Upcoming EXHIBITION
February 26, 2026 – June 7, 2026
Opening reception, Thursday February 26 from 6-8pm. Reserve Here.
Exhibition Admission: Free for all MoCA\CT members; $10 admission for non-members; $8 admission for seniors and students.
Art, Jazz + the Blues is a collaboration between the Westport Public Art Collections (WestPAC) + MoCA\CT
Curated by Anne Boberski + Ive Covaci + the WestPAC Committee
Exhibition Overview
This exhibition explores the intersections between visual art, jazz, and the blues, musical forms deeply rooted in African American traditions, drawing from the rich holdings of the Westport Public Art Collections (WestPAC).
The exhibition centers on Giants of the Blues, a sweeping series of seven group portraits by Westport native Eric von Schmidt (1931–2007) honoring blues, jazz, and folk musicians from the 1920s to the 1960s. Complementing von Schmidt’s paintings are approximately forty artworks from the WestPAC collection depicting musicians, inspired by musical themes, or exploring the resonances between musical and visual forms. A selection of important loans from ACA Galleries, The Brubeck Collection at Wilton Library, Fairfield University Art Museum, Housatonic Museum of Art, artists, and private collections deepen the conversation. As the jazz great Charlie Parker once said, the show invites visitors to “hear with your eyes and see with your ears.”
Westport has long been home to a thriving community of artists and musicians. Since the early 20th century, the town has attracted generations of illustrators, painters, performers, composers, and cultural innovators, and this exhibition highlights the interconnections between artists in our own community and their relationship to broader national and international movements. Today, music and the visual arts remain a vital part of Westport’s identity, nurtured through its many performing arts venues, public art collection, schools awarded for excellence in music and arts education, and creative networks. Art, Jazz + the Blues celebrates this legacy while looking forward to its vibrant future.
Eric von Schmidt’s deep connection to blues and folk music traces back to his youth in Westport, where he often painted alongside his father, esteemed illustrator Harold von Schmidt (1893–1982). He fell in love with the blues when he heard Leadbelly on the radio, and early exposure to the Smithsonian’s music archives ignited a lifelong passion. After graduating from Staples High School and studying at the Art Students League and in Italy on a Fulbright, von Schmidt moved to Cambridge, MA, where he became a central figure in the American folk revival. A prolific artist, performer, and mentor to musicians like Bob Dylan and Joan Baez, von Schmidt also designed album covers and authored prize-winning books on music. Dylan once described him as “a man who can sing the bird off the wire and the rubber off a tire.”
This exhibition includes works by Pierre Alechinsky, Vincent Baldassano, Robert Baxter, Romare Bearden, Ilya Bolotowsky, Ann Chernow, Eric Chiang, Ed Colker, Arnold Copeland, Michael Cummings, Charles Michael Daugherty, James Daugherty, Lisa Daugherty, Gene Davis, Paul Decker, Stevan Dohanos, Seymour Fogel, Sam Francis, Elsie Freund, Frances Gershwin Godowsky, Sam Gilliam, Sidney Gordin, Richard Hunt, Roberto Lugo, Stanton Macdonald-Wright, Tudor Maier, Suzanne McCullough, Joan Miró, László Moholy-Nagy, Robert Natkin, John Nichols, A. R. Penck, Walter Quirt, Paul Rand, Robert Rauschenberg, Robert Risko, Alex Ross, Arnold Roth, Barbara Rothenberg, Eric von Schmidt, Larry Silver, Frank Smith, Tracy Sugarman, and Jack Whitten.
About WestPAC
The Westport Public Art Collections (WestPAC) include nearly 2,000 works in diverse media — from paintings and prints to photographs, sculpture, and murals — by major American and international artists. Most were donated by artists, heirs, and collectors and are displayed throughout Westport’s municipal buildings and public schools. The town-appointed WestPAC Committee cares for the collection and uses original art to inspire and educate students, residents, and the broader community.
About WAAC
The Westport Arts Advisory Committee (WAAC) provides oversight of the Westport Public Art Collections (WestPAC), initiates ways to increase the visibility of the arts in our community and advises the First Selectman on the preservation of Westport’s legacy as an arts community.
Giants of the Blues Playlist + Biographies
Feb 26 – Opening Reception, 6–8pm, with live music by Mark Naftalin. (Members’ Preview at 5pm.)
Feb 28 – Film Screening: Leadbelly (1976), directed by Gordon Parks, 4–7pm, followed by a Q&A with Prof. Sheila Curran Bernard, author of Bring Judgment Day: Reclaiming Lead Belly’s Truths from Jim Crow’s Lies (2024).
Mar 5 – Curators’ Talk with Anne Boberski and Ive Covaci, 6–7pm, “Blues Off the Wall” with Tim Cole on guitar, 5:30–6pm.
Mar 26 – Community Conversation: Jazz Inspirations, 6–7pm, featuring a panel of musicians. “Blues Off the Wall” with Tim Cole, 5:30–6pm.
Apr 9 & 11 – Adult Workshop with Peri Pfenninger, 12–2pm.
Apr 12 – Brubeck Brothers Quartet, 4pm
MoCA\CT presents the art of today to build a dialogue, to affect our perceptions and beliefs, and to create transformative experiences. From local to national to international artists, our exhibitions and supporting programming both reflect and critically examine our world.