MoCA CT

Exhibition Hours
2024-08-23 12:00 - 16:00, 2024-08-22 12:00 - 16:00, 2024-08-18 12:00 - 16:00, 2024-08-17 12:00 - 16:00, 2024-08-16 12:00 - 16:00, 2024-08-15 12:00 - 16:00, 2024-08-11 12:00 - 16:00, 2024-08-10 12:00 - 16:00 (America/New_York) and 9 more dates | MoCACT, 19 Newtown Turnpike, Westport, 06880, United States
Visit the exhibition, ColleCTomania between 12-4 PM.
Register Here.
About ColleCTomania:
This exhilarating exhibition displaying over 140 Swiss posters from the renowned collector Tom Strong. Strong is a New Haven, Connecticut-based graphic designer, photographer and collector who has spent sixty years amassing, displaying, sharing, and living amongst his archive. The exhibition, curated by Pamela Hovland and Karen Salsgiver, includes a widely diverse range of posters from the 1930s to the present.

Switzerland’s design culture has had a significant influence on the discipline of graphic design. Swiss posters in particular, especially those designed during the 1950s and 60s, have attained iconic status and are part of design education in schools across the globe. Created at uniform scale to be displayed in the streets of Zurich, Lucerne and Basel, these posters are now highly collectible, preserved in the archives of major museums and reproduced in art and design books.
Yale University’s graphic design program, the first in this country, was critical in disseminating the work and ideas of Swiss designers. Several influential practitioners were invited to New Haven to teach courses and workshops to students, including Tom Strong, eager to experiment with typography, form and craft. When Yale’s design graduates scattered around Connecticut and the country as both practicing and teaching designers, the visual language and ideology of the ‘Swiss International Style’ spread far and wide.

The poster as a large, public, graphic form has held its prominent place throughout the history of design. Tom Strong’s vast collection of Swiss posters, accumulated over six decades, spans the mid-century to today. His archive includes diverse and boundary-breaking visual strategies employed through inventive uses of type and typography, image-making, layering and collage. The posters illustrate myriad expressions in style, subject matter and ever-evolving technologies. Strong’s posters showcase both the outsized influence of Swiss design as well as the contemporary experimentation that builds on that legacy. Seeing the posters fill the gallery walls is pure visual delight.
ColleCTomania invites the viewer to interact with the posters in a way that correlates to the way we interact with social content; The fast pace consumption of images and text and managing to remember the most impactful or relating subjects. The idea of swiping as we see content is no different from how we view art in any institution. We tend to stand for the works that render us speechless and with ColleCTomania, the wide number of posters that are being displayed serves as a compelling contrast to this belief.
“Why do I continue to collect Swiss posters? I guess you like Beethoven and then Stravinsky comes along with different principles, blows your head off. And then you go further, and you find more composers who you never knew anything about. The body and the brain and the ear are accustomed to surprise and difference and beauty. Other than that, I can’t defend it or describe it. These posters have power. You can’t deny it.”- Tom Strong

Sunset Plein Air Painting Class (BYOB Optional) with Agata Tria
2024-08-22 17:45 - 19:15, 2024-08-01 17:45 - 19:15 | MoCACT, 19 Newtown Turnpike, Westport, 06880, United States
Register here.

Enjoy the summer evening at our plein air painting class. Stationed on the front lawn, set up your easel and paint from life or follow along with Agata Tria to complete a guided painting.

Artisan Marketplace Summer Series
2024-08-18 12:00 - 16:00, 2024-08-04 12:00 - 16:00, 2024-07-28 12:00 - 16:00 | MoCA Westport, 19 Newtown Turnpike, Westport, CT, 06880, United States
Announcing our Artisan Marketplace Summer Series, outdoor events that celebrate local artisans and their creations.
Outdoor Artisan Marketplaces will take place on select Sundays throughout the summer from 12p-4p:

June 16
June 30
July 14
July 28
August 4
August 18
September 8

This year’s Artisan Marketplace will be held outdoors, providing a beautiful and spacious setting for visitors to explore a wide variety of unique, handcrafted items. From jewelry and pottery to textiles and artwork, there will be something for everyone to enjoy and appreciate. The galleries inside will also be open to enjoy our latest exhibition.
The Artisan Marketplace Summer Series is a perfect opportunity for families and friends to spend a leisurely afternoon supporting and discovering the talent and creativity of local artisans. We continue to accept vendor applications – click here to apply!

