Guilford Art League’s Winter Show is now on exhibit in the Menunkatuck Room at Nathanael Greene Community Center (32 Church Street, Guilford). In total, there are 48 pieces of art in the show including paintings, pastels, monoprints, mixed media, and collage, featuring dynamic abstract compositions, layered assemblage, bucolic local scenery and more. Each piece is an engaging feast for the eyes. Stop by simply to enjoy the creativity or to look for a special piece for that empty spot on your wall. Artwork will be on display until April 8.
Featured artists include Nicki Arciodinda Bonanno, Lisa Arnold, Philp Backus, Marsha Borden, Denise Casey, Eileen Clark, Jolie Collins, Steffen Cretella, Raffael Dilauro, Carole Dubiell, Lily Forbush, Arthur Guagliumi, Elizabeth Hundt Scott, Sheila Kaczmarek, Wendi Kohli, Suzanne Kriger, Maureen Lopes, Joanne Martignoni, Sharon Morgio, Lauren Murphy, Scott Paterson, Chris Penry, Beverly Schirmeier, James Voos, Mark Weaver, Vickie Williams, Jeanette Wimmer, and Marian Wittink.
The Guilford Art League was founded in 1947 by a small group of local artists. The objective of the art league is to promote and stimulate interest in the visual arts. Members and associates of the Guilford Art League are a participating and interactive group of artists who learn and benefit from their association with one another. For more information about its members, visit www.guilfordartleague.org.
Guilford Art League Winter Show
In this beginner-friendly workshop, participants will learn the foundations of crochet—from choosing the right yarn to mastering essential stitches that open the door to countless projects. Whether you’re completely new to yarn crafts or have tried crochet before and felt unsure where to start, this class provides a clear, welcoming introduction. As you practice your skills, you’ll create a classic granny square and begin a cozy beanie hat that you can continue working on at home. By the end of the class, you’ll have hands-on experience, growing confidence, and the tools to keep exploring crochet on your own.
What to Expect
Expect a supportive, hands-on learning environment with demonstrations, guided practice, and plenty of time to ask questions. The instructor will cover yarn basics, hook selection, and stitch techniques before participants practice each skill step by step. You’ll work through foundational stitches and apply them directly to your projects. This is a single-day, extended workshop designed to give you a strong start and enough practice time to feel comfortable continuing independently.
Skills You’ll Acquire
• Choosing appropriate yarns for different projects
• Understanding yarn labels and hook anatomy
• Chaining and foundational crochet stitches
• Single crochet, half double crochet, and double crochet
• Increasing and decreasing stitches
• Creating a standard granny square
• Starting a simple beanie hat
What’s Provided
• Yarn and crochet hooks for use during the workshop
• Pattern guidance and stitch references
• Instructor-led demonstrations and hands-on support
Who Should Attend
Perfect for complete beginners and anyone curious about learning crochet in a friendly, low-pressure setting. No prior experience is needed. Minors are welcome with parent or guardian supervision.
Prerequisites/Safety Information
No prerequisites. All materials are provided, and nothing is required to bring.
Workshop Ticket Fee:
Standard Ticket: $83.00
MakeHaven Members: $71.00
You must click below and REGISTER to attend at:
https://www.makehaven.org/civicrm/event/info?id=734&reset=1
Scroll to the bottom of the page and complete the information under Register (gray box) and hit submit. You will receive an acknowledgement by email. Questions? Email info@makehaven.org
Hooked on Crochet: A Beginner Worksop
A relaxed, all-levels class for anyone interested in working with clay. Beginners will learn the basics of wheel throwing and hand building, while returning students can continue building skills or explore larger, more advanced projects. Enjoy supportive instruction and plenty of time to practice. Come make what inspires you and grow at your own pace.
Wear clothes that can get messy.
Pottery tool kits are available for sale in the studio for $27 and firing fees are $3.50/pound. Payable by credit card, cash, or check.
Includes one 3-hour weekly practice session during monitored practice hours on a first-come, first-served basis and you are encouraged to take advantage of this.
All Levels Saturday Morning Pottery
Get started with oil painting! Discover what oil paint is, how it works, and how to use it to make art. Learn the steps to start a painting, how to mix colors with a limited palette, and different effects to make with oil colors. All materials are provided. Instruction will be given in short lectures, demonstrations, and individual coaching. Students will be working from still lives and create more than one painting over the course. This course is open to those who are brand new to painting, while also offering challenges for more experienced students. Teens are welcome to join, especially returning students. The tuition for this class includes a fee of $40 for materials provided by CAW.
Introduction to Oil Painting
Exhibition open Wednesday through Sunday from 10am to 4pm with free parking and admission EXCEPT Saturday, June 7; Friday, July 4 (Independence Day); Thursday, November 27 (Thanksgiving Day); Wednesday, December 24 (Christmas Eve); and Thursday, December 25 (Christmas Day).
In remembrance of Pope Francis, who passed on April 21, 2025, the Blessed Michael McGivney Pilgrimage Center is honored to present this exhibit illustrating the pope’s outreach to the peripheries during his 47 international trips.
Learn more: https://www.michaelmcgivneycenter.org/exhibits/francis-pope-of-the-peripheries/
Exhibit | Francis: Pope of the Peripheries
Exhibition open Wednesday through Sunday from 10am to 4pm with free parking and admission EXCEPT Thursday, November 27 (Thanksgiving); Wednesday, December 24 (Christmas Eve); and Thursday, December 25 (Christmas Day).
For centuries people around the world have celebrated the birth of Jesus Christ and numerous traditions have been incorporated into the Christmas season. Advent calendars, Christmas trees, and the display of the crèche, the three-dimensional representation of the Nativity scene, are just a few of these traditions. These traditions also incorporate other important Christian figures and events in Christ’s life, such as St. Nicholas Day and the Feast of the Epiphany.
This Christmas, the Blessed Michael McGivney Pilgrimage Center presents the exhibit, The Spirit of Christmas, which features crèches and other artwork from around the globe celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ and traditions and feast days during the season.
Enjoy the Christmas season at the Blessed Michael McGivney Pilgrimage Center through this exhibit, the supplemental exhibit Away in a Manger and a variety of programs, including our annual Christmastime Family Day. Discover more of our offerings at https://www.michaelmcgivneycenter.org/
Make the following offerings a part of your family’s holiday tradition!
Exhibit | The Spirit of Christmas
Exhibition open Wednesday through Sunday from 10am to 4pm with free parking and admission EXCEPT Thursday, November 27 (Thanksgiving); Wednesday, December 24 (Christmas Eve); and Thursday, December 25 (Christmas Day).
Many crèches, the three-dimensional representation of the Nativity scene, feature a diversity of settings and stable designs — the most common of which is an open-front wood structure. However, many artisans model their crèches after buildings and landscapes that are native to their homelands.
This exhibit includes a variety of crèches that showcase different examples of stables and mangers. In addition, it also highlights a handful of works whose settings have been customized for the figures they contain. One of these is the Neapolitan, which celebrates its 10th anniversary this year, by Cantone and Costabile of Naples, Italy. In addition, a brand-new crèche will be featured in this exhibit: The Nativity at New Haven's St. Mary’s Church, designed by US-based Navidad Nativities, Inc., with figures made in Italy by Original Heide.
Exhibit | Away in a Manger: The Creation of Nativity Scenes
Explore and develop designs for relief, intaglio, and monotype printmaking in this hands-on course.
Class time will focus on creating original designs and concepts as students experiment with print plate substrates, including Corian®, Tetra-Pak®, vinyl records, and various recycled and found materials. Examples of different print styles will be shared to illustrate these techniques.
This course is suitable for beginners and advanced students alike.
Includes one 3-hour weekly practice session during monitored practice hours.
Tuition for this class includes a fee of $20 for basic materials provided by CAW.
Experimental Printmaking
Christmas Tree Festival open Wednesday through Sunday from 10am to 4pm with free parking and admission EXCEPT Wednesday, December 24 (Christmas Eve) and Thursday, December 25 (Christmas Day).
The Blessed Michael McGivney Pilgrimage Center’s Christmas Tree Festival is a seasonal highlight. This popular display showcases the imagination and creativity of Connecticut Catholic elementary schoolchildren. These students create handmade ornaments and trimmings in the theme of The Spirit of Christmas exhibition prior to traveling to the McGivney Center to decorate a school tree.
All 20 trees will be completed and on display to the public beginning December 6, 2025. Explore all the trees and be sure to vote for your favorite Christmas Tree in the People’s Choice Award!
Christmas Tree Festival
Show up for your creative self in 2026 with the Saturday Drawing Club.
This session’s them is animals!
Explore a variety of prompts, materials and techniques in a weekly drawing session mixed with conversation, creative time, and feedback. Adults of all skill levels welcome. Bring your favorite drawing materials.
Tuition for this class includes a fee of $10 for basic materials provided by CAW.
Saturday Drawing Club: A Creature a Day
In this 4-week class, students will bring original characters to life, from first concept to finished design. Learn the principles of character design while creating characters for animation, games, comics, or illustration projects. Each week focuses on a different part of the process, combining design fundamentals with drawing techniques. Work digitally or on paper and develop multiple fully realized characters with turnarounds, expression sheets, and color variations.
Tuition for this class includes a fee of $10 for basic materials provided by CAW.
Bring Your Characters to Life!
Would you like to see the organs in the historic churches on the Green in New Haven? Would you like to get to play one?
We are excited to present this fun program which will include tours of the organs at Trinity Church on the Green, and Center Church on the Green in New Haven. If you already have piano skills, come ready to try out the organs! There will be time for participants to play a short piece on the keyboards.
Admission is free; registration is required. Learn more at the New Haven AGO website .
Pedals, Pipes, and Pizza
Creativity meets skill-building for young artists!
Young artists discover the basics of drawing and painting through playful, hands-on projects that make learning exciting. Using pencils, pastels, watercolor, and paint, they’ll explore composition, color, line, and value while developing strong observational skills and artistic confidence. Each activity builds coordination and creativity. Together, students will learn to see the world like an artist.
Drawing & Painting: Foundations for Young Artists
Unleash your imagination with Procreate!
Students will explore a variety of brushes, colors, layers, special effects, and symmetry tools while drawing with digital pencils, ink pens, and paint brushes. From simple shapes and cool designs to fun characters and creative scenes, they’ll develop their digital illustration skills and finish the course with their very own unique creations.
Tuition for this class includes a fee of $20 for materials provided by CAW.
Digital Illustration for Young People
Join our volunteer museum educators for a conversational tour exploring highlights in our collection. In a New Light: Five Centuries of British Art features works from the sixteenth century to the present, now on view in a reimagined installation.
Tours meet in the Entrance Court by the Welcome Desk.
