CT Contemporary Art Fair Features Galleries From Across the State

Westport, CT — CT Contemporary Art Fair, offering a look into what is happening NOW in Connecticut’s major contemporary art galleries, will be held Friday, June 23, through Sunday, June 25, at Bedford Square, Church Lane, in the newly-designed town center that includes the restoration of the iconic Westport Firehouse and the historic 1923 Bedford Mansion.

CT Contemporary is the culmination of the three-part Cultivating Collectors series organized by the Cultural Alliance of Fairfield County and Silvermine Arts Center. Hours will be noon to 8pm on Friday and Saturday, and noon to 5pm on Sunday. A special reception for the public, artists, and gallerists will take place on Saturday evening, June 24, from 5-7pm.

“This first-of-its-kind event brings together galleries from all over the state to give a broader understanding of Connecticut’s gallery landscape and provide an opportunity for people to encounter galleries they might not usually have the chance to see,” said event co-organizer Jeffrey Mueller, Gallery Director of the Silvermine Arts Center. “There is an ever-growing contemporary art-gallery scene in the state; we wanted to highlight and celebrate that, and we plan to make CT Contemporary an annual event.”

Galleries participating in CT Contemporary include Amy Simon Fine Art from Westport; EBK Gallery from Hartford; Fred Giampietro Gallery from New Haven; Isabella Garrucho Fine Art from Greenwich; Ober Gallery from Kent; Silvermine Galleries and Sorelle Gallery both from New Canaan. Each gallery will present visitors with background on their history and the art work they have on display. Gallerists and curators will also be available to talk with the public, and browsing is encouraged.

Speaking about the first event in this series, Cultural Alliance Director of Programs David Green emphasized that despite the changes the internet has brought to the art world, the galleries “all recognized that their symbiotic relationship with the local community was still a key part of their identity.”

The Cultural Alliance of Fairfield County and Silvermine Arts Center gratefully acknowledge the following sponsors whose generous support made the Cultivating Collectors series and/or CT contemporary possible: Bedford Square, Chilton & Chadwick, Media Sponsor Moffly Media, U.S. Trust/Bank of America Private Wealth Management, and the Westport Downtown Merchants Association.
For more information on the art fair, visit www.silvermineevents.org or www.FCBuzz.org

Silvermine Arts Center is one of the oldest artist communities in the United States. Its 5­acre campus in New Canaan, Connecticut, consists of a nationally-renowned artist guild, an award­winning school of art, a fine-arts shop, and a gallery offering over twenty exhibitions annually. Silvermine is a non­profit 501c3 organization that also offers an educational outreach program, Art Partners. Silvermine Galleries are open Wednesday through Saturday, 12 to 5 pm and Sunday from 1 to 5 pm. For more information, call (203) 966-­9700 ext. 20 or visit silvermineart.org.

The Cultural Alliance of Fairfield County is a nonprofit, membership service organization that supports its members by providing unified marketing, capacity building, professional development, and advocacy services. For the public, it publishes FCBuzz.org, a free, comprehensive cultural calendar with the latest information on what’s happening in the arts and culture across Fairfield County. The Cultural Alliance of Fairfield County is supported by the Connecticut Office of the Arts. For more information, visit CulturalAllianceFC.org.