Art Adventures
2026-01-10 12:00 - 13:30, 2026-01-17 12:00 - 13:30, 2026-01-24 12:00 - 13:30 (America/New_York) | MoCA Westport, 19 Newtown Turnpike, Westport, CT, 06880, United States
Your child can join us every Saturday for a relaxed and inspiring drop-in art class at the museum!
MoCA/CT Art Studio Classroom – entrance in back
$25.00/per child
Ages 4+
Book Now: https://checkout.mocact.org/EventAvailability?EventId=401

MLK Day - Freedom of Creativity Camp
2026-01-19 09:30 - 12:00 | MoCACT, 19 Newtown Turnpike, Westport, 06880, United States
Register here: $75.00
9:30 AM-12
Ages 6-9

Celebrate the impact + legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. through art, imagination, and self-expression! Young artists will explore the theme of “Freedom of Creativity” in a morning of fun, hands-on art making inspired by Dr. King’s message of hope, equality, and courage. Guided by teaching artist Miss Erika, campers will paint, draw, and build colorful works that celebrate their unique voices and visions—all inside the inspiring galleries of MoCACT.
Please bring a nut-free snack and water bottle.
All art materials will be provided.

Community Conversation with Kathryn Turley-Sonne
2026-01-29 18:00 - 19:30 | MoCACT, 19 Newtown Turnpike, Westport, 06880, United States
Register Here: $10 general, $8 for seniors + students
Join MoCACT for a dynamic panel discussion that considers both the exhibition Enough Already: Women Artists from the Sara M. + Michelle Vance Waddell Collection and the groundbreaking work of Carolee Schneemann featured within it. Moderated by Kathryn Turley-Sonne (PhD), professor, writer, and an organizer of the exhibition, the conversation will situate Schneemann’s practice within the broader context of the exhibition’s 80-plus works by modern and contemporary women artists who challenge conventions around gender, identity, and social change. Joining Turley-Sonne is Rachel Churner, art critic, editor, and director of the Carolee Schneemann Foundation.
The talk will highlight three Schneemann works currently on loan and on view at MoCACT: Interior Scroll (1974/1975), photographs documenting her influential 1975 performance, and The Message (1974), a drawing that extends the visual and conceptual vocabulary of her performance practice. These works will serve as a lens through which the panel explores themes central to Enough Already, including the body, agency, and the politics of representation in feminist art.
This program takes place on Thursday, January 29, 2026, at 6pm at MoCACT, in conjunction with the exhibition’s run through February 15, 2026. Attendees are invited to experience the exhibition before the program and to join an engaging conversation about Schneemann’s legacy and the ongoing impact of women artists in shaping contemporary visual culture.

Art Adventures
2026-01-31 12:00 - 13:30, 2026-02-07 12:00 - 13:30, 2026-02-14 12:00 - 13:30, 2026-02-21 12:00 - 13:30, 2026-02-28 12:00 - 13:30, 2026-03-07 12:00 - 13:30, 2026-03-14 12:00 - 13:30, 2026-03-21 12:00 - 13:30 and 2 more dates | MoCACT, 19 Newtown Turnpike, Westport, 06880, United States
Book Now: https://checkout.mocact.org/EventAvailability?EventId=401
Your child can join us every Saturday for a relaxed and inspiring drop-in art class at the museum!
MoCA/CT Art Studio Classroom – entrance in back
$25.00/per child
Ages 4+

Westport Writers Workshop at MoCACT
2026-02-05 18:00 - 20:00 | MoCACT, 19 Newtown Turnpike, Westport, 06880, United States
Join us for an inspired evening of art and writing. We’ll use MoCACT’s current exhibition “Enough Already” as a portal into our own creativity. In this workshop we’ll identify the elements of the exhibited art that most capture our imagination and use this as a jumping-off point. We’ll linger in the unfamiliar space and write from there. Following individual and collaborative exercises, we’ll share our writing with each other and give positive feedback. For those who wish to take this a step further, we’ll share tools for how to transform these ideas and musings into stories and essays.
Book Now: https://checkout.mocact.org/EventAvailability?EventId=15201