View our full calendar of events at: https://britishart.yale.edu/exhibitions-programs
YCBA Collection Highlight Tour
Spectrum Art Gallery and Artisans Store of Centerbrook presents, Signs of Love, a 7-week show celebrating love – in the sense of romantic love, as well as through other shared connections between people, animals, and the world around us. Discover new fine art, mixed media, photography, sculpture, and other unexpected pieces by emerging and established artists who represent these ideas in both subtle and bold, as well as personal and universal interpretations. Join us for an Open Reception, Friday, January 23 from 6:30 to 8:30 pm to enjoy the fine art, crafts, wine, and refreshments, and throughout the Open House Weekend, Saturday, January 24 from 1 to 6 pm and Sunday, January 25 from 1 to 5 pm. The exhibit runs through March 14. As always, Spectrum’s Artisans Store offers new pottery, glass, fiber, home décor, jewelry, clothing, and accessories, as well as children's books and toys. Spectrum Art Gallery, 61 Main St., Centerbrook, Connecticut. Gallery and Store hours are Wednesday through Saturday (12-6 pm) and Sunday (12-5 pm). For more information about gallery exhibits, and classes and workshops for adults, teens, and children, call (860) 767-0742 and visit spectrumartgallery.org. Shop online 24/7 at SpectrumAnytime.com with shipping available throughout the US. Follow Spectrum social media at facebook.com/spectrumartgallery, instagram.com/spectrumartgallery, x.com/spectrum_ct, and youtube.com/@spectrumgallery6211
Signs of Love
In January, City Gallery present FRAGMENTS, a
group show featuring Meg Bloom, Joy Bush, and Phyllis Crowley. The fragments
include the visual perspectives seen in each of the artist’s individual works
but also as they relate to each other and to the visual experience of the
whole, of being and creating in this world. FRAGMENTS will be on view from
January 9 - February 1, with an Opening Reception on Saturday, January 17 from
2-4 p.m. Free and open to the public. City Gallery is located at 994 State Street,
New Haven, CT 06511. Gallery hours are Friday - Sunday, 12 p.m. - 4 p.m., or by
appointment. For more, contact City Gallery, info@city-gallery.org,
Fragments: A Group Show at City Gallery
Celebrate the beauty of winter through painting!
Students will learn easy ways to use color and texture to create glowing, snowy worlds on canvas. This friendly class inspires creativity and helps each child tell their own winter story.
This class welcomes all experience levels, from first-time painters to budding young artists who already love to create.
Tuition for this class includes a fee of $20 for materials provided by CAW.
Winter Wonderland Acrylic Painting
Explore, learn, and practice drawing exercises and techniques in a supportive environment. Increase visual perception, skills and confidence, and develop your unique style. Work with drawing pencils, charcoal, pastels, watercolor and ink/pens. Weekly demos and exercises include mark-making, line, value, form, texture and shading. Subjects include animals, everyday objects, portraits, nature, as well as students’ interests. We draw from observation, references and imagination. All materials provided. Join us!
For returning students, the class will include both new projects and some review.
The tuition for this class includes a fee of $20 for basic materials provided by CAW.
Saturday Sketching
On January 31, CT's Poetry Out Loud team will hold its free, annual summit open to ALL CT high school students. We have an amazing line-up of poetry workshops facilitated by spoken word poets and teaching artists from across CT on topics including physical presence, voice & articulation, interpretation, and evidence of understanding.
These workshops are an opportunity to gain exposure to beautiful, American poetry, and practice poetry recitation and performance/public speaking skills.
Come through and learn more also about Poetry Out Loud, a poetry recitation program with state and national competitions, including cash prizes for students and schools (top student prize is $20,000!).
The details:
Saturday, January 31
12:30-4:30 pm
NXTHVN
New Haven, CT
RSVP right away to reserve your spot through the attached flyer's QR code or link (https://forms.gle/dEmC5ewfRu3ufyE96).
Please share this opportunity widely! While it is primarily for CT high school students, we invite community members of all ages to join us (particularly educators, family members, and poetry lovers). Please register online, so we have the right amount of materials and food for all.
Questions? Contact JHD (Jenny Heikkila Diaz, jennyhd@gmail.com), CT Poetry Out Loud's Community Activator.
Annual Poetry Out Loud Summit
This beginner drawing class is designed for anyone who enjoys drawing.
Students will explore various drawing materials and perspectives, experimenting with line, positive and negative shapes, depth, and volume. They’ll also learn techniques to create light and shadow effects on objects in different settings.
The tuition for this class includes a fee of $10 for basic materials provided by CAW. Please see recommended student material list below.
Introduction to Drawing
Overcome the mysteries of the sewing machine and discover how fun and easy it can be! Learn the basics of machine sewing including threading, operating, and troubleshooting.
Practice using the machine and then move on to simple projects for yourself or for gift-giving. Participants will learn a variety of machine sewing methods including piecing, applique, quilting, and freehand. Potential projects include art pieces, wall hangings, patchwork, quilt patterns, bags, a zippered pouch, table runner, or pillow cover. Tips for altering clothes can also be covered. Previous students are welcome to attend and work on more advanced projects.
Tuition for this class includes a fee of $15 for basic materials provided by CAW.
Let’s Get Sewing
The Yale Undergraduate Jazz Collective is thrilled to welcome GRAMMY-nominated saxophonist, multi-instrumentalist, and bandleader Patrick Bartley to headline the 13th Annual Jazz Festival at Yale. The show will open with a student performance from the YUJC, followed by The Patrick Bartley Quartet. Bartley has performed and recorded with seminal figures in the American and Japanese jazz traditions, including Wynton Marsalis, Herbie Hancock, Jon Batiste, and Sayaka Yamamoto. This performance is made possible by the CT Supporting Arts Grant, Yale Arts Discretionary Fund, and the Yale Schwarzman Center Sponsorship Program. We hope you join us in welcoming this world-renowned musician on January 31st from 4:00-6:00 pm in Sudler Hall (100 Wall StreetNew Haven, CT).
Jazz Festival at Yale: Patrick Bartley
Following up on 2024's successful show (and thanks to all that came out to support this special venue!), Steve will be bringing back his Americana Soul to perform some old favorites as well as many new originals. Come out for some good music in this intimate performance space.
Steven Harz
They're back! Nutmeg Burlesque returns to Spruce Coffee (952 State Street, New Haven) on Saturday January 31 and this time around, Connecticut's spiciest burlesque troupe is making it up on the spot... it's IMPROV BURLESQUE! You choose the songs (and a few other surprises) and seasoned CT-based performers will do the rest. Nothing is predictable, except having a good time over a delicious drink!
Doors at 7pm, show at 7:30.
$20 presale, $25 at the door
Please note that this event is 21+
https://nutmegburlesque.ticketspice.com/improv-burlesque
Nutmeg Burlesque Presents Improv Burlesque!
No typical sand or slides at this playground!
CAW’s playground has colored sand, wood, clay, tempera and watercolor paints, markers, tissue paper and more items than we have space to list here. Students will use all these supplies to create projects including masks, paper dolls, animals, birds, insects, portraits, and imaginary creatures.
How will they do all this? By cutting, folding, stomping, splashing, blending, texturing, painting, and coloring (after they mix their own unique colors).
Bet you wish you could stay too!
Tuition for this class includes a fee of $20 for materials provided by CAW.
Art Playground
Guilford Art League’s Winter Show is now on exhibit in the Menunkatuck Room at Nathanael Greene Community Center (32 Church Street, Guilford). In total, there are 48 pieces of art in the show including paintings, pastels, monoprints, mixed media, and collage, featuring dynamic abstract compositions, layered assemblage, bucolic local scenery and more. Each piece is an engaging feast for the eyes. Stop by simply to enjoy the creativity or to look for a special piece for that empty spot on your wall. Artwork will be on display until April 8.
Featured artists include Nicki Arciodinda Bonanno, Lisa Arnold, Philp Backus, Marsha Borden, Denise Casey, Eileen Clark, Jolie Collins, Steffen Cretella, Raffael Dilauro, Carole Dubiell, Lily Forbush, Arthur Guagliumi, Elizabeth Hundt Scott, Sheila Kaczmarek, Wendi Kohli, Suzanne Kriger, Maureen Lopes, Joanne Martignoni, Sharon Morgio, Lauren Murphy, Scott Paterson, Chris Penry, Beverly Schirmeier, James Voos, Mark Weaver, Vickie Williams, Jeanette Wimmer, and Marian Wittink.
The Guilford Art League was founded in 1947 by a small group of local artists. The objective of the art league is to promote and stimulate interest in the visual arts. Members and associates of the Guilford Art League are a participating and interactive group of artists who learn and benefit from their association with one another. For more information about its members, visit www.guilfordartleague.org.
Guilford Art League Winter Show
Exhibition open Wednesday through Sunday from 10am to 4pm with free parking and admission EXCEPT Saturday, June 7; Friday, July 4 (Independence Day); Thursday, November 27 (Thanksgiving Day); Wednesday, December 24 (Christmas Eve); and Thursday, December 25 (Christmas Day).
In remembrance of Pope Francis, who passed on April 21, 2025, the Blessed Michael McGivney Pilgrimage Center is honored to present this exhibit illustrating the pope’s outreach to the peripheries during his 47 international trips.
Learn more: https://www.michaelmcgivneycenter.org/exhibits/francis-pope-of-the-peripheries/
Exhibit | Francis: Pope of the Peripheries
Exhibition open Wednesday through Sunday from 10am to 4pm with free parking and admission EXCEPT Thursday, November 27 (Thanksgiving); Wednesday, December 24 (Christmas Eve); and Thursday, December 25 (Christmas Day).
For centuries people around the world have celebrated the birth of Jesus Christ and numerous traditions have been incorporated into the Christmas season. Advent calendars, Christmas trees, and the display of the crèche, the three-dimensional representation of the Nativity scene, are just a few of these traditions. These traditions also incorporate other important Christian figures and events in Christ’s life, such as St. Nicholas Day and the Feast of the Epiphany.
This Christmas, the Blessed Michael McGivney Pilgrimage Center presents the exhibit, The Spirit of Christmas, which features crèches and other artwork from around the globe celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ and traditions and feast days during the season.
Enjoy the Christmas season at the Blessed Michael McGivney Pilgrimage Center through this exhibit, the supplemental exhibit Away in a Manger and a variety of programs, including our annual Christmastime Family Day. Discover more of our offerings at https://www.michaelmcgivneycenter.org/
Make the following offerings a part of your family’s holiday tradition!
Exhibit | The Spirit of Christmas
Exhibition open Wednesday through Sunday from 10am to 4pm with free parking and admission EXCEPT Thursday, November 27 (Thanksgiving); Wednesday, December 24 (Christmas Eve); and Thursday, December 25 (Christmas Day).
Many crèches, the three-dimensional representation of the Nativity scene, feature a diversity of settings and stable designs — the most common of which is an open-front wood structure. However, many artisans model their crèches after buildings and landscapes that are native to their homelands.
This exhibit includes a variety of crèches that showcase different examples of stables and mangers. In addition, it also highlights a handful of works whose settings have been customized for the figures they contain. One of these is the Neapolitan, which celebrates its 10th anniversary this year, by Cantone and Costabile of Naples, Italy. In addition, a brand-new crèche will be featured in this exhibit: The Nativity at New Haven's St. Mary’s Church, designed by US-based Navidad Nativities, Inc., with figures made in Italy by Original Heide.
Exhibit | Away in a Manger: The Creation of Nativity Scenes
In this seven-week studio course, students will explore the art of printmaking through a focused challenge: creating works strictly within a 12” x 12” format. Participants may work in relief, intaglio, monotype, or monoprint, using primarily water-based inks (other solutions are permitted).
Through guided instruction and experimentation, students will develop original designs and concepts that reflect current trends and innovations in contemporary printmaking—all within the creative boundaries of the one-square-foot format. The square format, historically uncommon until the rise of abstraction, presents unique compositional and expressive challenges that foster precision, visual order, and formal structure.
This course is designed to support the creation of final works suitable for submission to The Center for Contemporary Printmaking’s Footprint International Competition 2026. All skill levels are welcome.
Includes one 3-hour weekly practice session during monitored practice hours.
Tuition for this class includes a fee of $10 for basic materials provided by CAW.
Bound by the Square: Modern Printmaking in 12″x12″
Christmas Tree Festival open Wednesday through Sunday from 10am to 4pm with free parking and admission EXCEPT Wednesday, December 24 (Christmas Eve) and Thursday, December 25 (Christmas Day).
The Blessed Michael McGivney Pilgrimage Center’s Christmas Tree Festival is a seasonal highlight. This popular display showcases the imagination and creativity of Connecticut Catholic elementary schoolchildren. These students create handmade ornaments and trimmings in the theme of The Spirit of Christmas exhibition prior to traveling to the McGivney Center to decorate a school tree.
