Registration is now open for Fall Classes at Oddfellows Playhouse Youth Theater, located at 128 Washington Street in Middletown! Beginning September 8th, classes in theater and circus will be offered for toddlers to 20 year olds. Teenagers are invited to audition for our fall mainstage production.
Teen Repertory Company (ages 14 - 20) will hold auditions for Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet on September 8 and 11, 6 - 9 pm. This is a unique opportunity to work with ARTFARM Artistic Director and Shakespeare specialist Marcella Trowbridge on one of the great works of the western canon. Teens are asked to pre-register for one of the two audition evenings, to arrive on time, and plan to stay for the entire time. Everyone who auditions and commits to the rehearsal and production schedule will be cast in the show. Regular rehearsals will be Mondays and Thursdays, 6 - 9 pm. Performances will be November 13 - 15 and November 21 - 22.
Circophony Teen Circus (ages 12 - 20) offers serious circus training for young performers. No previous experience is required. Tuesday evenings, 6:30 - 8:30 pm is Acro Focus with Naja Muller, including stretching, flexibility, partner acrobatics, tumbling, mini-tramp and contortion. Wednesdays, 6:30 - 8:30 pm, is Juggling Plus with Joel Melendez, featuring juggling, balancing, rola bola, unicycles, rolling globe, diabolo, flower sticks and other forms of object manipulation & performance skills. Students may register for one or both evenings.
For our youngest Oddfellows, Saturday Classes feature Acrobabies (ages 15 months - under 3 years with caregiver; 9:15 - 9:55 am); Mixed-Up Fairy Tales (ages 3 - 6, 10 -10:55 am); Circrobatics (ages 3 - 6, 11 - 11:55 am); and Circrobalance (ages 5 - 8, noon - 1 pm). Classes start September 13 and continue through a Share Day on November 22 (10 weeks total - no classes October 11). All Saturday classes are taught by Meg Berritta.
After-School classes for ages 6 - 14 begin September 15 and will run for ten weeks this fall, culminating in a “Share Week” November 17 - 20. Most classes run 4:50 -5:50 pm.
Stage One classes for ages 6 - 8 include Intro to Shakespeare (Bard for Beginners); Circus I; Heroes and Villains; and Contortion and Flexibility (open to ages 6 - 11)
Stage Two classes for ages 9 - 11 include Acting in Motion; Circus II; Getting Creative With Shakespeare; Story to Stage; Contortion and Flexibility (open to ages 6 - 11); and Hip Hop Dance (open to ages 9 - 14).
Stage Three classes for ages 12 - 14 include Theater Design; Introduction to Commedia dell’ Arte; Theater Improvisation: Scenes and Games; and Complete Actor III (all of these classes meet 4:30 - 5:50 pm), as well as Hip Hop Dance (this class is for ages 9 - 14 and meets 4:50 - 5:50 pm).
Middletown Public School students may complement their class experience with Oddbridge, an extended day program which provides transport from Middletown schools to the Playhouse, a snack, and supervised arts activities, games and homework help before classes start. This year Oddbridge will run Monday through Thursday, September 15 - November 20, and will resume for a Special Mini Production Intensive Monday - Friday, December 1 - December 12. The program provides special programs and field trips on early dismissal days.
For more details on times, tuition and class descriptions, please go to www.oddfellows.org . If you have specific questions, email info@oddfellows.org or call (860) 347-6143. Financial Aid is available for all programs. It is Oddfellows Playhouse policy that the arts should be available to every young person regardless of ability to pay - no one is turned away for lack of funds.
Oddfellows Playhouse, founded in 1975, is Connecticut’s oldest and largest performing arts program for young people. Oddfellows programs are made possible with support from the Middletown Commission on the Arts; Connecticut Office of the Arts/DECD; City of Middletown; The Fund for Greater Hartford; American Savings Foundation; State of Connecticut Judicial Branch (Youth Violence Prevention); Middletown Youth Services Bureau; Community Foundation of Middlesex County; Liberty Bank Foundation; Middletown Health Department; Maximilian E. & Marion O. Hoffman Foundation; Middlesex United Way; George & Grace Long Foundation; and many generous individual donors.
Oddfellows Fall Programs for Youth start September 8th
March 22 – September 7, 2025 | Exhibition open Wednesday through Sunday from 10am to 4pm with free parking and admission EXCEPT Friday, April 18 (Good Friday); Saturday, April 19 (Holy Saturday); Sunday, April 20 (Easter); Saturday, June 7; and Friday, July 4 (Independence Day).
Separated by 2,781 miles and on two different continents, Iraqi and Nigerian Christians share similar stories of persecution. From 2014-2018, portions of Northern Iraq were under the control of the militant group Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), and many religious minorities, including Christians, experienced persecution and violence as a result. In the northern and central portions of Nigeria, violence towards Christians and other minority groups has also increased in recent years at the hands of Boko Haram and other groups.
The Blessed Michael McGivney Pilgrimage Center is honored to share the stories of those displaced in Iraq and Nigeria through Among the Persecuted and Displaced — a collection of photographs taken by Stephen Rasche. The Knights of Columbus has sponsored some of Rasche’s work in both countries, bringing to light the atrocities inflicted on those persecuted for their faith.
Learn more: https://www.michaelmcgivneycenter.org/exhibits/among-the-persecuted-and-displaced/
Exhibit | Among the Persecuted and Displaced: Photographs from Iraq & Nigeria
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
Theater fans, rejoice! An immersive multi-gallery exhibition—featuring a collection of costumes, posters, and rare archival treasures—is bringing the vibrant history of Long Wharf Theatre to life. “Invitation to Engage: 60 Years of Long Wharf Theatre & Beyond” showcases a “who’s who” of stage royalty including Rita Moreno, Colman Domingo, Al Pacino, Frances McDormand, Anna Deavere Smith, Steve Martin, Jessica Tandy and many more. The exhibition at the New Haven Museum (NHM) is on view through February 2026.
Spanning three museum spaces—the New Haven Museum’s elegant upper rotunda, its gray and center galleries—“Invitation to Engage” invites visitors to step inside six decades of theatrical history. Visitors will try on costumes, explore immersive set recreations, flip through original scripts, and experience interactive rehearsal spaces alongside a gallery spotlighting the next generation of Long Wharf Theatre artists.
Invitation to Engage: 60 Years of Long Wharf Theatre & Beyond Exhibition at New Haven Museum
Take a deeper look into the ocean’s depths with Casey Potts, GAC Resident Potter, and Marsha Borden, GAC Teaching Artist, as they present their side-by-side solo shows at Guilford Art Center August 8 through 31, 2025. There will be a free opening reception Sunday, August, 10 from 2pm to 4 pm.
Into the Deep: A World Within is a medley of marine-themed artworks in a variety of mediums, including fiber, textiles, ceramics, and stoneware.
A recipient of the University of Connecticut’s competitive Sea Grant Award in 2022, Marsha Borden’s work depicts larger-than-life artistic replicas of various microalgae that live in Long Island Sound. Casey Potts’ work represents the culmination of a year-long Artist-In-Residence program at Guilford Art Center where every piece invites a second look. Inspired by the ocean’s layered ecosystems, Potts’ and Borden’s work celebrates the magic found beneath the surface—worlds within worlds, often unseen but always present.
The gallery is open 7 days a week and is always free entry: Monday-Saturday 10am-4pm, Sunday 12-4pm. Guilford Art Center is located at 411 Church Street (Route 77), Guilford CT 06436.
For more information, visit www.guilfordartcenter.org or call (203) 453-5947.
About Casey Potts
Casey Potts is a ceramic artist working in both wheel-thrown and hand-built stoneware. Her work blurs the line between functional form and abstract sculpture, weaving together whimsy, bold color, and oceanic mystery. A Connecticut native, she earned her BS in Ceramics from Southern Connecticut State University in 2020, where she received the Mary Secka Ceramic Award and was chosen to represent the university in a statewide exhibition.
Graduating into a global pandemic and navigating immense personal loss, Casey found healing in movement—living in several states, trying new things, and exploring how people create a sense of place. That same spirit of curiosity and adventure shapes her ceramic practice, which spans a variety of techniques tied together by a shared fascination with layered environments—especially the hidden depths of the sea.
Each piece she creates holds unexpected details: hidden drawings, tactile textures, subtle lighting, or sound-producing rattles. Her work invites viewers to slow down and ask: What am I really looking at? What else is here? In a world built for fast glances, her ceramics reward deeper attention. Like ecosystems beneath the ocean’s surface, her pieces hold emotional resonance, secret structures, and quiet complexity—tiny universes nestled inside one another, waiting to be discovered. Each one a reminder: there’s always more going on beneath the surface.
About Marsha Borden
Marsha Borden is a New Haven County, Connecticut-based American artist who works primarily in textile-based mediums. A juried artist member of the Guilford Art League, Borden is on the faculty at Guilford Art Center in Guilford, Connecticut and is a frequent Teaching Artist with Connecticut Public Libraries. Her work has been juried into numerous local and national exhibitions and is featured in several print and online publications, including the Hartford Courant, the New Haven Independent, The Arts Paper of the Arts Council of New Haven, and the Guilford Courier. A highlight of Borden’s 2024 solo exhibition for the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection at the Kellogg Environmental Center was a large-scale sculpture of the Diamondback Terrapin, a state species of special concern. She was awarded the 2022 Connecticut Sea Grant Arts Support Award for her artistic work with Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs). Borden was Artist-in-Residence at Common Ground Urban Farm and Environmental Education Center (2020) and at Ely Center of Contemporary Art (2019) and both in New Haven, Connecticut. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree, a Master of Science Degree, and a pre-doctoral Sixth-Year Diploma in Psychology. She has recently studied at Rhode Island School of Design in Providence, Rhode Island. Born and raised in upstate New York, Borden currently works from her studio in Erector Square, an artist’s enclave in New Haven, Connecticut.
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.
Guilford Art Center Presents Gallery Exhibit: Into the Deep: A World Within
Explore the Charm of Yesteryear at Shore Line Trolley Museum!
Spend an hour, spend the day – embark on a nostalgic journey with the Shore Line Trolley Museum! Open for visitors, our museum offers enchanting trolley rides and captivating tours that transport you back in time. Purchase your tickets online or at the door and enjoy unlimited access throughout the day!
Ticket Prices:
- $13 for Adults
- $12 for Folks 62+
- $10 for Children
- Kids under 2 ride FREE!
Please note that special events may have different pricing.
Operating Hours: 11 AM – 3 PM, Wed-Sun with trolley cars departing every hour. Our volunteer trolley operators will guide you through the oldest suburban street railway in the U.S.A. – a National Historic District that opened on July 31, 1900, connecting New Haven with the Connecticut shore line.
Authentic Trolley Experience: Step into history as you ride on an authentic antique trolley car. Whether it’s the yellow Connecticut Company trolley capturing old New Haven, the 1923 New Orleans Public Transit trolley, or the semi-open 1904 Brooklyn Rapid Transit trolley, your journey promises a unique experience. We regularly operate trolley cars from New Orleans and Johnstown PA, providing diverse rides depending on weather conditions.
Witness Restoration in Action: Marvel at meticulously volunteer-restored display cars and catch a glimpse of our dedicated volunteers working on overhead wires, signals, or tracks. If you’re passionate about preservation, inquire about volunteering opportunities with your tour guide or ticket agent.
Membership Benefits: Consider becoming a member for exclusive advantages if you plan to visit multiple times a year. Ask about our annual membership subscriptions to enhance your museum experience.
Take Home a Piece of History: Don’t forget to stop by our museum store before you leave! Explore a variety of mementos to commemorate your visit.
Join us for an unforgettable day filled with history, charm, and the joy of trolley rides at Shore Line Trolley Museum. Purchase your tickets now and let the past come alive!
Museum Tours & Trolley Rides
Threads + Paper - Spectrum Art Gallery Exhibit Opens July 18
Spectrum Art Gallery and Artisans Store of Centerbrook presents Threads + Paper, a 7-week show exhibit exploring the rich textures, delicate forms, and sculptural power of fiber and paper. From intricate weavings to charming sculptures, this show highlights how these everyday materials can be transformed into works of art. As each piece in the show tells a story through structure, pattern, and imagination. Discover new wall art, mixed media, sculpture, and other unexpected creations by emerging and established artists. The Open Reception for Threads + Paper is Friday, July 18 from 6:30 to 8:30 pm. Enjoy fine art, crafts, wine, and refreshments that evening and throughout the Open House Weekend, Saturday, July 19 from 1 to 6 pm and Sunday, July 20, from 1 to 5 pm. The exhibit runs through September 6. As always, Spectrum’s Artisans Store offers new pottery, glass, fiber, home décor, jewelry, clothing, and accessories, 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, classes and workshops for adults and teens and summer camps for teens and children, call (860) 767-0742 and visit spectrumartgallery.org. Shop online 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
Threads + Paper
From August 27–August 30, 2025, the Yale Institute of Sacred Music will hold choral auditions for the 2025-26 season for Yale Schola Cantorum, Yale Camerata, Yale Recital Chorus, Yale Repertory Chorus, and other chapel choruses. Yale students, faculty, and staff, and members of the New Haven community, are invited to register.
Auditions will take place in the Great Hall at Yale Divinity School, 409 Prospect St. New Haven at the following times:
- Wed Aug 27: 1:00–3:00pm
- Wed Aug 27: 3:00–8:00pm (Returning Camerata Only)
- Thu Aug 28: 3:00–8:00pm
- Fri Aug 29: 3:00–8:00pm
- Sat Aug 30: 10:00am-2:30pm
Singers are invited to prepare a short solo song or aria (accompanist provided) and will be led through a few simple vocal exercises demonstrating range and musicianship skills. Only one audition is required to be considered for membership for multiple ISM choral ensembles.
What you need to do
- Fill out this registration questionnaire (an email with a confirmed audition time will be sent within 48 hours).
- Prepare your short solo or aria and bring one copy of the music with you for the accompanist.
Questions? Email us.
For full information on ensembles and conductors, see the ISM choral auditions page.
Yale Institute of Sacred Music Choral Auditions 2025-2026
Renowned visual artist and Yale alum Leo Villareal ’90 will present Celestial Garden (Yale), a new exhibition in The Dome at Yale Schwarzman Center. This never-before-exhibited artwork features an original soundscape and employs a suite of ten projectors that map the entire dome’s intrados. Villareal, whose work explores the physicality of light in both the spatial and temporal dimensions, uses custom software to orchestrate the perpetually evolving, abstract compositions, inspired by nature’s intricate, ever-changing patterns. Plush carpets and seating allow a contemplative pause for viewers to be immersed in a dynamic and continuously unfolding interplay of light and sound.
Free and open to the public Tuesdays through Saturdays from 12-6pm with extended hours on Thursdays until 8pm.
Celestial Garden (Yale)
Hello Books & Brews! For our next meeting, we'll be discussing *Such a Bad Influence* by Olivia Muenter. You can read all about it below, and if you'd like copies of the books we'll have some available at the Reference Desk of the James Blackstone Memorial Library in Branford.
*Such a Bad Influence* by Olivia Muenter
Hazel Davis is drifting: she’s stalled in her career, living in a city she hates, and less successful than her younger sister, @evelyn, a mega-popular lifestyle influencer. Evie came of age online, having gone viral at five years old for a heart-tugging daddy-daughter dance. Ten years older and spotlight-averse, Hazel managed to dodge the family YouTube channel—so although she can barely afford her apartment, at least she made her own way.
Evie is eighteen now, with a multimillion-dollar career and unlimited opportunities, but Hazel is still protective of her little sister and skeptical of the way everyone seems to want a piece of her: Evie’s followers, her YouTuber boyfriend and influencer frenemies, and their opportunistic mother. So when Evie disappears one day—during an unsettling live stream that cuts out midsentence—Hazel is horrified to have her worst instincts proven right.
