Project Return Celebrates 20 Years of Birdhouses at its March 27 Gala

Project Return celebrates 20 years of birdhouses when more than 125 artists from near and far present their one-of-a-kind creations at the 20^th Anniversary Birdhouse Gala on Friday evening, March 27, from 7-11 PM at the Rolling Hills Country Club in Wilton. A milestone in the 29-year history of the Westport-based non-profit, the “Birdhouse Auction”, says its creator and former Board President Totney Benson, “grew out of the idea that birdhouses, like Project Return, provide safe havens until it’s time to fly away”.

An astonishing variety of materials, including birch bark, feathers, stained glass, ceramics forged by Silvermine students, assemblages, wood, metal and 3-D printing techniques, have been used to showcase each artist’s celebratory vision. Some of this year’s most inventive designs are Weston artist Drew Klotz’s pinball-inspired “Bulls Eye Bill”, Westport artist Miggs Burroughs’ lenticular vision “Inside Out”, a bow and arrow design “For All the Girls in District 12” by Richard Bentley of Westport, and a witty “Doves of Downton Abby” coat rack by Alison Boteler of Bridgeport.  

Entries are traditional and contemporary, whimsical and contemplative, decorative and practical, designed for outdoor use or meant to enhance indoor spaces. Besides birdhouses, the eclectic collection includes numerous striking paintings for discerning collectors, vases, serving bowls, candlesticks, shadow boxes, lamps, and other objects d’art. A sumptuous buffet and small plates will be accompanied by a flowing martini bar, courtesy of Tito’s Handmade Vodka, and music to “rock” by will be offered by the popular band DNR, Fairfield County’s (Almost) All-Physician Rock Band.

Aligned with the Gala, more than 50 local businesses along and adjacent to Westport's Main Street will have birdhouses on display in their store windows as a harbinger of spring and the renewal that comes with it.

New this year will be a Birdhouse Retrospective, “The Art of the Birdhouse-A Celebration of 20 Years”, at the Westport Arts Center on Thursday, March 19, from 6-9 PM, featuring 20 birdhouses and 20 years of Auction artwork created by childrens’ book author and illustrator Hans Wilhelm and watercolor and pen-and-ink artist Cassie Foss.

Tickets to the Gala may be purchased by visiting www.projectreturnct.org. Through March 8, the ticket price is $125; thereafter, $150. Both the Birdhouse Stroll and the Westport Arts Center Retrospective are free and open to the public.

Project Return empowers girls to rebuild their lives, one day at a time. The agency creates a safe, structured and nurturing environment where adolescent girls and young women in crisis can heal and grow. By providing unconditional love, encouraging resiliency, building self-esteem, and teaching life skills, Project Return inspires girls to hope and realize their dreams.