MoCA CT

Poetry in Nature Class
2024-09-17 09:00 - 10:00 (America/New_York) | MoCACT, 19 Newtown Turnpike, Westport, 06880, United States
Poetry in Nature: Where Words & Wild Things Meet!
Register here.
Ages 10-14
In this hands-on poetry workshop, we’ll explore MoCA’s stunning grounds, using nature’s wonders as our inspiration. We’ll write poems among the trees, discover hidden rhythms in flower petals, and let the birdsong spark our creativity. No poetry experience needed – just a willingness to be outside and have a whole lot of fun with words!
About the Instructor:
Valerie Delp of Two Roads Learning:
As a dedicated educator with over 25 years of experience, I’ve had the privilege of nurturing the minds of diverse learners and crafting engaging learning journeys. Currently pursuing a Masters in Science in Learning Experience Design and Educational Technology, I’m constantly seeking innovative ways to shape the future of education and to touch the lives of my students.
My current role involves creating vibrant and tailored curricula for homeschooling students. I am incredibly invested in finding opportunities for my students, especially those who are neurodivergent learners. My classroom is a place where I am committed to providing a supportive and inclusive environment where every individual’s unique strengths are celebrated. My classroom is not just a place of learning; it’s a space where laughter, exploration, and growth intersect.
I firmly believe that learning extends beyond textbooks and exams. It’s about nurturing a lifelong thirst for knowledge, and I instill this philosophy in my students. With my students, I champion the process of trying new things, making mistakes, and confronting challenges. Through these experiences, we cultivate resilience and develop a genuine love for learning.
https://www.facebook.com/TwoRoadsLearning/?_rdr
https://www.lovetoknow.com/about/team/valorie-delp

Docent-Led Exhibition Tour
2024-09-14 13:00 - 14:30, 2024-09-07 13:00 - 14:30, 2024-08-31 13:00 - 14:30 | MoCACT, 19 Newtown Turnpike, Westport, 06880, United States
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.

Canvas and Color: Acrylic and Watercolor Adventures
2024-09-14 11:30 - 12:30 | MoCACT, 19 Newtown Turnpike, Westport, 06880, United States
Register Here.
In this engaging class, young artists will explore the world of acrylics and beginner watercolor painting. Drawing inspiration from MoCA CT’s grounds, garden, and gallery exhibitions, students will learn the technical approaches to these mediums while discovering their own creative voice.
Unlock your child’s creativity in our weekend painting class, led by an award-winning artist with a Master’s degree in the arts. Through specific exercises, students will enhance their painting skills, focusing on color mixing, composition, and technique. This class is perfect for young learners eager to develop their artistic abilities in a supportive and inspiring environment.

Imagination in Motion: A Creative Drawing Adventure
2024-09-14 10:00 - 11:00 | MoCACT, 19 Newtown Turnpike, Westport, 06880, United States
Register Now.
Unlock your child’s creativity in our weekend drawing class, taught by an award-winning artist with a Master’s degree in the arts. This class is designed to give young learners a broad sampling of various art mediums, allowing them to grow and experiment in their unique artistic journey. Using MoCA CT’s grounds, garden, and gallery exhibitions as inspiration, students will explore various artistic mediums while developing their technical skills and discovering their own creative voice.
Students will explore the world of pen and ink, pencils, markers, illustration, and more. Through hands-on instruction, they’ll learn essential skills such as color theory, drawing techniques, value, shading, and scale. This class is perfect for budding artists eager to develop their skills and express their creativity.

EmpowerHer: Building Confidence Through Art
2024-09-13 14:00 - 15:00 | MoCACT, 19 Newtown Turnpike, Westport, 06880, United States
Register here.
Ages 8-11
It can be hard to find confidence as a young girl in today’s complicated world. This group will focus on boosting self esteem, self love, and confidence through art, mindfulness, and friendship. Over the span of 6 weekly sessions, the girls will complete projects to help them to find their inner light, while fostering the bond of friendship through a shared experience with one another. There will be several take home items to serve as long term reinforcement for the concepts taught.
Fostering self-esteem and confidence through mindfulness, friendship and art. Led by Kimberly Shapiro, MS, NCC, School Counselor/SEL Coach
** No class on 10/11 for Yom Kippur
About the Instructor:
Valerie Delp of Two Roads Learning:
As a dedicated educator with over 25 years of experience, I’ve had the privilege of nurturing the minds of diverse learners and crafting engaging learning journeys. Currently pursuing a Masters in Science in Learning Experience Design and Educational Technology, I’m constantly seeking innovative ways to shape the future of education and to touch the lives of my students.
My current role involves creating vibrant and tailored curricula for homeschooling students. I am incredibly invested in finding opportunities for my students, especially those who are neurodivergent learners. My classroom is a place where I am committed to providing a supportive and inclusive environment where every individual’s unique strengths are celebrated. My classroom is not just a place of learning; it’s a space where laughter, exploration, and growth intersect.
I firmly believe that learning extends beyond textbooks and exams. It’s about nurturing a lifelong thirst for knowledge, and I instill this philosophy in my students. With my students, I champion the process of trying new things, making mistakes, and confronting challenges. Through these experiences, we cultivate resilience and develop a genuine love for learning.
https://www.facebook.com/TwoRoadsLearning/?_rdr
https://www.lovetoknow.com/about/team/valorie-delp

