MoCA CT

Community Event: American Music for Saxophone and Piano
2025-06-06 18:00 - 19:30 (America/New_York) | MoCACT, 19 Newtown Turnpike, Westport, 06880, United States
American Music for Saxophone and Piano
Dan Goble, alto and soprano saxophones
Russell Hirshfield, piano

performing music by Astor Piazzolla, James David, Joan Tower,
Philip Glass, John Adams and david Del Tredici.

Tickets Here.

Dan Goble currently serves as the director of the School of Music, Theatre and Dance at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colorado and was previously the Dean of the School of Visual and Performing Arts at Western Connecticut State University in Danbury, Connecticut. An arts administrator who is also an active performer, Dr. Goble performed with the New York Philharmonic for over 22 years and was featured with the orchestra as the saxophone soloist on Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet, Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition, and Ravel’s Bolero, among other works. In addition to the New York Philharmonic, Dr. Goble has performed with the New York City Ballet, The American Symphony Orchestra, The Mariinsky Orchestra, the New York Saxophone Quartet, and the Harvey Pittel Saxophone Quartet.
He has had the privilege of collaborating with pianist Russell Hirshfield for over 20 years, performing the music of contemporary composers throughout the United States and through several recordings, including the album Mad Dances, American Music for Saxophone and Piano (Troy 1251), and the single release of Piet Swerts’ Hat City Sonata (https:open.spotify.comalbum0AQvN9BU1ybkVdtChRxcWT). Other solo and chamber recordings include the album Freeway (CRI 876) and Quartet, Opus 22, by Anton Webern, conducted by Robert Kraft, available on the Naxos label. Their most recent release, Second Flight (NV6634) features the music of Joan Tower, Jennifer Higdon, Philip Glass, John Adams, James David, and David Biedenbender.
Dr. Goble is a proud native of Wyoming and was named distinguished alum of Casper College in his hometown of Casper. His saxophone teachers include Roger Greenberg, Thomas Kinser, Harvey Pittel, and Albert Regni. Dan Goble is a D’Addario performing artist.
Pianist Russell Hirshfield has received critical acclaim for his original and powerful interpretive insights across a wide repertoire. He has performed in recital regularly throughout the world, giving concerts across the United States, Brazil, China, Belgium, England, Serbia, Bermuda, Costa Rica and South Africa, including recent performances at the Sheldonian Theater and Holywell Music Room in Oxford, the Royal Flemish Academy in Brussels and Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall. Parma Recordings will release his CD program of American Piano Music in 2025 with premieres of commissioned works by Timo Andres and Mary Ellen Childs. Alexander Scriabin: Early Works (Navona, 2020) has been programed in radio broadcasts in at least twenty countries. It features a brilliant program of Scriabin’s earlier, and lesser-known, works for solo piano. Acclaim for Alexander Scriabin – Early Works, in International Piano, Pianist Magazine and Fanfare led to an invitation to perform the Scriabin Piano Concerto with the Oxford Philharmonic, in celebration of the 150th anniversary of the composer’s birth. His recording Seeker – The Piano Music of Piet Swerts (Phaedra Records) was released in 2017, featured in Europe on Belgian Radio Klara, and received critical acclaim in Holland (Opusklassiek), Belgium (Flanders Art Magazine) and the United States (American Record Guide). Mad Dances – American Music for Saxophone and Piano, with saxophonist Dan Goble, was released by Albany Records.
Russell Hirshfield trained in New Haven, Connecticut and later studied at the Eastman School of Music, Boston University, and the University of Colorado, studying with Robert Spillman, James Avery, Anthony di Bonaventura and Alvin Chow. He is Professor of Music at Western Connecticut State University. Hirshfield has presented master classes and conference lectures throughout the United States and abroad. He was a member of the Artist Faculty for the 2022 Bermuda Piano Festival and also presented at the 2019 International Piano Festival in Bačka Palanka, Serbia, the 2015 Piano Master Class Series at New York University, and the 2013 Oxford Piano Festival.

