The work of two contemporary ceramic artists is featured in Brayman & Butterly, an exhibition opening Nov. 9 at the Joseloff Gallery in West Hartford.
Andy Brayman combines traditional craft, industrial processes and contemporary art strategies to create ultra-smooth, elegant forms that are as beautiful as they are functional. Kathy Butterly's creations are fantastical pieces that defy the limits of clay and glaze.
Brayman and Butterly are the 2010/2011 Georgette and Richard Koopman Chairs in the Visual Arts at Hartford Art School in ceramics.
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Butterly presents a free lecture titled Small Is Big on Nov. 9 at 1:30 p.m. in the school's Wilde Auditorium. An opening reception is Nov. 9 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. The exhibition continues through Dec. 19.
The Joseloff Gallery is on the campus of the University of Hartford, 200 Bloomfield Ave., West Hartford. For hours and more information, visit www.joseloffgallery.org or call 860-768-4090.
Find out what's happening in West Hartfordfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Saltbox Gallery Re-Opens with Flynn Retrospective
Priscilla Houghton Flynn took her first class at the West Hartford Art League 76 years ago. Now, on the cusp of her 90th birthday, the league presents "Priscilla Flynn: A Retrospective With Friends," which features works by Flynn and 16 of her friends and former teachers. It is a fitting exhibition to mark the re-opening of the Art League's freshly renovated Saltbox Gallery.
Flynn, who sites as her influences Van Gogh, Cezanne, Matisse, Kandinsky, Pollack, has been featured in more than 50 invitational and juried shows and won several awards. Her work includes portraits, pastel landscapes, still-lifes, watercolors, acrylic abstracts, and collages.
The exhibit runs from Nov. 7 through 28. A free opening reception is Nov. 7 from 1 to 4 p.m.
The West Hartford Art League's Saltbox Gallery is at 37 Buena Vista Road, West Hartford. For more information, visit www.westhartfordart.org.
Guitar Ace at Roaring Brook
Flat-picking and finger-picking guitarist Stephen Bennett plays his first show at Canton's Roaring Brook Nature Center. The Nov. 6th concert starts at 7:30. Tickets cost $18 in advance and $20 at the door. For more information, visit www.roaringbrookconcerts.org. Roaring Brook Nature Center is at 70 Gracey Road, Canton.
'Starry, Starry Night' in Norfolk
Don McLean, the American songsmith best known for "American Pie" and "Vincent (Starry, Starry Night)" plays back-to-back shows at Infinity Hall in Norfolk on Nov. 6. McLean became a fixture on the pop charts starting in 1971, and he's since amassed over 40 gold and platinum records world-wide. Madonna covered his "American Pie," making it No. 1 again in 2000. McLean appears with Terrence Martin. The shows are at 6:30 p.m. and 9 p.m. Tickets cost $55 and $75.
For reservations or more information, visit www.infinityhall.com or call 866-666-6306. Infinity Hall is at 20 Greenwoods Road, West Norfolk.
Rising Star Conducts HSO
The Hartford Symphony Orchestra's search for a new music director is underway with candidates "auditioning" by taking up the role of guest conductor. Scheduled to appear this week is Brazilian-born rising star Marcelo Lehninger, who leads the symphony in an evening of romance and enchantment. The program includes two interpretations of the classic tale of One Thousand and One Arabian Nights – Ravel's Scheherazade, and Rimsky-Korsakov's Sheherazade with guest soprano Christina Pier. Rounding out the program is Tchaikovsky's Romeo and Juliet.
Lehninger has been hailed as one of the most gifted conductors of his generation. The Washington Post has called him "an alert, dynamic figure." He was appointed by James Levine to be assistant conductor of the Boston Symphony Orchestra beginning next season, and he is currently associate conductor of the Minas Gerais Philharmonic Orchestra.