Family Day featuring Oran Etkin: Timbalooloo
2024-08-18 12:00 - 14:00 | MoCACT, 19 Newtown Turnpike, Westport, 06880, United States
Family Day, August 18 from 12-2 PM
Register Now.
Event Highlights:

African Drumming Demo with multi-instrumentalist Kwame’ Henry Jones
Enjoy a musical journey led by award-winning Oran Etkin: Timbalooloo
Art Tents: Meet our dedicated teachers and explore various art mediums, allowing families to engage creatively.
Ice Cream Treats served by the South Norwalk Ice Cream truck
Explore our current exhibition and teaching garden
The Artisan Marketplace is open from 12-4 PM, handcrafted items made by local artisans are available for purchase

Join us for Family Day on August 18th from 12-2 PM at MoCA CT. Timbalooloo will provide an engaging jazz-centered musical performance at 1 PM. The South Norwalk Ice Cream truck will be on hand serving treats for everyone to enjoy. This event allows visitors to explore our galleries, classrooms, grounds and garden, as well as learn about new initiatives. From 12-1 PM, African Drumming Demo with multi-instrumentalist Kwame’ Henry Jones. Dive into the world of West African rhythms using authentic instruments, including Djembe, Doundoun, and Shakere’. Mr. Jones, a beloved artist in Fairfield County, will teach us how music shares thoughts, ideas, and stories. Music activities are suitable for toddlers to age 12.
Timbalooloo’s mission is to inspire and empower a new generation to become proficient in the language of music. Celebrating varied musical traditions and encouraging creativity, Timbalooloo celebrates diverse musical traditions and encourages the creation of new music. Oran Etkin, Timbalooloo’s creator, is widely recognized as one of the top clarinetists and composers of his generation. He was recently voted the #1 rising star clarinetist in Downbeat Magazine’s Critics Poll and regularly performs at major jazz festivals worldwide. Etkin has also contributed to numerous albums, including a Grammy Award-winning compilation.
Our outdoor Artisan Marketplace will also be running from 12-4 PM and offer a wide variety of unique, handcrafted items. From jewelry and pottery to textiles and artwork, there will be something for everyone to enjoy and appreciate. The galleries inside will also be open to enjoy our latest exhibition, ColleCTomania. It’s an exhilarating exhibition displaying over 100 Swiss posters from the renowned Tom Strong, among others. You won’t want to miss it.
Free for MoCA members, $20 admission for non-members and $5 for children under 5 years old.

About Oran Etkin: Timbalooloo:
Timbalooloo seeks to uplift communities by exposing children and families to the richness of global culture in New York and beyond. They seek to empower a new generation to become fluent in the language of music through a unique approach inspired by the way children learn languages fluently. Instruments come to life and speak through their music and children create music by making their instrument talk. We center our practice around respect for the child and their self-expression, celebration of diverse traditions and an inspiration to create new music.
Through our highly trained Timbalooloo teaching artists, we offer classes through various partner schools and community organizations. While Timbalooloo is centered in New York, we have been getting increasing international attention and now tour the Timbalooloo live concerts at major venues worldwide (from Kennedy Center to Istanbul Jazz Fest, North Sea Jazz to Shanghai Theater). We have also begun licensing the method and providing teacher training to partners worldwide so they can spread the joy of Timbalooloo to their communities. Yet the core of our work continues to be in New York City, deepening bonds in our community through music and a celebration of culture.

ColleCTomania: Exhibition Tour with Jerry Kuyper, designer
2024-08-15 14:30 - 15:30 | MoCA Westport, 19 Newtown Turnpike, Westport, CT, 06880, United States
Jerry Kuyper is a Westport-based designer whose four years of graduate work at the Schule für Gestaltung (School of Design) in Basel, Switzerland, has informed more than thirty years of international corporate and brand identity program design, poster collecting, and teaching.
Register Now
Jerry Kuyper studied design in Basel, Switzerland for four years in the mid 70s. Two of his teachers, Armin Hofmann and Wolfgang Weingart, have several posters in this show.

Jerry has more than forty years of experience designing and directing brand identity programs. His passion is bringing business and brand strategy to life through creativity and design. He also designed a poster.

Before establishing his firm, Jerry Kuyper Partners, in Westport in 2004, Jerry had 20 years of experience in senior creative positions with leading identity consultants including Lippincott, Siegel & Gale, frogdesign, Landor, Saul Bass and Richard Saul Wurman. His clients have included Banco Santander, Cunard, Disney, 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, Penn Medicine, and the World Wildlife Fund. He has designed visual identities for companies including Aqua America, AT&T, Bates Worldwide, Cisco, Cushman & Wakefield, Invisalign, Penn State, Sprint, Stanford Centennial, Times Mirror, and Touchstone Films.