Docent-Led Exhibition Tour
2025-06-07 13:00 - 14:30, 2025-06-14 13:00 - 14:30, 2025-06-21 13:00 - 14:30, 2025-06-28 13:00 - 14:30, 2025-07-05 13:00 - 14:30, 2025-07-12 13:00 - 14:30, 2025-07-19 13:00 - 14:30, 2025-07-26 13:00 - 14:30 and 9 more dates
Learn more about the current exhibition from an expert docent. No advance registration required; all tours included in Museum admission. Remember, gallery admission is FREE for MoCA Members.

Opening Reception of Tod Papageorge: At the Beach + In the Pool: On Influence
2025-06-26 18:00 - 20:00
Thursday, June 26
6 – 8 PM
RSVP Here.
MoCA CT will be presenting a major photography exhibition, Tod Papageorge: At the Beach, alongside works by Papageorge’s former graduate students, In the Pool. The companion exhibitions were organized by the photographer Lisa Kereszi, and showcase the work of Tod Papageorge (b. 1940), a Connecticut – based, internationally – acclaimed artist and teacher whose contributions to American street photography in the 1960s helped shape the genre. His work is held in more than thirty prominent public collections, including the Museums of Modern Art in New York and San Francisco.
At the Beach, making its East Coast debut at MoCA CT, will feature work in the form of large – scale black and white photographs that Papageorge produced with medium – format cameras during several trips to the beaches of Los Angeles in the 1970s and 1980s. As he has written about this project: “I think that part of what these pictures are about is the difference between our preconceptions of a place and what, when we get there, that place turns out to be. To describe a subject and, at the same time, reinvent it, is a double intention on the part of the photographer that we should be used to by now when we look at photographs. With these pictures, I worked with the belief that the closer I came to describing the literal nature of the place and people I was photographing, the more surprising the pictures might be, all while transforming the casual, unselfconscious physicality of these beachgoers into resonant form and meaning.”
The title of the adjacent exhibition, In the Pool, refers to the nickname for the classroom Papageorge taught in for the last third of his teaching career, a renovated swimming pool within the School of Art building. As a professor and the Director of Graduate Studies in Photography at the Yale School of Art from 1979 – 2013, Papageorge mentored many future influential photographers and art educators, with 41 of his students going on to receive Guggenheim Fellowships, a significant marker of achievement in the art and photography world. This part of the exhibition commemorates that fact by exhibiting a single print from each of those Guggenheim Fellows, as well as presenting work through a looping slide show of virtually all 295 of Papageorge’s former MFA students. It’s also worth noting that the work composing In the Pool was made while the photographers were students in the Yale program, years before being selected (by each one of them) for a portfolio created in honor of Papageorge’s retirement as director of the program. These nearly 300 pictures, then, serve to offer some insight into the nature of influence and mentorship in the arts, and to suggest the power of the ongoing moment that is the still – developing history of photography.

Session 201: Stewardship: Building + Managing Your Collection (Art of Collecting Series)
2025-07-10 17:30 - 19:00
Register Here.

MoCACT’s second of six sessions ‘On the Art of Collecting’ will focus on the stewardship of an art collection. Our expert panelists will address how to properly document your collection through cataloguing and archiving strategies. We will discuss preservation methods, how and why an artwork gets appraised, as well as how and when to insure your art. This ongoing series is generously sponsored by Wealthspire Advisors.

Panelists:

Fritz Horstman is a curator, educator, author, and artist based in Bethany, Connecticut where he is Education Director at the Josef and Anni Albers Foundation. Previously he managed the Albers Foundation’s collections and facilities.

Shawna Barrett is a Fairfield County based fine art advisor and nationally certified appraisor (USPAP). She consults with private clients, assisting with fine art selection for first-time buyers and experienced collectors. She has experience across all media, with particular focus on painting, works on paper, and photography.

Pamela Hovland is the Acting Executive Director at MoCACT. She is part of the museum team organizing the series on collecting.

Michelle Impey is a AVP and Fine Art and Collections Manager at Chubb, has over 20 years of art and insurance industry experience. As Fine Art & Collections Manager at Chubb, she leads the team of risk consulting specialists, delivering a suite of consultative collection management services across the country. Michelle advises top private collectors on the protection of their fine art, jewelry, wine, and other valuables.