Studio Visit with Artist Constance Old (Members Only)
2026-02-10 15:00 - 16:30
MoCACT Members Only – FREE
Go behind the scenes at the New Canaan studio of local artist Constance Old, whose upcycled, immersive works featured at MoCACT examine consumer culture through material, process, and collection. Learn about her creative process, including the story behind her bold wallpaper featured in the lobby outside the Enough Already exhibition. 60-90 minutes. (Limited to 12 attendees. Transportation not included. Location to be sent after registration.)
Book now: https://checkout.mocact.org/EventAvailability?EventId=15601

February 2026 School Recess Creativity Camp
2026-02-16 09:00 - 12:00, 2026-02-17 09:00 - 12:00, 2026-02-18 09:00 - 12:00, 2026-02-19 09:00 - 12:00, 2026-02-20 09:00 - 12:00 | MoCACT, 19 Newtown Turnpike, Westport, 06880, United States
Register here: $75.00 per day.
Children Ages 4-9
9AM-12PM, during the week of February 16-20, 2026
Please pack a labeled, nut-free snack and a water bottle
All participants must be restroom independent
Creativity Camp is designed for students ages 4-9 who love working with their hands and are fascinated with the arts!
Compelling projects explore painting, clay, found objects, collage, mixed media and more.
Teacher led demonstrations provide technical instruction and hands on guidance and students have creative freedom within each project to develop artworks that embrace their personal interests.
Sign up for single days or the whole week.
Your child will have a fantastic and creative adventure at MoCACT!

Opening Reception: Art, Jazz + The Blues with WestPAC
2026-02-26 18:00 - 20:00 | MoCACT, 19 Newtown Turnpike, Westport, 06880, United States
Register Here For the Opening Reception.
Art, Jazz + the Blues is a collaboration between the Westport Public Art Collections (WestPAC) + MoCACT.
This exhibit, curated by Anne Boberski, Ive Covaci and the WestPAC Committee—explores the powerful intersections between visual art and music, 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 galleries, museums, artists and private collections deepen the conversation, and a screening room features historic performance footage of musicians portrayed in von Schmidt’s paintings. 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.”
MoCACT is grateful to the generous support of Art, Jazz + the Blues sponsors Conlon Amendola, Attorneys at Law + Design Within Reach + The Ellis Family + Bill and Jodi Felton + Hofstetter Baron Group + Honda of Westport + KMS Team at COMPASS + Cynthia and Carl Muller + Joyce Pauker + Russell Insurance + Sabina and Harlan Stone + The Joyce Thompson Art Fund
MoCACT is also grateful to the generous support of Art, Jazz + the Blues partners A&S Fine Foods + Chocolatieree/ Laureen “Ree” Haynes + Imageworks + Westport Journal + Dan Woog/ 06880 + WPKN + WSHU

Film Screening and Conversation: Gordon Parks’ Leadbelly (1976)
2026-02-28 16:00 - 19:00 | MoCACT, 19 Newtown Turnpike, Westport, 06880, United States
Register here: $10 general, $8 seniors + students, free for members
Join us for a special screening of Leadbelly (1976), photographer and director Gordon Parks’ powerful semi-biographical film about the life and music of Huddie Ledbetter, better known as Lead Belly, the legendary blues musician, songwriter, and cultural icon.
The screening will be followed by a discussion with Prof. Sheila Curran Bernard, author of Bring Judgment Day: Reclaiming Lead Belly’s Truths from Jim Crow’s Lies (2024). An Emmy and Peabody Award-winning filmmaker with credits on nearly 50 hours of programming, mostly in prime time on PBS (including Slavery by Another Name and Eyes on the Prize), she is the Glen Trotiner Professor of Visual Storytelling in the Department of History at the University at Albany, SUNY, and director of its Graduate Program in Public History.
She will share her thoughts on the film and her book’s insights into Lead Belly’s complex story, while highlighting the local connections of this giant of American music whose songs and spirit continue to shape our music today.
This screening is in conjunction with Westport Public Art Collections—Art, Jazz + the Blues on view through April 26.