As theories about Evie’s disappearance tear through the internet, inspiring hashtags, Reddit threads, podcast episodes, and scorn, Hazel throws herself into the darkest parts of her sister’s world to untangle the threads of truth. After all, Hazel knows Evie better than anyone else . . . doesn’t she?
Due to Thimble Island Brewery's closure, our discussions are being held in the Blackstone Library auditorium We're asking that everyone continue to RSVP if you intend on joining us so we can keep an eye on the headcount for the meeting. New members always welcome!
August Book Discussion
Live Music at the Library!
Bluesman and raconteur Ramblin’ Dan Stevens shares classic blues pieces played on authentic vintage instruments, like the 3-stringed Cigar Box Guitar, the single-stringed Diddley Bow and bottleneck slide.
Tracing the blues from its development in different regions of the south, and through the great African American migration to blues meccas like Memphis and Chicago, Dan will guide us on a musical journey of history and music.
Blues 101: a Musical History with Ramblin' Dan Stevens
It's TRIVIA time at Dockside Brewery! Join us every Wednesday at 7pm for some brain-teasing fun by the water!🍻
Trivia Wednesdays
This generative writing workshop will focus on using archival material as an entry point into a story: either fiction or nonfiction. Participants will: read excerpts from authors using archival material in their writing, view artifacts from archives (either their own or ones supplied for viewing), and search for an entry point into their next story. Participants will have the chance to share their work at class close. All levels of writers are welcome.
$30 gets you 90 minutes of instruction in the Workshop Gallery at Ball & Socket Arts on August 27th from 7 to 8:30 pm. If cost is a barrier to participation, please reach out to our team to discuss accommodations.
Workshop is limited to 12 participants, so be sure to register now!
Allison Bass-Riccio is the steward of the Hazel Hawthorne archive. A writer and researcher, she teaches English at Cheshire Academy in Cheshire, CT. She is currently working on a multi-genre book that juxtaposes Hazel Hawthorne's life with her own, highlighting the beauty of the dunes, the strength of women, and the pleasure of intentionally cultivating one's own life
The Factory: The Archive: Mining the Past to Write Today
Learn how to make a handheld loom and weave your very own Jellyfish Bracelets! Registration is required.
For more information call 203-937-4233, email wmcirc@westhavenlibrary.org, or stop by the library!
This program is for adults ages 18 and up.
DIY Jellyfish Bracelets
Come one, come all to Our regular Wednesday Night Meetup at Prime Climb/Rock Spot Climbing in Wallingford, CT!
Here's the deal:
If it's your first time with the CT Rock Climbing Meetup or at Prime Climb/Rock Spot Climbing, then Welcome!! - We'll set you up with gear (if you don't have any) and you can climb with the group all night!
First, we ask you to fill out a waiver at https://rockspotclimbing.com/waiver/
Next, the cost to climb is a discounted rate of $16 which includes rentals.
After the Meetup, we'll be heading out to a local pub for some drinks and food.
Hope to see you all there!
Chris and Lia
Wednesday Night Climbing!
Join us at Old Heidelberg Bar inside Graduate by Hilton New Haven every Wednesday at 7:30 PM for Big Boy Trivia! Get your game faces on and be ready to compete!
Old Heidelberg Trivia Night
Movies in the Plaza brings you free Wednesday night movie screenings May through October in downtown New Haven’s beloved, cozy Pitkin Plaza! Grab your lawn chairs, picnic blankets and some takeout from a local spot, and spend an evening under the stars enjoying blockbusters, nostalgic blasts from the past, cult favorites, family films, and more.
Movies in the Plaza
Registration is now open for Fall Classes at Oddfellows Playhouse Youth Theater, located at 128 Washington Street in Middletown! Beginning September 8th, classes in theater and circus will be offered for toddlers to 20 year olds. Teenagers are invited to audition for our fall mainstage production.
Teen Repertory Company (ages 14 - 20) will hold auditions for Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet on September 8 and 11, 6 - 9 pm. This is a unique opportunity to work with ARTFARM Artistic Director and Shakespeare specialist Marcella Trowbridge on one of the great works of the western canon. Teens are asked to pre-register for one of the two audition evenings, to arrive on time, and plan to stay for the entire time. Everyone who auditions and commits to the rehearsal and production schedule will be cast in the show. Regular rehearsals will be Mondays and Thursdays, 6 - 9 pm. Performances will be November 13 - 15 and November 21 - 22.
Circophony Teen Circus (ages 12 - 20) offers serious circus training for young performers. No previous experience is required. Tuesday evenings, 6:30 - 8:30 pm is Acro Focus with Naja Muller, including stretching, flexibility, partner acrobatics, tumbling, mini-tramp and contortion. Wednesdays, 6:30 - 8:30 pm, is Juggling Plus with Joel Melendez, featuring juggling, balancing, rola bola, unicycles, rolling globe, diabolo, flower sticks and other forms of object manipulation & performance skills. Students may register for one or both evenings.
For our youngest Oddfellows, Saturday Classes feature Acrobabies (ages 15 months - under 3 years with caregiver; 9:15 - 9:55 am); Mixed-Up Fairy Tales (ages 3 - 6, 10 -10:55 am); Circrobatics (ages 3 - 6, 11 - 11:55 am); and Circrobalance (ages 5 - 8, noon - 1 pm). Classes start September 13 and continue through a Share Day on November 22 (10 weeks total - no classes October 11). All Saturday classes are taught by Meg Berritta.
After-School classes for ages 6 - 14 begin September 15 and will run for ten weeks this fall, culminating in a “Share Week” November 17 - 20. Most classes run 4:50 -5:50 pm.
Stage One classes for ages 6 - 8 include Intro to Shakespeare (Bard for Beginners); Circus I; Heroes and Villains; and Contortion and Flexibility (open to ages 6 - 11)
Stage Two classes for ages 9 - 11 include Acting in Motion; Circus II; Getting Creative With Shakespeare; Story to Stage; Contortion and Flexibility (open to ages 6 - 11); and Hip Hop Dance (open to ages 9 - 14).
Stage Three classes for ages 12 - 14 include Theater Design; Introduction to Commedia dell’ Arte; Theater Improvisation: Scenes and Games; and Complete Actor III (all of these classes meet 4:30 - 5:50 pm), as well as Hip Hop Dance (this class is for ages 9 - 14 and meets 4:50 - 5:50 pm).
Middletown Public School students may complement their class experience with Oddbridge, an extended day program which provides transport from Middletown schools to the Playhouse, a snack, and supervised arts activities, games and homework help before classes start. This year Oddbridge will run Monday through Thursday, September 15 - November 20, and will resume for a Special Mini Production Intensive Monday - Friday, December 1 - December 12. The program provides special programs and field trips on early dismissal days.
For more details on times, tuition and class descriptions, please go to www.oddfellows.org . If you have specific questions, email info@oddfellows.org or call (860) 347-6143. Financial Aid is available for all programs. It is Oddfellows Playhouse policy that the arts should be available to every young person regardless of ability to pay - no one is turned away for lack of funds.
Oddfellows Playhouse, founded in 1975, is Connecticut’s oldest and largest performing arts program for young people. Oddfellows programs are made possible with support from the Middletown Commission on the Arts; Connecticut Office of the Arts/DECD; City of Middletown; The Fund for Greater Hartford; American Savings Foundation; State of Connecticut Judicial Branch (Youth Violence Prevention); Middletown Youth Services Bureau; Community Foundation of Middlesex County; Liberty Bank Foundation; Middletown Health Department; Maximilian E. & Marion O. Hoffman Foundation; Middlesex United Way; George & Grace Long Foundation; and many generous individual donors.
Oddfellows Fall Programs for Youth start September 8th
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
March 22 – September 7, 2025 | Exhibition open Wednesday through Sunday from 10am to 4pm with free parking and admission EXCEPT Friday, April 18 (Good Friday); Saturday, April 19 (Holy Saturday); Sunday, April 20 (Easter); Saturday, June 7; and Friday, July 4 (Independence Day).
Separated by 2,781 miles and on two different continents, Iraqi and Nigerian Christians share similar stories of persecution. From 2014-2018, portions of Northern Iraq were under the control of the militant group Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), and many religious minorities, including Christians, experienced persecution and violence as a result. In the northern and central portions of Nigeria, violence towards Christians and other minority groups has also increased in recent years at the hands of Boko Haram and other groups.
The Blessed Michael McGivney Pilgrimage Center is honored to share the stories of those displaced in Iraq and Nigeria through Among the Persecuted and Displaced — a collection of photographs taken by Stephen Rasche. The Knights of Columbus has sponsored some of Rasche’s work in both countries, bringing to light the atrocities inflicted on those persecuted for their faith.
Learn more: https://www.michaelmcgivneycenter.org/exhibits/among-the-persecuted-and-displaced/
Exhibit | Among the Persecuted and Displaced: Photographs from Iraq & Nigeria
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
Theater fans, rejoice! An immersive multi-gallery exhibition—featuring a collection of costumes, posters, and rare archival treasures—is bringing the vibrant history of Long Wharf Theatre to life. “Invitation to Engage: 60 Years of Long Wharf Theatre & Beyond” showcases a “who’s who” of stage royalty including Rita Moreno, Colman Domingo, Al Pacino, Frances McDormand, Anna Deavere Smith, Steve Martin, Jessica Tandy and many more. The exhibition at the New Haven Museum (NHM) is on view through February 2026.
Spanning three museum spaces—the New Haven Museum’s elegant upper rotunda, its gray and center galleries—“Invitation to Engage” invites visitors to step inside six decades of theatrical history. Visitors will try on costumes, explore immersive set recreations, flip through original scripts, and experience interactive rehearsal spaces alongside a gallery spotlighting the next generation of Long Wharf Theatre artists.
Invitation to Engage: 60 Years of Long Wharf Theatre & Beyond Exhibition at New Haven Museum
Take a deeper look into the ocean’s depths with Casey Potts, GAC Resident Potter, and Marsha Borden, GAC Teaching Artist, as they present their side-by-side solo shows at Guilford Art Center August 8 through 31, 2025. There will be a free opening reception Sunday, August, 10 from 2pm to 4 pm.
Into the Deep: A World Within is a medley of marine-themed artworks in a variety of mediums, including fiber, textiles, ceramics, and stoneware.
A recipient of the University of Connecticut’s competitive Sea Grant Award in 2022, Marsha Borden’s work depicts larger-than-life artistic replicas of various microalgae that live in Long Island Sound. Casey Potts’ work represents the culmination of a year-long Artist-In-Residence program at Guilford Art Center where every piece invites a second look. Inspired by the ocean’s layered ecosystems, Potts’ and Borden’s work celebrates the magic found beneath the surface—worlds within worlds, often unseen but always present.
The gallery is open 7 days a week and is always free entry: Monday-Saturday 10am-4pm, Sunday 12-4pm. Guilford Art Center is located at 411 Church Street (Route 77), Guilford CT 06436.
For more information, visit www.guilfordartcenter.org or call (203) 453-5947.
About Casey Potts
Casey Potts is a ceramic artist working in both wheel-thrown and hand-built stoneware. Her work blurs the line between functional form and abstract sculpture, weaving together whimsy, bold color, and oceanic mystery. A Connecticut native, she earned her BS in Ceramics from Southern Connecticut State University in 2020, where she received the Mary Secka Ceramic Award and was chosen to represent the university in a statewide exhibition.
Graduating into a global pandemic and navigating immense personal loss, Casey found healing in movement—living in several states, trying new things, and exploring how people create a sense of place. That same spirit of curiosity and adventure shapes her ceramic practice, which spans a variety of techniques tied together by a shared fascination with layered environments—especially the hidden depths of the sea.
Each piece she creates holds unexpected details: hidden drawings, tactile textures, subtle lighting, or sound-producing rattles. Her work invites viewers to slow down and ask: What am I really looking at? What else is here? In a world built for fast glances, her ceramics reward deeper attention. Like ecosystems beneath the ocean’s surface, her pieces hold emotional resonance, secret structures, and quiet complexity—tiny universes nestled inside one another, waiting to be discovered. Each one a reminder: there’s always more going on beneath the surface.
About Marsha Borden
Marsha Borden is a New Haven County, Connecticut-based American artist who works primarily in textile-based mediums. A juried artist member of the Guilford Art League, Borden is on the faculty at Guilford Art Center in Guilford, Connecticut and is a frequent Teaching Artist with Connecticut Public Libraries. Her work has been juried into numerous local and national exhibitions and is featured in several print and online publications, including the Hartford Courant, the New Haven Independent, The Arts Paper of the Arts Council of New Haven, and the Guilford Courier. A highlight of Borden’s 2024 solo exhibition for the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection at the Kellogg Environmental Center was a large-scale sculpture of the Diamondback Terrapin, a state species of special concern. She was awarded the 2022 Connecticut Sea Grant Arts Support Award for her artistic work with Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs). Borden was Artist-in-Residence at Common Ground Urban Farm and Environmental Education Center (2020) and at Ely Center of Contemporary Art (2019) and both in New Haven, Connecticut. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree, a Master of Science Degree, and a pre-doctoral Sixth-Year Diploma in Psychology. She has recently studied at Rhode Island School of Design in Providence, Rhode Island. Born and raised in upstate New York, Borden currently works from her studio in Erector Square, an artist’s enclave in New Haven, Connecticut.
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.
Guilford Art Center Presents Gallery Exhibit: Into the Deep: A World Within
Explore the Charm of Yesteryear at Shore Line Trolley Museum!
Spend an hour, spend the day – embark on a nostalgic journey with the Shore Line Trolley Museum! Open for visitors, our museum offers enchanting trolley rides and captivating tours that transport you back in time. Purchase your tickets online or at the door and enjoy unlimited access throughout the day!
Ticket Prices:
- $13 for Adults
- $12 for Folks 62+
- $10 for Children
- Kids under 2 ride FREE!
Please note that special events may have different pricing.
Operating Hours: 11 AM – 3 PM, Wed-Sun with trolley cars departing every hour. Our volunteer trolley operators will guide you through the oldest suburban street railway in the U.S.A. – a National Historic District that opened on July 31, 1900, connecting New Haven with the Connecticut shore line.
Authentic Trolley Experience: Step into history as you ride on an authentic antique trolley car. Whether it’s the yellow Connecticut Company trolley capturing old New Haven, the 1923 New Orleans Public Transit trolley, or the semi-open 1904 Brooklyn Rapid Transit trolley, your journey promises a unique experience. We regularly operate trolley cars from New Orleans and Johnstown PA, providing diverse rides depending on weather conditions.
Witness Restoration in Action: Marvel at meticulously volunteer-restored display cars and catch a glimpse of our dedicated volunteers working on overhead wires, signals, or tracks. If you’re passionate about preservation, inquire about volunteering opportunities with your tour guide or ticket agent.
Membership Benefits: Consider becoming a member for exclusive advantages if you plan to visit multiple times a year. Ask about our annual membership subscriptions to enhance your museum experience.
Take Home a Piece of History: Don’t forget to stop by our museum store before you leave! Explore a variety of mementos to commemorate your visit.
Join us for an unforgettable day filled with history, charm, and the joy of trolley rides at Shore Line Trolley Museum. Purchase your tickets now and let the past come alive!