All 20 trees will be completed and on display to the public beginning December 6, 2025. Explore all the trees and be sure to vote for your favorite Christmas Tree in the People’s Choice Award!
Christmas Tree Festival
Dive into a lively exploration of watercolor, where color, movement, and spontaneity take center stage.
Discover inventive ways to build striking abstract patterns and rich textures through guided experimentation and a playful, process-driven approach. Whether you’re just beginning or already deep into your artistic journey, this upbeat session offers fresh techniques and creative sparks to energize your practice.
Watercolor Meditation
Students are invited to move beyond observation and explore an object’s inner life, structure, and essence.
Instead of simply rendering what is seen on the surface, participants will imagine what lies beneath — the internal rhythms, hidden forms, and unseen energy that give an object its character. Through a process of analysis and invention, students will deconstruct and reconstruct familiar forms, transforming them into expressive, abstracted drawings that blur the line between representation and imagination.
Students are encouraged to move beyond their “normal” drawing mediums and explore mixing mediums and collage.
Drawing from the Inside Out
Yes, kids can safely sew on a machine! Learn all about how the machine works and then get sewing with simple projects like a pin cushion and small bags. Students will also learn hand stitching utilizing embroidery threat and felt to create cute animals like a teddy bear, dogs and cats. Embellish your project with fun buttons, sequins, bling, and fancy stitches.
Choice of projects will include small pillows, bags, stuffed animals and more. You’ll be speeding along in no time!
Tuition for this class includes a fee of $20 for basic materials provided by CAW.
Sew Easy for Young People
Creativity meets skill-building for young artists!
Young artists discover the basics of drawing and painting through playful, hands-on projects that make learning exciting. Using pencils, pastels, watercolor, and paint, they’ll explore composition, color, line, and value while developing strong observational skills and artistic confidence. Each activity builds coordination and creativity. Together, students will learn to see the world like an artist.
Tuition for this class includes a fee of $20 for basic materials provided by CAW.
Drawing & Painting: Foundations for Young Artists
Ever wanted to create animations like The Amazing World of Gumball (2011), Steven Universe (2013), or The Owl House (2020)? This class teaches the skills you need to start bringing your own animations to life. Begin with exercises that introduce you to the program and key animation concepts, then use the second half of the class to create your own original animated short. Build on the skills you’ve learned in previous classes and bring your ideas to the screen! By the end, you’ll have a great foundation to keep animating.
This class is great for those that have some prior experience but it is also accessible to those that may be just beginning their animating journey. iPads will be provided or you may bring your own!
The Amazing World of Animation
Spectrum Art Gallery and Artisans Store of Centerbrook presents, Signs of Love, a 7-week show celebrating love – in the sense of romantic love, as well as through other shared connections between people, animals, and the world around us. Discover new fine art, mixed media, photography, sculpture, and other unexpected pieces by emerging and established artists who represent these ideas in both subtle and bold, as well as personal and universal interpretations. Join us for an Open Reception, Friday, January 23 from 6:30 to 8:30 pm to enjoy the fine art, crafts, wine, and refreshments, and throughout the Open House Weekend, Saturday, January 24 from 1 to 6 pm and Sunday, January 25 from 1 to 5 pm. The exhibit runs through March 14. As always, Spectrum’s Artisans Store offers new pottery, glass, fiber, home décor, jewelry, clothing, and accessories, as well as children's books and toys. Spectrum Art Gallery, 61 Main St., Centerbrook, Connecticut. Gallery and Store hours are Wednesday through Saturday (12-6 pm) and Sunday (12-5 pm). For more information about gallery exhibits, and classes and workshops for adults, teens, and children, call (860) 767-0742 and visit spectrumartgallery.org. Shop online 24/7 at SpectrumAnytime.com with shipping available throughout the US. Follow Spectrum social media at facebook.com/spectrumartgallery, instagram.com/spectrumartgallery, x.com/spectrum_ct, and youtube.com/@spectrumgallery6211
Signs of Love
In January, City Gallery present FRAGMENTS, a
group show featuring Meg Bloom, Joy Bush, and Phyllis Crowley. The fragments
include the visual perspectives seen in each of the artist’s individual works
but also as they relate to each other and to the visual experience of the
whole, of being and creating in this world. FRAGMENTS will be on view from
January 9 - February 1, with an Opening Reception on Saturday, January 17 from
2-4 p.m. Free and open to the public. City Gallery is located at 994 State Street,
New Haven, CT 06511. Gallery hours are Friday - Sunday, 12 p.m. - 4 p.m., or by
appointment. For more, contact City Gallery, info@city-gallery.org,
Fragments: A Group Show at City Gallery
In this workshop, learn to create a sculptural wool project including proper wrapping techniques, using wire in an armature and the purpose and use of various types of felting wool & needles on a 3-dimensional project.
Lori Neumann is a local artist working in oils, acrylics & pastel. Lori studied Fine Arts at the Lyme Academy of Fine Arts and has exhibited at galleries and art shows throughout New England & Kentucky. Lori especially enjoys working with a palette knife in plein air while hiking at dawn and dusk. Lori is a member of the CT Academy of Fine Arts, the CT Pastel Society, the Madison Art Society, the American Impressionist Society and the Lyme Art Association. Lori especially enjoys painting rural New England landscapes & farm animals. She shares & teaches the love of art and believes that within each of us there is an artist, waiting to be released! Presently, she shows her work at Spectrum Gallery in Centerbrook, CT.
Date: Sunday, February 1
Time: 12:30 PM – 4:30 PM
Cost: $65 plus a $16 material fee paid to the instructor
Snowboard Gnome Workshop
Overcome the mysteries of the sewing machine and discover how fun and easy it can be! Learn the basics of machine sewing including threading, operating, and troubleshooting.
Practice using the machine and then move on to simple projects for yourself or for gift-giving. Participants will learn a variety of machine sewing methods including piecing, applique, quilting, and freehand. Potential projects include art pieces, wall hangings, patchwork, quilt patterns, bags, a zippered pouch, table runner, or pillow cover. Tips for altering clothes can also be covered. Previous students are welcome to attend and work on more advanced projects.
Tuition for this class includes a fee of $15 for basic materials provided by CAW.
Let’s Get Sewing
Creativity grows with confidence!
Students will build on their drawing and painting skills through fun, hands-on projects that spark imagination and self-expression. Using pencils, pastels, watercolor, and paint, they’ll explore color, composition, texture, and perspective in exciting new ways. Along the way, students strengthen technical skills, try out fresh techniques, and discover even more confidence in their artistic voice.
Perfect for anyone who has already taken a drawing class at CAW or elsewhere and wants to keep growing as an artist!
Tuition for this class includes a fee of $20 for basic materials provided by CAW.
Drawing & Painting: Beyond the Basics
Inviting 1st -5th graders to join our Spring Play “The Quest, a Fairy Tale with Attitude”
SYNOPSIS: Something is terribly wrong with Grandma! She’s very sick and weak, but luckily for her, recovery is just a quest away! The teacher at the exclusive Fantasy Academy challenges her fairy tale character students to embark on a quest to gather three hard-to-obtain items and cure Grandma. Of course, every good fairy tale has a villain, and the best one of all is the big bad wolf, Huff-n-Puff! If Grandma is in good health, Huff-n-Puff’s plot to snatch the basket of goodies away from Little Red with a Hood might fail! He must keep Grandma feeble by finding the three items before the students do. The fairy tale students fight off the wolf and his sidekick, Tag-Along Troll, and continuously seek the audience’s assistance throughout their journey. Naturally, in the end, their quest is successful, and Grandma is better than ever!
Open to children 1st - 5th grade. All children registering will be cast in the show. There is no formal audition process. Actors will have unofficial Auditions on the first day of rehearsals. This will be a more relaxed, group-based atmosphere with the goal of matching actors with the parts that are best for them.
Rehearsals start on January 11th and are Sundays 1:30 - 3:30 pm and Tuesdays 4 - 6 pm with performances on March 27th, 28th, and 29th. Tech week will include extra rehearsals from 3/23 - 3/26.
When you register - you can pay now or select invoice me to pay later. Payments are due on January 11th. You can avoid credit card charges by paying by check or cash. If you are paying by check or cash select invoice me and bring payment to rehearsal. If you need financial assistance or a payment plan, please send an email to robyn@madisonartsbarn.org prior to registering!
The Quest - A Fairy Tale With Attitude
Guilford Art Center is delighted to announce the new gallery exhibition, Local Color 7: Circular Thinking , featuring fiber art created by the Studio Art Quilt Associates (SAQA-CT). It kicks off with a free Opening Reception, open to the community, on Sunday, February 1, from 2-4pm. The show will be displayed in the GAC gallery daily through Feb 28. The gallery is open 7 days a week: Monday-Saturday, 10am-4pm and Sunday 12-4pm; free admission.
This exhibition of fiber art by members of SAQA-CT is designed to explore the varieties of meanings, images, and experiences evoked by the circle. The circle can be appreciated as a shape, a symbol, a concept or a metaphor. This exhibition seeks to celebrate diverse explorations of this image that has permeated cultures across the world and across time.
“Guilford Art Center is delighted to present this exhibition celebrating the creativity of these fiber artists. We are all part of an interconnected circle, as this show highlights, inspiring and encouraging creative engagement from local and regional artists” says Maureen Belden, Executive Director, Guilford Art Center.
Betty Busby, an independent SAQA Juried Artist and the Chairperson of SAQA’s Exhibitions Committee, was selected to jury this exhibition. She is a published fiber artist and teacher and maintains a busy exhibit schedule nationally and internationally. She considered each of the 72 entries from regional artists and has selected 36 pieces for the final collection.
The gallery is open 7 days a week, free entry: Monday-Saturday 10am-4pm and Sunday 12-4pm.
Location:
Guilford Art Center
411 Church Street (Route 77)
Guilford, CT 06437
For more information, visit www.guilfordartcenter.org or call (203) 453-5947.
About Guilford Art Center
The Guilford Art Center is a non-profit school, shop and gallery established to nurture and support excellence in the arts. Through classes for adults and children, gallery programs, a shop of contemporary crafts, and special events, the Center fulfills its mission to provide opportunities for the public to participate in the arts, to experience their cultural and historical diversity, and to appreciate the process and product of creative work.
About SAQA
Studio Art Quilt Associates, Inc. (SAQA) is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to promote the art quilt: "a creative visual work that is layered and stitched or that references this form of stitched layered structure." Our vision is that the art quilt is universally respected as a fine art medium. SAQA’s core values are: excellence, innovation, integrity, and inclusion.
Over the past 35 years, SAQA has grown into a dynamic and active community of over 4,000 artists, curators, collectors, and art professionals located around the world.
With our exhibitions, resources, publications, and membership opportunities, we seek to increase the public's appreciation for the art quilt and to support our members in their artistic and professional growth.
Art Quilts Take Shape Around ‘Circular Thinking’ at Guilford Art Center’s Newest Gallery Exhibit
A performance by Wendy Sharp, Assistant Professor Adjunct of Violin, and guests.
Wendy Sharp & Friends
You are invited to the RECEPTIONS for CURRENT! A CALL to ARTISTS was circulated with a deadline of midnight on December 9, with the following enticement:
Prospectus:
cur·rent /ˈkərənt/: belonging to the present time; happening or being used or done now, actively moving in a recognizable stream or direction, either figurately or literally.
Today’s art scene is dynamic, multifaceted, and heavily influenced by technology, social issues, and global interconnectedness leading to a wide variety of definitions and approaches
As a creator, how do you define current? We welcome your interpretations.
The Details:
Current will be a juried art exhibition of nearly fifty artworks shown at Kehler Liddell Gallery in New Haven, Connecticut in January of 2026. Kehler Liddell is a retail art gallery in the vibrant Westville neighborhood of New Haven, founded in 2003 by local artists, it has established itself as one of the preeminent galleries in the region. Kehler Liddell Gallery is a collectively operated gallery and has a membership of over twenty-five established artists.
