This lecture is in honor of Julie Keggi, an avid supporter of the museum, who passed away this year. Register here FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Katherine Plutnicki Marketing & Communications Coordinator Phone: 860-232-1006 x126 Email: kplutnicki@realartways.org Creative Cocktail Hour Thursday 8/18 6-10pm Real Art Ways presents its monthly social event, Creative Cocktail Hour on Thursday, August 18, 6-10pm. Everyone is welcome at Creative Cocktail Hour. It is a gathering of people at all ages from different walks of life, black, white, latino, city, suburb, LGBTQ+. Held on the third Thursday of every month at Real Art Ways. 56 Arbor Street, Hartford, Connecticut. In August, Creative Cocktail Hour will feature a creative mix of musicians and artists, and things to do, including: Live music by Nikita, Hartford-based soul, funk, and r&b group. "Together, they make a dreamy blend of psychedelic soft- rock with R&B and prog vibes." (CT Scramble) Live music by DJ Sonia Sol, CT based singer and DJ. Food truck. Hands-on art making activities, good for adults and kids. Visitors will experience five separate exhibitions in Real Art Ways' galleries Featured Program SUMMER CONCERT SERIES Hartford Steel Symphony Thursday, August 18 @ 5:00 pm - 7:30 pm Free and open to the public   Join us for an outdoor concert featuring music from Hartford Steel Symphony! This concert will take place on the beautiful CHS lawn. Grounds are open for seating and picnicking from 5:00 pm, and music is from 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm. All of the CHS outdoor concerts are free and open to the public. Visitors are encouraged to bring their own lawn chairs and food, and a food truck will be available onsite. In case of rain, the concerts will move indoors to our auditorium. All our summer concerts will be livestreamed to our YouTube Channel. LEARN MORE POEM - ing Washington Art Association & Gallery is presenting POEM-ing on Thursday, August 18 at the WAA Gallery in Washington Depot. Created as a kind of "poetry on the tongue" event, several local poets including Davyne Verstandig and Dimitri Rimsky will improvise poetry inspired by the music of Barry Blitt, Doug White, Don Bracke and Nick Jacobs. There might even be some music improvised in response to longer recited poems! The audience is invited to participate by drawing pictures inspired by the words and the music. Sketchbooks and colored crayons will be provided. Join us at 6:00pm for refreshments and enjoy the Drawn to Love members exhibition in the gallery. The free 90-minute program starts at 6:30pm. There will be an opportunity to make a donation to benefit WAA. SUMMER 2022 GROUP EXHIBITION  Andrew Haines, November Light (Roslindale), acrylic on panel, 16 x 24" Click image to preview exhibition. Our Summer 2022 Group Exhibition continues at William Baczek Fine Arts. Work is available by Andrew Haines, Charlie Hunter, Andrae Green, Laura Gurton, Jamie Young, Scott Prior, Travis Louie, Jeff Gola, Larry Preston, and Robert Sweeney. Please visit the gallery in person to see the show, or preview the exhibition online. For more information, please call the gallery at 413-587-9880 or send us an email at info@wbfinearts.com. The gallery is located at 36 Main St. in downtown Northampton, Massachusetts and is open Tuesday - Saturday from 10 am - 5 pm, and Sunday from noon to 5 pm On view across two venues: Contemporary Craft and the Brew House Association, Pittsburgh, PA June 3 through August 20, 2022 fiberartinternational.org The exhibition is recognized around the world as a benchmark that documents trends and innovations in the field. The goal of the exhibition is to include innovative work rooted in traditional fiber materials, structure, processes and history, as well as art that explores unexpected relationships between fiber and other creative disciplines. Jurors Jessica Hemmings, Nnenna Okore, and Chiachio and Giannone chose 45 pieces from almost 1,300 works of art by 545 artists from 30 countries. Our Exhibit at the Hartford Public Library Our exhibit "Translations and Interpretations" is open and runs through September 22, 2022. Based on the Bauhaus spirit of collaboration and experimentation, artisans have created pieces based on the same basic striped warp, using different structures and fibers to create their own unique handwoven designs. This exhibit, as well as the August 23rd opening reception, is free and open to the public at the Main Branch of the Hartford Public Library at 500 Main Street. Marilyn Pappas: A Retrospective March 12 - August 28, 2022 Fuller Craft Museum is proud to present the first museum retrospective of Somerville textile artist Marilyn Pappas. The exhibition features works from all stages of her 60-year career, from her socially minded, garment-based work of the 1960s to her travel-inspired collages to her outsized textiles depicting sculptures of ancient goddesses. At once timeless and highly relevant to today, Pappas’s forms chronicle the many stages of her life while offering powerful statements on the enduring strength, vibrancy, and resilience of women. Fuller Craft Museum | 455 Oak Street, Brockton, MA 02301 R. Douglass Rice | Portraits of Friends in Isolation - Edward Coaxum | Oil on Canvas Join us on the grounds of the Lyme Academy of Fine Arts to celebrate the opening of our 111th Annual Exhibition! Printed catalogues will also be available for anyone to take home with them. CONNECTICUT ACADEMY OF FINE ARTS | 213 PEQUOT AVE,  MYSTIC, CT 06355

Artist Opps:

Call for Artists CT +6 deadline for entry: August 19 click HERE for details

Call for Mural Artists!

