Greenwich Historical Society Partners with Greenwich Point Conservancy for July 18 Greenwich Founders’ Day Reception
Greenwich Historical Society is partnering with Greenwich Point Conservancy for the town’s July 18 Greenwich Founders’ Day reception, which will take place at the Innis Arden Cottage at Greenwich Point Park at 10 a.m. All are invited to celebrate the founding of Greenwich with a reading of the original July 18, 1640 deed and announcement of the winners of the This Place Matters! Photo Contest. Following the program, guests will be able to tour the Feake-Ferris House, the oldest house in Greenwich and one of the oldest in America, via shuttles and tours organized by the Greenwich Point Conservancy. The entire event is free of charge, but reservations are required. Reservations, available here, will close when capacity is met.
“This Founders’ Day marks the one-year anniversary of the first public viewing of the Feake-Ferris House following a multi-year restoration by the Greenwich Point Conservancy, made possible by generous contributions from town residents and the home’s owners,” says Chris Franco, president of the Greenwich Point Conservancy. “We are pleased to provide visitors with the opportunity to enter and experience the residence of Elizabeth Winthrop Feake, namesake of Elizabeth’s Neck, as Greenwich Point was known for more than 200 years following the founding of our town.”
“We’re delighted to partner with the Greenwich Point Conservancy again on the Founders’ Day reception to honor Greenwich’s long and illustrious heritage,” says Greenwich Historical Society Executive Director and CEO Debra Mecky. “It’s a wonderful opportunity for residents to celebrate their love of town and respect for preserving what’s unique and distinctive about it.”
This Place Matters! Deadline is July 1: It’s Easy and Fun to EnterPeople of all ages are invited to snap photos of the Greenwich places that matter to them and submit them by July 1 with a few words about why they make Greenwich special. Participants are encouraged to use their imagination in choosing a place they love such as a special street, school, store, restaurant, walking trail or garden. Photos need to be high resolution—300 dpi—to be winners and may be submitted via the Historical Society’s website here. The top three photos, chosen by a panel of independent judges, will be proudly displayed at the Historical Society’s newly reimagined campus and will be published in Greenwich Magazine, Exclusive Magazine Sponsor of This Place Matters!
On capturing your subject…
“Don’t follow the pack! Capture what you feel is remarkable about Greenwich in your own experience. Celebrate what you love as opposed to finding a popular space or landmark that you might not have a personal connection to. Capture that space or person that makes you feel connected most to your community, your neck of the woods.” Garvin Burke
“Try approaching your subject in a less traditional sense. The classic, front-facing stance of the subject can sometimes be less powerful. I love taking shots in portrait mode on my iPhone. The focus provides depth and brightens up my subject. Play with reflections, capture active motion in the foreground or background and what you capture becomes completely alive.” Venera Alexandrova
On achieving expert lighting…
“When I’m on the go, I try and play up my lighting with editing features on my iPhone. The best thing to do is keep shooting as many images as you need and then filter out from there. The shutter speed is crucial in getting that one awesome shot that you might not have noticed had you not kept pressing the iphone button.”Garvin Burke
“Go to your place of interest at different times to create a different feel in your images as the light changes throughout the day. Shadows and reflections have a way of reflecting the essence of the space in a more abstract and artistic way.” Venera Alexandrova
This Place Matters® is inspired by the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s initiative to encourage preservation.
** Contest Deadline is July 1. Pros Offer Secrets for Taking Winning Photos**
About the Greenwich Historical Society
Greenwich Historical Society was founded in 1931 to preserve and interpret Greenwich history to strengthen the community’s connection to our past, to each other and to our future. The circa 1730 National Historic Landmark Bush-Holley House survived the American Revolution and became the site of Connecticut’s first American Impressionist art colony from 1890 to 1920. Its landscape and gardens are restored based on documentation from the site’s Impressionist era. The campus also includes a nationally accredited museum, library and archives, a museum store, café, and a community education center. Greenwich Historical Society educates thousands of school children annually and connects visitors to the history of this globally influential community through exhibitions, lectures, programs, and events. It receives no town funding and relies on donations and grants to continue its work in education and preservation. Learn more atgreenwichhistory.org.