Exhibition Dates: January 8 – February 1, 2026
Opening Reception: January 11, 2026 (2-5pm)
Closing Reception: February 1, 2026 (3-5pm)
OPENING (and CLOSING) RECEPTIONS- 10th Annual Juried Show-CURRENT
Explora el YCBA a través de una visita guiada conversacional en español dirigida por uno de nuestros profesores graduados de la galería. Las visitas conectan temáticamente obras de nuestra colección permanente y de exposiciones especiales.
Las visitas guiadas se reúnen en la entrada junto al mostrador de Mesa de Bienvenida.
Visita Guiada en Español
The Yale Undergraduate Jazz Collective is thrilled to conclude the Jazz Festival at Yale with the Jeff Fuller Quintet. Whether performing, teaching or composing, Jeff Fuller brings great joy and a wealth of experience to his musical endeavors. A highly sought-after jazz bassist, he has worked as both a leader and sideman in diverse groups playing all styles of jazz. Fuller has toured worldwide and has played with jazz masters from all eras, including historic artists such as Dizzy Gillespie, Gerry Mulligan, and Clark Terry. In 2014, he was presented with the Jazz Haven Award, which recognizes those who work behind the scenes to advance the culture of jazz and the arts in the Greater New Haven community. Jeff Fuller is a graduate of Yale College and the Yale School of Music and has taught with the YUJC lesson program and the YSM Jazz Initiative. The event will conclude with a talk and Q&A. This event is made possible by the Traphagen Alumni Speakers Fund. It will take place in the E Room at the Afro-American Cultural Center (211 Park Street). Please join us for this performance and conversation with Jeff Fuller!
Jazz Festival at Yale: Jeff Fuller
Trivia at Bobbi’s runs about 90 minutes and is played over five rounds. The game features a slideshow format with image-based and puzzle categories, making it engaging, easy to follow, and accessible for players with hearing difficulties.
Questions span history, science, music, film, television, geography, and more, creating a well-rounded game that appeals to players of all experience levels and interests.
A strong emphasis is placed on teamwork, with categories designed to encourage group thinking and collaboration. Bobbi’s puzzle rounds are especially popular, known for their creativity and memorable “A-ha!” moments.
Trivia at Bobbi’s is always free to play, with prizes and bragging rights for the top-scoring teams. All are welcome!
Bobbi's
51 Broadway
New Haven, CT 06511
Sunday Trivia Nights at Bobbi’s
All are welcome to join us for a concert of organ music by guest artist Nathan Laube performed on Yale’s Newberry Organ in Woolsey Hall. The concert will feature the performer's own arrangements of Les Préludes and the Sonata in B Minor by Liszt. Free and open to the public.
Contact: Clifton Massey
Photo credit: Joseph Routon
Artist bio:
Nathan Laube is a leading performer and pedagogue who is beloved around the world. His extensive recital career includes major venues spanning four continents, with appearances at the Vienna Konzerthaus, the Hamburg Elbphilharmonie, the Berlin Philharmonie, the Maison Radio France in Paris, Auditorium Maurice Ravel in Lyon, Béla Bartók National Concert Hall in Budapest, the Palau de la Música Catalana in Barcelona, and the Sejong Center in Seoul. Highlight performances in the USA include Walt Disney Concert Hall, Los Angeles; Verizon Hall, Philadelphia; Davies Symphony Hall, San Francisco; The Meyerson Symphony Center, Dallas TX; Benaroya Hall, Seattle; the Schermerhorn Symphony Center, Nashville, TN; the Kauffman Center in Kansas City, MO; and Spivey Hall in Morrow, GA. He has performed in the most famous churches and cathedrals of Europe, including Notre-Dame Cathedral and Saint-Sulpice in Paris, St. Paul’s Cathedral in London, the Frauenkirche in Dresden, and the Berlin Dom. In 2017 he was chosen as the first Organist in Residence at the celebrated 1738 Christian Müller Organ of the St.-Bavokerk in Haarlem (NL). In August 2022 he performed a solo organ recital for the prestigious BBC Proms at Royal Albert Hall in London.
He is regularly called upon to inaugurate important organs across the world, including Canterbury Cathedral (UK) and King’s College Chapel, Cambridge (UK), York Minster (UK) Moscow’s new Zaryadye Concert Hall (RU), the Concert Hall in Göteborg (SE), and the Musiikkitalo in Helsinki (FI). In 2020 he had the honor of performing the first solo recital on Austria’s largest pipe organ built by the Rieger at St. Stephen’s Cathedral (Stephansdom) in Vienna, and in 2023 in the Cathedral in Graz. In the USA, dedications have included the new C.B. Fisk organ at The Holy Name of Jesus Cathedral in Raleigh, NC, the new Noack at St. Paul’s Cathedral in Birmingham, AL, and the restored Aeolian-Skinner at Northrop Auditorium at University of Minnesota. Passionate about organ design and aesthetics, he also serves as a consultant for new instruments in venues including the Concert Hall in Göteborg, Sweden, Field Hall at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, the American Cathedral in Paris, among many others.
Mr. Laube is a regular guest at notable music festivals around the world as a performer and pedagogue: the Berlin Orgelsommer (DE), the Stuttgart Internationaler Orgelsommer (DE), the Naumburg Orgelsommer (DE), the Silberman-Tage Festival in Freiberg (DE), the Dresden Music Festival (DE), the Hamburg International Music Festival (DE), the International Organ Festival Haarlem (NL), the Bachfestival Dordrecht (NL), the Toulouse Les Orgues Festival (FR), the Orléans Organ Festival (FR), Bordeaux Festival d’Été (FR), the Odense International Organ Festival (DK), the Lapua Festival (FI), the Lahti Organ Festival (FI), the Smarano Organ Academy (IT), the Göteborg International Organ Festival and Academy (SE), the Stockholm OrganSpace Festival (SE), the Bergen Summer Organ Festival (NO), the Max Reger Foundation of America’s 2015 Max Reger Festival (USA), and the WFMT Bach Project in Chicago (USA).
Mr. Laube has two CD recordings available: the Stephen Paulus Grand Concerto on the Naxos label recorded with the Nashville Symphony, Giancarlo Guerrero, conducting, for which the Nashville Symphony received a GRAMMY Award for Best Classical Compendium; and a solo recital recording on the Ambiente label recorded at the Stadtkirche in Nagold, Germany. He has collaborated with solo artists including Andreas Ottensamer, principal clarinet with the Berliner Philharmoniker; Christopher Martin, principal trumpet of the New York Philharmonic; and violinist Rachel Barton Pine. Many of Mr. Laube’s live performances have been featured on American Public Media’s “Pipedreams.”
In April 2019, Mr. Laube launched the documentary-style radio program, “All the Stops,” on the WFMT Radio Network Chicago, consisting of four two-hour programs which feature many of the world’s most famous organs in Europe and the United States and explore their unique histories and repertoire.
Mr. Laube is currently associate professor of organ at the Eastman School of Music. Laube previously taught at Eastman from 2013 to 2020, and then from 2020-2022 taught on the organ faculty at the Staatliche Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst in Stuttgart, Germany, where he succeeded his mentor, Ludger Lohmann. Since 2018 Laube additionally holds the post of the International Consultant in Organ Studies at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, UK. He is frequently asked to sit on the juries for important international organ competitions, including the 2021 Gottfried Silbermann International Competition in Freiberg (DE), the Martini International Organ Competition in Groningen (NL) in 2022, and the Concours International Olivier Messiaen in Lyon (FR) in 2022.
Mr. Laube is a graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, where he studied with Alan Morrison. The recipient of a William Fulbright fellowship, he continued his studies at the Conservatoire Rayonnement Régional in Toulouse with Michel Bouvard and Jan Willem Jansen. He received his Masters at the Musikhochschule in Stuttgart, Germany, where he studied with Ludger Lohmann, under the auspices of a DAAD Grant.
Great Organ Music at Yale with Nathan Laube
Guilford Art League’s Winter Show is now on exhibit in the Menunkatuck Room at Nathanael Greene Community Center (32 Church Street, Guilford). In total, there are 48 pieces of art in the show including paintings, pastels, monoprints, mixed media, and collage, featuring dynamic abstract compositions, layered assemblage, bucolic local scenery and more. Each piece is an engaging feast for the eyes. Stop by simply to enjoy the creativity or to look for a special piece for that empty spot on your wall. Artwork will be on display until April 8.
Featured artists include Nicki Arciodinda Bonanno, Lisa Arnold, Philp Backus, Marsha Borden, Denise Casey, Eileen Clark, Jolie Collins, Steffen Cretella, Raffael Dilauro, Carole Dubiell, Lily Forbush, Arthur Guagliumi, Elizabeth Hundt Scott, Sheila Kaczmarek, Wendi Kohli, Suzanne Kriger, Maureen Lopes, Joanne Martignoni, Sharon Morgio, Lauren Murphy, Scott Paterson, Chris Penry, Beverly Schirmeier, James Voos, Mark Weaver, Vickie Williams, Jeanette Wimmer, and Marian Wittink.
The Guilford Art League was founded in 1947 by a small group of local artists. The objective of the art league is to promote and stimulate interest in the visual arts. Members and associates of the Guilford Art League are a participating and interactive group of artists who learn and benefit from their association with one another. For more information about its members, visit www.guilfordartleague.org.
Guilford Art League Winter Show
During November 24, 2025– February 4, 2026, the NewAlliance Foundation Art Gallery at CT State Community College, Gateway Campus is pleased to present the work of Hafsa Nouman and Sarah Phyllis Smith in their two-person exhibition “You Will Be the Mirror”.
This exhibition includes luminous abstract paintings by Hafsa Nouman, and delicate narrative photographs from Sarah Phyllis Smith. Nouman’s abstract fields are mirrored in Smith’s conceptual photographs and both artists deconstruct space, context, and interpretation with their unique, thought provoking art practices.
Hafsa’s practice focuses on the deconstruction of colonial hierarchies embedded in patriarchal spaces- both monumental and domestic. Her critical focus is rooted in the relationship between ‘object’ and ‘desire’ which often results in visual excavations of architectural thresholds, such as doors, walls, and wrought iron patterns. Through those thresholds, Nouman creates a spatial logic that brings attention to the painted object’s histories, and material realities in a way that they can be re-embodied in the gallery space.
Sarah’s photography follows another deconstruction through abstraction and manipulation of the images. Though her work is deeply personal, themes of loss, longing, and desire permeate throughout her images, and act as both voyeuristic insight and decontextualization. In this examination of her personal experiences the viewer is invited into her both stark and tender space, where deep and slow processing occurs. When we see figures in her work, they are sometimes performative, and sometimes autobiographical. These two directions bring Sarah’s images into their own world. They come from a realistic documentation, but through her perception we arrive at an open-ended meditative place of self-discovery.
Please join us for a reception on Thursday, December 4, 5:00-7:00pm with light refreshments and food. The NewAlliance Foundation Art Gallery at CT State Community College, Gateway is open Monday -Friday 9:00am-9:00pm.
Artist Talk:11:00am-12:00pm in the Gallery.
You Will Be the Mirror: Hafsa Nouman & Sarah Phyllis Smith
The Clinton Art Society (CAS) is pleased to launch the 2026 exhibition season with the Winter Juried Members Exhibition on view from January 26 through April 23, 2026. The opening reception is Thursday, January 29 from 4:30pm to 6:30pm and is free and open to the public.
“Wintertime is the perfect season to experience the light, color and warmth of art,” said Robin Hammeal-Urban, CAS President. “We are honored to have Laura Leonard as our esteemed juror. We invite the community to visit the show and discover our accomplished local and regional artists who work in a vast array of styles and media,” she added.