Museum Tours & Trolley Rides
Threads + Paper - Spectrum Art Gallery Exhibit Opens July 18
Spectrum Art Gallery and Artisans Store of Centerbrook presents Threads + Paper, a 7-week show exhibit exploring the rich textures, delicate forms, and sculptural power of fiber and paper. From intricate weavings to charming sculptures, this show highlights how these everyday materials can be transformed into works of art. As each piece in the show tells a story through structure, pattern, and imagination. Discover new wall art, mixed media, sculpture, and other unexpected creations by emerging and established artists. The Open Reception for Threads + Paper is Friday, July 18 from 6:30 to 8:30 pm. Enjoy fine art, crafts, wine, and refreshments that evening and throughout the Open House Weekend, Saturday, July 19 from 1 to 6 pm and Sunday, July 20, from 1 to 5 pm. The exhibit runs through September 6. As always, Spectrum’s Artisans Store offers new pottery, glass, fiber, home décor, jewelry, clothing, and accessories, 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, classes and workshops for adults and teens and summer camps for teens and children, call (860) 767-0742 and visit spectrumartgallery.org. Shop online 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
Threads + Paper
Instructed by Annie Sailer
39 Putnam Ave, Floor 2, Hamden, CT
Annie Sailer Adult Beginner-Intermediate Dance Class
Stop by the West Haven Library and speak with representatives from the American Job Centers! Chat for a few minutes, grab a business card or flyer, or ask as many questions as you have. You can learn about this valuable resource and the various services they offer to anyone on the hunt for a job, including the following:
Job Postings & Events Training Assistance Young Adult Programs Public Workshops
No registration, stop by at your convenience between 1:00 pm and 3:00 pm to speak with a representative.
American Job Center: Opportunities & Events
From August 27–August 30, 2025, the Yale Institute of Sacred Music will hold choral auditions for the 2025-26 season for Yale Schola Cantorum, Yale Camerata, Yale Recital Chorus, Yale Repertory Chorus, and other chapel choruses. Yale students, faculty, and staff, and members of the New Haven community, are invited to register.
Auditions will take place in the Great Hall at Yale Divinity School, 409 Prospect St. New Haven at the following times:
- Wed Aug 27: 1:00–3:00pm
- Wed Aug 27: 3:00–8:00pm (Returning Camerata Only)
- Thu Aug 28: 3:00–8:00pm
- Fri Aug 29: 3:00–8:00pm
- Sat Aug 30: 10:00am-2:30pm
Singers are invited to prepare a short solo song or aria (accompanist provided) and will be led through a few simple vocal exercises demonstrating range and musicianship skills. Only one audition is required to be considered for membership for multiple ISM choral ensembles.
What you need to do
- Fill out this registration questionnaire (an email with a confirmed audition time will be sent within 48 hours).
- Prepare your short solo or aria and bring one copy of the music with you for the accompanist.
Questions? Email us.
For full information on ensembles and conductors, see the ISM choral auditions page.
Yale Institute of Sacred Music Choral Auditions 2025-2026
Renowned visual artist and Yale alum Leo Villareal ’90 will present Celestial Garden (Yale), a new exhibition in The Dome at Yale Schwarzman Center. This never-before-exhibited artwork features an original soundscape and employs a suite of ten projectors that map the entire dome’s intrados. Villareal, whose work explores the physicality of light in both the spatial and temporal dimensions, uses custom software to orchestrate the perpetually evolving, abstract compositions, inspired by nature’s intricate, ever-changing patterns. Plush carpets and seating allow a contemplative pause for viewers to be immersed in a dynamic and continuously unfolding interplay of light and sound.
Free and open to the public Tuesdays through Saturdays from 12-6pm with extended hours on Thursdays until 8pm.
Celestial Garden (Yale)
NEW HAVEN CHORALE INVITES YOU TO AUDITION FOR OUR 76TH SEASON!
Our programming will include four major concerts.
Auditions will be held at the Unitarian Society of New Haven 700 Hartford Tpke, Hamden, CT 06517
Our audition dates are:
- Sat, August 23, 2025 | 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM
- Thurs, August 28, 2025 | 5:00 PM – 8:00 PM
- Sat, September 6, 2025 | 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM
Rehearsals are held Monday evenings from 7 to 9:30 pm at the Unitarian Society of New Haven.
A typical audition includes a brief warm-up to determine range and flexibility, and singing a short solo piece of your choice. We look forward to meeting new singers that share our passion and love of music!
Auditions: Sing with the New Haven Chorale
Italian immigration has played a significant role in shaping the cultural, economic, and social fabric of Meriden, particularly during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In this lecture, we will explore the major waves of Italian migration, the push and pull factors that drove millions to leave their homeland, and the experiences of Italian immigrants as they settled in Meriden. From the challenges of assimilation to the preservation of cultural identity, we will examine how Italian communities left a lasting legacy that continues to be felt today.
Save your seat below.
IN ARRIVO A MERIDEN: Coming to Meriden from Italy
EVENT START-END | 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm ET
CHECK-IN BEGINS | 6:15 pm ET
WHERE | East Rock Brewing, 285 Nicoll St Suite 103, New Haven, CT 06511 (map)
AGE RANGE | 21+: While many folks who attend our events are in their 20s and 30s, all guests 21+ will be enthusiastically welcome! Please be sure to bring your government-issued ID, as this venue is 21+.
FOOD/DRINKS | Craft beer and non-alcoholic beverages will be available for sale.
PARKING / PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION | There is parking available nearby.
ACCESSIBILITY & OTHER VENUE DETAILS | Wheelchair accessible and gender-affirming bathrooms available. For ASL and any other accommodations not listed, please see more info here.
COVID-19 PROCEDURES | Masking is optional, but recommended.
What’s It Like?
Do you wish you could have more of the kinds of conversations you have late at night where for some reason, you feel safe talking about the things you actually care about?
Bring your friends (or come by yourself) and spend your Thursday night at an event where you know everyone else is there for the same reason.
We'll be offering "big talk" conversational prompts on them to get you started, and we'll have lots of structure to make sure that you actually talk to people and that it's not awkward. Not feeling like answering a particular question? No worries, we'll have plenty to choose from, like, "When are you the happiest?" and, "If you were going to become close friends with me, what would I need to know about you?" We'll give you ground rules to make sure you feel comfortable and safe sharing as much of yourself as possible while still feeling in complete control of how much you divulge.
There will be drinks for sale!
Check-in for this event will begin around 6:15 pm. Please do your best to arrive before 6:30 pm so we can begin as close to on time as possible.
Skip the Small Talk is dedicated to providing an inclusive, welcoming environment for everyone. Check out our safety policy here: tinyurl.com/ststSafety
Skip the Small Talk at East Rock Brewing
Beginner workshops are perfect for you to grab your friends, grab a drink and come make tiny trees! We’re bringing the awesome art of bonsai out of the hedged in gardens and into the streets! Or at least into your favorite bars/breweries/pubs. Bonsai Bar is a night of fun you don’t want to miss. Learn the fundamental skills and techniques behind the art of bonsai while enjoying a night out with friends! Our teachers will introduce core concepts and guide your experience as you pot, prune, and design your very own bonsai tree! Our Guarantee: These tiny trees are so hardy we guarantee you can keep yours alive, or we’ll replace it.
This workshop will be hosted at Counter Weight Brewing Co. Our goal is to continuously honor long-held brewing traditions while exploring new and innovative methods to highlight each ingredient and delight your palate with every sip. We’ll delve into passion projects focused on wild yeast and wood aging, while continuing to evolve the definition of what a big, flavorful, hoppy beer can be. From beautiful, rustic Belgian ales and refined, sturdy German lagers to bright, hop-forward American IPA’s, we will venture on an exciting odyssey of brewing. As we explore, we hope that you’ll join us.
Under 21 policy: Please contact Counter Weight Brewing Co. for details regarding underage entry
For more about Bonsai Bar and what to expect at our classes, visit our website at: https://bonsaibar.com/products/counter-weight-brewing-co
Happens on the following Dates:
- Aug 28, 2025, 6:30pm to 8:30pm Timezone: EDT
- Sep 25, 2025, 6:30pm to 8:30pm Timezone: EDT
Bonsai Workshop at Counter Weight Brewing Co.
Beginner workshops are perfect for you to grab your friends, grab a drink and come make tiny trees! We’re bringing the awesome art of bonsai out of the hedged in gardens and into the streets! Or at least into your favorite bars/breweries/pubs. Bonsai Bar is a night of fun you don’t want to miss. Learn the fundamental skills and techniques behind the art of bonsai while enjoying a night out with friends! Our teachers will introduce core concepts and guide your experience as you pot, prune, and design your very own bonsai tree! Our Guarantee: These tiny trees are so hardy we guarantee you can keep yours alive, or we’ll replace it.
This workshop will be hosted at Counter Weight Brewing Co. Our goal is to continuously honor long-held brewing traditions while exploring new and innovative methods to highlight each ingredient and delight your palate with every sip. We’ll delve into passion projects focused on wild yeast and wood aging, while continuing to evolve the definition of what a big, flavorful, hoppy beer can be. From beautiful, rustic Belgian ales and refined, sturdy German lagers to bright, hop-forward American IPA's, we will venture on an exciting odyssey of brewing. As we explore, we hope that you’ll join us.
Under 21 policy: Please contact Counter Weight Brewing Co. for details regarding underage entry
For more about Bonsai Bar and what to expect at our classes, visit our website at: https://bonsaibar.com/products/counter-weight-brewing-co
Bonsai Workshop at Counter Weight Brewing Co.
EVENT START-END | 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm ET
CHECK-IN BEGINS | 6:15 pm ET
WHERE | East Rock Brewing, 285 Nicoll St Suite 103, New Haven, CT 06511 (map)
AGE RANGE | 21+: While many folks who attend our events are in their 20s and 30s, all guests 21+ will be enthusiastically welcome! Please be sure to bring your government-issued ID, as this venue is 21+.
FOOD/DRINKS | Craft beer and non-alcoholic beverages will be available for sale.
PARKING / PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION | There is parking available nearby.
ACCESSIBILITY & OTHER VENUE DETAILS | Wheelchair accessible and gender-affirming bathrooms available. For ASL and any other accommodations not listed, please see more info here.
COVID-19 PROCEDURES | Masking is optional, but recommended.
What’s It Like?
Hear from real attendees in the videos at the bottom of the page!
Do you wish you could have more of the kinds of conversations you have late at night where for some reason, you feel safe talking about the things you actually care about?
Bring your friends (or come by yourself) and spend your Thursday night at an event where you know everyone else is there for the same reason. We'll be offering "big talk" conversational prompts on them to get you started, and we'll have lots of structure to make sure that you actually talk to people and that it's not awkward. Not feeling like answering a particular question? No worries, we'll have plenty to choose from, like, "When are you the happiest?" and, "If you were going to become close friends with me, what would I need to know about you?" We'll give you ground rules to make sure you feel comfortable and safe sharing as much of yourself as possible while still feeling in complete control of how much you divulge.
There will be drinks for sale!
Check-in for this event will begin around 6:15 pm. Please do your best to arrive before 6:30 pm so we can begin as close to on time as possible.
Skip the Small Talk is dedicated to providing an inclusive, welcoming environment for everyone. Check out our safety policy here: tinyurl.com/ststSafety
Ready to Skip the Small Talk With Us?
Grab a ticket since entry is on a first come first serve basis and we tend to sell out in advance for these-- once we are out of tickets, we will NOT be able to accommodate folks at the door.
Want to check out what else is going on at East Rock Brewing? Check out their website here.
If you want to be the first to hear about our events before we sell out, feel free to join our mailing list at Skip the Small Talk Mailing List Sign-Up.
See our Skip the Small Talk question prompt card deck (and buy your own if you want) here.
If you want to get more of a vibe of what our events are like, have a look at the videos below and check out our FAQ (which also covers stuff like our refund policy, arriving late, age range, and hiring us for corporate/ college/ private events).
Skip the Small Talk at East Rock Brewing
The Grassy Strip Music Series at Madison Beach Hotel returns for the 2025 summer season with free, live outdoor shows beginning Thursday, June 26 and runs each Thursday for nine weeks – with the exception of Thursday, July 3.
“This summer’s line-up is incredible,” said General Manager John Mathers. “The weekly summer experience at Madison Beach Hotel has truly become a time-honored tradition on the shores of Long Island Sound.” This year’s series opens, once again, with the legendary Beehive Queen, Christine Ohlman.
Free and open to the public, The Grassy Strip Concerts run 7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. and begin with The Pledge of Allegiance. Summertime food and beverages will be available for sale.
2025 Summer Line-up:
June 26: Christine Ohlman
July 10: Dave Matthews Tribute Band
July 17: Orleans
July 24: Shaboo AllStars
July 31: Quinn Sullivan Band
August 7: Jeff Pitchell
August 14: Lee Ann Lovelace Band
August 21: Gold Dust Woman
August 28: Jake Kulak and the Modern Vandals
*Show Line-Up Subject to change without notice.
About the Bands
Christine Ohlman and Rebel Montez
Christine Ohlman is a singer, songwriter, and musician with a deep love for rock & roll. Her career spans decades, from early bands like The Scratch Band to her current work with Christine Ohlman & Rebel Montez. She’s a long-time vocalist for Saturday Night Live’s band and has collaborated with legendary artists like Elvis Costello, Dion, and Bonnie Raitt. Known for her powerful vocals and signature beehive hairstyle, she’s not just a performer but also a passionate advocate for keeping the soul alive in rock & roll, evident in her songwriting and her dedication to music history through writing and musicology work.
Dave Matthews Tribute Band
DMTB is a celebration of the music of the Dave Matthews Band. DMTB is a time machine to a funky tea party in the 90’s, a boisterous time of tape trading, sing-alongs, and exploration into a new sonic landscape spearheaded by complex guitar riffs, soaring violin melodies, smooth sax lines, and explorative-explosive drumming. Dedicated to recreating that moment in musical history, the DMTB has been honing their craft for over 20 years. The DMTB aims to transport the listener back in time. The band takes inspiration from the classic DMB sound, with immense respect for the original quintet. While including material from the bands later and current catalogs, the goal is to create a well rounded and authentic tribute.
Orleans
Platinum hit-maker ORLEANS is now celebrating 50+ YEARS of live performances! Praised and respected by their peers for their songwriting skills, instrumental prowess and classic trademark harmonies, their iconic radio hits, including “Still The One”, “Dance With Me” and “Love Takes Time,” still resonate with audiences of all ages thanks to continued airplay on Classic Rock radio, television, film and streaming services. Orleans has produced a body of work spanning 17 albums and several DVDs … and they continue to be in demand for live shows, as they have been now for 5 decades. Since its humble beginnings in Woodstock NY and throughout countless worldwide tours, the band has set some very high standards. Here in 2023 and beyond, Orleans continues to meet and exceed those standards at every show, to the delight of audiences everywhere.
Shaboo AllStars
Shaboo Allstars were formed by R&B vocalist David “Lefty” Foster and Matt “Guitar” Murphy in 1979. They have played all 50 states and toured extensively in Europe. The band’s line-up changes regularly and always features top musicians from the world’s best R&B bands. This summer’s Grassy Strip show will showcase the talents of David “Lefty” Foster, Wolf Ginandes (All Star original), Cliff Goodwin (Joe Cocker Band), Mitch Chakour (Joe Cocker Band), Marty Richards (J. Geils Band), Curt Ramm (E. Street Band), Baron Raymond (Rod Stewart Band).
Quinn Sullivan Band
A rare artist who’s always sounded older than his years, Sullivan has been touring the world since he was 11-years-old, playing storied venues such as Madison Square Garden, the Hollywood Bowl and RFK Stadium in Washington D.C., as well as India’s Mahindra Blues Festival, Eric Clapton’s Crossroads Guitar Festival, and three Montreux Jazz Festivals. Quinn has shared the stage with his hero and mentor Buddy Guy, as well as Carlos Santana on several occasions. Quinn’s performance experience includes appearances on leading national television programs such as The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, Conan, and The Oprah Winfrey Show, to name a few. “I want to stay true to where I come from, and go from there,” says Sullivan. “The artists that inspire me to do that are always hungry for the new. They never repeat themselves. They just grow and become more unique — and that’s what I aim to do as an artist.”