Performing Arts at MoCA: Miró Quartet (Classical)
2025-07-12 19:00 - 21:00
Program:
Franz Joseph Haydn: Quartet in D major, Op. 71, No. 2
Ginastera: String Quartet No. 2, Op. 26
Ravel: String Quartet in F major
The Miró Quartet is one of America’s most celebrated string quartets, praised as “furiously committed” by The New Yorker and recognized for its “exceptional tonal focus and interpretive intensity” by the Cleveland Plain Dealer. Marking 30 years together in 2025, the GRAMMY®-nominated ensemble has performed throughout the world on the most prestigious concert stages, earning accolades from critics and audiences alike. Based in Austin, TX and thriving in the area’s storied music scene, the Miró Quartet takes pride in finding new ways to communicate with audiences of all backgrounds while cultivating the longstanding tradition of chamber music.
MoCA Members receive 10% discount
General Admission: $50
Senior/Student: $40
Purchase Tickets
We sincerely thank David Thompson for his generous sponsorship of the Miró Quartet, whose support helps bring world-class chamber music to our community.

Sustainable Westport Presents: Plastic People Film Screening
2025-07-17 18:00 - 20:00
Did you know that every molecule of plastic ever created still exists somewhere on Earth? Plastic never goes away; it just degrades from big to small to microscopic particles… forever. These microplastic particles drift in the air, float in all bodies of water, and mix into the soil, becoming a permanent part of the environment. Microplastics are found in our human bodies, leading us to wonder about the impact of these invisible invaders on our health and if anything can be done.
Please join Sustainable Westport at MoCACT on Thursday, July 17 at 6pm for a special screening of the film Plastic People: The Hidden Crisis of Microplastics. This groundbreaking documentary investigates our addiction to plastic and the growing threat of microplastics on human health and the environment. This film is part of Sustainable Westport’s ongoing efforts to reduce plastic use in our community during Plastic Free July (and all year round!).

While the film is recommended for ages 13+, families are welcome to attend with children ages 4-12 who can participate in a drop-in art studio class during the screening. For tickets and more information, click here.

Session 301: Discovering NYC’s Art Scene (Art of Collecting Series)
2025-07-30 10:30 - 17:00
Gallery Tours: Visiting two Chelsea galleries that include emerging talent to blue-chip artists
Insights from gallery owners/curators: How galleries operate, what collectors look for, and current trends in the art market – 10:30: Paul Efstathiou, Hollis Taggart + MoCA CT Board Member + 11:45: Yancey Richardson, YRG founder + Lisa Kereszi, artist; Lunch in Chelsea to follow (details due from Wealthspire)

Limited to 12 participants.

Register here.