The exhibition is at the Andrews Memorial Town Hall, 54 E. Main Street in Clinton, CT and is open during regular Town Hall hours.
CAS is a vibrant arts community with members from across the state and region working in all fine art media. The organization sponsors exhibitions, plein air events, and educational sessions. New members are always welcome. For more information, contact CAS at casclinton@gmail.com or visit clintonartsocietyct.org.
Monday through Wednesday, 9am to 4pm
Thursday, 9am to 7pm
Friday, 9am to 12pm
Winter Juried Members Exhibition
Guilford Art Center is delighted to announce the new gallery exhibition, Local Color 7: Circular Thinking , featuring fiber art created by the Studio Art Quilt Associates (SAQA-CT). It kicks off with a free Opening Reception, open to the community, on Sunday, February 1, from 2-4pm. The show will be displayed in the GAC gallery daily through Feb 28. The gallery is open 7 days a week: Monday-Saturday, 10am-4pm and Sunday 12-4pm; free admission.
This exhibition of fiber art by members of SAQA-CT is designed to explore the varieties of meanings, images, and experiences evoked by the circle. The circle can be appreciated as a shape, a symbol, a concept or a metaphor. This exhibition seeks to celebrate diverse explorations of this image that has permeated cultures across the world and across time.
“Guilford Art Center is delighted to present this exhibition celebrating the creativity of these fiber artists. We are all part of an interconnected circle, as this show highlights, inspiring and encouraging creative engagement from local and regional artists” says Maureen Belden, Executive Director, Guilford Art Center.
Betty Busby, an independent SAQA Juried Artist and the Chairperson of SAQA’s Exhibitions Committee, was selected to jury this exhibition. She is a published fiber artist and teacher and maintains a busy exhibit schedule nationally and internationally. She considered each of the 72 entries from regional artists and has selected 36 pieces for the final collection.
The gallery is open 7 days a week, free entry: Monday-Saturday 10am-4pm and Sunday 12-4pm.
Location:
Guilford Art Center
411 Church Street (Route 77)
Guilford, CT 06437
For more information, visit www.guilfordartcenter.org or call (203) 453-5947.
About Guilford Art Center
The Guilford Art Center is a non-profit school, shop and gallery established to nurture and support excellence in the arts. Through classes for adults and children, gallery programs, a shop of contemporary crafts, and special events, the Center fulfills its mission to provide opportunities for the public to participate in the arts, to experience their cultural and historical diversity, and to appreciate the process and product of creative work.
About SAQA
Studio Art Quilt Associates, Inc. (SAQA) is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to promote the art quilt: "a creative visual work that is layered and stitched or that references this form of stitched layered structure." Our vision is that the art quilt is universally respected as a fine art medium. SAQA’s core values are: excellence, innovation, integrity, and inclusion.
Over the past 35 years, SAQA has grown into a dynamic and active community of over 4,000 artists, curators, collectors, and art professionals located around the world.
With our exhibitions, resources, publications, and membership opportunities, we seek to increase the public's appreciation for the art quilt and to support our members in their artistic and professional growth.
Art Quilts Take Shape Around ‘Circular Thinking’ at Guilford Art Center’s Newest Gallery Exhibit
This fast paced class is all about making a hard cover accordion book on the theme of library or your love of books. You might make a book that holds lists of favorite books you have read, books you wish to read, your favorite libraries, or whatever else you can think of!
There will be demonstrations and instruction on a variety of ways of using the accordion fold in a book format: as a panel, as individual pages, as a board book and as a book spine. After creating samples, students will be guided in choosing a format for displaying old school library pockets and their removable cards and adding text or images if desired. You might even use reclaimed book covers to finish your book. Students will leave with samples of accordion books and a completed artist book of your own!
This class will take place in a studio accessed by a flight of stairs. For any accommodations please send a confidential email to registrar@creativeartsworkshop.org
Accordion Book: Love Your Library
Get ready to sketch the world around you! In this fun and inspiring class, students will learn how to turn everyday moments into colorful works of art using markers. Whether it's a favorite toy, a family pet, or a scene from the park, young artists will be encouraged to observe their environment and express what they see through drawing. Students will learn: • How to sketch quickly and confidently • Marker techniques for shading, texture, and blending • How to create scenes that tell a story • Developing their own creative style Great for both beginners and experienced young sketchers! All levels welcome. Tuition for this class includes a fee of $20 for materials provided by CAW.
Drawing with Markers
🤩OPEN MIC NIGHT is held in our all indoor Game Garden every Monday (excluding private event bookings).Whether you're in the mood to tell a story, sing a song, or do some stand up, the mic will be open! Get in early to grab a drink, sign-ups begin at 5 PM🎤
INDUSTRY NIGHT will take place in the Beer Hall every Monday 6-9 PM! Service industry workers can enjoy $5 full-pours all night long. Come grab a stein and toast to some well deserved down time 🍻
Must be 21+
OPEN MIC & INDUSTRY NIGHT at East Rock Brewing Co.
Interested in capturing great images but not sure how to get started? By covering a few basic concepts, you will see your images improve and your confidence grow.
Explore camera exposure settings, smart-phone shooting strategies, and the art of strong composition. Experiment with our Canon Pro 1100 printer and create professional-quality prints that bring your work to life. This offering supports both new and developing photographers. Bring a digital camera to class with your lenses. Be sure to bring a charged battery and memory card installed.
Although the emphasis is on digital photography, the concepts covered here build a solid foundation for anyone curious about moving into film in the future.
Students also enjoy special Saturday photo shoots, personalized guidance, and hands-on printing support. Saturday sessions run 10am–1pm on Jan 10, 17, 31 and Feb 7.
Tuition for this class includes a fee of $20 for basic materials provided by CAW and includes four 8×10 prints from the Canon printer. Each additional print is $5 for a 4×6 or 5×7 proof plus a final 8×10 payable by cash or check at the time of printing
Introduction to Digital Camera and Smart Phone Photography
Explore the joy of painting in this beginner-friendly class. Students will learn fundamental painting techniques, including brushwork, color mixing, and layering. You’ll be guided through observational exercises designed to build both confidence and skill. Students may choose to work in either oil or acrylic paint.
CAW does not supply paint, brushes, or canvas. Please see the list below for what students need to bring.
Introduction to Painting
Learn how to create digital artwork using Procreate on the iPad.
We’ll cover the essentials—drawing, color, layering, and brush techniques—while exploring how digital tools can enhance your creative process. Procreate’s intuitive features make it easy to blend traditional art skills with modern flexibility.
Designed for beginners or anyone curious about digital art, this class offers a step-by-step approach to building skills and confidence with Procreate.
The Basics of Digital Drawing
Explore the art of block printing with linoleum.
The instructor will demonstrate the process for carving and printing a 4” x 6” linoleum block, as well as a variety of inking and printing processes. Students will focus on developing original designs and concepts to prepare a linoleum block to ink, create a series, and print the results.
All printing will be done with water-soluble inks.
Includes one 3-hour weekly practice session during monitored practice hours.
Tuition for this class includes a fee of $20 for basic materials provided by CAW. Linoleum Blocks and paper will be provided for the first two classes; students will need to purchase their own paper and blocks after the second session.
Exploring Linoleum Block Printing
Explore the art of block printing with linoleum.
The instructor will demonstrate the process for carving and printing a 4” x 6” linoleum block, as well as a variety of inking and printing processes. Students will focus on developing original designs and concepts to prepare a linoleum block to ink, create a series, and print the results.
All printing will be done with water-soluble inks.
Includes one 3-hour weekly practice session during monitored practice hours.
Tuition for this class includes a fee of $20 for basic materials provided by CAW. Linoleum Blocks and paper will be provided for the first two classes; students will need to purchase their own paper and blocks after the second session.
Exploring Linoleum Block Printing
Guilford Art League’s Winter Show is now on exhibit in the Menunkatuck Room at Nathanael Greene Community Center (32 Church Street, Guilford). In total, there are 48 pieces of art in the show including paintings, pastels, monoprints, mixed media, and collage, featuring dynamic abstract compositions, layered assemblage, bucolic local scenery and more. Each piece is an engaging feast for the eyes. Stop by simply to enjoy the creativity or to look for a special piece for that empty spot on your wall. Artwork will be on display until April 8.
Featured artists include Nicki Arciodinda Bonanno, Lisa Arnold, Philp Backus, Marsha Borden, Denise Casey, Eileen Clark, Jolie Collins, Steffen Cretella, Raffael Dilauro, Carole Dubiell, Lily Forbush, Arthur Guagliumi, Elizabeth Hundt Scott, Sheila Kaczmarek, Wendi Kohli, Suzanne Kriger, Maureen Lopes, Joanne Martignoni, Sharon Morgio, Lauren Murphy, Scott Paterson, Chris Penry, Beverly Schirmeier, James Voos, Mark Weaver, Vickie Williams, Jeanette Wimmer, and Marian Wittink.
The Guilford Art League was founded in 1947 by a small group of local artists. The objective of the art league is to promote and stimulate interest in the visual arts. Members and associates of the Guilford Art League are a participating and interactive group of artists who learn and benefit from their association with one another. For more information about its members, visit www.guilfordartleague.org.
Guilford Art League Winter Show
During November 24, 2025– February 4, 2026, the NewAlliance Foundation Art Gallery at CT State Community College, Gateway Campus is pleased to present the work of Hafsa Nouman and Sarah Phyllis Smith in their two-person exhibition “You Will Be the Mirror”.
This exhibition includes luminous abstract paintings by Hafsa Nouman, and delicate narrative photographs from Sarah Phyllis Smith. Nouman’s abstract fields are mirrored in Smith’s conceptual photographs and both artists deconstruct space, context, and interpretation with their unique, thought provoking art practices.
Hafsa’s practice focuses on the deconstruction of colonial hierarchies embedded in patriarchal spaces- both monumental and domestic. Her critical focus is rooted in the relationship between ‘object’ and ‘desire’ which often results in visual excavations of architectural thresholds, such as doors, walls, and wrought iron patterns. Through those thresholds, Nouman creates a spatial logic that brings attention to the painted object’s histories, and material realities in a way that they can be re-embodied in the gallery space.
Sarah’s photography follows another deconstruction through abstraction and manipulation of the images. Though her work is deeply personal, themes of loss, longing, and desire permeate throughout her images, and act as both voyeuristic insight and decontextualization. In this examination of her personal experiences the viewer is invited into her both stark and tender space, where deep and slow processing occurs. When we see figures in her work, they are sometimes performative, and sometimes autobiographical. These two directions bring Sarah’s images into their own world. They come from a realistic documentation, but through her perception we arrive at an open-ended meditative place of self-discovery.
Please join us for a reception on Thursday, December 4, 5:00-7:00pm with light refreshments and food. The NewAlliance Foundation Art Gallery at CT State Community College, Gateway is open Monday -Friday 9:00am-9:00pm.
Artist Talk:11:00am-12:00pm in the Gallery.
You Will Be the Mirror: Hafsa Nouman & Sarah Phyllis Smith
The Clinton Art Society (CAS) is pleased to launch the 2026 exhibition season with the Winter Juried Members Exhibition on view from January 26 through April 23, 2026. The opening reception is Thursday, January 29 from 4:30pm to 6:30pm and is free and open to the public.
“Wintertime is the perfect season to experience the light, color and warmth of art,” said Robin Hammeal-Urban, CAS President. “We are honored to have Laura Leonard as our esteemed juror. We invite the community to visit the show and discover our accomplished local and regional artists who work in a vast array of styles and media,” she added.
The exhibition is at the Andrews Memorial Town Hall, 54 E. Main Street in Clinton, CT and is open during regular Town Hall hours.