Jeff Pitchell and Texas Flood
Blues Hall of Fame award winning guitarist Jeff Pitchell’s style blends B.B. King and Duane Allman, which was endorsed by Gregg Allman. His diverse songwriting catalog recalls the variety of Eric Clapton’s classics and his vocal delivery, which ranges from smooth tenderness to Billy Gibbons ZZ Top-like power, received high praise from J. Geils. His songwriting award winning “An Eye for an Eye” was recorded by British blues legend John Mayall. Over the years Jeff Pitchell has shared the stage with J. Geils, Gregg Allman, Dickey Betts, Warren Haynes, Derek Trucks, Jaimoe, B.B. King, and so many more.
Lee Ann Lovelace Band
Lee-Ann Lovelace is a singer/songwriter from Waterbury, CT who has performed on hundreds of stages throughout Nee England and beyond since 2004. She’ll charm you with hints of Jazz, dig into Folk and Americana stylings, and then leave you floored with powerful Soul, Rock, Pop and Blues vocals all in one performance. Lee-Ann has collaborated with the late, legendary producer Paul Leka and has opened for Orleans, Bruce Hornsby (with Back to The Garden 1969), Rock & Roll Hall-of-Famer Ronnie Spector, and most notably Christine Ohlman “The Beehive Queen,” – singing back-ups at the Rhythm and Roots Fest. Some notable performances have been at The Towne Crier in Beacon, NY, Daryl’s House in Pawling, NY, The Knickerbocker in RI, The Bijou Theater in Bridgeport, CT, Levitt Pavilion in Westport, CT, the Bushnell Park Stage in Hartford, CT.
Gold Dust Woman
Gold dust woman is the ultimate Stevie Nicks show, celebrating the legendary and beloved career of Stevie Nicks. Gold dust woman takes audiences into the 4 plus decades of the timeless solo career of rock & roll’s mystic poet and two-time rock & roll hall of fame inductee, along with the classic songs of Fleetwood mac. Supported by an amazing group of seasoned musicians. When Janet Soluri steps onto the stage, she transforms the true, magical essence of the gypsy queen that is Stevie. Her likeness both visually and vocally, are captivating and has been hailed as the “closest possible thing to Stevie herself”. Gold dust woman provides an electrifying and dynamic show like no other, which has audiences, dancing, singing and cheering for more.
Jake Kulak and the Modern Vandals
Award-winning musician Jake Kulak has been performing professionally in front of audiences since the age of 12. Thrilling audiences from Norway to Boston, from Sydney Australia to NYC, and down to the Mississippi Delta, Jake plays guitar-driven blues/rock music which highlights his improvisational ability. His set list includes original blues and contemporary rock music as well as unique covers of blues and funk artists. Jake spent five summers playing the Blues in the home of the Blues – Clarksdale, Mississippi. He has also been CT’s entry in the International Blues Challenge Youth Showcase in Memphis, TN for four years.
2025 Grassy Strip Music Series
Join us Thursday, August 28 for an unforgettable night at Toad’s Place (300 York St., New Haven, CT) as Eight to the Bar celebrates 50 incredible years with a once-in-a-lifetime show!
The show opens with the original 1975 lineup - the group that started it all the very same year that Toad’s Place opened its doors! This 8-piece band will play a lively set of Western Swing and country , featuring a dynamic female vocal trio, boogie woogie piano, pedal steel, and a show-stopping cowboy frontman.
Then, take a musical leap to the present as the current Eight to the Bar lineup , recently voted "Best CT Band 2024", hits the stage with their vocally-oriented swing, boogie-woogie, and jump blues, joined by Collin Tilton , the original sax/flute player from Van Morrison’s “Moondance” album.
Two eras. One stage. One historic night. Don’t miss it!
Eight to the Bar celebrates their 50th Anniversary 75ers Reunion Thur 8/28!
Meriden Twilight Concert Series presents: The Longer Band - The Music of Neil Young at the Meriden Green Amphitheater
Location Info: 77 State Str., Meriden, CT 06450
Contact Info: Call 203-494-5575 or email meridenconcerts@gmail.com
Meriden Twilight Concert Series presents: The Loner Band The Music of Neil Young
Group Meditation led by Bob Vinci in a relaxed, comfortable, open and friendly setting. First-time meditators are welcome, as are those who are experienced. The simple technique we use is always happily explained. Each session lasts an hour, but newer meditators may practice at whatever duration is comfortable. People have join us for stress reduction, self-healing, mind-sharpening, expanding consciousness and deepening spirituality, finding success with these and more! 10 to 20+ people regularly attend. Please visit themeditationman.org for more info.
Watch the meditation session here.
Meditation in Middletown
Join local group Take Two and Call Me in The Morning on the Library’s patio. This vocally driven band of doctors/health care providers play an eclectic mix of covers from the 60’s – 2000’s.
The library provides seating on the patio but you are welcome to bring your own chairs. In the case of rain, the concert will be moved inside to the Meeting Room. This program is free and open to all. Registration required.
Guilford Free Library Outdoor Summer Concert Series: Take Two and Call Me in The Morning
Thursday, August 28, 2025
Chloe Kimes
Jackson & The Janks
$12 advanced / $15 at the door
21+
Doors at 7 PM
Music at 8 PM
CHLOE KIMES
Chloe Kimes is a Michigan born singer, songwriter and bandleader currently based in Nashville, TN. In 2022 Kimes independently released her self titled debut album — voted "Listener's Choice Album of the Year" by WYCE Radio as well as landing her a spot on NPR Music's Top Ten Nashville Artists on the Rise. In 2024 she released her latest single "Coors Light" following its immense viral popularity. Kimes’ spirited alt-country outfit offers a striking live show with a timeless sound, her tireless voice leading the way, her sentiments forging their own new space in the country americana scene.
JACKSON & THE JANKS
Jackson and the Janks are a New York based rock and roll and rhythm and blues garage gospel band. Known to light up the floor with fresh and time honored dancin' music. Sacred steel lifting you up and bass saxophone holding it down.
Cafe Nine
250 State Street
New Haven, CT 06510
Chloe Kimes / Jackson & The Janks
General Admission Standing Room Only
FOXING
Beneath the audible progress of Foxing's 13 year career - from the chamber emo of debut The Albatross to the art pop of 2021's Draw Down The Moon - has been a gradual movement towards self-sufficiency. Appropriately, the quartet of vocalist Conor Murphy, guitarist Eric Hudson, drummer Jon Hellwig, and bassist Brett Torrence (who recently joined after years as a touring hired gun) chose to self-title their fifth LP simply, Foxing. The album was entirely produced by the band and mixed by Hudson. The cover art was created by Murphy and Torrence, and it is being released on the band's own Grand Paradise label.
DIY requires doing, and Foxing was not an easy album to make. I share a studio space with the band and was an onlooker to the tedious two year process of its creation. I heard good songs emanating from their room at the bottom of the stairs, only to be abandoned and later reborn as incredible songs. I also witnessed some absolute garbage - a testament to the quartet's willingness to entertain any idea and push it to its furthest conclusion before filling their iMac's recycling bin. I was jarred by explosive cheering as the band turned the basement hallway into a makeshift putting green during breaks. I overheard arguments that were decibels shy of shouting matches. There were some moments when their creative stalemates seemed unresolvable and others where the enthusiasm of making a transcendently great album was intoxicating.
It is fitting that tension is at the core of Foxing , an album that balances hopefulness and nihilism, the pastoral with the tumultuous. Whether oscillating between visceral noise rock and intimate bedroom cassette experiments on opener "Secret History" or cruising at the edge of collapse on "Barking," the dramatic dynamics that have long permeated Foxing's music have never felt so extreme. Five albums into a discography defined by its own restlessness, Foxing is a document of a band finding comfort in their own chaos.
Links: Official Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Spotify
SPLITVIEW
Links: Official Website | Instagram | Spotify
GHOSTWOODS
Ghostwoods is the solo project of CT-based musician Holden Palmieri, delivering raw, emotionally charged indie rock with a brooding atmosphere. On stage, Holden’s vocals and guitar are front and center, his intimate lyrics supported by ambient guitar loops and immersive backing tracks, leaving room for some tasteful experiments in genre-blending. The addition of found sounds and samples make it feel like a live mix tape full of vulnerability and late-night introspection.
Links: Official Website | Facebook | Instagram | Spotify
Foxing
Registration is now open for Fall Classes at Oddfellows Playhouse Youth Theater, located at 128 Washington Street in Middletown! Beginning September 8th, classes in theater and circus will be offered for toddlers to 20 year olds. Teenagers are invited to audition for our fall mainstage production.
Teen Repertory Company (ages 14 - 20) will hold auditions for Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet on September 8 and 11, 6 - 9 pm. This is a unique opportunity to work with ARTFARM Artistic Director and Shakespeare specialist Marcella Trowbridge on one of the great works of the western canon. Teens are asked to pre-register for one of the two audition evenings, to arrive on time, and plan to stay for the entire time. Everyone who auditions and commits to the rehearsal and production schedule will be cast in the show. Regular rehearsals will be Mondays and Thursdays, 6 - 9 pm. Performances will be November 13 - 15 and November 21 - 22.
Circophony Teen Circus (ages 12 - 20) offers serious circus training for young performers. No previous experience is required. Tuesday evenings, 6:30 - 8:30 pm is Acro Focus with Naja Muller, including stretching, flexibility, partner acrobatics, tumbling, mini-tramp and contortion. Wednesdays, 6:30 - 8:30 pm, is Juggling Plus with Joel Melendez, featuring juggling, balancing, rola bola, unicycles, rolling globe, diabolo, flower sticks and other forms of object manipulation & performance skills. Students may register for one or both evenings.
For our youngest Oddfellows, Saturday Classes feature Acrobabies (ages 15 months - under 3 years with caregiver; 9:15 - 9:55 am); Mixed-Up Fairy Tales (ages 3 - 6, 10 -10:55 am); Circrobatics (ages 3 - 6, 11 - 11:55 am); and Circrobalance (ages 5 - 8, noon - 1 pm). Classes start September 13 and continue through a Share Day on November 22 (10 weeks total - no classes October 11). All Saturday classes are taught by Meg Berritta.
After-School classes for ages 6 - 14 begin September 15 and will run for ten weeks this fall, culminating in a “Share Week” November 17 - 20. Most classes run 4:50 -5:50 pm.
Stage One classes for ages 6 - 8 include Intro to Shakespeare (Bard for Beginners); Circus I; Heroes and Villains; and Contortion and Flexibility (open to ages 6 - 11)
Stage Two classes for ages 9 - 11 include Acting in Motion; Circus II; Getting Creative With Shakespeare; Story to Stage; Contortion and Flexibility (open to ages 6 - 11); and Hip Hop Dance (open to ages 9 - 14).
Stage Three classes for ages 12 - 14 include Theater Design; Introduction to Commedia dell’ Arte; Theater Improvisation: Scenes and Games; and Complete Actor III (all of these classes meet 4:30 - 5:50 pm), as well as Hip Hop Dance (this class is for ages 9 - 14 and meets 4:50 - 5:50 pm).
Middletown Public School students may complement their class experience with Oddbridge, an extended day program which provides transport from Middletown schools to the Playhouse, a snack, and supervised arts activities, games and homework help before classes start. This year Oddbridge will run Monday through Thursday, September 15 - November 20, and will resume for a Special Mini Production Intensive Monday - Friday, December 1 - December 12. The program provides special programs and field trips on early dismissal days.
For more details on times, tuition and class descriptions, please go to www.oddfellows.org . If you have specific questions, email info@oddfellows.org or call (860) 347-6143. Financial Aid is available for all programs. It is Oddfellows Playhouse policy that the arts should be available to every young person regardless of ability to pay - no one is turned away for lack of funds.
Oddfellows Playhouse, founded in 1975, is Connecticut’s oldest and largest performing arts program for young people. Oddfellows programs are made possible with support from the Middletown Commission on the Arts; Connecticut Office of the Arts/DECD; City of Middletown; The Fund for Greater Hartford; American Savings Foundation; State of Connecticut Judicial Branch (Youth Violence Prevention); Middletown Youth Services Bureau; Community Foundation of Middlesex County; Liberty Bank Foundation; Middletown Health Department; Maximilian E. & Marion O. Hoffman Foundation; Middlesex United Way; George & Grace Long Foundation; and many generous individual donors.
Oddfellows Fall Programs for Youth start September 8th
March 22 – September 7, 2025 | Exhibition open Wednesday through Sunday from 10am to 4pm with free parking and admission EXCEPT Friday, April 18 (Good Friday); Saturday, April 19 (Holy Saturday); Sunday, April 20 (Easter); Saturday, June 7; and Friday, July 4 (Independence Day).
Separated by 2,781 miles and on two different continents, Iraqi and Nigerian Christians share similar stories of persecution. From 2014-2018, portions of Northern Iraq were under the control of the militant group Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), and many religious minorities, including Christians, experienced persecution and violence as a result. In the northern and central portions of Nigeria, violence towards Christians and other minority groups has also increased in recent years at the hands of Boko Haram and other groups.
The Blessed Michael McGivney Pilgrimage Center is honored to share the stories of those displaced in Iraq and Nigeria through Among the Persecuted and Displaced — a collection of photographs taken by Stephen Rasche. The Knights of Columbus has sponsored some of Rasche’s work in both countries, bringing to light the atrocities inflicted on those persecuted for their faith.
Learn more: https://www.michaelmcgivneycenter.org/exhibits/among-the-persecuted-and-displaced/
Exhibit | Among the Persecuted and Displaced: Photographs from Iraq & Nigeria
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
Theater fans, rejoice! An immersive multi-gallery exhibition—featuring a collection of costumes, posters, and rare archival treasures—is bringing the vibrant history of Long Wharf Theatre to life. “Invitation to Engage: 60 Years of Long Wharf Theatre & Beyond” showcases a “who’s who” of stage royalty including Rita Moreno, Colman Domingo, Al Pacino, Frances McDormand, Anna Deavere Smith, Steve Martin, Jessica Tandy and many more. The exhibition at the New Haven Museum (NHM) is on view through February 2026.
Spanning three museum spaces—the New Haven Museum’s elegant upper rotunda, its gray and center galleries—“Invitation to Engage” invites visitors to step inside six decades of theatrical history. Visitors will try on costumes, explore immersive set recreations, flip through original scripts, and experience interactive rehearsal spaces alongside a gallery spotlighting the next generation of Long Wharf Theatre artists.
Invitation to Engage: 60 Years of Long Wharf Theatre & Beyond Exhibition at New Haven Museum
Take a deeper look into the ocean’s depths with Casey Potts, GAC Resident Potter, and Marsha Borden, GAC Teaching Artist, as they present their side-by-side solo shows at Guilford Art Center August 8 through 31, 2025. There will be a free opening reception Sunday, August, 10 from 2pm to 4 pm.
Into the Deep: A World Within is a medley of marine-themed artworks in a variety of mediums, including fiber, textiles, ceramics, and stoneware.
A recipient of the University of Connecticut’s competitive Sea Grant Award in 2022, Marsha Borden’s work depicts larger-than-life artistic replicas of various microalgae that live in Long Island Sound. Casey Potts’ work represents the culmination of a year-long Artist-In-Residence program at Guilford Art Center where every piece invites a second look. Inspired by the ocean’s layered ecosystems, Potts’ and Borden’s work celebrates the magic found beneath the surface—worlds within worlds, often unseen but always present.
