Musical Masterworks Artistic Director Edward Arron will play the cello in the Beethoven works being performed live in a December concert and also recorded for release to ticket-holders in January. Photo by Hak-Soo Kim.

OLD LYME — Musical Masterworks celebrates Beethoven’s 250th birthday in December when Edward Arron, Artistic Director and cellist, along with his colleagues James Ehnes, violin;  Amy Schwartz Moretti, violin; and Che-Yen Chen, viola, will perform three string quartets by Beethoven, spanning nearly 30 years of his life and demonstrating the full arc of his remarkable compositional evolution.

This performance will be filmed in mid-December and the link to the virtual concert will be made available to ticket buyers Jan. 2, 2021.  The video can be enjoyed for three weeks and watched as many times as one wishes. 

Ticket holders will be able to experience Musical Masterworks in a whole new way. The group’s audio-video production team will create an intimate concert experience, providing a virtual front row seat featuring the performers’ artistry.

Edward Arron shared his thoughts about this concert, “We are honored to dedicate this performance to the great master. While under current circumstances, we are not able to reconstitute the full cycle of quartets that we had planned for last spring, we are delighted to provide this fascinating window into the extraordinary compositional mind of Beethoven.”

In 2021, Musical Masterworks will welcome back many favorite artists, including Rieko Aizawa, Todd Palmer, Jeewon Park, Randall Scarlata, Gilles Vonsattel, and Tessa Lark, featuring music from Bach to Corigliano.

Musical Masterworks’ season runs through May 2021.  To purchase a video mini-subscription ($100 each), individual video tickets ($40 each), or student tickets ($5 each), visit Musical Masterworks at Musical Masterworks at www.musicalmasterworks.org or call 860.434.2252.

The display stand at ‘The Bowerbird’ featuring signed copies of Old Lyme resident Ron Breault’s book, ‘Voyaging with Marionette.’

OLD LYME — Signed copies of Ron Breault’s book, Voyaging with Marionette, are now on sale at The Bowerbird in Old Lyme. Breault is a resident of Old Lyme and his book is being marketed as prt of the store’s “Local Author” series.

Visit this link to read a wonderful review of the book written when it was published by our regular book reviewer here at LymeLine.com, Felix Kloman.

Voyaging with Marionette records the 25 years of life experiences Breault shared with his boat.

Those of you who have rescued/restored or built your own boat, fully understand the special relationship that develops — how the two of you meet when the expected/hoped for experience and goals are the main menu.

The dessert is those experiences not expected — a mostly unspoken conversation, motions and sounds as you sail along — the understanding between you of what you can do and have done together. It is also the places visited and interesting people you meet, which, in turn, bring a new dimension to your life.

This book is a collection of those stories demonstrating what can be done as one gets older, which opens doors, motivating and sustaining new and stimulating opportunities. It is also a reminder that life is a continuing, expanding experience … if one just makes the effort.

‘Filtered Light’ (oil on aluminum) by Janine-Robertson is one of the featured pieces of artwork in ‘Deck the Walls.’

OLD LYME — The Lyme Art Association’s annual member show and sale, Deck the Walls, featuring more than 200 works of art in all themes, sizes and mediums, opens Friday, Nov. 27. All the artwork is appropriately priced for holiday gift giving.

The show and sale continues through Jan. 7, 2021.

‘Montmartre Memories’ in oil by Sarah Stifler Lucas is one of the featured paintings in the ‘Deck the Walls’ show on view at the Lyme Art Association.

The gallery is open Wednesday through Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and by appointment.

The Lyme Art Association is located at 90 Lyme Street in Old Lyme, at the corner of Halls Road.

For more information, call (860) 434-7802 or visit lymeartassociation.org.

The Fairy House outside Old Lyme Memorial Town Hall.

OLD LYME — Take a stroll down Lyme Street this month, look very carefully and you will see all kinds of mystical, magical Fairy Houses tucked into trees, fancifully formed against fences and lingering on lawns.

Find this fairy House is at 30 Lyme Street.

This little piece of wonderment has come about because, through Oct. 28, a variety of businesses, nonprofits, and private residences on Lyme Street has chosen to participate in the 2nd annual “Fairy Doors on Lyme Street.”

The Fairy Door at Lyme Art Association is exquisite.

There are 14 fairy doors on the grounds of the Lyme Academy of Fine Arts (LAFA), created by Region 18 students and LAFA alumni.

Another 16 fairy doors can be found along Lyme Street and all the fairy doors can be seen from the sidewalk.

See this masterful creation by Tammi Flynn at EF Watermelon.

This wonderful fairy dropped into Studio 80 + Sculpture Grounds.

Olivia Denison and Alexandra Vasquez Dheming were New York City roommates working in the theater industry when COVID shut down their work.

