Westport Arts
Advisory Committee
Committed to increasing public awareness of Westport's cultural resources.
HERE'S WHAT"S HAPPENING!
The theme is connecting and integrating the universes we have: one in the outside that we all live in and the other in the inside that we sometimes sense we have and is particularly our very own. The spacious Schelfhaudt Gallery is separated into two connected rooms: one features Eric Chiang's works about the Outer Universe, while the other exhibits Chuang's works about the Inner Universe. The Outer Universe is presented in a quasi-immersive fashion. Artworks are displayed contiguously on all walls as well as on the ceiling, surrounding the spectators. Although the works look different at a glance, you will soon realize both artists' works are two sides of the same coin regarding human existences and souls.
Eric Chiang's music, a String Quintet, was specifically written for the exhibition and will be played 4 times at the reception (5:45, 6:15, 6:45, and 7:15 PM). A set of violin and cello players will play their parts in the Outer Universe room while the other set of players will be in the Inner Universe room. Simultaneously, a violist sitting between the two rooms plays the music that "connects" the Outer and Inner universe groups. The form of playing a String Quintet this way is never preceded in history. I am extremely impressed by the section leaders of the Greater Bridgeport Symphony.
MoCA\CT presents Looking for History featuring three artists, Rick Shaefer, Ellen Harvey, and Michael Borders—each presented in their own dedicated gallery space at varying intervals over the course of the exhibition. In recognition of the United States’ 250th anniversary in 2026, the Museum invites visitors into distinct yet interconnected conversations about our nation’s past, present, and potential future.
With consummate draftsmanship, Rick Shaefer’s Colossi presents a series of monumental landscape drawings, each dominated by an imposing wall that eventually encircles the globe. Past, present, and futuristic machinery coexist, conveying infinite ambition and posing the timeless question: Are we walling in or walling out? The installation includes Shaefer’s poignant drawing Water Crossing from the Refugee Trilogy, and the evocative series Liberty Dismantled. Diagrams and videos explore Shaefer’s art historical inspirations and engage viewers in a meditation on the boundaries that define our world. Shaefer has had solo exhibitions at the Fairfield University Art Museum, the National Academy of Design, and the Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum.
Ellen Harvey’s The Disappointed Tourist is an ongoing series of paintings of places that people have submitted in response to her question: “Is there some place that you would like to visit or revisit that no longer exists?” People from over 40 countries have contributed—including members of our community. From these local submissions, Harvey will select lost sites to preserve in 20 x 24-inch wood panels painted to resemble old postcards. They will join the over 320 panels that recall beloved places—from amusement parks to monuments—lost to disaster, demolition, and the tides of time. Harvey has exhibited internationally at major museums, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Whitney Museum of American Art, and Turner Contemporary, Margate.
On view August 13 – November 15, 2026 | Reception: September 10
Michael Borders’s panoramic Connecticut Industry—a 10-foot by 40-foot mural with eight panels representing each of the state’s counties.—immerses visitors in our state’s industrial evolution. Through 25 years of research, Borders documents the interplay of the landscape, machinery, products, and the people that built Connecticut spanning more than 350 years. Today, as the industrial landscape is undergoing a technological transformation, Borders’s vision makes us wonder what automation and artificial intelligence will bring to future generations. Borders has exhibited his work at the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art and the New Britain Museum of American Art.
The theme of American Journeys was inspired by this year’s national celebration of America’s 250th birthday. The title implies that there is no one singular American Journey, but rather a collection of many diverse journeys we have all experienced that make up the rich fabric of American life. Over 60 local artists contributed their works
WAAC's current initiatives include an annual TEA (Thinkers, Educators, Artists) Talk; the installation and maintenance of sculptures and monuments in town parks and the establishment of a Poet Laureate for Westport as of July 1, 2019.
Have an interest in helping arts organizations in town? Joining the Westport Arts Advisory Committee?
Please reach out to Nancy Diamond, CoChair WAAC