The gallery is open 7 days a week and is always free entry: Monday-Saturday 10am-4pm, Sunday 12-4pm. Guilford Art Center is located at 411 Church Street (Route 77), Guilford CT 06436.
For more information, visit www.guilfordartcenter.org or call (203) 453-5947.
About Casey Potts
Casey Potts is a ceramic artist working in both wheel-thrown and hand-built stoneware. Her work blurs the line between functional form and abstract sculpture, weaving together whimsy, bold color, and oceanic mystery. A Connecticut native, she earned her BS in Ceramics from Southern Connecticut State University in 2020, where she received the Mary Secka Ceramic Award and was chosen to represent the university in a statewide exhibition.
Graduating into a global pandemic and navigating immense personal loss, Casey found healing in movement—living in several states, trying new things, and exploring how people create a sense of place. That same spirit of curiosity and adventure shapes her ceramic practice, which spans a variety of techniques tied together by a shared fascination with layered environments—especially the hidden depths of the sea.
Each piece she creates holds unexpected details: hidden drawings, tactile textures, subtle lighting, or sound-producing rattles. Her work invites viewers to slow down and ask: What am I really looking at? What else is here? In a world built for fast glances, her ceramics reward deeper attention. Like ecosystems beneath the ocean’s surface, her pieces hold emotional resonance, secret structures, and quiet complexity—tiny universes nestled inside one another, waiting to be discovered. Each one a reminder: there’s always more going on beneath the surface.
About Marsha Borden
Marsha Borden is a New Haven County, Connecticut-based American artist who works primarily in textile-based mediums. A juried artist member of the Guilford Art League, Borden is on the faculty at Guilford Art Center in Guilford, Connecticut and is a frequent Teaching Artist with Connecticut Public Libraries. Her work has been juried into numerous local and national exhibitions and is featured in several print and online publications, including the Hartford Courant, the New Haven Independent, The Arts Paper of the Arts Council of New Haven, and the Guilford Courier. A highlight of Borden’s 2024 solo exhibition for the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection at the Kellogg Environmental Center was a large-scale sculpture of the Diamondback Terrapin, a state species of special concern. She was awarded the 2022 Connecticut Sea Grant Arts Support Award for her artistic work with Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs). Borden was Artist-in-Residence at Common Ground Urban Farm and Environmental Education Center (2020) and at Ely Center of Contemporary Art (2019) and both in New Haven, Connecticut. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree, a Master of Science Degree, and a pre-doctoral Sixth-Year Diploma in Psychology. She has recently studied at Rhode Island School of Design in Providence, Rhode Island. Born and raised in upstate New York, Borden currently works from her studio in Erector Square, an artist’s enclave in New Haven, Connecticut.
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.
Guilford Art Center Presents Gallery Exhibit: Into the Deep: A World Within
Explore the Charm of Yesteryear at Shore Line Trolley Museum!
Spend an hour, spend the day – embark on a nostalgic journey with the Shore Line Trolley Museum! Open for visitors, our museum offers enchanting trolley rides and captivating tours that transport you back in time. Purchase your tickets online or at the door and enjoy unlimited access throughout the day!
Ticket Prices:
- $13 for Adults
- $12 for Folks 62+
- $10 for Children
- Kids under 2 ride FREE!
Please note that special events may have different pricing.
Operating Hours: 11 AM – 3 PM, Wed-Sun with trolley cars departing every hour. Our volunteer trolley operators will guide you through the oldest suburban street railway in the U.S.A. – a National Historic District that opened on July 31, 1900, connecting New Haven with the Connecticut shore line.
Authentic Trolley Experience: Step into history as you ride on an authentic antique trolley car. Whether it’s the yellow Connecticut Company trolley capturing old New Haven, the 1923 New Orleans Public Transit trolley, or the semi-open 1904 Brooklyn Rapid Transit trolley, your journey promises a unique experience. We regularly operate trolley cars from New Orleans and Johnstown PA, providing diverse rides depending on weather conditions.
Witness Restoration in Action: Marvel at meticulously volunteer-restored display cars and catch a glimpse of our dedicated volunteers working on overhead wires, signals, or tracks. If you’re passionate about preservation, inquire about volunteering opportunities with your tour guide or ticket agent.
Membership Benefits: Consider becoming a member for exclusive advantages if you plan to visit multiple times a year. Ask about our annual membership subscriptions to enhance your museum experience.
Take Home a Piece of History: Don’t forget to stop by our museum store before you leave! Explore a variety of mementos to commemorate your visit.
Join us for an unforgettable day filled with history, charm, and the joy of trolley rides at Shore Line Trolley Museum. Purchase your tickets now and let the past come alive!
Museum Tours & Trolley Rides
Threads + Paper - Spectrum Art Gallery Exhibit Opens July 18
Spectrum Art Gallery and Artisans Store of Centerbrook presents Threads + Paper, a 7-week show exhibit exploring the rich textures, delicate forms, and sculptural power of fiber and paper. From intricate weavings to charming sculptures, this show highlights how these everyday materials can be transformed into works of art. As each piece in the show tells a story through structure, pattern, and imagination. Discover new wall art, mixed media, sculpture, and other unexpected creations by emerging and established artists. The Open Reception for Threads + Paper is Friday, July 18 from 6:30 to 8:30 pm. Enjoy fine art, crafts, wine, and refreshments that evening and throughout the Open House Weekend, Saturday, July 19 from 1 to 6 pm and Sunday, July 20, from 1 to 5 pm. The exhibit runs through September 6. As always, Spectrum’s Artisans Store offers new pottery, glass, fiber, home décor, jewelry, clothing, and accessories, 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, classes and workshops for adults and teens and summer camps for teens and children, call (860) 767-0742 and visit spectrumartgallery.org. Shop online 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
Threads + Paper
Other Asterisms by Deborah Hesse
August 1 - September 7, 2025
Located in The Workshop Gallery, Building 3.
Opening Reception on Friday, August 1st from 3-6PM
Artist Talk on Friday, September 5th at 6PM
Regular Gallery Hours from 12-4 pm on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays.
Other Asterisms is a solo exhibition by Deborah Hesse featuring sculptural, light-responsive wall works made from industrial and everyday materials. Together, the pieces form a constellation—charting imagined links between the material and immaterial, the physical and virtual. Evoking underwater ecosystems, celestial maps, and microscopic life, these luminous, biomorphic forms blur boundaries and invite reflection on unseen systems beyond the known world.
Deborah Hesse is a multimedia artist and independent curator based in New Haven, CT. She holds a B.A. from Smith College and an M.A. in Painting and Printmaking from the University of New Mexico, where she was a Tamarind Institute Fellow in Lithography. Her honors include a Connecticut Office of the Arts Individual Artist Fellowship and a Regional Project Initiative Grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.
Hesse was an international artist-in-residence at the Hongti Art Center in Busan, South Korea, where she created a solo exhibition based on research into traditional seaweed cultivation. She has also received Rhode Island and Connecticut Visual Artist Sea Grant Awards, as well as artist residencies at the Vermont Studio Center, GreenWave, and Weir Farm Art Center. Her work has been shown internationally and nationally, with exhibitions in South Korea, New York, New Mexico, and Connecticut—including venues such as Real Art Ways, Housatonic Museum, University of Connecticut, Artspace, University of New Haven, Silvermine Art Gallery, and Governors Island Art Fair.
Full Artist Statement:
Other Asterisms features luminous, shaped, biomorphic wall works organically arrayed across the gallery. As a group, these abstractions evoke celestial constellations, bioluminescent aquatic forms, and microscopic life—confounding scale and seeking to make the immaterial visible.
This constellation of forms emerges through a layered process that blends digital fabrication with intuitive, material-based experimentation. I work with industrial byproducts—mainly sign- making materials—alongside birch wood, photo fragments, acrylic, and ink to create dimensional wall pieces that function as spatial paintings.
The initial shapes are inspired by natural forms and phenomena—seaweed pressings, fluid dynamics, the contours of spills—drawn from local specimens and debris gathered on daily walks. These fragments are translated into digital outlines and cut with a CNC (Computer Numerical Control) machine, then altered by hand with paint, adhesive color gels, and embedded imagery—merging precision with improvisation.
By combining fabricated and hand-altered materials, I explore how light, transparency, and surface interact to produce shifting forms and layered visual experiences. The planar, layered structures also reflect how digital life flattens and fragments information, reducing complexity into fleeting impressions.
These works probe the shifting boundary between physical and digital realities, drawing on the materials’ signage origins to question what is real, simulated, or invented. The process— manipulating synthetic materials into organic, responsive forms—reflects a broader interest in transformation, perception, and the increasingly fluid spaces we inhabit between tangible and virtual realms.
Together, the pieces form a kind of sensory map—linking the digital, natural, and constructed to explore connections between the infinite and the everyday.
Other Asterisms by Deborah Hesse
Stop by the library to meet the University of New Haven’s Dental students. They will be coming to run a table for an informative session on the importance of dental hygiene.
No need to register! Come anytime between 12 and 2 to speak to the representative!
Dental Hygiene Information Table
Join our volunteer museum educators for an interactive exploration of highlights from 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 Visitor Services desk.
For more information, please visit: https://britishart.yale.edu/exhibitions-programs/docent-tour-collection-highlight-44
YCBA Collection Highlight Tour
From August 27–August 30, 2025, the Yale Institute of Sacred Music will hold choral auditions for the 2025-26 season for Yale Schola Cantorum, Yale Camerata, Yale Recital Chorus, Yale Repertory Chorus, and other chapel choruses. Yale students, faculty, and staff, and members of the New Haven community, are invited to register.
Auditions will take place in the Great Hall at Yale Divinity School, 409 Prospect St. New Haven at the following times:
- Wed Aug 27: 1:00–3:00pm
- Wed Aug 27: 3:00–8:00pm (Returning Camerata Only)
- Thu Aug 28: 3:00–8:00pm
- Fri Aug 29: 3:00–8:00pm
- Sat Aug 30: 10:00am-2:30pm
Singers are invited to prepare a short solo song or aria (accompanist provided) and will be led through a few simple vocal exercises demonstrating range and musicianship skills. Only one audition is required to be considered for membership for multiple ISM choral ensembles.
What you need to do
- Fill out this registration questionnaire (an email with a confirmed audition time will be sent within 48 hours).
- Prepare your short solo or aria and bring one copy of the music with you for the accompanist.
Questions? Email us.
For full information on ensembles and conductors, see the ISM choral auditions page.
Yale Institute of Sacred Music Choral Auditions 2025-2026
Renowned visual artist and Yale alum Leo Villareal ’90 will present Celestial Garden (Yale), a new exhibition in The Dome at Yale Schwarzman Center. This never-before-exhibited artwork features an original soundscape and employs a suite of ten projectors that map the entire dome’s intrados. Villareal, whose work explores the physicality of light in both the spatial and temporal dimensions, uses custom software to orchestrate the perpetually evolving, abstract compositions, inspired by nature’s intricate, ever-changing patterns. Plush carpets and seating allow a contemplative pause for viewers to be immersed in a dynamic and continuously unfolding interplay of light and sound.
Free and open to the public Tuesdays through Saturdays from 12-6pm with extended hours on Thursdays until 8pm.
Celestial Garden (Yale)
Come join us for our open house. Meet members and see all that we have to offer.
NESIT Makerspace Open House
🎬✨ Filmi Fridays at The Table & Gallery ✨ 🍸
Every Friday night, step into a world of color, rhythm, and cinematic magic as we celebrate the vibrancy of South Asian culture through the lens of Bollywood’s most beloved films.
From timeless classics to cult favorites, our screen will light up with stories that have shaped generations — full of drama, music, dance, and heart.
✨ Sip on signature craft cocktails infused with the bold, tangy, and spicy flavors of South Asian street food — from tamarind and chili to rose and cardamom — all thoughtfully curated to match the evening’s feature film.
🎭 Dress the par t: channel your inner Shah Rukh, Deepika, Rekha, or Ranveer — whether it's sequins, saris, or sherwanis — and walk into our space like you're walking onto a movie set.
🎶 Dance, sing, relive the magi c, and connect with fellow film lovers, foodies, and dreamers. This is more than a movie night — it’s a cultural celebration.
Because when the lights go down and the music starts... it’s officially Filmi Friday!
Filmi Friday's
Spirit Voices 2 – A Handpan Concert at the MAC
The Milford Arts Council proudly presents Connecticut’s second-ever Handpan Concert. Spirit Voices 2 returns with an extraordinary lineup from the heart of the handpan community. Featuring artists Sarah Paz Hyde, Ricky Hillson, Jim LoPresti, and Dan Mulqueen take the stage once more—this time joined by the inspiring talents of Prana Rising and Sofia Dias.
More than just a concert, Spirit Voices 2 offers a deep dive into the expressive world of the handpan—an instrument that’s quickly becoming a powerful force in modern songwriting and performance.
Join us for an unforgettable evening of rhythm, resonance, and musical storytelling.
Handpan Concert – Spirit Voices 2
Join us this Friday night for a Kabbalat Shabbat service, all are welcome. Weather permitting, services will be held in our outdoor sanctuary. Bring a chair, blanket (and bug spray) and enjoy the service as the sun sets.
Temple Emanuel is a participatory, diverse, non-judgmental, and intellectually vibrant Reform Synagogue, serving greater New Haven, Connecticut.
Call the Temple Emanuel office at 203-397-3000 if you have questions, or if you would like a link to attend virtually.
Email: office@tegnh.org
Website: http://tegnh.org/
Kabbalat Shabbat Service - Summer time
Spirit Voices 2 – A Handpan Concert at the MAC
The Milford Arts Council proudly presents Connecticut’s second-ever Handpan Concert. Spirit Voices 2 returns with an extraordinary lineup from the heart of the handpan community. Featuring artists Sarah Paz Hyde, Ricky Hillson, Jim LoPresti, and Dan Mulqueen take the stage once more—this time joined by the inspiring talents of Prana Rising and Sofia Dias.
More than just a concert, Spirit Voices 2 offers a deep dive into the expressive world of the handpan—an instrument that’s quickly becoming a powerful force in modern songwriting and performance.
Join us for an unforgettable evening of rhythm, resonance, and musical storytelling.
Handpan Concert – Spirit Voices 2
Our male revue is the place to go for ladies seeking the perfect setting to celebrate their special events!
Our Las Vegas Style "audience participation" male revue show features the very best male entertainment in an intimate personal setting, designed to involve our audience directly and make for a memorable evening.
Our chiseled male dancers are trained to entertain the toughest of female audiences with mind-blowing choreography and first-class erotic performance. Next time you are planning a girls night out, bachelorette or birthday party in Scottsdale you'll know exactly where to go.
Get ready to blush, scream and have a great time with the sexy HunkOMania hunks. Plus, our hilarious hosts encourage audience participation.
Guests must be at least 18 years old at this location.
HUNK-O-MANIA NEW HAVEN
General Admission Standing Room Only
VIP Package Available:
- Dogpark's VIP Hang
- One (1) General Admission ticket
- Invitation to an intimate pre-show experience with Dogpark, including:
- Intimate 2-song performance by the band
- Q&A session
- Commemorative laminate, signed by the band
- Merchandise shopping opportunity before doors open
- Early entry into the venue
DOGPARK
Dogpark got their start performing at University of Richmond (their alma-mater), before launching into sell-out shows across the country. The band consists of Eamon Moore (lead vocals), Chris Conte (drums), Declan Harris (lead guitar), and Billy Apostolou (bass/guitar)). Infectious stage presence and an homage to the indie-rock of the 90s have kick-started their career from a backyard band to a mainstage group. The band’s EP, ‘Breaking in Brooklyn,’ proves that they are here to make a mark, and with the release of their upcoming second EP, they’re just getting started.