‘Meigs Point, Hammonasset’ in oil by Tom Adkins is one of the signature paintings in the ‘Land and Sea’ exhibition.

OLD LYME — This fall the Lyme Art Association (LAA) presents Land and Sea, an exhibit of outdoor scenes; landscapes, seascapes, cityscapes and backyard-scapes. Art of varied media and styles, all from LAA member artists, will be presented in the historic, sky-lit galleries through Nov. 19.

“We are grateful for the great outdoors right where we are,” said Executive Director Laurie Pavlos, continuing, “The open air that makes visiting safer and the beautiful vistas that calm our anxious hearts.”

She added, “But we miss traveling to see new scenery, climates, and topography. Land and Sea is a response to these impulses; we hope that our visitors enjoy spending time in the gallery this fall appreciating the great outdoors.”

The LAA is located at 90 Lyme Street in Old Lyme, Conn. in a building designed by Charles Adams Platt and within the town’s Historic District. The gallery is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Wednesday through Sunday, and by appointment.

The Association was founded in 1914 by the American Impressionists and continues the tradition of exhibiting and selling representational artwork by its members and invited artists, as well as offering art instruction and lectures to the community.

Admission is free with contributions appreciated.

For more information on exhibitions, purchase of art, art classes, or becoming a member, call 860-434-7802 or visit www.lymeartassociation.org

LymeLine.com publisher Olwen Logan reads ‘Soaked’ by Abi Cushman to her grandson, William Logan, who assisted significantly with this book review.

“Soaked” is quite simply an enchanting book that captivates and delights youngsters from the first page to the last.

I can say that with some authority since I ‘tested’ the book on my two-year-old grandson William and his response to it was nothing short of remarkable. He not only asks for the book by name every time he sees me but also  — or so his parents tell me — at almost every bedtime.

Moreover, he has renamed it!

And the reason he did that is because the only word in the whole book that he didn’t understand was, by coincidence, its title … ‘Soaked.’ By the way, the inside cover states the book is for, “Age 3 and up,” but William, at two, lapped it up.

When I finished reading ‘Soaked’ to him for the very first time, William desperately wanted to hear it again and, without hesitation, asked me to read the “Rain Book,” which is, in fact, a wonderfully apt title.

That is now what it will be known as henceforward in our family since we took a copy on a family vacation recently and by the end of the week, every member of the family had read the ‘Rain Book’ to William multiple times!

First-time author-illustrator Abi Cushman of Niantic, Conn. is an extraordinarily talented illustrator. (Full disclosure, I know Abi, but primarily in a professional capacity.) Although she remains remarkably unassuming about the fact she is now a published author, she should be extremely proud of that achievement — and perhaps even more so, of the beautiful book that is the root of her new-found fame.

She has created four characters, Bear, Badger, Bunny and Moose, whom you feel you’ve known your whole life … in the same way that we all know Winnie-the-Pooh. Their respective personas come through loud and clear though Cushman uses very little narrative to convey them.

Moose is far and away William’s favorite character in the story.

Well, of course he is … who couldn’t be drawn to a Hula-Hooping moose? You’ve never heard of a Hula-Hooping moose? Neither had we, but he fits so perfectly into this delightful story, you take him completely for granted as though it’s perfectly normal for a moose to have a set of hula-hoops at which he is adept at using.

The hula-hoops are, in fact, key to this simple tale, cleverly linking its various elements and locations. The story travels from sad scenes in the depressing rain through to Bear’s dry cave (where there is insufficient space for Moose to hula-hoop, but he does it anyway!) followed by the rescue of a hula-hoop from a high branch (which involves a great deal of precarious standing on shoulders) and then the jovial collapse of the tower of animals.

All the animals, who topple together after successfully retrieving the hula-hoop, surface cheerfully in a mass of water and are thoroughly “soaked.” This jolly scene leads to the idea that Bear should try hula-hooping.

Now Bear, who is the story narrator, is a pretty grumpy fellow and anxious to maintain his negative outlook on the world, regardless of what befalls him. He does not want to enjoy hula-hooping but it is abundantly clearly from the charming illustrations that Bear takes to it like (and forgive the pun!) a duck to water, urged on by the ever-present, cheery Badger (with the bumble-bee umbrella) and bounce-along Bunny.

There are a variety of morals that can be drawn from this simple story and the reader can choose which one is most age-appropriate. It could be a deeper one like the value of true friends or the strength of teamwork, or simply that you don’t have to have sun to have fun.

There are other possibilities too and another strangely wonderful thing about this book is that there are many places in the text where you can fill in the story details as you wish, making it possible to create new twists to the story with every reading

I won’t be a spoiler and divulge the surprising ending to the story.