CAS is a vibrant arts community with members from across the state and region working in all fine art media. The organization sponsors exhibitions, plein air events, and educational sessions. New members are always welcome. For more information, contact CAS at casclinton@gmail.com or visit clintonartsocietyct.org.
Monday through Wednesday, 9am to 4pm
Thursday, 9am to 7pm
Friday, 9am to 12pm
Winter Juried Members Exhibition
Develop your pottery skills as you focus on wheel-throwing techniques in stoneware and porcelain.
Lessons will cover both functional and decorative pottery with emphasis on classical forms as we know them. Students will be shown how to apply glazes and/or oxide washes to achieve desired results, such as combining glaze colors and the application of wood ash to create unexpected effects on their work. Wear clothes that can get dirty.
Pottery tool kits are available for sale in the studio for $27 and firing fees are $3.50/pound. Payable by credit card, cash or check.
Includes one 3-hour weekly practice session during monitored practice hours on a first-come, first-served basis.
Intermediate and Advanced Pottery
Learn basic metalsmithing for making jewelry, developing new skills, or strengthen existing ones. Weekly demonstrations introduce tools and techniques required for working with nonferrous sheet metal and wire. Demonstrations may include sawing, filing, cold-connecting, soldering, surface embellishment, forging, shaping, fold forming, finishing, and patina coloring.
The tuition for this class includes a fee of $40 for basic materials provided by CAW.
Metalsmithing/Jewelry
Guilford Art Center is delighted to announce the new gallery exhibition, Local Color 7: Circular Thinking , featuring fiber art created by the Studio Art Quilt Associates (SAQA-CT). It kicks off with a free Opening Reception, open to the community, on Sunday, February 1, from 2-4pm. The show will be displayed in the GAC gallery daily through Feb 28. The gallery is open 7 days a week: Monday-Saturday, 10am-4pm and Sunday 12-4pm; free admission.
This exhibition of fiber art by members of SAQA-CT is designed to explore the varieties of meanings, images, and experiences evoked by the circle. The circle can be appreciated as a shape, a symbol, a concept or a metaphor. This exhibition seeks to celebrate diverse explorations of this image that has permeated cultures across the world and across time.
“Guilford Art Center is delighted to present this exhibition celebrating the creativity of these fiber artists. We are all part of an interconnected circle, as this show highlights, inspiring and encouraging creative engagement from local and regional artists” says Maureen Belden, Executive Director, Guilford Art Center.
Betty Busby, an independent SAQA Juried Artist and the Chairperson of SAQA’s Exhibitions Committee, was selected to jury this exhibition. She is a published fiber artist and teacher and maintains a busy exhibit schedule nationally and internationally. She considered each of the 72 entries from regional artists and has selected 36 pieces for the final collection.
The gallery is open 7 days a week, free entry: Monday-Saturday 10am-4pm and Sunday 12-4pm.
Location:
Guilford Art Center
411 Church Street (Route 77)
Guilford, CT 06437
For more information, visit www.guilfordartcenter.org or call (203) 453-5947.
About Guilford Art Center
The Guilford Art Center is a non-profit school, shop and gallery established to nurture and support excellence in the arts. Through classes for adults and children, gallery programs, a shop of contemporary crafts, and special events, the Center fulfills its mission to provide opportunities for the public to participate in the arts, to experience their cultural and historical diversity, and to appreciate the process and product of creative work.
About SAQA
Studio Art Quilt Associates, Inc. (SAQA) is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to promote the art quilt: "a creative visual work that is layered and stitched or that references this form of stitched layered structure." Our vision is that the art quilt is universally respected as a fine art medium. SAQA’s core values are: excellence, innovation, integrity, and inclusion.
Over the past 35 years, SAQA has grown into a dynamic and active community of over 4,000 artists, curators, collectors, and art professionals located around the world.
With our exhibitions, resources, publications, and membership opportunities, we seek to increase the public's appreciation for the art quilt and to support our members in their artistic and professional growth.
Art Quilts Take Shape Around ‘Circular Thinking’ at Guilford Art Center’s Newest Gallery Exhibit
Using the theme of Architecture, via collage and mixed media, participants work on a stretched canvas or canvas panel as their substrate. Everyone delves into the fun of using paints, gel prints, stamping, stencils, integrated with the use of handmade papers printed or painted, old vintage script or text using coffee or tea to stain. Together through the visuals shown of a variety of types of dwellings each of you will choose the type of structures and composition for your piece. Participants can choose abstract high rises using simple basics shapes, city or townscapes or with staining, texturing gels make a rustic cabin, or farm, etc. There will be lots of ideas exchanged and personalized instruction.
Regina Thomas’ collage and mixed media art is a mélange of visual stimuli, colors, and shapes involving different genres from the representational to the abstract. These multi-layered works portray her view of the world, never realistic, injecting her own narratives, metaphors, and icons. Regina works instinctually, and her desire is to stimulate and intrigue the viewer, make a connection, bringing their own experiences to the work.
Regina has lived and traveled throughout Asia and Europe. While in London, she attended Richmond University concentrating on the Art Disciplines as well as Studio classes. Upon her return to the states she continued refining her art through classes and workshops at RISD (Rhode Island School of Design), The New Art Center in Newton – MA, South Shore Art Center – MA, West Hartford Art League, Creative Arts Workshop/New Haven, CT, Yale University and The British Art Museum.
Regina has been included in many juried exhibitions in New England. Thomas shows in private galleries and has private collectors across the U.S., Europe, South America and Asia. Her most recent shows have been at The John Slade Ely House in New Haven, and The Spectrum Gallery in Centerbrook where she also holds classes in collage and mixed media art.
Dates: Tuesdays, 1/27; 2/3, 2/10, 2/17, 2/24
Time: 12:30 PM – 2:30 PM
Cost: $140 per person
On Zoom - Dwellings Mixed Media Class
Inviting 1st -5th graders to join our Spring Play “The Quest, a Fairy Tale with Attitude”
SYNOPSIS: Something is terribly wrong with Grandma! She’s very sick and weak, but luckily for her, recovery is just a quest away! The teacher at the exclusive Fantasy Academy challenges her fairy tale character students to embark on a quest to gather three hard-to-obtain items and cure Grandma. Of course, every good fairy tale has a villain, and the best one of all is the big bad wolf, Huff-n-Puff! If Grandma is in good health, Huff-n-Puff’s plot to snatch the basket of goodies away from Little Red with a Hood might fail! He must keep Grandma feeble by finding the three items before the students do. The fairy tale students fight off the wolf and his sidekick, Tag-Along Troll, and continuously seek the audience’s assistance throughout their journey. Naturally, in the end, their quest is successful, and Grandma is better than ever!
Open to children 1st - 5th grade. All children registering will be cast in the show. There is no formal audition process. Actors will have unofficial Auditions on the first day of rehearsals. This will be a more relaxed, group-based atmosphere with the goal of matching actors with the parts that are best for them.
Rehearsals start on January 11th and are Sundays 1:30 - 3:30 pm and Tuesdays 4 - 6 pm with performances on March 27th, 28th, and 29th. Tech week will include extra rehearsals from 3/23 - 3/26.
When you register - you can pay now or select invoice me to pay later. Payments are due on January 11th. You can avoid credit card charges by paying by check or cash. If you are paying by check or cash select invoice me and bring payment to rehearsal. If you need financial assistance or a payment plan, please send an email to robyn@madisonartsbarn.org prior to registering!
The Quest - A Fairy Tale With Attitude
Join Yale Consort for a Sung Mass service.
Free and open to the public.
Yale Consort, a professional vocal ensemble conducted by Professor James O’Donnell and sponsored by the Yale Institute of Sacred Music, provides high quality choral music for a series of evening services in local parishes and chapels.
Contact: Clifton Massey
Sung Mass with Yale Consort
Deepen your understanding of traditional photographic processes while refining darkroom techniques. Explore toning, medium and large format photography, and alternative processes such as cyanotype and palladium printing. Emphasis is placed on developing a cohesive body of work through regular critiques and group discussions, fostering both technical growth and conceptual clarity. Most classes will be divided between demonstration, discussion and critique and lab time. The class also includes an optional Friday evening open darkroom practice session where students can work on and refine the techniques discussed in class. Tuition for this class includes a fee of $40 for basic materials provided by CAW.
Intermediate and Advanced Black and White Analog Film Photography
Join us to draw or paint from a nude model. The 3-hour session includes mixed-length poses. These are monitored “open drawing” sessions; there is no instruction.
Students must register at least 48 hours in advance.
School Policies
Students who withdraw 48 hours prior to the first class are eligible for a refund or credit toward another class, less a $25 registration fee.
Working from a Live Model
Learn to make accordion books in a variety of styles while exploring the basics of bookbinding.
Each week, students will learn a new variation on the accordion fold. Demonstrations and instruction will cover multiple ways the accordion structure can function in book form—such as a continuous panel, individual pages, a board book format, or even a book spine. Techniques for attaching pages with sewing, glue, or tape will be introduced. Collage materials, postcards, and vintage library pockets and cards will be available for incorporation into projects.
By the end of the program, students will have created a collection of accordion books. Those with more experience may choose to spend the session developing a more complex accordion book on a personally selected theme, with guidance available throughout.
This class will take place in a studio accessed by a flight of stairs. For any accommodations please send a confidential email to registrar@creativeartsworkshop.org
Beginning Bookbinding: The Accordion Book
Open Mic Surgery is a freeform poetry open mic held at Never Ending Books (Volume Two) on State Street. The weekly event offers a welcoming space where writers of all backgrounds can connect, read their own work, share poems by others, or simply listen and enjoy. Expect an eclectic mix of poetry and spoken word in a supportive, low-pressure setting filled with a wide range of creative voices.
Open Mic Surgery: A poetry open mic
Join Elm City Swing & Blues at our weekly lesson and social dance! We are building on swing dance concepts taught at our beginner crash course, specifically 6-count swing. This is a progressive series, so we encourage people to register for the entire 4 week series (1/27, 2/3, 2/10. 2/17), but drop-ins are welcome.
NO EXPERIENCE REQUIRED!
Schedule:
*** NOTE NEW START TIME***
7 - 8pm lesson
8 - 10pm social dance
Sliding scale pricing (please pay what you can)
Lesson: $10-20
Dance only: $5-10
Elm City Swing & Blues: Intro to Swing Dance
Guilford Art League’s Winter Show is now on exhibit in the Menunkatuck Room at Nathanael Greene Community Center (32 Church Street, Guilford). In total, there are 48 pieces of art in the show including paintings, pastels, monoprints, mixed media, and collage, featuring dynamic abstract compositions, layered assemblage, bucolic local scenery and more. Each piece is an engaging feast for the eyes. Stop by simply to enjoy the creativity or to look for a special piece for that empty spot on your wall. Artwork will be on display until April 8.
Featured artists include Nicki Arciodinda Bonanno, Lisa Arnold, Philp Backus, Marsha Borden, Denise Casey, Eileen Clark, Jolie Collins, Steffen Cretella, Raffael Dilauro, Carole Dubiell, Lily Forbush, Arthur Guagliumi, Elizabeth Hundt Scott, Sheila Kaczmarek, Wendi Kohli, Suzanne Kriger, Maureen Lopes, Joanne Martignoni, Sharon Morgio, Lauren Murphy, Scott Paterson, Chris Penry, Beverly Schirmeier, James Voos, Mark Weaver, Vickie Williams, Jeanette Wimmer, and Marian Wittink.
The Guilford Art League was founded in 1947 by a small group of local artists. The objective of the art league is to promote and stimulate interest in the visual arts. Members and associates of the Guilford Art League are a participating and interactive group of artists who learn and benefit from their association with one another. For more information about its members, visit www.guilfordartleague.org.