The West Hartford Art League, in partnership with LaSalle Road Partners II, LLC is seeking proposals for a large scale public art mural to be created on the side of a building located at 977 Farmington Ave, West Hartford Center. The theme is the iconic postcard image of “Greetings from” and the town name: West Hartford! Deadline for submissions is August 26  click HERE or below for application and details

ALSO from the Gallery @ The Institute Library: 

Collage Artists! Assemblage Builders! Found-Object Aficionados! Cut, Paste and Tear Creatives! Adults! Children!     Everyone! 

Announcing an Open Call for the Autumn 2022 exhibit at the Gallery Upstairs at The Institute Library. 

Waste Management:

Reuse, Reimagine, Repurpose

Organized by 

Rashmi Talpade & Martha Willette Lewis

We are looking for Collages and Assemblages in response to the climate crisis: objects, images, animations, poetry, books, zines addressing our world, our relationship to waste, consumerism, nature & our Place in the ecosystem. We are looking for an interesting, nuanced range of works - all mediums will be entertained - but please note our cache of AV equipment is limited. 

The Voice of Art Litchfield Art Festival: FALL

Free and Open to the Public Fine Art & Functional Art   "LAF FALL" FINAL CALL: Aug. 15th Hurry! One Application for LAF: Fall and Holiday Show

APPLY NOW! August at Artspace New Haven OPEN CALL Open Source Art Festival 2022 October 21–30, 2022 Deadline to register: August 15 Artspace New Haven’s 2022 Open Source Art Festival gathers artists, curators, cultural producers, organizers, and audiences across the city of New Haven to convene around shared artistic processes and experimentation. REGISTER TODAY ! REGISTER IN PERSON ! August 13, 10 am–12 pm New Haven Free Public Library, Stetson Branch 197 Dixwell Avenue Our Executive Director Lisa Dent and Program Coordinator Steve Roberts will be on hand to answer questions and help artists with registration.   Manifest now grants two annual awards of $5,000! As of the launch of our 18th season, in light of the struggles we have all faced during the Covid-19 pandemic and in an effort to give back more in support of artists and their work, the amount of the annual end of season Grand Jury Award for exhibitors has been increased to $5,000. All season exhibitors are automatically eligible to be considered for this award starting in season 18! Artists are also reminded that all exhibited work across the year will be featured in our award-winning season documenting retrospective publication, the Manifest Exhibition Annual, once it is produced after the season ends. All current exhibit and publication projects accepting applications can be found listed at http://www.manifestgallery.org/projects. 1. DEADLINE EXTENDED by three weeks: August 21, 2022 (gallery exhibit) ARCH. A Call for Works Exploring Made Space It has been said that architecture may be the ultimate form of art. After all, it is both expressive, informative, and serves as a refuge from the elements. What happens when it becomes the content of other architecture—of the gallery itself? Final Deadline: August 21, 2022 For complete details and to apply online visit: http://www.manifestgallery.org/arch email info@manifestgallery.org with any questions Apply July 31st through October 1st, 2022! Submissions are opening for 2023 exhibition proposals. The deadline for entries is October 1st, 2022. Applicants will be contacted after the programming committee reviews all submissions. To be considered you will need: Artist statement or show concept Artist resume, which will include show history Portfolio of representative works (.jpeg Digital Submissions please) 8-10 representative images Contact information More information can be found: https://www.hygienic.org/callforartists   CONNECTICUT WOMEN ARTISTS INVITES YOU TO ENTER THE 2022 NATIONAL OPEN JURIED EXHIBITION At the West Hartford Art League, 37 Buena Vista Rd., West Hartford, CT 06107 October 16—November 13, 2022 Opening reception Saturday, October 22, 2—4 p.m. Open to all U.S women artists ages 18 and over Eligible media include work in painting, mixed media, drawing, collage, printmaking, fiber art, photography, and sculpture. Juror is Lisa Hayes Williams, Associate Curator, New Britain Museum of American Art, New Britain, Connecticut Cash awards available totaling $1800 For a prospectus, go to mailto:https://www.onlinejuriedshows.com/Default.aspx?OJSID=52432 ENTRY DEADLINE BEFORE MIDNIGHT ON SEPTEMBER 1, 2022 The Connecticut Arts Hero Awards honor and celebrate Connecticut residents who are doing inspiring things in, for or through the arts in Connecticut. Since 2016, the Connecticut Arts Hero Awards have introduced us to an array of remarkable individuals engaged in or supporting the arts - some publicly and some behind the scenes.  The first Arts Hero Award was presented in 2016 to our very own grant administrator, Lourdes "Lu" Rivera, who has worked in the state's arts office through its many name changes and merges.  This year, she will be celebrating her 34-year anniversary with the arts office! If you know a special someone, like our Lu, who has contributed significantly to the arts in Connecticut, please take a moment to nominate this individual.  The deadline to submit a nomination is Wednesday, September 21, 2022 at 11:59 p.m. Note: Arts Heroes are not awarded posthumously. NOMINATE YOUR ARTS HERO