Masterpiece Makers: Crafting Confidence for Boys
2024-09-13 13:00 - 14:00 | MoCACT, 19 Newtown Turnpike, Westport, 06880, United States
Register here.
For ages 8-11.
It can be hard to find confidence as a young boy in today’s complicated world. This group will focus on boosting self esteem and coping skills through art, mindfulness, and friendship. Over the span of 6 weekly sessions, the boys will complete projects to help them build confidence and emotional awareness, while fostering the bond of friendship through a shared experience with one another. There will be several take home items to serve as long term reinforcement for the concepts taught.
Fostering self-esteem and confidence through mindfulness, friendship, and art.
Led by Kimberly Shapiro, MS, NCC, School Counselor/SEL Coach.
**No class on 10/11 for Yom Kippur
About the Instructor:
Kimberly Laiso Shapiro is a compassionate and experienced counselor and coach, specializing in helping children with reserved or mild-moderately anxious temperaments. With a Master of Science degree and certification as a National Certified Counselor, Kimberly offers a unique, empathetic approach that empowers clients to focus on the present and build a future they can be proud of.
With 10 years of school counseling experience under my belt, I have learned a lot about the troubles that children are currently facing. While difficult behaviors, self-harm, and very strong emotions are beyond my current scope, I am happy to work with children struggling with self-esteem, mild anxiety, and low confidence.
https://www.newtownbee.com/02072020/snapshot-kimberly-shapiro/
https://www.kindmindscoach.com/

Exhibition Hours
2024-09-13 12:00 - 16:00, 2024-09-12 12:00 - 16:00, 2024-09-08 12:00 - 16:00, 2024-09-07 12:00 - 16:00, 2024-09-06 12:00 - 16:00, 2024-09-05 12:00 - 16:00, 2024-09-01 12:00 - 16:00, 2024-08-31 12:00 - 16:00 and 5 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

ColleCTomania: Christopher Pullman, collector and designer
2024-09-08 16:30 - 17:30 | MoCACT, 19 Newtown Turnpike, Westport, 06880, United States
Register Now
Christopher Pullman is a Cambridge-based designer and artist who has received highest honors from the American Institute of Graphic Arts. For 35 years, Chris shaped design and branding at Boston public broadcasting network, WGBH. A widely-published design leader and lecturer, Chris earned his MFA from Yale, where he served for decades as a Senior Critic in Design.
This exhibition was curated and designed by Pamela Hovland and Karen Salsgiver. Pamela is a Wilton-based designer, writer, visual activist and Senior Critic at Yale, where she earned her MFA. Karen is a Westport-based designer, writer, and strategist who earned her MFA at Yale. She is a visiting critic in the Yale School of Art’s graphic design program.
Free for MoCA Members; $10 General Admission

Artisan Marketplace Summer Series
2024-09-08 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!

Kaleidoscope Exhibition
2024-09-01 12:00 - 16:00, 2024-08-31 12:00 - 16:00, 2024-08-30 12:00 - 16:00, 2024-08-29 12:00 - 16:00, 2024-08-25 12:00 - 16:00 | MoCA Westport, 19 Newtown Turnpike, Westport, CT, 06880, United States
The Kaleidoscope exhibition opening reception is on Sunday, August 25 from 12:30-2 PM featuring works from both our Camp MoCA campers and MoCA Gives Back Healing Arts participants. Register now; suggested donation $10/adult. The exhibition runs from August 25 to September 1.
Camp MoCA Exhibition Details
We invite you to join us in celebrating the creativity, growth, and passion of our campers at the end-of-summer exhibition that will showcase the incredible artistic achievements and life skills our young artists have developed during their time at Camp MoCA Westport.
This summer, our young artists at Camp MoCA Westport embarked on an unforgettable adventure of self-discovery, family connection, and community engagement. Through the exploration of diverse art styles and renowned artists, they delved into themes of self-expression, family, and community, while honing their artistic skills and fostering character-building traits such as trustworthiness, responsibility, respect, fairness, and citizenship.
Our campers discovered the transformative power of the ‘ish’ mindset, which encourages creativity and self-expression without the constraints of perfection. Embracing this approach, they learned to appreciate the beauty of imperfection and focus on the process of creating, experimenting, and learning.
In the realm of family, campers engaged with various family-themed lessons inspired by celebrated artists, creating artworks that celebrated love, family diversity, and personal history. These activities allowed them to develop valuable character-building skills, such as responsibility, fairness, and respect, in the context of family life.
Lastly, our young artists immersed themselves in the concept of community by participating in lessons inspired by renowned artists. They created collaborative artworks that highlighted the importance of community connections, teamwork, and active citizenship. They reflected on their camp experiences and developed personal action plans to be responsible community members.
MoCA Gives Back Healing Arts Exhibition Details
Explore a showcase of artwork created by participants who have found inspiration, joy, and a deeper connection to the world around them through the healing power of art. The MoCA Gives Back initiative embodies the core belief of MoCA CT: arts for all. We are dedicated to recognizing and meeting the diverse needs of our community through partnerships, high-quality programming, and outreach to under-resourced populations.
The MoCA Gives Back Healing Arts Exhibition is a celebration of our commitment to providing meaningful programs and a broad range of opportunities for all members of our local community. This initiative is an extension of our mission to build a deeper understanding and passion for the arts by presenting thought-provoking and relevant arts experiences. MoCA Gives Back is our promise to make MoCA CT’s exhibition, performing, and educational arts programs accessible to everyone.
Learn more about the MoCA Gives Back initiative.

Sunset Plein Air Painting Class (BYOB Optional) with Agata Tria
2024-08-29 17:45 - 19:15, 2024-08-22 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.
