The Carriage Barn Arts Center presents THE BARN and BEYOND

THE BARN and BEYOND, sponsored by the New Canaan Preservation Alliance and Karl Chevrolet, is a juried exhibition of original work in all media curated by Arianne Faber Kolb and Eleanor Flatow. The theme of the show reflects the historical significance of the gallery space and celebrates the noteworthy collection of barns in New Canaan and the beauty and relevance of these iconic structures throughout America. 

A curated historical overview of the Carriage Barn and a visual photographic survey of barns in New Canaan will serve as an introduction to works by a diverse group of artists. The wonderful soaring space of the Carriage Barn Arts Center, which housed carriages and horses for Waveny House 100 years ago, will become animated and reactivated through a vibrant selection of artwork – a vision of the barn as a physical reminder of the past and its transformation and adaptive reuse within contemporary culture.

The photographic survey will include artistic representations of recognizable public and private barns in New Canaan by Torrance York, Kip Farrell, Paul Berger, and Nanna Sigurdardottir. These include well-known structures, such as Irwin Park Barn and Mead Park Brick Barn, both of which provide glimpses of our agricultural and industrial past and are in need of restoration. Kip Farrell has been documenting the barns of New Canaan for the past 20, actively seeking to learn their histories from the owners and their descendants. Particularly poignant, is the show’s section of “Lost Barns,” structures that have been demolished over the years, erasing a part of the town’s rich history.

In addition to representations of barns and elements associated with these structures, sculptures relating to the barn theme will animate the space. A centerpiece of the show will be James Grashow’s splendid rooster sculpture. You will never guess what it’s made out of! Visit the gallery to find out for yourself. Grashow’s fantastic monkeys will be swinging from the rafters. His extraordinary and inventive work has been featured at many major museums and his “Cardboard Bernini” at the Aldrich Museum was recently featured in the New York Times. The Carriage Barn show will include other sustainable artworks assembled out of found and recycled materials, such as the whimsical owl out of stone and metal by Lubomir Tomaszewski and the mixed media works incorporating old barn tools by Lucy Krupenye and Jerome Harris Parmet.

Since the Carriage Barn is a prime example of a sustainable historical structure within the open green space of Waveny Park, part of the CBAC’s educational mission is to build children’s awareness of sustainable art, design, and architecture in the community. This provides the ideal environment for creating art projects by using found and recycled materials in novel and experimental ways. Flatow and Kolb intend to expand upon this theme and incorporate notions of preservation and “upcycling” into the new program of children’s education workshops on specific Sundays. These ARTSHOPS, which are free of charge to members ($10 at door for non-members), will be launched on October 13th and 20th (2 pm- 1 ½ hour program) and will feature special projects relating to the barn exhibition led by instructors. Children of ages 6 – 12 are welcome to attend and registration is required: admin@carriagebarn.org.

THE BARN and BEYOND show will be on view through November 2nd. Gallery hours are Wednesday-Saturday, 10 AM - 3PM and Sunday, 1 - 3PM. The Carriage Barn Arts Center is located in Waveny Park. For more information please see www.carriagebarn.org or call (203) 972 1895.