Prof. Sheila Curran Bernard + her book Bring Judgment Day: Reclaiming Lead Belly’s Truths from Jim Crow’s Lies (2024).

Gallery Talk with the Curators of Art, Jazz + the Blues
2026-03-05 17:30 - 19:30 | MoCACT, 19 Newtown Turnpike, Westport, 06880, United States
Register here: $10 general, $8 seniors + students, free for members
WestPAC curators of Art, Jazz + the Blues, Anne Boberski and Ive Covaci will lead a guided tour through the exhibition, emphasizing the local connections of the artists, artworks, and musicians in the show. This conversation will begin with a guitar performance with Tim Cole at 5:30pm.

MoCACT Presents: Etienne Charles
2026-03-08 16:00 - 18:00 | MoCACT, 19 Newtown Turnpike, Westport, 06880, United States
Tickets
Join Trinidad-born trumpeter Etienne Charles at MoCACT as he leads a fearless quartet blending straight-ahead jazz with island rhythms, cinematic textures, and socially conscious themes. This performance offers a rare opportunity to experience one of today’s most compelling jazz voices in an intimate, immersive setting.
About Charles Etienne
Trinidad-born Etienne Charles is a performer, composer and storyteller who is constantly searching for untold tales and sounds with which to tell them. His lush trumpet sound, varied compositional textures and pulsating percussive grooves enable him to invoke trance, soothing and exciting listeners while referencing touchy and sometimes controversial subjects in his music.
Highlighting marginalized communities and engaging with them has been his mission, evident with projects such as his Guggenheim Fellowship Project, Carnival: The Sound of a People Vol. 1, San Jose Suite, Creole Soul, Gullah Roots, Folklore and his latest commission, San Juan Hill – A New York Story. His concerts engage, enlighten, educate, and enrich audiences with energized multidisciplinary performance utilizing original composition, thematic improvisation, dance, short films and spoken word to create a holistic experience. A firm believer in music and performance as a tool for provoking thought and dialogue, Charles’s themes speak to the status quo while drawing parallels to history.
As an Afro-descendant, his work is actively connecting the diaspora and drawing lines to the regions at the roots of migrations, evident in his latest release, Creole Orchestra which spent 7 weeks at #1 on the JazzWeek chart this summer. His dedication to music as a tool for social uplift has seen him awarded by France with the Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres medal (2024) as well as a Congressional Citation from the United States (2012).
As a sideman he has performed with and/or arranged for Roberta Flack, Chucho Valdes, Marcus Roberts, Marcus Miller, Count Basie Orchestra, Frank Foster’s Loud Minority Big Band, Monty Alexander, Gregory Porter, Terri Lyne Carrington, René Marie, Paulette McWilliams and many others. He has been commissioned as a composer and arranger by Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater (2025), Lincoln Center for the New York Philharmonic (2021), Savannah Music Festival (2017), Chamber Music America (2015 & 2021), the Charleston Jazz Orchestra (2012) and the Chicago Jazz Ensemble (2011).
He currently serves as Professor of Studio Music and Jazz at University of Miami Frost School of Music.

Community Conversation: Jazz Inspirations
2026-03-26 17:30 - 19:00 | MoCACT, 19 Newtown Turnpike, Westport, 06880, United States
Register here: $10 general. $8 seniors + students, free for members
Beginning with a guitar performance by Tim Cole at 5:30pm, this community conversation will explore the dynamic intersection of music and the visual arts. Engaging with the works on display in Art, Jazz + the Blues, a panel of musicians, scholars, educators, and arts advocates will discuss how we “see” music and “hear” art, and how these two worlds sustain a vibrant local culture. Panelists will reflect on their formative encounters with art and music, describing their personal journeys and their current projects in our community and beyond. We’ll explore the shared language of art and music – how words like texture, color, tone, and rhythm translate across disciplines, and how a visual work of art can inspire musical composition and improvisation. With Westport regularly designated as a “Best Community for Music Education,” and known for its rich artistic heritage, the group will illuminate what it takes to sustain these arts across generations, including how today’s students engage with the traditions of jazz and blues represented in the works in the exhibition. Audience questions and engagement is encouraged!

