Community Calendar

The 1830s witnessed the emergence of abolitionism: the interracial political and social movement that demanded an immediate end to slavery in the United States. Remarkably ahead of its time, the movement also sought legal rights and integration for free Blacks and the formerly enslaved, putting it at odds with many Americans and with the colonization movement, which sought the emigration of Blacks to Africa. Through anti-slavery societies, publications, lectures, and legal channels, abolitionists forced the controversial topics of slavery and integration into the open, provoking derision and mob violence, but also launching the movement that would ultimately lead to emancipation. This exhibition invites viewers to reflect on the legacy of these brave men and women and to consider how their activism can continue to inspire.
Free and open to the public Monday through Friday 10–6, late hours Thursday; Saturday 10–4.

About the Exhibition: This exhibition presents highlights from the collection of Ireland’s Great Hunger Museum, which explores the impact of the Irish Famine of 1845-1852 through artwork produced by eminent Irish and Irish-American artists of the past 170 years. The works on view in the exhibition will include paintings by late 19th- and early 20th‐century artists like James Brenan, Daniel Macdonald, James Arthur O'Connor and Jack B. Yeats, as well as sculptures, paintings, and works on paper by contemporary artists including John Behan, Rowan Gillespie, Brian Maguire, and Hughie O'Donoghue. The exhibition is presented by Quinnipiac University and the Ireland’s Great Hunger Museum of Fairfield Exhibition.

Image: James Arthur O’Connor, Scene in Connemara, 1828, oil on canvas. Courtesy of Quinnipiac University and the Ireland’s Great Hunger Museum of Fairfield Exhibition.

Enjoy midway fun for the whole family with exciting rides and games for all ages and deep-fried treats, sweets and other tasty carnival eats.

Admission and parking are free.

Unlimited ride wristbands (for riders 36" & taller) are $37 on site ($35 cash price) while supplies last or online before 5 pm April 24 for $29 each, 2/$55 or 4/$99.

Visit the website for advance savings on ride tickets, discount coupons for rides and food, and event updates.

Midway hours: 5-10 pm Monday - Thursday, 5-11 pm Friday, noon-11 pm Saturday, noon-10 pm Sunday. Guests under 18 must be accompanied by an adult age 21+.

More information: 866-666-3247 or DreamlandAmusements.com
https://tinyurl.com/2hwlt762

There have been disputes over the ownership of works of art for centuries, but in recent decades the topic of the restitution (or return) of illicit artifacts has taken on particular urgency in the art world and has appeared in the news more than ever. Regardless of how they made their way into museum collections, the spoils of war, looted antiquities, and art collections sold under threat of Nazi persecution have one thing in common: they are all stolen objects. Some may be in museum collections today. How do we research the history of possession and movement—or the provenance—of our works of art? What constitutes evidence of theft? Through a series of case studies, Victoria Reed, Senior Curator for Provenance, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, discusses the role of provenance research in both museum work and broader restitution efforts. Generously sponsored by the Martin A. Ryerson Lectureship Fund.

Author Keith Marshall Jones III will share a new and definitive account of inland Connecticut’s only Revolutionary War engagement, on April 27, 1777, in a lecture at New Haven Museum, “The Battle of Ridgefield” on Thursday, April 24, 2025, at 6 p.m. The free NH250 event will also stream on FB Live.

Jones’s discussion will be based on his latest book, “The Battle of Ridgefield: Benedict Arnold, the Patriot Militia, and the Surprising 1777 Battle that Galvanized Revolutionary Connecticut,” which tells how Benedict Arnold and the patriots dashed British hopes for Crown hegemony over southwestern Connecticut. According to Connecticut State Historian Emeritus Walter Woodward, Jones’s work “shows that the action was a more complex and significant Revolutionary moment than previously realized.”

Patina Play - A Bracelet Workshop for Adults
$125

with Alison Lee

Next available session starts Apr 24, 2025 at 6:30 pm

Spend a spring evening creating unique cuff bracelets with jewelry artisan Alison Lee of CRAFTCAST. Explore the possibilities of alchemic experimentation with simple patinas on metal cuffs and bracelets.

Color possibilities span from brilliant turquoise to burnt umber and everything in between. Learn how to add further surface embellishments of metallic leaf, embossing powders, and a “secret sauce” to create a stunning one-of-a-kind piece.

You will leave with TWO finished bracelets to wear or give as a special gift!

$125 includes two cuffs and all materials

WHEN: April 24th, 6:30PM-8:30PM

WHERE: MoCA/CT Art Studio

In partnership with Fairfield County’s Community Foundation and the Library's Common Ground Initiative, The Westport Library invites you to an inspiring evening with Layla Zaidane, President & CEO of Future Caucus, the nation’s largest nonpartisan network of young lawmakers.

A nationally recognized leader in youth political engagement, governance innovation, and bipartisan collaboration, Zaidane will share insights from Future Caucus’ nationwide efforts to connect and empower young, elected officials who are leading with vision and purpose. The evening will also feature a panel discussion with Connecticut-based Future Caucus leaders offering a local perspective on urgent national conversations.

Zaidane's groundbreaking leadership includes launching the It’s On Us campaign in partnership with the White House and supporting the Higher Ed, Not Debt coalition to advance bipartisan reforms in higher education. She has been featured in The New York Times, Forbes, The Washington Post, and Teen Vogue, among others.

Join us for a presentation with Dr. Hibbs and Dr. Rostain, national experts and co-authors of The Stressed Years of Their Lives and You're Not Done Yet. Drawing on decades of clinical experience and research, they’ll explore the challenges facing youth, young adults, and parents today — from navigating development to recognizing treatable mental health issues. They'll also offer insight on how parents can better support themselves and their kids amidst conflicting advice. A Q&A will follow.

Screening at The First United Methodist Church
603 Main Street, Port Jefferson, NY 11777

Director Miriam Guttmann captures the momentous and bittersweet tour of the Ukrainian National Ballet company tour as they struggle with mixed emotions as they represent their country far from the battlefield. They welcome a young soldier who lost his legs in the war to join a special performance.
Running Time: 75 minutes

Following the film, Juliette Passer, Professor at Stony Brook University, will lead a conversation with Tetiana Fedotova, Senior Designer/Art Director of Brand Loft Agency and Nataliia Tuiahina, dancer and journalist, both of Kyiv, Ukraine.

Individual Tickets, $10, at www.portjeffdocumentaryseries.com/ticketsvenues or at the door (no credit cards at the door).

Romney: Brilliant Contrasts in Georgian England, co-organized by the Yale University Art Gallery and the Yale Center for British Art to celebrate the YCBA’s reopening, features the work of the British portrait painter George Romney (1734–1802). Remembered today for his fashionable likenesses of wealthy patrons, Romney was rivaled in late 18th-century London only by the now better-known artists Thomas Gainsborough and Sir Joshua Reynolds. His aspirations to be a history painter were never realized, but his many drawings serve as a testament to those greater ambitions. These swiftly executed sketches reveal a mastery of form, line, and light, while his proficiency as a musician and early experience building musical instruments distinguish him among his polymath contemporaries. To fully explore the era’s subjects and sensibilities, paintings and drawings by Romney from both museums are shown alongside selections from the Morris Steinert Collection of Musical Instruments. Unveiling the contrasts in his artistic practice, the exhibition presents a forceful vision—one that has resonated with admirers through the centuries, from William Blake in Romney’s own time to the portraitist Kehinde Wiley today.