Film Screening of Brief Encounters and a Q+A with Angela Strassheim
2025-07-31 19:00 - 21:00
Register.
Join MoCA CT for a screening of Ben Shapiro’s 2012 documentary, Brief Encounters, followed by a Q+A with photographer Angela Strassheim on Thursday July 31 at 7pm. Brief Encounters documents internationally acclaimed photographer Gregory Crewdson’s pursuit of his signature, surreal, and meticulously staged portraits of suburban life. Crewdson orchestrates dramatic, large – scale productions, setting houses ablaze, constructing 90 – foot sets with crews of sixty, and temporarily closing city streets, to manifest his haunting vision of American existence, reflecting his own anxieties, dreams, and inner desires. Brief Encounters offers an intimate study of one of our era’s most celebrated image – makers.
This documentary is 1 hour 18 minutes long.
About Angela Strassheim
Angela Strassheim was born in Bloomfield, IA in 1969. She currently lives in Easton, CT. She is an internationally recognized art photographer with an extensive multi – national exhibition record. She holds an MFA from Yale University, a BFA from Minneapolis College of Art & Design, as well as a Forensic Photography Certification from Metro – Dade in Miami Florida. Angela’s work has been exhibited in many galleries and museums including The Guggenheim Museum, The Whitney Museum, The National Museum of Women in the Arts, The Art Institute of Chicago, Yale University Art Gallery, The Walker Art Center, The Israel Museum in Jerusalem, Musee de l’Elysee in Lausanne in Switzerland, Museum of Modern Art (MACVAL) in Paris, and the Wellcome Trust Collection in London.
She was featured in the Whitney Biennial in 2006. Her work appears in many books including ReGeneration, 50 Photographers of Tomorrow (Thames & Hudson), and Role Models (Scala). She recently produced the cover image and story for Time Magazine’s first issue covering the Corona Virus Pandemic. Other publications include New York Times Magazine, Harper’s Bazaar, Exit, Wired, Art Pulse, and Mossless. She has received awards including Women in Photography LTI Lightside Grant, Bush Fellowship, McKnight Fellowship, Jerome Fellowship. Her work is included in many public and private collections including those of the Art Institute of Chicago, The Whitney Museum of Art, Yale University Art Museum, The Israel Museum, General Mills, Sir Elton John, Anthony Podesta, Andrew Hecht and Peter Norton. Currently, Angela is working on a series of portraits through a two – way mirror titled The Visitors.
She is inviting people to come sit for a moment of vulnerability and to share a deep part of themselves while listening to a short playlist that each sitter has created for themself. This past year she has exhibited in four major group shows; Suburbia: Building The American Dream at the Centre de Cultura Contemporània in Barcelona & Vienna, Le fait divers: A hypothesis in 26 letters at Museum of Modern Art (MACVAL) in Paris, and Lucid Dreams which celebrates the 100th anniversary of André Breton’s Manifesto of Surrealism (1924) at The Israel Museum, Jerusalem.

Community Conversation: Art Nager, photographer Adult Photo / Storytelling
2025-08-21 18:00 - 19:00
Register.
Throughout a 50 – year career as an artist and photo educator, Arthur Nager has focused on documenting the social landscape, the people, structures and places that reflect the character of where and how we live. His goal has been to capture the details of our evolving culture to convey what is timeless and constant in our lives.
This presentation includes a survey of his black and white photographs from the 70’s made during trips across the country that capture aspects of the unique cultural landscape and the evolving photographic approach to the medium of the time.
Arthur Nager’s work incorporates chance, circumstance, and premonition with the element of irony. Relying on intuition, he enables the viewer to experience a moment in time – to look past the initial painterly impact of color, scale, and form, to extract meaning that is sometimes implied or disguised.
Nager’s work is part of educational and museum collections including The International Museum of Photography at The George Eastman House; The South Street Seaport Museum; Museum of Art, Santa Cruz and the Kennebunk Museum in Maine.
His recent exhibit in 2025 at the Mattatuck Museum featured work documenting the towns of the Naugatuck Valley from 1988 – 2024.
About Arthur Nager:
Arthur Nager earned his MFA in photography from Visual Studies Workshop and a BA in History and Psychology from the University of Rochester. Early in his career, he worked at the George Eastman House and studied under Nathan Lyons and Syl Labrot. He taught at the Center of the Eye and Anderson Ranch Arts Center before becoming Director of the Photography Program at the University of Bridgeport, where he expanded the curriculum and organized a photography lecture series featuring renowned artists such as Arnold Newman and Mary Ellen Mark.
Nager has exhibited widely, including at the Mattatuck Museum, Trinity College, the Ilon Gallery, and the FaheyBodell Umbrella Arts Gallery. His work, which captures the evolving social landscape and architectural transformations, is in the collections of institutions such as the George Eastman House and the South Street Seaport Museum. A recipient of numerous grants, including a National Endowment for the Humanities Grant, he continues to create, exhibit, and teach in Connecticut and NYC.
To learn more about Arthur Nager: https:www.arthurnager.com