Panelist Bios:
Richard Epstein, co-founder Jazz Society of Fairfield County, Westport Arts Advisory Committee. A Westport native and dentist, Richard and his wife Ina Chadwick founded Thursday night jazz when saxophonist Greg Wall moved here in 2014. Richard plays bassoon in the Norwalk Symphony, alto sax with the Westport Community Band, and is working on his jazz chops. He mentors young musicians in KEYS and other programs. He has served in leadership positions on the boards of many local arts organizations and the Westport Arts Advisory Committee. Richard has hosted “Sometimes Classical”, an eclectic music show on WPKN radio since 1977 that he calls his “ultimate play time”.
Kevin Mazzarella, Director of Bands, Staples High School. Kevin is a versatile trumpet performer and educator based in the NY/CT area, with credits including Carnegie Hall, Norwalk Symphony, Birdland Big Band, and Goodspeed Opera House, and extensive experience as a lead and section jazz performer. He is the Director of Bands at Staples High School in Westport, CT—affectionately known as Mr. Mazz—where he directs ensembles and teaches AP Music Theory. A dedicated jazz educator, he leads the school’s top jazz ensemble and previously directed a middle school jazz band selected as a Showcase Ensemble at the 2020 CMEA Conference. He was named Coventry Public Schools’ Teacher of the Year in 2024. Kevin holds degrees from the University of Miami, Columbia University, and the University of Saint Joseph, along with a Graduate Certificate in Trumpet Performance from the University of Connecticut. An active member of CMEA, he has presented on jazz improvisation and trumpet pedagogy, served as the 2025 NAfME All-Eastern Division Jazz Band Co-Chair, and currently serves as CMEA Western Region High School Concert Band Co-Chair.
Brian Torff, Professor of Music, Fairfield University. Brian Torff, after a career as a jazz bassist and composer that began in the 1970s, now creates music as a singer-songwriter, guitarist, and blues harmonica player. Torff has performed with Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, George Shearing, Dizzy Gillespie, Erroll Garner, Mary Lou Williams, Stephane Grappelli and Marian McPartland, among others. As an author and Professor of Music at Fairfield University, Brian Torff combines his music history and Civil Rights research trips to the Deep South with dynamic songs that tell an American story. “We need to create new musical categories,” says Torff, “and I hope our music is a soundtrack to an American road trip, past and present.”
Caitlin von Schmidt, American vocalist, bassist, and designer. Daughter of Eric von Schmidt. Originally from Cambridge, Massachusetts, she moved to Tucson, Arizona to attend university in 1980 and became a founding member of the bands River Roses, Ortho 28, and Caitlin & The Stickponies. She is the niece of Bob Jones, who through his work for George Wein’s Festival Productions, was the road manager for Duke Ellington, Thelonious Monk, Count Basie, Buddy Rich, Sarah Vaughan, Archie Shepp, and Cannonball Adderley during the 1960s, and later the longtime director of the Newport Folk and Newport Jazz festivals and a founding producer of the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage festival. Her mother, Helen von Schmidt, Bob’s sister, was the house mother for artist housing at the early Newport Folk and Jazz Festivals, and through those connections Caitlin did summer work for the Kool Jazz Festival in New York City in the late ‘70s, and the Newport Folk and Jazz Festivals in the ‘80s, ‘90s, and early aughts. She settled in Greenfield, Massachusetts in 2007 with her husband and son, and now works as the outreach and communications manager at the local food co-op.