Guilford Art League Winter Show
The Clinton Art Society (CAS) is pleased to launch the 2026 exhibition season with the Winter Juried Members Exhibition on view from January 26 through April 23, 2026. The opening reception is Thursday, January 29 from 4:30pm to 6:30pm and is free and open to the public.
“Wintertime is the perfect season to experience the light, color and warmth of art,” said Robin Hammeal-Urban, CAS President. “We are honored to have Laura Leonard as our esteemed juror. We invite the community to visit the show and discover our accomplished local and regional artists who work in a vast array of styles and media,” she added.
The exhibition is at the Andrews Memorial Town Hall, 54 E. Main Street in Clinton, CT and is open during regular Town Hall hours.
CAS is a vibrant arts community with members from across the state and region working in all fine art media. The organization sponsors exhibitions, plein air events, and educational sessions. New members are always welcome. For more information, contact CAS at casclinton@gmail.com or visit clintonartsocietyct.org.
Monday through Wednesday, 9am to 4pm
Thursday, 9am to 7pm
Friday, 9am to 12pm
Winter Juried Members Exhibition
Make functional ceramic pieces using the potter’s wheel as our primary tool. We will cover clay preparation, forming pots on the wheel, and glazing. Every class includes both demonstrations and individually-focused instruction. Wear clothes that can get dirty.
Pottery tool kits are available for sale in the studio for $27. Firing fees are $3.50/pound. Payable by credit card, cash or check.
Includes one 3-hour weekly practice session during monitored practice hours on a first-come, first-served basis.
All levels Pottery A
You decide – explore multiple printmaking techniques and processes or deepen your practice in one area. Use etching, drypoint, woodcut, linocut, monotype, transfer prints, paper lithography, polymer plate lithography, collagraph, silk aquatint, transfer prints, or Chine-collé. Learn new techniques or connect printmaking to other artistic media.
Includes one 3-hour practice session per week during monitored practice hours.
The tuition for this class includes a materials fee of $20 for basic materials provided by CAW.
Intermediate and Advanced Printmaking
Spectrum Art Gallery and Artisans Store of Centerbrook presents, Signs of Love, a 7-week show celebrating love – in the sense of romantic love, as well as through other shared connections between people, animals, and the world around us. Discover new fine art, mixed media, photography, sculpture, and other unexpected pieces by emerging and established artists who represent these ideas in both subtle and bold, as well as personal and universal interpretations. Join us for an Open Reception, Friday, January 23 from 6:30 to 8:30 pm to enjoy the fine art, crafts, wine, and refreshments, and throughout the Open House Weekend, Saturday, January 24 from 1 to 6 pm and Sunday, January 25 from 1 to 5 pm. The exhibit runs through March 14. As always, Spectrum’s Artisans Store offers new pottery, glass, fiber, home décor, jewelry, clothing, and accessories, as well as children's books and toys. Spectrum Art Gallery, 61 Main St., Centerbrook, Connecticut. Gallery and Store hours are Wednesday through Saturday (12-6 pm) and Sunday (12-5 pm). For more information about gallery exhibits, and classes and workshops for adults, teens, and children, call (860) 767-0742 and visit spectrumartgallery.org. Shop online 24/7 at SpectrumAnytime.com with shipping available throughout the US. Follow Spectrum social media at facebook.com/spectrumartgallery, instagram.com/spectrumartgallery, x.com/spectrum_ct, and youtube.com/@spectrumgallery6211
Signs of Love
Guilford Art Center is delighted to announce the new gallery exhibition, Local Color 7: Circular Thinking , featuring fiber art created by the Studio Art Quilt Associates (SAQA-CT). It kicks off with a free Opening Reception, open to the community, on Sunday, February 1, from 2-4pm. The show will be displayed in the GAC gallery daily through Feb 28. The gallery is open 7 days a week: Monday-Saturday, 10am-4pm and Sunday 12-4pm; free admission.
This exhibition of fiber art by members of SAQA-CT is designed to explore the varieties of meanings, images, and experiences evoked by the circle. The circle can be appreciated as a shape, a symbol, a concept or a metaphor. This exhibition seeks to celebrate diverse explorations of this image that has permeated cultures across the world and across time.
“Guilford Art Center is delighted to present this exhibition celebrating the creativity of these fiber artists. We are all part of an interconnected circle, as this show highlights, inspiring and encouraging creative engagement from local and regional artists” says Maureen Belden, Executive Director, Guilford Art Center.
Betty Busby, an independent SAQA Juried Artist and the Chairperson of SAQA’s Exhibitions Committee, was selected to jury this exhibition. She is a published fiber artist and teacher and maintains a busy exhibit schedule nationally and internationally. She considered each of the 72 entries from regional artists and has selected 36 pieces for the final collection.
The gallery is open 7 days a week, free entry: Monday-Saturday 10am-4pm and Sunday 12-4pm.
Location:
Guilford Art Center
411 Church Street (Route 77)
Guilford, CT 06437
For more information, visit www.guilfordartcenter.org or call (203) 453-5947.
About Guilford Art Center
The Guilford Art Center is a non-profit school, shop and gallery established to nurture and support excellence in the arts. Through classes for adults and children, gallery programs, a shop of contemporary crafts, and special events, the Center fulfills its mission to provide opportunities for the public to participate in the arts, to experience their cultural and historical diversity, and to appreciate the process and product of creative work.
About SAQA
Studio Art Quilt Associates, Inc. (SAQA) is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to promote the art quilt: "a creative visual work that is layered and stitched or that references this form of stitched layered structure." Our vision is that the art quilt is universally respected as a fine art medium. SAQA’s core values are: excellence, innovation, integrity, and inclusion.
Over the past 35 years, SAQA has grown into a dynamic and active community of over 4,000 artists, curators, collectors, and art professionals located around the world.
With our exhibitions, resources, publications, and membership opportunities, we seek to increase the public's appreciation for the art quilt and to support our members in their artistic and professional growth.
Art Quilts Take Shape Around ‘Circular Thinking’ at Guilford Art Center’s Newest Gallery Exhibit
Using the theme of Architecture, via collage and mixed media, participants work on a stretched canvas or canvas panel as their substrate. Everyone delves into the fun of using paints, gel prints, stamping, stencils, integrated with the use of handmade papers printed or painted, old vintage script or text using coffee or tea to stain. Together through the visuals shown of a variety of types of dwellings each of you will choose the type of structures and composition for your piece. Participants can choose, abstract high rises using simple basics shapes, city or townscapes or with staining, texturing gels make a rustic cabin, or farm, etc. There will be lots of ideas exchanged and personalized instruction.
Regina Thomas’ collage and mixed media art is a mélange of visual stimuli, colors, and shapes involving different genres from the representational to the abstract. These multi-layered works portray her view of the world, never realistic, injecting her own narratives, metaphors, and icons. Regina works instinctually, and her desire is to stimulate and intrigue the viewer, make a connection, bringing their own experiences to the work.
Regina has lived and traveled throughout Asia and Europe. While in London, she attended Richmond University concentrating on the Art Disciplines as well as Studio classes. Upon her return to the states she continued refining her art through classes and workshops at RISD (Rhode Island School of Design), The New Art Center in Newton – MA, South Shore Art Center – MA, West Hartford Art League, Creative Arts Workshop/New Haven, CT, Yale University and The British Art Museum.
Regina has been included in many juried exhibitions in New England. Thomas shows in private galleries and has private collectors across the U.S., Europe, South America and Asia. Her most recent shows have been at The John Slade Ely House in New Haven, and The Spectrum Gallery in Centerbrook where she also holds classes in collage and mixed media art.
Dates: Wednesdays, 1/28; 2/4, 2/11, 2/18, 2/25
Time: 12:30 PM – 2:30 PM
Cost: $160 with a $25 material fee paid to the instructor.
In Gallery - Mixed Media Class
Explore the exciting process of Mokulito, a contemporary printmaking technique that combines elements of woodcut and lithography. Developed in Japan, Mokulito (meaning “wood lithography”) allows artists to draw directly onto a wood surface using greasy materials, then print the image using traditional lithographic principles.
In this hands-on workshop, students will learn how to prepare wood plates, draw and process images, and print using water-based or oil-based inks. The natural grain of the wood adds a unique texture, merging drawing, painting, and printmaking into a single expressive process.
Participants will experiment with line, tone, and layered color while discovering how the medium bridges the immediacy of drawing with the tactile beauty of wood.
No prior printmaking experience is needed—just curiosity and creativity.
Includes one 3-hour practice session per week during monitored practice hours.
The tuition for this class includes a materials fee of $20 for basic materials provided by CAW.
Mokulito Workshop
Join us for an opening reception at Miller Hall for the ISM's new exhibit, uYAKu: Sonido Líquido, featuring a discussion panel with exhibit artist and curator Felipe Ledesma (Yale ISM), Thomas B.F. Cummins (Dumbarton Oaks Director), Soledad Chango (Columbia University) and Samuel Tejeda (Itchli Maori). Reception begins at 5 p.m. and artist talk at 5:30 p.m.
Free and open to the public.
Co-sponsored by the ISM and the Yale Council on Latin American and Iberian Studies.
uYAKu: Sonido Líquido will be on view at the Yale Institute of Sacred Music’s Miller Hall at 406 Prospect Street, New Haven from February 5 - March 5. Exhibit is free and open to the public.
Contact: Anesu Nyamupingidza
Exhibition Opening Reception for uYaKu: Sonido Líquido
Explore essential drawing skills in an approachable, supportive setting.
With guided practice and traditional techniques, students will learn how to observe more closely and turn those observations into expressive, confident sketches.
Tuition for this class includes a fee of $20 for materials provided by CAW.
Introduction to Drawing: Working from a Still Life
Learn the basics of preparing and operating a loom. Participants will weave a sampler piece combining a wide range of useful weaves. Beginning students will complete one or two simple projects of their choice by the end of this term. Intermediate and advanced students will weave projects with more complex structures using multi-harness looms.
Beginning students have a materials fee of $18 payable to the instructor.
Includes one 3-hour weekly practice session during monitored practice hours.
Floor Loom Weaving
Looking for a fun group activity while visiting New Haven? Join us in the Beer Hall at East Rock Brewing Co. for our signature trivia on Wednesday nights! FREE ENTRY | 21
Our trivia ranges from General Trivia to Specialty Trivia including: 90s Music Trivia (1/28), Behind the Bar Trivia (3/25), Animated Movie Trivia (6/3) and so much more! Get in early to grab some local, German-inspired beer and a table. 5 rounds with a double or nothing finale! Prizes go to 1st, 2nd and 3rd place!
Wednesdays at 6:30 PM, Sign Ups begin at 6 PM
Plan ahead with your trip into New Haven, our trivia and events schedule can be found in our website link below!
Wednesday Night Trivia at East Rock Brewing Co. New Haven
Veteran book arts expert Gisela Noack brings her many years of skill and experience in restoration and conservation to students working on their own advanced bookbinding or restoration projects.
Enrollment in this class includes one 3-hour monitored open bench session per week.
This class will take place in a studio accessed by a flight of stairs. For any accommodations please send a confidential email to registrar@creativeartsworkshop.org
The tuition for this class includes a fee of $5 for basic materials provided by CAW.
Advanced Hand Bookbinding
Guilford Art League’s Winter Show is now on exhibit in the Menunkatuck Room at Nathanael Greene Community Center (32 Church Street, Guilford). In total, there are 48 pieces of art in the show including paintings, pastels, monoprints, mixed media, and collage, featuring dynamic abstract compositions, layered assemblage, bucolic local scenery and more. Each piece is an engaging feast for the eyes. Stop by simply to enjoy the creativity or to look for a special piece for that empty spot on your wall. Artwork will be on display until April 8.
