MoCA Exhibit “From The Pen To The Knife” Opens October 15
Artwork by Marian Christy.MoCA [Museum of Contemporary Art] Westport announces the premiere showing of the From The Pen To The Knife exhibition, featuring close to 300 watercolor paintings by the ground-breaking artist Marian Christy. Christy was a pioneer of the Knifed Watercolors® style, a process that shatters the traditional method of creating watercolors by using only palette knives and puddles of paint.
From The Pen To The Knife will be on view at MoCA Westport from October 15 - November 27, 2022. An opening reception for the exhibition will be held on Saturday, October 15, 2022 from 5 – 7 p.m. at the Museum. The reception is free and open to the public.
The exhibition was curated by Ruth Mannes, Executive Director of MoCA Westport; Liz Leggett, MoCA Westport’s Director of Exhibitions; and visual artist Tom Berntsen.
Christy was an award-winning journalist for the first chapter of her life. She was an accomplished writer for The Boston Globe at a time when women had limited journalistic opportunities. Her writing garnered two Pulitzer Prizes and was considered innovative in the areas of fashion and celebrity reporting.
She considers her time as an artist as a second chapter of her life, a time where she pivoted from “the pen to the knife.” She explains of her Knifed Watercolors process, “No drawing. Just the splash. My focus is to make this unique signature a 21st century contemporary style, elevating watercolors to new depths and dimensions. I want to pull the viewer into the image, arouse curiosity but, most of all, to make an emotional connection silently, one-on-one.”
“I paint most scenes of our outer life. The scenes are metaphors for our inner selves. The landscapes are full of these messages. To give the viewer a broad print, I detail the feelings with a title that is a kind of code about emotions that connect us all,” Christy added.
Christy, now age 90, did not receive formal training, and has been working for the last fifteen years in her basement, sitting at an ordinary easel, held firm by used bricks to sustain her forceful palette knife strokes. Christy does not work on site nor use the plein air process of "direct observation and painting outdoors with the artist's subject in full view." All of her paintings are process driven. Images and figuration emerge from her imagination, with no direct reference materials.
Christy’s relatively recent return to her art—originally discovered as a child—comes decades after she was discouraged from making as a youngster who was female. The sheer number of works, as well as the sensational palette and varied surfaces and textures, relay not only Christy's rekindled joy in artmaking, but illustrate a literal and metaphorical creative explosion after her long-awaited return to painting. Granting oneself permission to express “our inner selves” as Christy describes, is essential to every work and the artist’s unique history.
“Marian Christy is someone who has always pushed boundaries – as a woman, as a journalist and as an artist. She was not deterred by what others expected of her and she forged her own path,” stated Ruth Mannes, Co-Curator and Executive Director of MoCA Westport.
“We are honored to have the opportunity to share Christy’s watercolors with the public. These specific paintings have never before been viewed together as a collection, and we are thrilled to give her work the exposure it deserves,” added Mannes.
The exhibition is on view during MoCA Westport’s Fall Gallery Hours: Wednesday 12 - 4 | Thursday 12 - 7 | Friday - Sunday 12 - 4 PM.
The exhibition is generously sponsored by Hofstetter Baron Group at Wells Fargo Advisors.
For more information on the exhibition, contact Liz Leggett, Director of Exhibitions for MoCA Westport at liz@mocawestport.org or 203/222-7070.
Superintendent’s Update as School Begins: “I am most optimistic”
Superintendent Thomas ScariceGood afternoon,
I always say that we are not perfect, but beyond some operational challenges mentioned below, we have had a very successful start to the year!!! There is renewed energy and a positive vibe in the school culture, something that was challenging as we confronted the pandemic.
Back to School Nights are underway, the summer heat has subsided, and as we complete our second week of the school year, I want to emphasize that we intend to sustain the early momentum we have experienced.
Our primary focus has been to reestablish a positive, inviting school climate for all in our school communities. You will notice additional efforts and gestures to this end. Engaging our kids in the learning process, while maintaining child-centered practices is a high priority.
A great start does not guarantee a great school year, and my responsibility is to support our team in delivering on our promises. I am most optimistic after these first two weeks. We have problems to confront, but with a strong school culture, I have no doubts that we will meet those challenges, some quite formidable.
And on with some updates…
22-23 School Calendar Changes
The Westport Board of Education voted on Tuesday, September 6, 2022, to revise the existing 2022-2023 student calendar. (See attached and linked here) The changes to the calendar are as follows:
Schools will be closed on Monday, January 2, 2022, to mark the observance of New Years Day. Students and staff will return from the winter recess on Tuesday, January 3, 2022.
The last day of school will now be Thursday, June 15, 2022.
The five built in snow days will now be June 16, 20, 21, 22 and 23.
The Westport Public Schools will be closed on Monday, June 19, 2022, to mark the observance of Juneteenth. This closure will only go into effect if two or more snow days cause the school year to extend beyond June 15, 2022.
It is important to note that the built in snow days could potentially move the last day of school to Friday June 23, 2022. Therefore, please keep in mind, when making summer recess plans, that schools may be in session from June 20 - June 23.