Guided Tour of the Brubeck Collection (Members Only)
2026-03-31 11:00 - 12:30 | Wilton Library, 137 Old Ridgefield Road, Wilton, CT, United States
Members Only Exclusive
Explore one of the world’s premier jazz archives during a guided visit to The Brubeck Collection at Wilton Library, led by curator Michael Bellacosa and archivist Julie Hughes. 60-90 minutes. Wilton Library, 137 Old Ridgefield Road, Wilton CT. (Limited to 12 attendees. Transportation not included.)
Book Now: https://checkout.mocact.org/EventAvailability?EventId=16001

Adult Workshop with Peri Pfenninger
2026-04-09 12:00 - 14:00 | MoCA Westport, 19 Newtown Turnpike, Westport, CT, 06880, United States
Visualizing Sound Art Workshop: Jazz, Blues & Abstract Expression
Thursday, April 9, 2026
AND/OR
Friday, April 10, 2026
12PM-2PM
$85.00 per person per session, register here.
Adult class
As jazz and blues soundscapes fill the studio, students will create two original 2D artworks, translating rhythm, mood, tempo, and emotion into dynamic compositions. Through guided exercises, you’ll learn how to use line, color, shape, texture, movement, and composition to support creative freedom and spontaneous expression.
This workshop is designed for adults of all experience levels and encourages playful experimentation, personal interpretation, and bold artistic exploration.
What to Expect:
Live music-guided creative prompts
Instruction in rhythm and key art elements
Creation of two abstract artworks
A relaxed, social Lunch & Learn atmosphere
Art materials included.
Bring your own snack and drink to enjoy while you create.
Come ready to listen, feel the rhythm, and let the music move your brush!

National Poetry Month Event: Art + Sound
2026-04-09 19:00 - 20:30 | MoCACT, 19 Newtown Turnpike, Westport, 06880, United States
National Poetry Month Event
Art + Sound
Thursday, April 9, 7:00–8:30pm
Register here: $30 general admission, $20 for seniors and students, and $15 for members
In conjunction with Art, Jazz + the Blues, Art + Sound highlights the synergy between poetry, sound, and visual arts through the work of local creatives. This April, MoCACT celebrates National Poetry Month by hosting spoken word performances within the galleries to examine how these disciplines interact.
The night features poet Sahmra Sawyer, who will perform original pieces written in response to the artworks in the exhibition alongside works from poets who inspire her. Accompanied by soft jazz music playing in the background, the event also features local artist Lauren Clayton, who will live-paint a large-scale canvas to translate the spoken words and themes of the exhibit. Following this event, the original artwork made that night by Lauren Clayton will be available for purchase. Guests can also enjoy food from the 29 Markle CT food truck. 29 Markle CT Restaurant is a Bridgeport staple known for its sophisticated take on soul food and seasonal ingredients, bringing a local culinary perspective to the evening.
The Experience
The Introduction: Opening remarks on how music, poetry, and art have always been intertwined in the Westport community.
Act I: Sahmra Sawyer begins her performance, weaving her words through the exhibition.
Intermission: A break to enjoy light refreshments, walk the galleries, and catch a vibe with the community.
Act II: The conclusion of the night’s poetry and the completion of the live-painted work.
Sahmra Sawyer is a Norwalk native, Sahmra has grown into a Spoken Word Poet better known as Supreme Divinity. Supreme has performed at renowned venues like TheaterWorks in Hartford, CT; Bijou Theater in Bridgeport, CT; Nublu in New York City; Brooklyn Poets, and was featured on Fox 61 in 2023 for the “Rooted in Resilience” Juneteenth special.
She is the Founder and Host of, We’ve Got Something to Say, a thriving poetry platform and community collective based in Bridgeport, CT. Her mission is to create safe spaces where voices are heard using her skills as an MSW student, the transformative power of storytelling, and community, to foster healing and connection.
Lauren Clayton is the founder of Studio 162 and a graduate of the Cooper Union School of Art. A Jackie Robinson Foundation Scholar alum and recipient of the Miller Brewing Company’s Urban Entrepreneur Grant, Lauren’s work is known for its bold color and storytelling. Beyond her studio, she is a fixture in the local art scene, dedicated to mentoring design students and advocating for non-profits through her creative work.
This event is made possible by the generous support of Absolute Best Home Care in Westport, CT.

Sahmra Sawyer: Lauren Clayton:
