This year our nation is celebrates the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence – without a doubt the most radical and influential revolutionary document humankind has produced. With its clarion pronouncement of self-evident truths – “that all men are created equal” — that they are “endowed with certain unalienable rights” – the Declaration continues to resonate worldwide. At the same time we, as a nation, have struggled to realize its great vision. With this in mind, some of Connecticut’s best poets propose a Poets’ Perspective on the 250th. This will be a reading of political poems written out of a patriotic love of country but tempered by a yearning for what our country might be if we as a people continue to strive for a realization of our founding ideals. This will be the thoughtful celebration the Declaration of Independence deserves, and we all need.

The poets who have written and will read these poems include Margaret Gibson, Frederick Douglass Knowles II, and Christie Max Williams.

Margaret Gibson is widely regarded as one of America’s best poets. She is the Emerita Poet Laureate of Connecticut and author of 13 books of poems, which have won many prestigious awards.

Frederick Douglass Knowles II is the Emeritus Poet Laureate of Hartford and Professor of English at Connecticut State Community College. He is the award-winning author of the just-published Sinking in Moonlight Alone and Blackrosecity (2011).

Christie Max Williams is the inaugural Poet Laureate of Stonington. His book, The Wages of Love, won the William Meredith Poetry Prize and North Street Book Prize.

Suggested donation $5.

Sponsored in part by a legacy gift from Diana Leslie, in her memory.

At the heart of Beethoven’s monumental Op. 132 lies a profound meditation—tranquility achieved through adversity and an ascent to jubilant triumph. Nearly a century later, in the shadow of World War II’s devastation, Shostakovich’s Third Quartet restlessly explores humanity’s capacity for hope in the face of despair; its unresolved tensions mirroring the fractures of a broken world.

Conversely, Puccini’s Crisantemi embodies the chrysanthemum’s symbolism: fleeting beauty and the bittersweet interplay of vitality and loss. This tapestry of sound illuminates the quintessential resilience and enduring nature of humans on their quest to find meaning in turmoil.

Please join us as we welcome back the wonderful Balourdet Quartet!

Advance tickets are $25 and available online only. Click here to purchase. A limited number of tickets may be available at the door on the day of the concert. Doors open at 4:30 PM. All seating is unreserved. Please note this concert has a longer run time than usual– it will run approximately 90 minutes with a brief intermission.

An anonymous donor is generously sponsoring this concert.

This exhibition features the work of three local photographers. Although Diana Stork, Annie Osterhout, and
David Hendley all live in the Stonington area, their photography takes them to many different places.

Diana Stork’s photography explores details, patterns, and moods. Her images reveal moments, wonders,
and relationships that often go unnoticed, inviting viewers to look closely at the interplay of shape, space,
shadow, and light.  For this show, Diana has chosen images from several of her collections, including Dawn & Dusk and
Geometry Around Us. Viewers will witness beauty and wonder of places near and far.

Annie Osterhout’s photography captures the beauty, texture, and sculptural elegance of flowers. Using light,
color, and composition, she transforms natural moments into timeless works of art that invite the viewer to
pause, look more closely, and experience flowers in a new way. In this show, viewers will be treated to Annie’s glorious images and introduced to her fashion line inspired by her photography. Her wearable art blurs the boundaries between photography and fashion.

David Hendley is a landscape and nature photographer whose images engage viewers in emotional
conversations beyond those of daily life. Patiently, and in quiet solitude, David observes and then composes
the fleeting moments that have the potential to move one’s soul. For this exhibit David has chosen to display three themes: White Lotus & Water Lilies, NYC Urban and Nature, Solitude of Minimalism.

Exhibit Opening, Friday, January 8th, from 5-7pm.

Exhibit will run through the end of February; please call for hours.