In Connecticut, Jerry has worked on large visual identity programs for Ability Beyond, Cartus, Cigna, GE, and United Technologies. In Westport he has created visual identities for Westport Cinema Initiative, the Remarkable Theater, and LIT & WIT (a comedy fundraiser for the Westport Writers’ Workshop).

He has presented to numerous conferences including: the 1993 AIGA National Conference, Design Management Institute, The Conference Board and Walker Art Center. In recent years, he has presented to the Design Institute of Australia, the HiBrand Identity Conference in Moscow and Advance Branding Conference in Minsk, Belarus. Jerry has also presented to over 35 universities and designs schools including American University in Dubai, Art Center, Basel School of Design, National Institute of Design in India, UArts and the University of Cincinnati.

Jerry has a B.S. in Graphic Design from the University of Cincinnati. He completed four years of graduate work at the Basel School of Design in Switzerland. He taught design at the University of Hawaii, Otis Parsons and UCLA Extension. In 1980 he was awarded a Fulbright-Hays grant to teach at the National Institute of Design in Ahmedabad, India.

In 1998, Jerry was selected the Outstanding Alumnus by the College of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning at the University of Cincinnati.

Ceramic Multi-Bowls Workshop with Leah Corbett
2024-08-09 18:00 - 20:00, 2024-08-02 18:00 - 20:00 | MoCACT, 19 Newtown Turnpike, Westport, 06880, United States
Register here.

Make your own multi-bowl centerpiece with Fairfield-based ceramicist Leah Corbett. “Multi-bowls” are one of Leah’s most popular forms, and can be used for numerous things like snack boards, jewelry catchers, air plant displays, or general organizers for keys & miscellaneous items. In this two-hour workshop, Leah will guide you through easy steps to pinch & smooth multiple bowl forms out of clay, attach them, and manipulate their shapes to fit your own creative style. We provide the clay, tools & glaze options. You get your hands a little dirty, choose your glaze, and pick up your finished creation a few weeks later. This is a great intro to hand-building class to get some basic knowledge that will take you far in the world of pottery.

Faces in Clay Workshop with Bianca Barroca
2024-08-09 16:00 - 18:00, 2024-08-02 16:00 - 18:00 | MoCA Westport, 19 Newtown Turnpike, Westport, CT, 06880, United States
Register here.

Learn the basics of sculpting a face with Brazilian ceramicist & sculptor, Bianca Barroca. In this two hour workshop, Bianca will guide you with easy steps to creating your own face mask out of clay, with ample opportunity to add your own personal flair & expression. We provide the clay, tools & glaze options, you make your mask, choose your glaze, and pick up your finished creation one week later. This is the ultimate intro class for people that have always wanted to sculpt human form, but didn’t know where to start.

Charles Ives Music Festival: INFINITE
2024-08-06 19:00 - 21:00 | MoCA Westport, 19 Newtown Turnpike, Westport, CT, 06880, United States
TICKETS

Soloist to large ensembles will perform Inconvenient Wounds by Reene Esmail, And Birds Are Still by Takashi Yoshimatsu, Nifrasch by Jon Cziner, Mother Goose Suite by Maurice Ravel, and The Unanswered Question by Charles Ives, with addendum by Paul Frucht.

The Charles Ives Music Festival (CIMF) artists hold positions in major American Orchestras, lead chamber ensembles, and perform on Broadway. CIMF concerts honor the legacy of Charles Ives through performances of his works, music of other American composers and musicians, and music that transcends the traditional boundaries of classical music to incorporate other styles of music.

MoCA Some Noise - Open Mic Night
2024-07-26 18:30 - 20:30 | MoCA Westport, 19 Newtown Turnpike, Westport, CT, 06880, United States
Join us for an Open Mic night at MoCA CT featuring acoustic music, poetry, and slam poetry on Friday, July 26 from 6:30-8:30 PM! Everyone is invited to participate and attend.
Get your tickets to participate or attend here.
Open Mic night is FREE for Members to watch; MoCA Member Participation is FREE; General Admission $10; Participation Fee $5
*NEW* To give everyone their time to shine, we ask that all participants keep their set to 5 minutes max.
Contact Kristen at kristen@mocawestport.org with questions.