Community Conversation: Larry Silver—Seven Decades of Photography
2025-09-06 17:00 - 19:00
Saturday September 6, 2025
5–7pm
Discover seven decades of American life through the lens of acclaimed photographer Larry Silver. From his early days capturing the streets and subways of New York City to his iconic images of Muscle Beach in Santa Monica, Silver’s work is a powerful chronicle of the nation’s evolving social landscapes. His photographs reveal moments of joy, tension, and quiet introspection, with a lyrical balance that has become his signature.
Silver is best known for his 1954 series “Muscle Beach,” capturing the energy and spectacle of California’s famous beach—bodybuilders flexing, gymnasts soaring, and beachgoers basking under the sun. But his work spans far beyond, including thousands of images that document Connecticut’s landscapes, where he has lived since 1973. His Connecticut photographs reflect a deep sense of place, using natural framing, weather, and light to capture the region’s character.
Born in the Bronx in 1934, Silver discovered his passion for photography at the High School of Industrial Art, where he connected with members of the Photo League—a group of photographers who used their art to highlight social and political issues. After winning the Scholastic-Ansco Photography Awards, he earned a full scholarship to the Art Center School in Los Angeles. His journey led him from New York to California, and eventually to Connecticut, where he has continued to document everyday life.
In 2003, Silver transitioned from traditional documentary photography to experimental darkroom techniques and paper manipulation. This transition led to series like From the Medium to the Message and New Vision, where Silver explored abstract expression and Bauhaus-inspired forms. These works showcased his ability to continuously evolve his practice while maintaining a distinct visual style.
Silver’s photographs are held in over 25 major museum collections, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Whitney Museum of American Art, and the Smithsonian American Art Museum. His work has been published in numerous books and catalogs, including Made in California and Suburban Visions, ensuring his legacy as one of America’s most influential photographers.
Join us at MoCA CT to discover the stories behind the images and see how his vision continues to resonate across generations.
Learn more at: https://www.larrysilver.com/.

Exhibition Programming - Art talk with the Tod Papageorge + Lisa Kereszi
2025-09-18 18:00 - 19:00
Hear from the exhibiting artist of At the Beach, Tod Papageorge, in conversation with one of his former students — the organizer of this exhibition, photographer and educator, Lisa Kereszi. The two will discuss his process in making pictures, developing the concept for this exhibition, and reflect on directing the prestigious Yale MFA in Photography program for almost 35 years.

Register.

Endless Summer Event
2025-09-20 18:00 - 21:00
You are invited!

Soak up the glow of summer one last time —

Join us in the beautiful MoCACT galleries for compelling art, live music,
complimentary food + beverages, inspired conversation + the joy of giving — all in support of our mission to inspire through exhibitions, performances, education + community engagement.

Saturday, September 20
6-9PM

$100 Non-Members (ticket includes a one year individual membership)
$80 Members (member gift upon arrival)

Click here to purchase tickets.

Leftovers to Lush - Creative Volunteer Workshop at MoCACT
2025-09-25 18:00 - 20:00
Thursday, September 25, 2025 6-8PM
Calling All Volunteers!
This dynamic, hands-on workshop welcomes volunteers to the MoCA Art Studio to create oversized handmade flowers (ranging from 5–22 inches) using leftover art supplies, fabric scraps, trims and recycled papers. These breathtaking blooms will then be used to decorate the runway stage for the annual Rise & Bloom Fashion Show Fundraiser. In conjunction with Family Reentry CRJ in Bridgeport, CT, this annual runway event benefits formerly incarcerated women and justice-impacted youth working hard to reenter society with dignity and purpose.
Curated and directed by fashion artist, Vernice Holmes, the Leftovers Collection celebrates second chances and sustainability—taking what the world discards and transforming it into beauty and purpose.
Together, let’s make a difference!
Please sign up to volunteer for this makers event by contacting sue@mocact.org.

Collecting 401: Navigating the Art Market
2025-09-29 17:30 - 19:00
MoCACT’s series ‘On the Art of Collecting’ continues with ‘Collecting 401: Navigating the Art Market.’

Our panel of experts will discuss how to utilize auction houses when searching for and purchasing art. What should we know before bidding, and what are some useful strategies for the bidding process? What is the role of an art advisor? What does an art buyer do, and when should you hire one? Are there ways to negotiate with gallerists? Join us for an information packed session. This series is generously sponsored by Wealthspire Advisors.

September 29, 2025
5:30pm cocktails
6-7pm program

Register Here.
