Junior League Of Eastern Fairfield County Planning 16th Annual Art Show

FAIRFIELD — Art enthusiasts from across the state will converge on the historic Burr Homestead, located at 739 Old Post Road, the weekend of April 4-6, when the Junior League of Eastern Fairfield County (JLEFC) hosts its 16th Annual Art Show. This fundraising event is open to the public Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 10 am to 5 pm.

Tickets to attend the show are $7 for adults, and $5 for seniors; children under 12 will be admitted free. A hands-on art activities event for children ages 2-8 will be offered on Sunday from 1 to 4 pm. Tickets for that are $5 per child.

The art show will kick off with a preview gala the evening of Friday, April 4, at the Burr Homestead from 6:30 to 10:30 pm. Following the theme of “An Evening in Paris,” the gala will feature catering by Festivities, event design by Events by Wild Flowers, wine tasting by Super Discount Wine & Spirits, and music from The Urban Guerilla Orchestra, an eight-piece jazz dance band. Tickets to the gala are $90 per person.

The event itself will welcome over 100 local and regional artists displaying original paintings, drawings, mixed media, prints and photography for sale. Although the show has always featured traditional, representational art at affordable prices, there are also contemporary and abstract works. Artists in the show are represented by galleries throughout Connecticut and the Northeast.

“For three short days these outstanding artists are gathered together at the Burr Homestead here in Fairfield to create what may be the most beautiful gallery in Connecticut,” said art show co-chair Susan Zaveruha.

Noted artists exhibiting for the first time this year include Anda Styler, whose work was featured on the cover of Art Guide magazine in 2007; Bruce Raven, an elected member of Lyme Art Association; Katherine Simmons and Jane Zisk, the president and founder, respectively, of Connecticut Plein Air Painters Society; and Peter Bowe, an elected member of American Society of Marine Artists whose works have been exhibited at the Mystic Maritime Gallery.

Returning favorites will include Nancy Gloh-Rosenthal’s hand colored animal prints, Jim Grabowski’s marine paintings, and William McCarthy’s atmospheric landscapes.

Through corporate donations from Day Pitney LLP, ParcelPort, People’s United Bank, Sempra Energy and Tiffany & Co. and in kind donations from local and global businesses for the art show, the League is able to raise funds to support their community projects.  In keeping with the art show’s theme of “Beautify your home, better your community,” art inspired mantel decorations will be provided by Fairfield’s Cachet and Hollis Interiors in conjunction with Scofield Historic Lighting, as well as Dovecote, Pierre Deux, and HB Home of Westport.

The public can join forces with the JLEFC in their efforts to improve and enrich the community, through the purchase of art and event tickets, along with proceeds generated from the preview gala’s live and silent auctions.  Proceeds from the show will support the JLEFC’s leadership development programs and community outreach projects, including The Center for Women and Families, the Curiale School, Dress for Success, Habitat for Humanity and Operation Hope, among others. 

A portion of the proceeds from the art show will also benefit Bridgeport Childcare Center, the JLEFC’s signature project. JLEFC, together with the Central Connecticut Coast YMCA, has secured a parcel of land in the south end of Bridgeport on which an 11,000-square foot childcare facility will be built. The center will provide early childhood education programs for over 100 children from low-income families. Together, JLEFC and the YMCA will serve as active participants in the development of the facility, including its fundraising activities. 

JLEFC is an organization of women committed to promoting volunteerism, developing the potential of women and improving the community through the effective action and leadership of trained volunteers.  Its purpose is exclusively educational and charitable. Communities represented by the JLEFC include Bridgeport, Easton, Fairfield, Monroe, Newtown, Redding, Shelton, Southport, Stratford, Trumbull, Weston and Westport.

For additional information on the art show, including a full list of participating artists, the JLEFC, or its volunteer opportunities, visit JLEFC.org or call 203-259-9995.