Cultural Cocktail Hour at Butler-McCook House

Connecticut Landmarks presents the first Cultural Cocktail Hour of our 2018 Season at the Butler-McCook House & Garden! Join us on Thursday, May 10th from 5:30 to 7:30 pm for artist Lisa Pressamarita’s exhibition opening of Lions and Leopards in the Butler-McCook House’s Aetna Gallery. Her series of work will showcase the beauty and bravery of lions, and consist of pencil drawings, and pastel and oil paintings. Enjoy the music of Mark LaBianca, DJ fades, wine and light refreshments. The event is free with a suggested food and per drink donation of $5. The exhibition is open to the public during regular museum hours until Sunday, June 10th.

Lisa Pressamarita is a Hartford native who has painted professionally for over 30 years. She brings imagination and inventiveness to her works and loves using both new and recycled materials in her creation process. A member of CT Watercolor Society and former member of West Hartford Art League, Pressamarita holds a BFA in painting from the Hartford Art School with minor in ceramics. Pressamarita was inspired to create her new work after a deeply moving experience viewing the paintings done by artists who paint without the benefit of hands, solely by holding paint brushes with their mouths, “I thought I was going to quit painting during my year off, then I fell in love with Lions.” Her upcoming show, Lions and Leopards, showcases the confluence of beauty and bravery in these magnificent creatures and is dedicated to our veterans for this reason. Pressamarita’s friend and client Bill Palifka, a Special Engineer in the U.S. Army, was instrumental to this exhibition.

A portion of the proceeds will benefit FourBlock. FourBlock is shaping the future of veteran transition and veteran career readiness by inspiring veterans to achieve more after their military service. Their community brings together top companies and high-potential veterans to foster better understanding of veterans in our nation’s leading employers and ensure that veterans are ready to pursue the best careers possible.

The Butler-McCook House & Garden and Main Street History Center is located at: 396 Main Street, in Hartford. It is open for tours May through December. For hours and more information, visit www.ctlandmarks.org;www.facebook.com/pages/Butler-Mc-Cook-House-Garden; or call (860) 247-8996 x 12.

About Connecticut Landmarks

Connecticut Landmarks’ mission is to inspire interest and encourage learning about the American past by preserving selected historic properties, collections and stories and presenting programs that meaningfully engage the public and our communities. For more information, please visit www.ctlandmarks.org.

Photo:

Butler-McCook House. Photo by Rochelle Bayless, courtesy of Connecticut Landmarks.