Links: Official Website | Instagram | Spotify
Dogpark
Registration is now open for Fall Classes at Oddfellows Playhouse Youth Theater, located at 128 Washington Street in Middletown! Beginning September 8th, classes in theater and circus will be offered for toddlers to 20 year olds. Teenagers are invited to audition for our fall mainstage production.
Teen Repertory Company (ages 14 - 20) will hold auditions for Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet on September 8 and 11, 6 - 9 pm. This is a unique opportunity to work with ARTFARM Artistic Director and Shakespeare specialist Marcella Trowbridge on one of the great works of the western canon. Teens are asked to pre-register for one of the two audition evenings, to arrive on time, and plan to stay for the entire time. Everyone who auditions and commits to the rehearsal and production schedule will be cast in the show. Regular rehearsals will be Mondays and Thursdays, 6 - 9 pm. Performances will be November 13 - 15 and November 21 - 22.
Circophony Teen Circus (ages 12 - 20) offers serious circus training for young performers. No previous experience is required. Tuesday evenings, 6:30 - 8:30 pm is Acro Focus with Naja Muller, including stretching, flexibility, partner acrobatics, tumbling, mini-tramp and contortion. Wednesdays, 6:30 - 8:30 pm, is Juggling Plus with Joel Melendez, featuring juggling, balancing, rola bola, unicycles, rolling globe, diabolo, flower sticks and other forms of object manipulation & performance skills. Students may register for one or both evenings.
For our youngest Oddfellows, Saturday Classes feature Acrobabies (ages 15 months - under 3 years with caregiver; 9:15 - 9:55 am); Mixed-Up Fairy Tales (ages 3 - 6, 10 -10:55 am); Circrobatics (ages 3 - 6, 11 - 11:55 am); and Circrobalance (ages 5 - 8, noon - 1 pm). Classes start September 13 and continue through a Share Day on November 22 (10 weeks total - no classes October 11). All Saturday classes are taught by Meg Berritta.
After-School classes for ages 6 - 14 begin September 15 and will run for ten weeks this fall, culminating in a “Share Week” November 17 - 20. Most classes run 4:50 -5:50 pm.
Stage One classes for ages 6 - 8 include Intro to Shakespeare (Bard for Beginners); Circus I; Heroes and Villains; and Contortion and Flexibility (open to ages 6 - 11)
Stage Two classes for ages 9 - 11 include Acting in Motion; Circus II; Getting Creative With Shakespeare; Story to Stage; Contortion and Flexibility (open to ages 6 - 11); and Hip Hop Dance (open to ages 9 - 14).
Stage Three classes for ages 12 - 14 include Theater Design; Introduction to Commedia dell’ Arte; Theater Improvisation: Scenes and Games; and Complete Actor III (all of these classes meet 4:30 - 5:50 pm), as well as Hip Hop Dance (this class is for ages 9 - 14 and meets 4:50 - 5:50 pm).
Middletown Public School students may complement their class experience with Oddbridge, an extended day program which provides transport from Middletown schools to the Playhouse, a snack, and supervised arts activities, games and homework help before classes start. This year Oddbridge will run Monday through Thursday, September 15 - November 20, and will resume for a Special Mini Production Intensive Monday - Friday, December 1 - December 12. The program provides special programs and field trips on early dismissal days.
For more details on times, tuition and class descriptions, please go to www.oddfellows.org . If you have specific questions, email info@oddfellows.org or call (860) 347-6143. Financial Aid is available for all programs. It is Oddfellows Playhouse policy that the arts should be available to every young person regardless of ability to pay - no one is turned away for lack of funds.
Oddfellows Playhouse, founded in 1975, is Connecticut’s oldest and largest performing arts program for young people. Oddfellows programs are made possible with support from the Middletown Commission on the Arts; Connecticut Office of the Arts/DECD; City of Middletown; The Fund for Greater Hartford; American Savings Foundation; State of Connecticut Judicial Branch (Youth Violence Prevention); Middletown Youth Services Bureau; Community Foundation of Middlesex County; Liberty Bank Foundation; Middletown Health Department; Maximilian E. & Marion O. Hoffman Foundation; Middlesex United Way; George & Grace Long Foundation; and many generous individual donors.
Oddfellows Fall Programs for Youth start September 8th
🎨 Unlock Your Child’s Creativity at The Giggling Pig! 🖌️
Looking for the perfect art class for your child? The Giggling Pig offers engaging, age-appropriate programs designed to nurture creativity, build skills, and encourage self-expression in a fun and supportive environment!
✨ Beginner Class (Ages 4-6) – 1 Hour
Introduce your little artist to the fundamentals of art! Through guided instruction, kids explore blending, composition, and different techniques while having fun and developing their unique style.
🎭 Intermediate Class (Ages 7-9) – 1.5 Hours
A deeper dive into creativity! Students work more independently, experimenting with clay, watercolor, acrylic, mixed media, and more. They’ll learn composition, values, and color theory while creating detailed artwork.
📅 Classes held weekly—pre-registration required! Weekly attendance is encouraged but not required.
💰 Class packs available for savings opportunities!
Join us at The Giggling Pig, where imagination comes to life! 🌟
📍 Reserve your child’s spot today!
Art Class for Kids ages 4-9
March 22 – September 7, 2025 | Exhibition open Wednesday through Sunday from 10am to 4pm with free parking and admission EXCEPT Friday, April 18 (Good Friday); Saturday, April 19 (Holy Saturday); Sunday, April 20 (Easter); Saturday, June 7; and Friday, July 4 (Independence Day).
Separated by 2,781 miles and on two different continents, Iraqi and Nigerian Christians share similar stories of persecution. From 2014-2018, portions of Northern Iraq were under the control of the militant group Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), and many religious minorities, including Christians, experienced persecution and violence as a result. In the northern and central portions of Nigeria, violence towards Christians and other minority groups has also increased in recent years at the hands of Boko Haram and other groups.
The Blessed Michael McGivney Pilgrimage Center is honored to share the stories of those displaced in Iraq and Nigeria through Among the Persecuted and Displaced — a collection of photographs taken by Stephen Rasche. The Knights of Columbus has sponsored some of Rasche’s work in both countries, bringing to light the atrocities inflicted on those persecuted for their faith.
Learn more: https://www.michaelmcgivneycenter.org/exhibits/among-the-persecuted-and-displaced/
Exhibit | Among the Persecuted and Displaced: Photographs from Iraq & Nigeria
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
From August 27–August 30, 2025, the Yale Institute of Sacred Music will hold choral auditions for the 2025-26 season for Yale Schola Cantorum, Yale Camerata, Yale Recital Chorus, Yale Repertory Chorus, and other chapel choruses. Yale students, faculty, and staff, and members of the New Haven community, are invited to register.
Auditions will take place in the Great Hall at Yale Divinity School, 409 Prospect St. New Haven at the following times:
- Wed Aug 27: 1:00–3:00pm
- Wed Aug 27: 3:00–8:00pm (Returning Camerata Only)
- Thu Aug 28: 3:00–8:00pm
- Fri Aug 29: 3:00–8:00pm
- Sat Aug 30: 10:00am-2:30pm
Singers are invited to prepare a short solo song or aria (accompanist provided) and will be led through a few simple vocal exercises demonstrating range and musicianship skills. Only one audition is required to be considered for membership for multiple ISM choral ensembles.
What you need to do
- Fill out this registration questionnaire (an email with a confirmed audition time will be sent within 48 hours).
- Prepare your short solo or aria and bring one copy of the music with you for the accompanist.
Questions? Email us.
For full information on ensembles and conductors, see the ISM choral auditions page.
Yale Institute of Sacred Music Choral Auditions 2025-2026
Take a deeper look into the ocean’s depths with Casey Potts, GAC Resident Potter, and Marsha Borden, GAC Teaching Artist, as they present their side-by-side solo shows at Guilford Art Center August 8 through 31, 2025. There will be a free opening reception Sunday, August, 10 from 2pm to 4 pm.
Into the Deep: A World Within is a medley of marine-themed artworks in a variety of mediums, including fiber, textiles, ceramics, and stoneware.
A recipient of the University of Connecticut’s competitive Sea Grant Award in 2022, Marsha Borden’s work depicts larger-than-life artistic replicas of various microalgae that live in Long Island Sound. Casey Potts’ work represents the culmination of a year-long Artist-In-Residence program at Guilford Art Center where every piece invites a second look. Inspired by the ocean’s layered ecosystems, Potts’ and Borden’s work celebrates the magic found beneath the surface—worlds within worlds, often unseen but always present.
The gallery is open 7 days a week and is always free entry: Monday-Saturday 10am-4pm, Sunday 12-4pm. Guilford Art Center is located at 411 Church Street (Route 77), Guilford CT 06436.
For more information, visit www.guilfordartcenter.org or call (203) 453-5947.
About Casey Potts
Casey Potts is a ceramic artist working in both wheel-thrown and hand-built stoneware. Her work blurs the line between functional form and abstract sculpture, weaving together whimsy, bold color, and oceanic mystery. A Connecticut native, she earned her BS in Ceramics from Southern Connecticut State University in 2020, where she received the Mary Secka Ceramic Award and was chosen to represent the university in a statewide exhibition.
Graduating into a global pandemic and navigating immense personal loss, Casey found healing in movement—living in several states, trying new things, and exploring how people create a sense of place. That same spirit of curiosity and adventure shapes her ceramic practice, which spans a variety of techniques tied together by a shared fascination with layered environments—especially the hidden depths of the sea.
Each piece she creates holds unexpected details: hidden drawings, tactile textures, subtle lighting, or sound-producing rattles. Her work invites viewers to slow down and ask: What am I really looking at? What else is here? In a world built for fast glances, her ceramics reward deeper attention. Like ecosystems beneath the ocean’s surface, her pieces hold emotional resonance, secret structures, and quiet complexity—tiny universes nestled inside one another, waiting to be discovered. Each one a reminder: there’s always more going on beneath the surface.
About Marsha Borden
Marsha Borden is a New Haven County, Connecticut-based American artist who works primarily in textile-based mediums. A juried artist member of the Guilford Art League, Borden is on the faculty at Guilford Art Center in Guilford, Connecticut and is a frequent Teaching Artist with Connecticut Public Libraries. Her work has been juried into numerous local and national exhibitions and is featured in several print and online publications, including the Hartford Courant, the New Haven Independent, The Arts Paper of the Arts Council of New Haven, and the Guilford Courier. A highlight of Borden’s 2024 solo exhibition for the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection at the Kellogg Environmental Center was a large-scale sculpture of the Diamondback Terrapin, a state species of special concern. She was awarded the 2022 Connecticut Sea Grant Arts Support Award for her artistic work with Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs). Borden was Artist-in-Residence at Common Ground Urban Farm and Environmental Education Center (2020) and at Ely Center of Contemporary Art (2019) and both in New Haven, Connecticut. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree, a Master of Science Degree, and a pre-doctoral Sixth-Year Diploma in Psychology. She has recently studied at Rhode Island School of Design in Providence, Rhode Island. Born and raised in upstate New York, Borden currently works from her studio in Erector Square, an artist’s enclave in New Haven, Connecticut.
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.
Guilford Art Center Presents Gallery Exhibit: Into the Deep: A World Within
Join us for a Saturday, mid-morning online meeting. Details on how to join are on the meeting's page on the SMART Recovery USA meeting finder at https://meetings.smartrecovery.org/meetings/2933/
We'll check in, set an agenda, and work on issues around abstaining from addictive behavior.
You do not need to give your name, and if it's your first meeting feel free to sit and listen or jump right in as you see fit.
Please note:
- No RSVP is required.
- Most of our regular attendees are not on Meetup, so don't be deterred if you only see one or two people signed up.
Saturday morning online meeting
Waffle & Friends is an entertaining puppet variety show entertaining for any age! With a fun, modern twist on a classic tale, catchy original music, and adorable puppets, you're sure to have a blast! Waffle, the lovable dog emcee, introduces his friends (in varying puppet styles) to perform entertaining skits. A fuzzy creature, some musical bugs, a witty owl who loves to tell jokes, and even an energetic chicken who loves to exercise, will all come along to sing and perform for your enjoyment. Whether you love to sing, move, or just play along, this fun and educational performance is sure to ignite your imagination.
Waffle and Friends: A Puppet Palooza
Each Saturday, peaceful and determined protesters demonstrate on the corners of Washington and Main Street in Middletown. Bring your signs and enthusiasm. If you are able, we're asking for canned goods to be brought to St. Vincent DePaul Place to share with our community.
Saturday Protest Middlesex County Organize & Resist
Waffle & Friends is an entertaining puppet variety show entertaining for any age! With a fun, modern twist on a classic tale, catchy original music, and adorable puppets, you're sure to have a blast! Waffle, the lovable dog emcee, introduces his friends (in varying puppet styles) to perform entertaining skits. A fuzzy creature, some musical bugs, a witty owl who loves to tell jokes, and even an energetic chicken who loves to exercise, will all come along to sing and perform for your enjoyment. Whether you love to sing, move, or just play along, this fun and educational performance is sure to ignite your imagination.
Waffle and Friends: A Puppet Palooza
Waffle & Friends is an entertaining puppet variety show entertaining for any age! With a fun, modern twist on a classic tale, catchy original music, and adorable puppets, you're sure to have a blast! Waffle, the lovable dog emcee, introduces his friends (in varying puppet styles) to perform entertaining skits. A fuzzy creature, some musical bugs, a witty owl who loves to tell jokes, and even an energetic chicken who loves to exercise, will all come along to sing and perform for your enjoyment. Whether you love to sing, move, or just play along, this fun and educational performance is sure to ignite your imagination.
Waffle and Friends: A Puppet Palooza
Explore the Charm of Yesteryear at Shore Line Trolley Museum!
Spend an hour, spend the day – embark on a nostalgic journey with the Shore Line Trolley Museum! Open for visitors, our museum offers enchanting trolley rides and captivating tours that transport you back in time. Purchase your tickets online or at the door and enjoy unlimited access throughout the day!
Ticket Prices:
- $13 for Adults
- $12 for Folks 62+
- $10 for Children
- Kids under 2 ride FREE!
Please note that special events may have different pricing.
Operating Hours: 11 AM – 3 PM, Wed-Sun with trolley cars departing every hour. Our volunteer trolley operators will guide you through the oldest suburban street railway in the U.S.A. – a National Historic District that opened on July 31, 1900, connecting New Haven with the Connecticut shore line.
Authentic Trolley Experience: Step into history as you ride on an authentic antique trolley car. Whether it’s the yellow Connecticut Company trolley capturing old New Haven, the 1923 New Orleans Public Transit trolley, or the semi-open 1904 Brooklyn Rapid Transit trolley, your journey promises a unique experience. We regularly operate trolley cars from New Orleans and Johnstown PA, providing diverse rides depending on weather conditions.
Witness Restoration in Action: Marvel at meticulously volunteer-restored display cars and catch a glimpse of our dedicated volunteers working on overhead wires, signals, or tracks. If you’re passionate about preservation, inquire about volunteering opportunities with your tour guide or ticket agent.
Membership Benefits: Consider becoming a member for exclusive advantages if you plan to visit multiple times a year. Ask about our annual membership subscriptions to enhance your museum experience.
Take Home a Piece of History: Don’t forget to stop by our museum store before you leave! Explore a variety of mementos to commemorate your visit.
Join us for an unforgettable day filled with history, charm, and the joy of trolley rides at Shore Line Trolley Museum. Purchase your tickets now and let the past come alive!
Museum Tours & Trolley Rides
Join our volunteer museum educators for an interactive exploration of highlights from 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 Visitor Services desk.