Featured artists include Nicki Arciodinda Bonanno, Lisa Arnold, Philp Backus, Marsha Borden, Denise Casey, Eileen Clark, Jolie Collins, Steffen Cretella, Raffael Dilauro, Carole Dubiell, Lily Forbush, Arthur Guagliumi, Elizabeth Hundt Scott, Sheila Kaczmarek, Wendi Kohli, Suzanne Kriger, Maureen Lopes, Joanne Martignoni, Sharon Morgio, Lauren Murphy, Scott Paterson, Chris Penry, Beverly Schirmeier, James Voos, Mark Weaver, Vickie Williams, Jeanette Wimmer, and Marian Wittink.
The Guilford Art League was founded in 1947 by a small group of local artists. The objective of the art league is to promote and stimulate interest in the visual arts. Members and associates of the Guilford Art League are a participating and interactive group of artists who learn and benefit from their association with one another. For more information about its members, visit www.guilfordartleague.org.
Guilford Art League Winter Show
The Clinton Art Society (CAS) is pleased to launch the 2026 exhibition season with the Winter Juried Members Exhibition on view from January 26 through April 23, 2026. The opening reception is Thursday, January 29 from 4:30pm to 6:30pm and is free and open to the public.
“Wintertime is the perfect season to experience the light, color and warmth of art,” said Robin Hammeal-Urban, CAS President. “We are honored to have Laura Leonard as our esteemed juror. We invite the community to visit the show and discover our accomplished local and regional artists who work in a vast array of styles and media,” she added.
The exhibition is at the Andrews Memorial Town Hall, 54 E. Main Street in Clinton, CT and is open during regular Town Hall hours.
CAS is a vibrant arts community with members from across the state and region working in all fine art media. The organization sponsors exhibitions, plein air events, and educational sessions. New members are always welcome. For more information, contact CAS at casclinton@gmail.com or visit clintonartsocietyct.org.
Monday through Wednesday, 9am to 4pm
Thursday, 9am to 7pm
Friday, 9am to 12pm
Winter Juried Members Exhibition
We are Hamden Hall—and we can’t wait to welcome you to our campus!
The Student Experience is integral to a Hamden Hall Education. We offer a broad selection of rigorous courses, extracurricular activities, and countless arts and athletic offerings at all levels to inspire students and enhance daily campus life.
Come see for yourself on Thursday, Feb. 5 at 9 a.m.!
RSVP below:
https://www.hamdenhall.org/admissions
Hamden Hall Admissions Coffee and Campus Tours
Chair seated exercise class for seniors. Relax the mind, body and soul through gentle chair seated exercise using the breath via zoom.
Chair seated exercise
Learn the various approaches to creating metal sculptures, including welding (oxyacetylene and MIG), brazing, cutting (torch and plasma cutter), hammering, and more.
Includes one 3-hour weekly practice session during monitored practice hours.
Students should wear 100% cotton long sleeves, jeans or work pants, and closed-toe boots. No synthetic mesh, plastic, or cloth.
The tuition for this class includes a materials fee of $40.
All Levels Metal Sculpture
uYAKu: Sonido Líquido, an exhibition curated by ISM fellow Felipe Ledesma Núñez, will be on view at the Yale Institute of Sacred Music’s Miller Hall at 406 Prospect Street, New Haven from February 5 - March 5 on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 12 - 4 p.m.
uYAKu: Sonido Líquido presents an exploration of the acoustics and metaphysics of water and clay through a set of whistling bottles, created after the discovery of the only known archival record of their use.
Double-chamber whistling bottles are among the most mysterious of archaeological artifacts. Inside, they contain intricate acoustic mechanisms capable of producing sound on their own, revealing a technical and spiritual knowledge that remains only partially understood. Although thousands of these vessels have been found, their purpose remains a mystery.
This exhibition presents the only known historical record of their use: a seventeenth-century manuscript describing a whistling bottle in the form of a woman, venerated by a community in the Andean highlands. This vessel was not merely a ritual object; it embodied an ancestral progenitor, an Andean mother whose voice was audibly present.
Inspired by this ancestral figure, the exhibition brings together sound sculptures created by contemporary Latin American artists that reactivate the acoustic vitality of these ancient technologies. The works engage with the resonant past, exploring how clay, air, and water remain carriers of memory.
Featuring works by Felipe Ledesma, Genaro López, Daniel Mezones, and Samuel Tejeda.
Free and open to the public.
Co-sponsored by the ISM and the Yale Council on Latin American and Iberian Studies.
Installation: Ellis Berwick
All are welcome to join us for an opening reception for this exhibit on Wednesday, February 4 at 5 p.m.
Contact: Anesu Nyamupingidza
uYaKu: Sonido Líquido
Spectrum Art Gallery and Artisans Store of Centerbrook presents, Signs of Love, a 7-week show celebrating love – in the sense of romantic love, as well as through other shared connections between people, animals, and the world around us. Discover new fine art, mixed media, photography, sculpture, and other unexpected pieces by emerging and established artists who represent these ideas in both subtle and bold, as well as personal and universal interpretations. Join us for an Open Reception, Friday, January 23 from 6:30 to 8:30 pm to enjoy the fine art, crafts, wine, and refreshments, and throughout the Open House Weekend, Saturday, January 24 from 1 to 6 pm and Sunday, January 25 from 1 to 5 pm. The exhibit runs through March 14. As always, Spectrum’s Artisans Store offers new pottery, glass, fiber, home décor, jewelry, clothing, and accessories, as well as children's books and toys. Spectrum Art Gallery, 61 Main St., Centerbrook, Connecticut. Gallery and Store hours are Wednesday through Saturday (12-6 pm) and Sunday (12-5 pm). For more information about gallery exhibits, and classes and workshops for adults, teens, and children, call (860) 767-0742 and visit spectrumartgallery.org. Shop online 24/7 at SpectrumAnytime.com with shipping available throughout the US. Follow Spectrum social media at facebook.com/spectrumartgallery, instagram.com/spectrumartgallery, x.com/spectrum_ct, and youtube.com/@spectrumgallery6211
Signs of Love
Guilford Art Center is delighted to announce the new gallery exhibition, Local Color 7: Circular Thinking , featuring fiber art created by the Studio Art Quilt Associates (SAQA-CT). It kicks off with a free Opening Reception, open to the community, on Sunday, February 1, from 2-4pm. The show will be displayed in the GAC gallery daily through Feb 28. The gallery is open 7 days a week: Monday-Saturday, 10am-4pm and Sunday 12-4pm; free admission.
This exhibition of fiber art by members of SAQA-CT is designed to explore the varieties of meanings, images, and experiences evoked by the circle. The circle can be appreciated as a shape, a symbol, a concept or a metaphor. This exhibition seeks to celebrate diverse explorations of this image that has permeated cultures across the world and across time.
“Guilford Art Center is delighted to present this exhibition celebrating the creativity of these fiber artists. We are all part of an interconnected circle, as this show highlights, inspiring and encouraging creative engagement from local and regional artists” says Maureen Belden, Executive Director, Guilford Art Center.
Betty Busby, an independent SAQA Juried Artist and the Chairperson of SAQA’s Exhibitions Committee, was selected to jury this exhibition. She is a published fiber artist and teacher and maintains a busy exhibit schedule nationally and internationally. She considered each of the 72 entries from regional artists and has selected 36 pieces for the final collection.
The gallery is open 7 days a week, free entry: Monday-Saturday 10am-4pm and Sunday 12-4pm.
Location:
Guilford Art Center
411 Church Street (Route 77)
Guilford, CT 06437
For more information, visit www.guilfordartcenter.org or call (203) 453-5947.
About Guilford Art Center
The Guilford Art Center is a non-profit school, shop and gallery established to nurture and support excellence in the arts. Through classes for adults and children, gallery programs, a shop of contemporary crafts, and special events, the Center fulfills its mission to provide opportunities for the public to participate in the arts, to experience their cultural and historical diversity, and to appreciate the process and product of creative work.
About SAQA
Studio Art Quilt Associates, Inc. (SAQA) is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to promote the art quilt: "a creative visual work that is layered and stitched or that references this form of stitched layered structure." Our vision is that the art quilt is universally respected as a fine art medium. SAQA’s core values are: excellence, innovation, integrity, and inclusion.
Over the past 35 years, SAQA has grown into a dynamic and active community of over 4,000 artists, curators, collectors, and art professionals located around the world.
With our exhibitions, resources, publications, and membership opportunities, we seek to increase the public's appreciation for the art quilt and to support our members in their artistic and professional growth.
Art Quilts Take Shape Around ‘Circular Thinking’ at Guilford Art Center’s Newest Gallery Exhibit
The Teacher Leadership Program is a free, one-hour workshop on Zoom for educators of all levels and disciplines that meets at 4:00 pm on the first Thursday of the month throughout the academic year. The sessions are led by Jessica Sack, the Jan and Frederick Mayer Curator of Public Education; Clara Poteet, the John Walsh Fellow in Museum Education; Wurtele Gallery Teachers; and Education Department staff. In this program, educators explore innovative ways to connect their curricula and interest in art with the Yale University Art Gallery’s collection. The sessions also address online and in-person teaching techniques.
Closed captions will be available in English.
Teacher Leadership Program
The influential collectors Francis P. Garvan, B.A. 1897, and father-and-son Luther Kountze and de Lancey Kountze, B.A. 1899, celebrated aspects of American history—and their own patriotism—through the art and antiques they acquired.
Over two generations beginning in the 1880s, the Kountzes assembled sentimental relics associated with key figures in American history: Luther maintained a passion for George Washington, while de Lancey was drawn to the Marquis de Lafayette. Living with objects supposedly owned by these military heroes allowed the Kountzes to insert themselves into the legacy of the nation’s founding. Garvan began collecting around World War I, seeking out masterworks of early American craftsmanship as a form of cultural nationalism. Through supporting academic institutions, like Yale, he hoped that the art of the nation’s past might inspire future generations of students.
To explore what motivated these figures, join Erin E. Eisenbarth, Senior Lecturer, Mercy University, New York, and Catherine Whalen, Associate Professor, Bard Graduate Center, New York, for a presentation and moderated conversation that illuminates the intersections of art, personal passions, and public duty.
Generously sponsored by the Oswaldo Rodriguez Roque Lectureship Fund.
Collecting America: Luther Kountze, de Lancey Kountze, and Francis P. Garvan
If you have somehow missed the documentary, “Pizza: A Love Story,” here’s a chance to attend a screening with Filmmaker Gorman Bechard at the New Haven Museum, on Thursday, February 5, 2026, at 6 p.m. A curator’s tour of the“Pronounced Ah-Beetz” exhibit with co-curator Jason Bischoff-Wurstle will be offered at 5:30 p.m. A Q&A with Bechard and co-producers Dean Falcone, and Colin M. Caplan will follow the screening. The film, tour, and Q&A are free with regular museum admission. Register here.
In the documentary, Bechard tells the story of the evolution of this modern-day food staple, which he claims is “the only pizza that can really be called ‘pizza.’” From the rusted wheels of Frank Pepe’s bread cart to the black charcoal on their fingertips, visitors will journey from old-world Italy to present-day New Haven.
According to Bechard, the “Holy Trinity” of Pepe’s, Sally’s, and Modern serve as a cornerstone of New Haven’s Italian-American heritage and set the bar for this hallowed comfort food. “Pizza, A Love Story” is not just a tale of three restaurants but of three families that have the power to polarize, captivate, and delight.
“Pronounced Ah-Beetz” is co-curated by Bischoff-Wurstle, director of photo archives at the New Haven Museum, and Bechard, Falcone, and Caplan. The exhibit includes first-hand oral histories and pizza-related artifacts from personal collections, video footage adapted from the documentary and photographs.
The exhibit’s title, “Pronounced Ah-Beetz,” comes from the way many people mispronounce the word apizza, which originally grew out of the Italian la pizza. The exhibit will remain on view through October 2027.