The Scheherazade concerts are Nov. 4 through Nov. 7 at the Belding Theater at the Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts, 166 Capitol Ave., Hartford. Tickets range from $30 to $70 with student seats available at $10. For reservations or more information, visit www.hartfordsymphony.org or call 860-244-2999.
Exploring One Playwright's Creative Process
Where does the idea for a new play come from? How does a playwright work with a director? What is the process that takes a play from page to stage? Playwright Aditi Brennan Kapil, author of Agnes Under the Big Top, discusses the creative process with Long Wharf Theatre's associate artistic director Eric Ting on Nov. 10. She will also read a 10-minute play that inspired Agnes, a piece called Cirkus Kalashnikov. Kapil's Agnes, a magical tale of hope, identity and reinvention that focuses on immigrants in New York City, will be staged at Long Wharf next spring.
The conversation with Kapil begins at 7:30 p.m. on Stage II.
Long Wharf Theatre is at 222 Sargent Drive, New Haven. For tickets or more information, visit www.longwharf.org or call 203-787-4282.
Anatomical Correctness at New Britain Museum
The New Britain Museum of American Art presents work by New York-based artist Christopher Pugliese. Trained at the New York Academy of Art, Philadelphia's University of the Arts, the National Academy of Design, and abroad, Pugliese is known for classically inspired figural works that feature exceptional anatomical detail. He often paints himself into his works.
The show runs through Jan. 23. An opening reception will be held Nov. 5 from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.
The New Britain Museum of American Art is at 56 Lexington St., New Britain. For more information, visit www.nbmaa.org or call 860-229-0257.
Solondz's 'Life During Wartime' at Cinestudio
Liable to make your skin creep and your sense of humanity expand (sometimes against your wishes) are the provocative films of Todd Solondz. The writer/director of Happiness and Welcome to the Dollhouse returns with Life During Wartime, a quasi-sequel to Happiness, which arrives this week at Hartford's Cinestudio. The story concerns three sisters, one of whom is married to a man guilty of molesting his son's friends. The exceptional international cast includes Ciaran Hinds, Shirley Henderson, Allison Janney, Ally Sheedy, and Charlotte Rampling. The film is rated R and contains adult material. Screenings run Nov. 7 through 9.
Cinestudio is on the campus of Trinity College, 300 Summit St., Hartford. For more information, visit www.cinestudio.org or call 860-297-2463.
'Strange' Documentary
Gail O'Hara's 2010 documentary Strange Powers: Stephin Merritt and the Magnetic Fields comes to Hartford's Real Art Ways for two weekends. Filmed over a decade, it has been called "a sometimes uncomfortably intimate" exploration of the talent and times of songwriter Stephin Merritt. A New York Times reviewer has this advice: "If you respond to the morose grandeur of Mr. Merritt's music or are drawn to his downtown gay-bard persona — owlish yet waspish — then it's likely that you'll be engrossed by this documentary, directed by Ms. O'Hara and Kerthy Fix . . . If not, you might be better off picking up that Keith Richards memoir."
The film plays RAW on successive weekends, Nov. 5 and 6, and Nov. 12 and 13. The Nov. 5 screening is preceded by a discussion with Hartford Courant rock critic Eric Danton and Meghan Maguire Dahn. The film is not rated.
Real Art Ways is at 56 Arbor St., Hartford. For screening times, ticket prices, and more information, visit www.realartways.org or call 860-232-1006.
Animation Shorts for Kids
A collection of award-winning animated short films representing 25 years of creative output from the claymation artists at Aardman Animation are on screen Nov. 6 and 7 at Hartford's Real Art Ways. The presentation is part of the New York International Children's Film Festival. Screenings are Nov. 6 and 7 at 11 a.m. Recommended for ages 6 to adult. Admission is free to students of Hartford public schools.
Real Art Ways is at 56 Arbor St., Hartford. For screening times, ticket prices, and more information, visit www.realartways.org or call 860-232-1006.