For more information, please visit: https://britishart.yale.edu/exhibitions-programs/docent-tour-collection-highlight-47
YCBA Collection Highlight Tour
Come and experience a business retreat like no other. Designed to inspire and ignite, the event includes a full brunch and a power-packed day of mini workshops, a personal wellness component and fun ice breaker events. This year, our focus is on WOMEN IN BUSINESS. Whether you're about to start a business, are a seasoned entrepreneur in need of resources or inspiration, or are experiencing difficulties and contemplating business closure ... THIS IS FOR YOU!
Presented by The Reign, an elegant contemporary event space nestled just minutes from the tranquil sands of Walnut Beach, Milford.
The Well Experience Entrepreneur Empowerment Retreat
Threads + Paper - Spectrum Art Gallery Exhibit Opens July 18
Spectrum Art Gallery and Artisans Store of Centerbrook presents Threads + Paper, a 7-week show exhibit exploring the rich textures, delicate forms, and sculptural power of fiber and paper. From intricate weavings to charming sculptures, this show highlights how these everyday materials can be transformed into works of art. As each piece in the show tells a story through structure, pattern, and imagination. Discover new wall art, mixed media, sculpture, and other unexpected creations by emerging and established artists. The Open Reception for Threads + Paper is Friday, July 18 from 6:30 to 8:30 pm. Enjoy fine art, crafts, wine, and refreshments that evening and throughout the Open House Weekend, Saturday, July 19 from 1 to 6 pm and Sunday, July 20, from 1 to 5 pm. The exhibit runs through September 6. As always, Spectrum’s Artisans Store offers new pottery, glass, fiber, home décor, jewelry, clothing, and accessories, 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, classes and workshops for adults and teens and summer camps for teens and children, call (860) 767-0742 and visit spectrumartgallery.org. Shop online 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
Threads + Paper
Theater fans, rejoice! An immersive multi-gallery exhibition—featuring a collection of costumes, posters, and rare archival treasures—is bringing the vibrant history of Long Wharf Theatre to life. “Invitation to Engage: 60 Years of Long Wharf Theatre & Beyond” showcases a “who’s who” of stage royalty including Rita Moreno, Colman Domingo, Al Pacino, Frances McDormand, Anna Deavere Smith, Steve Martin, Jessica Tandy and many more. The exhibition at the New Haven Museum (NHM) is on view through February 2026.
Spanning three museum spaces—the New Haven Museum’s elegant upper rotunda, its gray and center galleries—“Invitation to Engage” invites visitors to step inside six decades of theatrical history. Visitors will try on costumes, explore immersive set recreations, flip through original scripts, and experience interactive rehearsal spaces alongside a gallery spotlighting the next generation of Long Wharf Theatre artists.
Invitation to Engage: 60 Years of Long Wharf Theatre & Beyond Exhibition at New Haven Museum
Other Asterisms by Deborah Hesse
August 1 - September 7, 2025
Located in The Workshop Gallery, Building 3.
Opening Reception on Friday, August 1st from 3-6PM
Artist Talk on Friday, September 5th at 6PM
Regular Gallery Hours from 12-4 pm on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays.
Other Asterisms is a solo exhibition by Deborah Hesse featuring sculptural, light-responsive wall works made from industrial and everyday materials. Together, the pieces form a constellation—charting imagined links between the material and immaterial, the physical and virtual. Evoking underwater ecosystems, celestial maps, and microscopic life, these luminous, biomorphic forms blur boundaries and invite reflection on unseen systems beyond the known world.
Deborah Hesse is a multimedia artist and independent curator based in New Haven, CT. She holds a B.A. from Smith College and an M.A. in Painting and Printmaking from the University of New Mexico, where she was a Tamarind Institute Fellow in Lithography. Her honors include a Connecticut Office of the Arts Individual Artist Fellowship and a Regional Project Initiative Grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.
Hesse was an international artist-in-residence at the Hongti Art Center in Busan, South Korea, where she created a solo exhibition based on research into traditional seaweed cultivation. She has also received Rhode Island and Connecticut Visual Artist Sea Grant Awards, as well as artist residencies at the Vermont Studio Center, GreenWave, and Weir Farm Art Center. Her work has been shown internationally and nationally, with exhibitions in South Korea, New York, New Mexico, and Connecticut—including venues such as Real Art Ways, Housatonic Museum, University of Connecticut, Artspace, University of New Haven, Silvermine Art Gallery, and Governors Island Art Fair.
Full Artist Statement:
Other Asterisms features luminous, shaped, biomorphic wall works organically arrayed across the gallery. As a group, these abstractions evoke celestial constellations, bioluminescent aquatic forms, and microscopic life—confounding scale and seeking to make the immaterial visible.
This constellation of forms emerges through a layered process that blends digital fabrication with intuitive, material-based experimentation. I work with industrial byproducts—mainly sign- making materials—alongside birch wood, photo fragments, acrylic, and ink to create dimensional wall pieces that function as spatial paintings.
The initial shapes are inspired by natural forms and phenomena—seaweed pressings, fluid dynamics, the contours of spills—drawn from local specimens and debris gathered on daily walks. These fragments are translated into digital outlines and cut with a CNC (Computer Numerical Control) machine, then altered by hand with paint, adhesive color gels, and embedded imagery—merging precision with improvisation.
By combining fabricated and hand-altered materials, I explore how light, transparency, and surface interact to produce shifting forms and layered visual experiences. The planar, layered structures also reflect how digital life flattens and fragments information, reducing complexity into fleeting impressions.
These works probe the shifting boundary between physical and digital realities, drawing on the materials’ signage origins to question what is real, simulated, or invented. The process— manipulating synthetic materials into organic, responsive forms—reflects a broader interest in transformation, perception, and the increasingly fluid spaces we inhabit between tangible and virtual realms.
Together, the pieces form a kind of sensory map—linking the digital, natural, and constructed to explore connections between the infinite and the everyday.
Other Asterisms by Deborah Hesse
Group Meditation led by Bob Vinci in a relaxed, comfortable, open and friendly setting. First-time meditators are welcome, as are those who are experienced. The simple technique we use is always happily explained. Each session lasts an hour, but newer meditators may practice at whatever duration is comfortable. People have join us for stress reduction, self-healing, mind-sharpening, expanding consciousness and deepening spirituality, finding success with these and more! 10 to 20+ people regularly attend. Please visit themeditationman.org for more info.
Meditation in Middletown
Instructed by Annie Sailer
39 Putnam Ave, Hamden CT
Annie Sailer Adult Intermediate Dance Class
🎤 Bring your poems, your stories, your music, your movement.
✨ Come to be seen. Come to witness. Come to feel the fire.
Whether you’re lighting the mic up or snapping from the crowd your presence is part of the magic.
🔥 Let’s spark something revolutionary, one word at a time.
#SignUp #CreativeSpace #freeevent #allarewelcome #poetry #art #community #nhv #vibes #openmic #PullUpOnUs #twosuns ##BlackAugust
Black August 🔥Fire On The Page Open Mic
Renowned visual artist and Yale alum Leo Villareal ’90 will present Celestial Garden (Yale), a new exhibition in The Dome at Yale Schwarzman Center. This never-before-exhibited artwork features an original soundscape and employs a suite of ten projectors that map the entire dome’s intrados. Villareal, whose work explores the physicality of light in both the spatial and temporal dimensions, uses custom software to orchestrate the perpetually evolving, abstract compositions, inspired by nature’s intricate, ever-changing patterns. Plush carpets and seating allow a contemplative pause for viewers to be immersed in a dynamic and continuously unfolding interplay of light and sound.
Free and open to the public Tuesdays through Saturdays from 12-6pm with extended hours on Thursdays until 8pm.
Celestial Garden (Yale)
Continuing a patriotic tradition, the Exchange Club of Madison is proud to salute our 2025 heroes under our Americanism service to the community. All proceeds will fund Exchange Club projects such as the 4th of July parade, downtown flags and prevention of child abuse.
Individuals, families and businesses are invited to dedicate flags in tribute to their Heroes this September. This majestic display of flags honors those people and organizations that bring light and hope into our lives.
Our flag is a reminder that the freedoms and greatness we enjoy today were not secured easily and that these gifts must be cherished and protected. Admission to our flag salute is free and we welcome you and your family to come to the Madison green and take an inspiring walk amongst the flags.
To sponsor the event or to dedicate a 3'x5' flag with pole, tap on Tickets to see available options. All flags purchased will be flown on the green and made available for pickup after the event. Flags may be dedicated in the following categories:
- 9/11
- Military
- First Responders
- Canine Heroes
- Everyday Heroes
- Child Abuse Prevention
Please limit dedications to 255 characters or less
The official Madison Salutes Our Heroes website is located at www.madisonexchange.org/flags
Madison Salutes Our Heroes
Join us for SHAKEDOWN & WASHBOARD SLIM AND THE BLUELIGHT'S!
Tickets:
- In-Advance: $15
- Day-Of-Sale: $20
Get ready to groove with Shakedown CT, New England’s premier Grateful Dead tribute band since 1987! With the soul-stirring guitar and vocals of Dave Frankel, the rhythmic backbone provided by Mike Kinghorn on bass and vocals, and the dynamic beats of Dan O’Connor on drums, Shakedown CT delivers an electrifying experience that keeps the spirit of the Grateful Dead alive. Join us on a musical journey that transcends time and space, capturing the magic of the Dead and beyond. Let the music play and the good vibes roll! 🎸🥁🎤
WASHBOARD SLIM AND THE BLUELIGHT'S music comes from the root of traditional American popular music. The Bluelights draw on a variety of traditional musical forms and they’ve created a new musical style equally respecting the past and the present – a typical Bluelights performance might include original tunes, early jazz, blues, swing, standards, jug band, early string band, gospel, pop music from the turn of the century and rootsy rock’n’roll. Started in 1986, they continue to perform at festivals, concerts and clubs around the country. In 2008 they won the Connecticut Blues Challenge and entry into the International Blues Challenge in Memphis, Tennessee. They’re available to play a wide variety of settings including concerts, festivals, private parties, dances, and educational shows. The Bluelights have two CD's in print: Rub That Rhythm and most recently Back To The Well.
SHAKEDOWN / WASHBOARD SLIM AND THE BLUELIGHT'S
Join The Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons as we recognize and celebrate Connecticut Supreme Court Justice Lubbie Harper Jr., Southern Connecticut State University Police Chief Makiem Miller, NAACP New London Chapter President Jean Jordan, Norwalk Calvary Baptist Church Pastor Carlton Giles, Connecticut State Community College CEO Dr. G. Duncan Harris and former New Haven Alderwoman Alfreda Edwards; six of the state of Connecticut's most exemplary community servants.
These extraordinary individuals will be awarded with the Prince Hall Honors Legacy Award, the highest award given to members of the community by Prince Hall Free and Accepted Masons of Connecticut.
PRINCE HALL HONORS GALA
Our male revue is the place to go for ladies seeking the perfect setting to celebrate their special events!
Our Las Vegas Style "audience participation" male revue show features the very best male entertainment in an intimate personal setting, designed to involve our audience directly and make for a memorable evening.
Our chiseled male dancers are trained to entertain the toughest of female audiences with mind-blowing choreography and first-class erotic performance. Next time you are planning a girls night out, bachelorette or birthday party in Scottsdale you'll know exactly where to go.
Get ready to blush, scream and have a great time with the sexy HunkOMania hunks. Plus, our hilarious hosts encourage audience participation.
Guests must be at least 18 years old at this location.
HUNK-O-MANIA NEW HAVEN
General Admission Standing Room Only
WHEATUS
Teenage years may be fleeting, but it seems ‘Teenage Dirtbag’ is for life, as Wheatus’ debut single popped up yet again in 2022, making itself known in a way never seen before in the form of a TikTok trend. The “Teenage Dirtbag photos” trend has now been embraced by nearly a million people, including celebrities such as Madonna, Lady Gaga, Mark Ruffalo, Lil Nas X, Jon Bon Jovi, Chevy Chase, and countless others, resulting in the hashtag #teenagedirtbag being viewed over 2 billion times worldwide. So it’s been a busy couple of years for Wheatus. They continue to spend as much time as possible on the road, both for headline shows and as a support act (most recently with Everclear, Hoobastank & Living Colour on the Summerland 2021 tour) across North America. Wheatus have also made a triumphant return to festival stages, playing high profile events like Audacy Beach Fest, where they performed alongside Muse, Jack White, The 1975 and Machine Gun Kelly, just to name a few. While managing the sudden influx of attention and press, the independent six-piece band have been continuing their ongoing project of re-releasing their debut album (in a twenty-song expanded edition featuring “lost” songs from throughout the years), creating content for their endlessly loyal fanbase on Patreon, and getting ready for whatever the future throws at them next. To date, the eclectic rock outfit has now released six studio albums, two live albums, and multiple additional singles.
Links: Official Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Spotify
AMERICAN THRILLS
American Thrills are creating anthemic heartland punk rock from the small state of Connecticut. Combining cowboy chords with big choruses, the band draws as much influence from 90’s alt rock as they do from the 2000’s punk bands they grew up playing in. Their sophomore LP “Milestone” drops this fall via Wiretap Records(US) / Disconnect Disconnect Records(UK).
Links: Official Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Spotify
Wheatus: 25th Anniversary Tour
General Admission Standing Room Only. Please note this show is at Cellar on Treadwell, located directly across from Space Ballroom.
DMIZE
Links: Official Website | Instagram | Spotify
25 TA LIFE
Links: Official Website | Facebook | Instagram | Spotify
CRUCIAL POINT
Links: Official Website | Facebook | Instagram | Spotify
SUBORDINATE
Links: Official Website | Instagram | Spotify
DMIZE / 25 TA LIFE
This is a bi-weekly meeting for men's self development in the New Haven, CT area. The meeting will start at Three Sheets, where we will have a discussion of our goals for the evening. After that, we will change venues a few times to meet more new people as the night goes on. The purpose is to support each other in our goals. I'm not an expert but I want to create a supportive atmosphere for working towards authentic expression as a group. Look forward to seeing you there!
Bi-Weekly meeting
This is a paid class and reservations are required by booking online or calling 203-713-8282.
Join us for Sunday morning sunrise paddleboard yoga. Every Sunday at 8AM. What a way to begin your day, on the water, in nature surrounded by lapping water and the sound of gulls practicing the age old art of Yoga while trying to balance on the board adding an extra challenge to your practice. No experience necessary.
- 25 per class BYOB
- 35 per class includes Paddleboard rental
Reservations required www.scootandpaddle.com "book now" or by calling 203-713-8282
Sunrise Stand up Paddleboard Yoga
Registration is now open for Fall Classes at Oddfellows Playhouse Youth Theater, located at 128 Washington Street in Middletown! Beginning September 8th, classes in theater and circus will be offered for toddlers to 20 year olds. Teenagers are invited to audition for our fall mainstage production.
Teen Repertory Company (ages 14 - 20) will hold auditions for Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet on September 8 and 11, 6 - 9 pm. This is a unique opportunity to work with ARTFARM Artistic Director and Shakespeare specialist Marcella Trowbridge on one of the great works of the western canon. Teens are asked to pre-register for one of the two audition evenings, to arrive on time, and plan to stay for the entire time. Everyone who auditions and commits to the rehearsal and production schedule will be cast in the show. Regular rehearsals will be Mondays and Thursdays, 6 - 9 pm. Performances will be November 13 - 15 and November 21 - 22.
Circophony Teen Circus (ages 12 - 20) offers serious circus training for young performers. No previous experience is required. Tuesday evenings, 6:30 - 8:30 pm is Acro Focus with Naja Muller, including stretching, flexibility, partner acrobatics, tumbling, mini-tramp and contortion. Wednesdays, 6:30 - 8:30 pm, is Juggling Plus with Joel Melendez, featuring juggling, balancing, rola bola, unicycles, rolling globe, diabolo, flower sticks and other forms of object manipulation & performance skills. Students may register for one or both evenings.