Transportation
Unfortunately, transportation continues to be a disappointment. The students and parents who are impacted by issues in transportation are highly frustrated. We share that frustration.
I can assure you that our team is working feverishly to resolve these challenges. We have experienced modest success in thinning out some dense rides in order to shorten the overall bus ride and increase reliability in pick up and drop off times. We will continue to apply similar interventions to other routes where possible.
The unfortunate truth is that we continue to be at a disadvantage due to the driver shortage. We ordinarily operate with approximately 58 drivers and we are currently functioning with approximately 51. We have not approached the level of disruption that some other CT districts have experienced as one CT district had to close school this week due to insecure transportation routes.
That said, we have identified specific buses that we are targeting for further intervention to increase reliability and assure pick up and drop off times. Additionally, we have tightened up our communication protocols to get messages to parents as soon as possible about any changes in routes. Finally, the “WheresTheBus” app is scheduled to go live in the next couple of weeks. As much as we would prefer to go live immediately, it would be a significant error to activate the app while some routes remain in flux as we intervene, and until we are certain the app is accurate and useful.
Again, students and parents who are impacted by these issues have every right to be frustrated. We share that frustration. As I mentioned last year when speaking about facilities, we have an expectation of a certain standard for our schools. We have some facilities below that standard that warrant remodeling or new construction. Likewise, the current level of transportation service is below the standard we expect in our district. We will continue to work to improve this level of performance until it meets the community’s expectations.
COVID
As we continue the start of the school year, the District is operating as close to pre-pandemic practices as possible. The District Health Team will employ thoughtful mitigation strategies, monitor COVID-19 cases, and implement respiratory prevention strategies as necessary. Project COVID DeteCT (weekly monitoring), the use of the COVID dashboard, the COVID hotline and daily notifications to classrooms will no longer be in effect. We ask that COVID cases be reported to the school nurse.
In the event that there is a cluster or outbreak with several cases of respiratory illness including influenza or COVID-19 in one class, parents/guardians will be notified through a classroom letter. We will continue to follow guidance from both the CDC and the State Department of Public Health and will adjust mitigating measures as indicated.
Vaccinations continue to be the most important line of defense in preventing respiratory diseases like influenza and COVID-19. Updated COVID boosters are now available and recommended for people 12 years and older and can be found at Vaccines.gov - Find COVID‑19 vaccine locations near you.
The Aspetuck Health District also has available appointments for influenza and updated boosters and can be found on their website at Aspetuck Health District – Public Health Services and Information. Additional information on State DPH guidance can be found at Link to DPH/CSDE/OEC guidance.
For more specific information on isolation and other COVID specific guidelines please see our Return to School Plan for the 2022-23 School year at Return to School Plan.
Successful Start With New “Healthy Use of Technology” Approach
In full candor, we held our collective breath as we implemented a “healthier use of technology” approach. It is not perfect, but I am proud to report that the initial implementation is very positive. Teachers report significantly more dialogue between students in transition times, before and after class, as well as during interactive instruction.
Though they might not admit it, we believe that many students are relieved to some degree. I’ve personally watched the insidious comparisons on social media compromise the happiness and welfare of my own children. This phenomenon is pervasive. We will not halt this phenomenon due to these changes, yet, we are seeing positive signs in our schools and classrooms by limiting distractions and restoring much of the humanity that was lost over the past few years.
This is only one strategy that we have employed in restoring our school culture and encouraging healthy interpersonal development, but the early feedback has been very positive.
Respectfully,
Thomas Scarice
Superintendent of Schools
Westport Property Transfers: August 22nd-25th; Highest Sale on Riverside Ave at $16.5 Million
Westport Town Clerk’s Office:
Total Conveyance Tax: $94,852.78
Total Sales: $37,941,114.00
Highest Transfer Price: 33 Riverside Avenue: $16,500,000
Lowest Transfer Price: 11 Marilane: $125,000
Transfers:
33 Riverside Avenue: $16,500,000
15 Stoneboat Road: $3,100,000
15 North Ridge Road: $2,200,000
40 Bauer Place Extension: $2,150,000
29 Bonnie Brook Road: $2,011,000
86 Clapboard Hill Road: $1,900,000
6 Sandy Hill Terrace: $1,850,000
8 Coach Lane: $1,826,114
3 Blue Coat Lane: $1,675,000
17 Terra Nova Circle: $1,325,000
152 Regents Park: $1,225,000
9 Marilane (War Deed): $450,000
9 Marilane (Trustee Deed): $450,000
26 Pin Oak Court: $705,000
19 Crescent Park Road: $449,000
11 Marilane: $125,000
Westport COVID-19 Cases Up 6; State Positivity Rate 9.85%
The State Department of Public Health reported 6 more COVID-19 cases in Westport over the past day. The State positivity rate was up to 9.85% while 358 people are hospitalized around the State.
Westport total positive or probable cases: 5,786 cases.
Westport total COVID-19 Deaths: 39 deaths
State Daily Test Positivity: 9.85% [up from 9.81%]