You’ll have to buy — or borrow — the book for yourself. And I strongly recommend you do just that because this is a very special book, which I predict will stand the test of time … perhaps even lasting as long as that beloved Pooh!  The illustrations on their own justify the purchase of the book.

This may be the humble Cushman’s first book but I’m confident it certainly won’t be her last. I sincerely hope we’ll soon be hearing more about the adventures of Bear, Badger, and Bunny and not forgetting, that Hula-Hooping Moose!

Editor’s Note: Visit Abi Cushman’s website for more information about the book and details of where to purchase it.

“Majestic’ in oil by Kim Muller-Thym is one of the signature works in the ‘Point of View’ 99th Annual Elected Artists Exhibition.

OLD LYME — The Lyme Art Association (LAA) presents two shows through Oct. 1:  Point of View: the 99th Annual Elected Artist Exhibition and Animal Kingdom.

The Elected Artists of the LAA are an elite group of professional artists, primarily from New England. Their work is predominantly representational, but encompasses a variety of styles, subjects and mediums.

This year is the 99th year that the show has been held in the current LAA gallery, but in fact, LAA artists held their exhibitions for many years prior in the Old Lyme-Phoebe Griffin Noyes Library.

‘Two to Tango’ (56″ x 38″) by Brian Keith Stephens is one of the signature paintings in the ‘Animal Kingdom’ show.

Another popular show, Animal Kingdom, will be hung in the Goodman Gallery concurrent with Point of View. Animal Kingdom presents works about furry, scaly, feathered, and finned creatures. Lyme Art Association member artists’ subjects range from ferocious to graceful to adorable.

Lyme Art Association Executive Director Laurie Pavlos comments, “It’s been wonderful to welcome the public back into the gallery after being closed. The annual Elected Artist show is always very impressive, and the subject matter of Animal Kingdom is popular with children and adults alike. We hope that many visitors come and enjoy these remarkable shows. It’s easy to socially distance and our visitors have reported feeling comfortable and safe.”

The LAA is located at 90 Lyme St. in Old Lyme, Conn. The gallery is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Wednesday through Sunday, and by appointment.

The LAA was founded in 1914 by the American Impressionists and continues the tradition of exhibiting and selling representational artwork by its members and invited artists, as well as offering art instruction and lectures to the community. The Association is located at 90 Lyme Street, Old Lyme, CT, in a building designed by Charles Adams Platt and located within the town’s historic district.

Admission is free with contributions appreciated. For more information on exhibitions, purchase of art, art classes, or becoming a member, call 860-434-7802 or visit www.lymeartassociation.org

OLD LYME — Nationally- and internationally-acclaimed sculptor Gilbert Boro is currently hosting the 6th annual Summer Sculpture Showcase in his Sculpture Grounds at 80-1 Lyme St. in Old Lyme.

The Showcase features selected sculptural works by more than 80 artists, which have been woven into the permanent outdoor display of around 100 works by Boro, who owns Studio 80 + Sculpture Grounds and lives in the residence located on the beautifully-landscaped 4.5 acre property.

The Sculpture Grounds, which gently roll down to the Lieutenant River, feature a variety of gardens and courtyards offering an en plein air art experience allowing visitors to enjoy large-scale contemporary sculpture in a unique setting. Members of the public are welcome to visit in person and there is no charge for admission.

Although Boro’s studio and indoor facilities, which are also located on the property, are currently closed to the public, visitors can still enjoy the Sculpture Grounds between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. daily while practicing safe social distancing measures. 

Visitors to the Sculpture Grounds have always been encouraged to touch and engage with the artwork, but at this time, it is requested that they refrain from physical contact with the sculptures and continue to practice infection reduction strategies as outlined by the Center for Disease Control.

Boro stresses, “The health and safety of our staff, artists, visitors, and community is our overriding concern.”

Alternatively the Summer Sculpture Showcase is accessible virtually through the end of October. Download the Otocast app for a  free audio tour of the Showcase with an interactive map, sculpture photos, and artist narratives. This software application allows visitors to take a tour from home or in person. Download the app from the Apple App or Google Play Stores and choose Old Lyme, CT to access the tour.

Asked to comment on how the 6th annual Summer Sculpture Showcase is being received, a delighted Boro says, “We are so pleased with the success of the Showcase. Despite this unprecedented day and age, we have had an abundance of positive feedback on the exhibition from our visitors, as well as our subscribers. In turn, we would like to express our thanks to our wonderful artists for making this happen.”

All of the sculptures on display are for sale and Boro explains, “The proceeds from our sculpture sales go directly to supporting the upkeep of the Sculpture Grounds, which enables us to keep the Grounds not only open but also with free admission to the public.”

For pricing inquiries or further information about the Sculpture Grounds, contact info@sculpturegrounds.com.