For our youngest Oddfellows, Saturday Classes feature Acrobabies (ages 15 months - under 3 years with caregiver; 9:15 - 9:55 am); Mixed-Up Fairy Tales (ages 3 - 6, 10 -10:55 am); Circrobatics (ages 3 - 6, 11 - 11:55 am); and Circrobalance (ages 5 - 8, noon - 1 pm). Classes start September 13 and continue through a Share Day on November 22 (10 weeks total - no classes October 11). All Saturday classes are taught by Meg Berritta.
After-School classes for ages 6 - 14 begin September 15 and will run for ten weeks this fall, culminating in a “Share Week” November 17 - 20. Most classes run 4:50 -5:50 pm.
Stage One classes for ages 6 - 8 include Intro to Shakespeare (Bard for Beginners); Circus I; Heroes and Villains; and Contortion and Flexibility (open to ages 6 - 11)
Stage Two classes for ages 9 - 11 include Acting in Motion; Circus II; Getting Creative With Shakespeare; Story to Stage; Contortion and Flexibility (open to ages 6 - 11); and Hip Hop Dance (open to ages 9 - 14).
Stage Three classes for ages 12 - 14 include Theater Design; Introduction to Commedia dell’ Arte; Theater Improvisation: Scenes and Games; and Complete Actor III (all of these classes meet 4:30 - 5:50 pm), as well as Hip Hop Dance (this class is for ages 9 - 14 and meets 4:50 - 5:50 pm).
Middletown Public School students may complement their class experience with Oddbridge, an extended day program which provides transport from Middletown schools to the Playhouse, a snack, and supervised arts activities, games and homework help before classes start. This year Oddbridge will run Monday through Thursday, September 15 - November 20, and will resume for a Special Mini Production Intensive Monday - Friday, December 1 - December 12. The program provides special programs and field trips on early dismissal days.
For more details on times, tuition and class descriptions, please go to www.oddfellows.org . If you have specific questions, email info@oddfellows.org or call (860) 347-6143. Financial Aid is available for all programs. It is Oddfellows Playhouse policy that the arts should be available to every young person regardless of ability to pay - no one is turned away for lack of funds.
Oddfellows Playhouse, founded in 1975, is Connecticut’s oldest and largest performing arts program for young people. Oddfellows programs are made possible with support from the Middletown Commission on the Arts; Connecticut Office of the Arts/DECD; City of Middletown; The Fund for Greater Hartford; American Savings Foundation; State of Connecticut Judicial Branch (Youth Violence Prevention); Middletown Youth Services Bureau; Community Foundation of Middlesex County; Liberty Bank Foundation; Middletown Health Department; Maximilian E. & Marion O. Hoffman Foundation; Middlesex United Way; George & Grace Long Foundation; and many generous individual donors.
Oddfellows Fall Programs for Youth start September 8th
March 22 – September 7, 2025 | Exhibition open Wednesday through Sunday from 10am to 4pm with free parking and admission EXCEPT Friday, April 18 (Good Friday); Saturday, April 19 (Holy Saturday); Sunday, April 20 (Easter); Saturday, June 7; and Friday, July 4 (Independence Day).
Separated by 2,781 miles and on two different continents, Iraqi and Nigerian Christians share similar stories of persecution. From 2014-2018, portions of Northern Iraq were under the control of the militant group Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), and many religious minorities, including Christians, experienced persecution and violence as a result. In the northern and central portions of Nigeria, violence towards Christians and other minority groups has also increased in recent years at the hands of Boko Haram and other groups.
The Blessed Michael McGivney Pilgrimage Center is honored to share the stories of those displaced in Iraq and Nigeria through Among the Persecuted and Displaced — a collection of photographs taken by Stephen Rasche. The Knights of Columbus has sponsored some of Rasche’s work in both countries, bringing to light the atrocities inflicted on those persecuted for their faith.
Learn more: https://www.michaelmcgivneycenter.org/exhibits/among-the-persecuted-and-displaced/
Exhibit | Among the Persecuted and Displaced: Photographs from Iraq & Nigeria
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
Embark on your woodworking journey with A Cut(ting Board) Above the Rest, where the art of crafting meets the practicality of creating a custom, handmade piece. Whether you're new to woodworking or looking to elevate your kitchen game, this introductory class led by Akeera is the perfect opportunity to delve into the world of woodcraft.
What to Expect:
In this hands-on class, Akeera will guide you through the step-by-step process of crafting your very own 10"x12" cutting board. Learn the essential skills of woodworking as you gain hands-on experience with a planer, table saw, chop saw, and sander. Discover the art of finishing as you apply mineral oil to bring out the natural beauty of your creation.
Workshop Highlights:
- Tool Mastery: Gain proficiency in using essential woodworking tools, including the planer, table saw, chop saw, and sander.
- Hands-On Crafting: Roll up your sleeves and delve into the art of woodworking, creating your own custom cutting board under expert guidance.
- Finishing Flourish: Learn the finishing touches as you apply mineral oil to enhance the aesthetics and durability of your handmade cutting board.
- Safety First: Experience woodworking in a safe and supervised environment with provided safety goggles and materials.
Safety First:
- Closed-Toe Shoes: Wear closed-toe shoes to protect your feet from potential hazards such as falling objects or splinters.
- Avoid Loose Items: Secure loose items like jewelry, hoodie strings, and any dangling accessories to prevent them from getting caught in machinery.
- Dress Appropriately: Choose clothing that covers your arms and legs to minimize exposure to wood dust and other workshop materials.
- Safety Goggles: Safety goggles will be provided, but if you have your own pair, feel free to bring them for a customized fit.
No Experience Necessary:
This class welcomes participants of all experience levels, making it an excellent opportunity for woodworking enthusiasts who may initially feel intimidated or those who prefer structured learning.
Lunch Break:
Enjoy a scheduled break roughly halfway through the class for lunch, providing a moment to recharge and connect with fellow woodworking enthusiasts. (Lunch is not included with the workshop, but there are many excellent options within a few blocks of MakeHaven in all directions.)
Instructor: Akeera Peterkin
Workshop Ticket Fee:
Standard Public Ticket $115.00
MakeHaven Members: $98.00
You must click below and REGISTER to attend at:
https://www.makehaven.org/civicrm/event/info?id=381&reset=1&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
Craft Your Own Cutting Board: Intro to Woodworking Basics
The Shore Line Trolley Museum will be closed to the public on Sunday, August 31st — but we’re proud to be part of the Short Beach Days Festival!
Festival Fun All Weekend
Short Beach Days is packed with community favorites:
- Delicious food & refreshments
- Evening entertainment & music
- Parades & a flotilla on the water
- Family-friendly contests, games, & scavenger hunts
- Plenty of fun for all ages
For the full schedule of events, dates, and times , please visit the official site: shortbeachdays.com
Visit Us At The Short Beach Days Festival!
Threads + Paper - Spectrum Art Gallery Exhibit Opens July 18
Spectrum Art Gallery and Artisans Store of Centerbrook presents Threads + Paper, a 7-week show exhibit exploring the rich textures, delicate forms, and sculptural power of fiber and paper. From intricate weavings to charming sculptures, this show highlights how these everyday materials can be transformed into works of art. As each piece in the show tells a story through structure, pattern, and imagination. Discover new wall art, mixed media, sculpture, and other unexpected creations by emerging and established artists. The Open Reception for Threads + Paper is Friday, July 18 from 6:30 to 8:30 pm. Enjoy fine art, crafts, wine, and refreshments that evening and throughout the Open House Weekend, Saturday, July 19 from 1 to 6 pm and Sunday, July 20, from 1 to 5 pm. The exhibit runs through September 6. As always, Spectrum’s Artisans Store offers new pottery, glass, fiber, home décor, jewelry, clothing, and accessories, 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, classes and workshops for adults and teens and summer camps for teens and children, call (860) 767-0742 and visit spectrumartgallery.org. Shop online 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
Threads + Paper
Take a deeper look into the ocean’s depths with Casey Potts, GAC Resident Potter, and Marsha Borden, GAC Teaching Artist, as they present their side-by-side solo shows at Guilford Art Center August 8 through 31, 2025. There will be a free opening reception Sunday, August, 10 from 2pm to 4 pm.
Into the Deep: A World Within is a medley of marine-themed artworks in a variety of mediums, including fiber, textiles, ceramics, and stoneware.
A recipient of the University of Connecticut’s competitive Sea Grant Award in 2022, Marsha Borden’s work depicts larger-than-life artistic replicas of various microalgae that live in Long Island Sound. Casey Potts’ work represents the culmination of a year-long Artist-In-Residence program at Guilford Art Center where every piece invites a second look. Inspired by the ocean’s layered ecosystems, Potts’ and Borden’s work celebrates the magic found beneath the surface—worlds within worlds, often unseen but always present.
The gallery is open 7 days a week and is always free entry: Monday-Saturday 10am-4pm, Sunday 12-4pm. Guilford Art Center is located at 411 Church Street (Route 77), Guilford CT 06436.
For more information, visit www.guilfordartcenter.org or call (203) 453-5947.
About Casey Potts
Casey Potts is a ceramic artist working in both wheel-thrown and hand-built stoneware. Her work blurs the line between functional form and abstract sculpture, weaving together whimsy, bold color, and oceanic mystery. A Connecticut native, she earned her BS in Ceramics from Southern Connecticut State University in 2020, where she received the Mary Secka Ceramic Award and was chosen to represent the university in a statewide exhibition.
Graduating into a global pandemic and navigating immense personal loss, Casey found healing in movement—living in several states, trying new things, and exploring how people create a sense of place. That same spirit of curiosity and adventure shapes her ceramic practice, which spans a variety of techniques tied together by a shared fascination with layered environments—especially the hidden depths of the sea.
Each piece she creates holds unexpected details: hidden drawings, tactile textures, subtle lighting, or sound-producing rattles. Her work invites viewers to slow down and ask: What am I really looking at? What else is here? In a world built for fast glances, her ceramics reward deeper attention. Like ecosystems beneath the ocean’s surface, her pieces hold emotional resonance, secret structures, and quiet complexity—tiny universes nestled inside one another, waiting to be discovered. Each one a reminder: there’s always more going on beneath the surface.
About Marsha Borden
Marsha Borden is a New Haven County, Connecticut-based American artist who works primarily in textile-based mediums. A juried artist member of the Guilford Art League, Borden is on the faculty at Guilford Art Center in Guilford, Connecticut and is a frequent Teaching Artist with Connecticut Public Libraries. Her work has been juried into numerous local and national exhibitions and is featured in several print and online publications, including the Hartford Courant, the New Haven Independent, The Arts Paper of the Arts Council of New Haven, and the Guilford Courier. A highlight of Borden’s 2024 solo exhibition for the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection at the Kellogg Environmental Center was a large-scale sculpture of the Diamondback Terrapin, a state species of special concern. She was awarded the 2022 Connecticut Sea Grant Arts Support Award for her artistic work with Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs). Borden was Artist-in-Residence at Common Ground Urban Farm and Environmental Education Center (2020) and at Ely Center of Contemporary Art (2019) and both in New Haven, Connecticut. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree, a Master of Science Degree, and a pre-doctoral Sixth-Year Diploma in Psychology. She has recently studied at Rhode Island School of Design in Providence, Rhode Island. Born and raised in upstate New York, Borden currently works from her studio in Erector Square, an artist’s enclave in New Haven, Connecticut.
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.
Guilford Art Center Presents Gallery Exhibit: Into the Deep: A World Within
Other Asterisms by Deborah Hesse
August 1 - September 7, 2025
Located in The Workshop Gallery, Building 3.
Opening Reception on Friday, August 1st from 3-6PM
Artist Talk on Friday, September 5th at 6PM
Regular Gallery Hours from 12-4 pm on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays.
Other Asterisms is a solo exhibition by Deborah Hesse featuring sculptural, light-responsive wall works made from industrial and everyday materials. Together, the pieces form a constellation—charting imagined links between the material and immaterial, the physical and virtual. Evoking underwater ecosystems, celestial maps, and microscopic life, these luminous, biomorphic forms blur boundaries and invite reflection on unseen systems beyond the known world.
Deborah Hesse is a multimedia artist and independent curator based in New Haven, CT. She holds a B.A. from Smith College and an M.A. in Painting and Printmaking from the University of New Mexico, where she was a Tamarind Institute Fellow in Lithography. Her honors include a Connecticut Office of the Arts Individual Artist Fellowship and a Regional Project Initiative Grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.
Hesse was an international artist-in-residence at the Hongti Art Center in Busan, South Korea, where she created a solo exhibition based on research into traditional seaweed cultivation. She has also received Rhode Island and Connecticut Visual Artist Sea Grant Awards, as well as artist residencies at the Vermont Studio Center, GreenWave, and Weir Farm Art Center. Her work has been shown internationally and nationally, with exhibitions in South Korea, New York, New Mexico, and Connecticut—including venues such as Real Art Ways, Housatonic Museum, University of Connecticut, Artspace, University of New Haven, Silvermine Art Gallery, and Governors Island Art Fair.
Full Artist Statement:
Other Asterisms features luminous, shaped, biomorphic wall works organically arrayed across the gallery. As a group, these abstractions evoke celestial constellations, bioluminescent aquatic forms, and microscopic life—confounding scale and seeking to make the immaterial visible.
This constellation of forms emerges through a layered process that blends digital fabrication with intuitive, material-based experimentation. I work with industrial byproducts—mainly sign- making materials—alongside birch wood, photo fragments, acrylic, and ink to create dimensional wall pieces that function as spatial paintings.
The initial shapes are inspired by natural forms and phenomena—seaweed pressings, fluid dynamics, the contours of spills—drawn from local specimens and debris gathered on daily walks. These fragments are translated into digital outlines and cut with a CNC (Computer Numerical Control) machine, then altered by hand with paint, adhesive color gels, and embedded imagery—merging precision with improvisation.
By combining fabricated and hand-altered materials, I explore how light, transparency, and surface interact to produce shifting forms and layered visual experiences. The planar, layered structures also reflect how digital life flattens and fragments information, reducing complexity into fleeting impressions.
These works probe the shifting boundary between physical and digital realities, drawing on the materials’ signage origins to question what is real, simulated, or invented. The process— manipulating synthetic materials into organic, responsive forms—reflects a broader interest in transformation, perception, and the increasingly fluid spaces we inhabit between tangible and virtual realms.
Together, the pieces form a kind of sensory map—linking the digital, natural, and constructed to explore connections between the infinite and the everyday.
Other Asterisms by Deborah Hesse
Renowned visual artist and Yale alum Leo Villareal ’90 will present Celestial Garden (Yale), a new exhibition in The Dome at Yale Schwarzman Center. This never-before-exhibited artwork features an original soundscape and employs a suite of ten projectors that map the entire dome’s intrados. Villareal, whose work explores the physicality of light in both the spatial and temporal dimensions, uses custom software to orchestrate the perpetually evolving, abstract compositions, inspired by nature’s intricate, ever-changing patterns. Plush carpets and seating allow a contemplative pause for viewers to be immersed in a dynamic and continuously unfolding interplay of light and sound.
Free and open to the public Tuesdays through Saturdays from 12-6pm with extended hours on Thursdays until 8pm.
Celestial Garden (Yale)
Join our volunteer museum educators for an in-depth tour of the museum’s iconic building, designed by modernist architect Louis I. Kahn (1901–1974).
Tours meet in the Entrance Court by the Visitor Services desk.
For more information, please visit: https://britishart.yale.edu/exhibitions-programs/docent-tour-architecture-ycba-20
