Art Projects Archives - Wendy Dixon Fog

New Canaan has a thriving art community that encourages and supports both professional and emerging artists. From finger painting to advanced fine arts you can find a venue to inspire the artist within.

Silvermine Art Center 203.966.5617 – https://silvermineart.org

In the early 1900’s a colony of artists settled in the Silvermine area, lured by the picturesque countryside. The artists gathered around noted sculptor Solon Borglum, whose barn was the meeting place where these artists, the so-called “Knockers Club” came to socialize, exchange ideas and critique each other’s work. Eventually, the group outgrew the barn and purchased a larger one, on the present site of the Silvermine Guild Arts Center. Founded in 1922, the Guild of Artists was formally incorporated in 1924. Today, Silvermine presents abundant opportunities for individuals of all ages to enjoy and learn about the arts. The Guild of Artists now has over 300 members. The award winning Galleries present over 20 exhibitions each year. The award winning School of Art is the preeminent learning destination for visual arts in Fairfield County, Connecticut. Hundreds of courses and workshops in numerous disciplines are offered through the School of Art. A variety of programs and lectures are presented in the intimate setting of our auditorium.

Carriage Barn Art Center 203.972.1895 – carriagebarn.org

A unique Nineteenth Century stone barn on the grounds of the Lapham estate is home to exceptional exhibition and performance space. The Carriage Barn Arts Center is host to several premier art exhibitions annually, including two major juried events and curated exhibitions of member and invited artists, as well as art classes for adults and children, lectures, and a variety of live musical performances in the NCSA Acoustic Series and the Waveny Chamber Society concerts.

Arts for Healing 203.972.2982 – www.artsforhealing.org/

Arts for Healing is a unique, nurturing community-based center that helps people with learning and developmental disabilities improve the quality of their lives through music and creative arts therapy. A not-for-profit organization, we’ve been working with special needs children, adolescents and adults, and their families for over a decade. By providing safe and enriching artistic experiences, our students emerge to increase communication, attention span, fine and gross motor skills, social skills, and language development. As they progress, their renewed awareness and self-confidence is carried with them into their family relationships, school settings, and community.

With all the winter storms and downed branches my yard is looking pretty chaotic. It originally looked like a war zone until we revved up the chain saws and stacked the wood, gleefully using it for most of the winter to heat our house and ignoring the rest of the mess. Now that spring is here those larger logs and errant branches that seemed impossible to deal with are taunting me. Light bulb! This isn’t debris, it is art material.

There is a treasure trove of material to use in some sort of creative way. Make it fun. Turn those large rounds on end and use them as stools and tables for kids. Decorate them with paint, tiles, fabric or whatever you and your kids dream up. Or cut them up and create stepping stones…the possibilities are endless. Take those long straight branches and have your kids create totem poles. They can have any theme and use any materials. Use them as garden ornaments or back drops for a child’s play area. Or construct tepees and forts, hidden spaces for kids games. Now when you ask your kids to help you clean up the yard, they may just jump at the chance.