MoCA Westport [Museum of Contemporary Art, Westport] announces that admission to MoCA Westport’s gallery is now complimentary for all visitors for one year, made possible through the generous gift of an anonymous donor.
“This gift supports our belief in the power of art to educate, enrich and build connections between us – a power that should be equally accessible to all in the community,” stated Ruth Mannes, MoCA Westport’s Executive Director.
“Visit our exhibition, come back to show your friends what you found to be thought-provoking and meaningful, or bring the kids for a quick drop in, all at no charge,” she added.
The Museum has also announced that Bar MoCA, a full-service bar in the Museum, is now open during Saturday and Sunday gallery hours in addition to a weekly Happy Hour on Thursdays. The Museum will also offer free drop-in studio time for ages 4-12 from 12-2:30 PM on Saturdays. Experience the exhibition, visit the play space and garden, listen to live music, and relax in the Museum’s vast outdoor space.
As of September 16, MoCA Westport’s Fall Gallery Hours are: Wednesday: 12 – 4 PM | Thursday: 12 – 7 PM | Friday: 12 – 4 PM | Saturday & Sunday: 12 – 4 PM. The Museum is located at 19 Newtown Turnpike in Westport, CT. For more information contact the Museum at [email protected] or 203/222-7070.
About MoCA Westport
MoCA Westport is a non-profit visual and performing arts organization that has been a cornerstone of the Westport, Connecticut community for over 50 years. In 2019, MoCA Westport underwent a significant expansion in order to bring extensive programming to the local community and greater New York and New England regions.
In addition to hosting contemporary art exhibitions and performing arts events, The Academy at MoCA Westport provides academic, art enrichment, wellness, and day camps for children and adult learners year round.
MoCA Westport is thankful for the dedication of its generous donors and sponsors, including the Artur and Heida Hermanns Holde Foundation, Inc.; Bank of America Museums on Us; Beechwood Arts and Innovation; Bespoke Veterinary Services; Canine Company; Choice Pet; Cohen and Wolf; The Cornelia T. Bailey Foundation; The Dale & Laura Kutnick Foundation; Delamar Southport; Design Within Reach; Fairfield County Bank; 4th Row Films; First County Bank Foundation; Fourth & Pride Vodka; The Girlfriend Fund; Goldman Sachs; IBM; MediaCrossing; Daniel Edward Offutt, III; Provokr Inc.; SRI Fine Art Services; Wealthspire Advisors; Wells Fargo Bank; Wildbloom Skincare; WMNR Fine Arts Radio; WPKN; WSHU Public Radio Group. MoCA Westport operates with the support of the Department of Economic and Community Development, Connecticut Office of the Arts, which also receives support from the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency.
Between The Ground and The Sky
MoCA Westport and the Westport Farmers’ Market (WFM) announce a new exhibition entitled Between the Ground and the Sky on view August 27 – October 17, 2021.
Between the Ground and the Sky features photography from the Who Grows Your Food initiative, an intimate photographic journey celebrating the beloved farms and farmers associated with the Westport Farmers’ Market.
The centerpiece of the exhibition is more than 50 large-scale photographs, both color and black and white, of local farms by Anne Burmeister and Ashley Skatoff, two local accomplished photographers. The photographs tell a compelling and visually arresting story of the importance of local farms and farmers. The Who Grows Your Food initiative was developed by the Westport Farmers’ Market during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic as a means to educate people on the role that local farmers play in providing food for the community. The farms included are:
- Calf and Clover Creamery, Cornwall Bridge, CT
- Copps Island Oysters, Norm Bloom and Son, Norwalk, CT
- Dirt Road Farm, Weston, CT
- Fort Hill Farm, New Milford, CT
- Gilbertie’s Organics, Easton, CT
- Ideal Fish, Waterbury, CT
- Lost Ruby Farm, Norfolk, CT
- Muddy Feet Flower Farm, Ashford, CT
- Ox Hollow Farm, Roxbury, CT
- Riverbank Farm, Roxbury, CT
- Rose’s Berry Farm, Glastonbury, CT
- Sankow’s Beaver Brook Farm, Old Lyme, CT
- Sea Coast Mushrooms, Mystic, CT
- Sport Hill Farm, Easton, CT
- Stonington Kelp Co., Stonington, CT
- The Hickories, Ridgefield, CT
- Wells Hill Farm, Weston, CT
- Woodland Farm, Glastonbury, CT
The exhibition also includes two site-specific installations by Kristyna and Marek Milde, and the natural, organic works of artist Donna Forma.
Kristyna and Marek Milde are a Brooklyn-based interdisciplinary artist duo originally from Prague, Czech Republic. Their works explore environmental issues and the alienation of contemporary lifestyles. In their art practice, they create installations, in-situ interventions, and public art, functioning as immersive platforms for engagement and experience and connecting culture and nature.
Donna Forma is a Southport, CT-based artist known for her deconstruction and reconstruction of the components of deceptively simple natural forms, exposing the layers of complexity hidden in plain sight all around us.
Additionally, related works created by attendees of MoCA Westport’s Camp MoCA, a weekly summer camp for ages 3-13, will be on view. As part of the camp curriculum, campers will participate in a series of agriculture and gardening-related projects designed to build awareness of, and appreciation for, the role of farming in our community.
Lori Cochran, Director of the Westport Farmers’ Market, stated, “This program embodies the essence of our organizations. Bringing together art, education, community and knowledge of agriculture, featuring the hands that tend the land, results in more than a fun event – it creates an impact that will last a lifetime. Working with Anne and Ashley through their journey of these farms, it seemed only natural to find a home at MoCA Westport to share their stories.”
MoCA Westport Executive Director Ruth Mannes said of the collaboration, “Our expansive outside grounds are a perfect way to introduce our campers to agriculture and gardening. We are thrilled to partner with the Westport Farmers’ Market to share this important aspect of our economy and our lives with the public.”
Between the Ground and the Sky will be on view during MoCA Westport’s Fall 2021 Hours. To learn more about the exhibition, contact Liz Leggett, MoCA Westport’s Director of Exhibitions, at [email protected] or 203/222-7070. To learn more about the Who Grows Your Food initiative, contact Lori Cochran, Director of the Westport Farmers’ Market, at [email protected].
