
The Amenia Free Library is located at 3309 Route 343 in downtown Amenia.
Photo by John Coston
The Amenia Free Library is located at 3309 Route 343 in downtown Amenia.
As autumn activities get underway, local libraries are doing their part to add to the enjoyment with special programs to supplement regular offerings which are listed on their websites along Libraries of Things which can introduce patrons to new activities.
Library directors detailed the possibilities in a recent Millerton News survey.
NorthEast-Millerton Library Director Rhiannon Leo-Jameson says the list of the dozen items in the Library of Things may be seen at nemillertonlibrary.org which also details limited access to ten museum passes, laptops and hotspots. She says upcoming activities are: “SANDIPITY a hands-on art workshop on Wednesday, Oct. 9, at 3:30 p.m.; a tag sale on Saturday, Oct. 12 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. in front yard Memorial Garden; an AARP Smart Driver Course, Friday, Oct. 25, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. with registration required; Open Houses Tuesday, Oct. 22 from 5 to 6:30 p.m., and Saturday, Oct. 26 from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.; and the Festival of Frights Thursday, Oct. 31 from 5 to 7 p.m.” The Annex at 28 Century Blvd. is the site of voting on Tuesday, Nov. 5 from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. with the Annual Holiday Fundraising Craft sale on Saturday, Nov. 9 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. For information call (518) 789-3340.
Millbrook Library Director Courtney Tsahalis said, “We are very proud of our community fridge which is made possible thanks to our partnership with the Millbrook Rotary. Anyone who needs it can come and take food, no questions asked ... We have lawn games, a wax melter, and mini donut maker, a portable DVD player, and we just added a podcast microphone ... On Nov. 16 at 11 a.m., we are holding a program in partnership with the Millbrook Arts Group called Pulso De Barrio — Mexican Folk Music Workshop. The Friends of Millbrook Library will also be holding their popular Holiday Silent Auction again this year in December.” Call (845) 677-3611 or check millbrooklibrary.org for information about ongoing programs at the library at 3 Friendly Lane.
Tamara Gaskell, Director of the Roeliff Jansen Community Library at 9091 State Route 22, Hillsdale notes their Library of Things includes “a seed library, camping equipment, cake pans, hotspots, and some themed backpacks with books and materials--on birds, stars, insects, ponds and streams, and dark skies.” She said scheduled special programs include: “a film screening of Hudson, America, Oct. 5; Putting Your Garden to Bed, Oct. 6: Alfred Hitchcock film screening, Oct. 12; Pumpkin painting, Oct. 19; Your Indoor Garden, Nov. 10; Marionette Performance of The Last Dragon by the Puppet People, Dec. 7; Holiday Centerpiece Workshop, Dec. 15; Friends Cookies, Soup and Book sale, Dec. 13-14.” All programs are listed at roejanlibrary.org. Call (518) 325-4101 for details.
Annie Mallozzi, Assistant Director of the Pine Plains Free Library at 777 S. Main St., said they are expanding offerings to include a spice library which “focuses on Central and South American spices.” She adds, “We’re hosting a workshop for teens on Tuesday, Oct. 8 at 5 p.m. on cooking ‘Easy, Good, and Cheap Recipes’” with an after school program Monday through Thursday. English Classes are held on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 6:30 p.m.. and Wednesdays at 10:30 a.m. Call (518) 398-1927 or go to pineplainslibrary.org for information.
The Amenia Free Library offers home delivery and curbside pickup at 3309 Route 343. Library Director Victoris Herow says their expanded fall hours are listed at amenialibrary.org. “Navigating Medicare” will be presented on Thursday, Oct. 17 at 11 a.m.; An AARPP Safe Driving Course will take place Monday, Oct. 28 and Tuesday, Oct. 29 from 1 - 4:30 p.m. Call (845) 373-8273 for required registration.
Stanford Library Director Christa Cerue says the Library’s quarterly Repair Cafe will take place on Saturday, Oct. 5 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Library at 6035 Route 82, Stanfordville. For information on their multiple regular programs and the Library of Things including a ukulele, board games, tennis and pickleball equipment, and backpacks, check stanfordlibrary.org, or call (845) 868-1341.
Dancers from Pilobolus will perform at the NWCT Arts Council spring fundraiser on April 26 in Washington Depot, Conn.
On Saturday, April 26, the Northwest Connecticut Arts Council will host a special evening, Arts Connected, their spring fundraiser celebrating the power of creativity and community. Held at the Bryan Memorial Town Hall in Washington Depot from 5 to 8 p.m., this event brings together artists, performers, and neighbors for a magical night filled with inspiration, connection and joy.
Award-winning designer and arts advocate Diane von Furstenberg and her granddaughter Antonia Steinberg are honorary co-chairs of the event. Their shared love of the arts informs the spirit of the evening.
Antonia Steinberg, above, President of Bucks Rock Camp in New Milford that she first attended as a camper when she was ten years old. Antonia is co-chair, with her grandmother Diane Von Furstenberg of the NWCT Arts Council fundraiser.Provided
“As someone whose life was profoundly shaped by the arts — as a child at Buck’s Rock and now as President of its Board — I’ve seen firsthand the transformative power of the arts; how creative spaces can empower young people, build community, and nurture well-rounded problem solvers. That’s why I’m so honored to co-host the Northwest CT Arts Council Gala. Their work in supporting artists and cultural organizations across Connecticut is essential,” said Steinberg.
Von Furstenberg’s influence in fashion and culture, and Steinberg’s leadership at Buck’s Rock reflect the intergenerational impact of the arts,” said NWCT Arts Council board president Sunday Fisher. “Their participation underscores the power of creative expression as a defining force in our community.” Steinberg is the president of Buck’s Rock Camp, a non-profit performing and creative arts camp in New Milford that she first attended as a 10-year-old camper.
Diane Von Furstenberg, co-chair of NWCT Arts Council fundraiser.Provided
Steph Burr, executive director at NWCT Arts Council, added, “Events like Arts Connected are at the heart of what we do — bringing people together, lifting up artists, and reminding us of the essential role creativity plays in our lives. The Council works year-round to ensure the arts not only survive but thrive across our region.”
NWCT Arts Council is a nonprofit that serves as advocates for the arts. Through regranting efforts, public art support, legislative advocacy, and their regional events calendar, they work to ensure the arts are accessible and celebrated in every corner of their 25-town service area.
Burr continued, “The arts in Northwest Connecticut are vibrant, evolving, and deeply rooted in community. There’s a quiet but powerful creative pulse running through these hills — one that reflects the resilience, diversity, and passion of the people who call this region home. Over the past few years, artists and cultural organizations have navigated challenges with heart and determination, despite ongoing funding volatility. Through our advocacy and collaborative programming, we ensure the arts remain essential and accessible in our community.”
Highlights of the April 26 fundraiser include performances by Pilobolus, Sherman Chamber Ensemble, Ysanne Marshall & the Lotus Blues, hand pan musician Jeremy Driscoll, and a curated art exhibition, NW25 Gallery, featuring local artists. Sponsors Litchfield Distillery, Kent Falls Brewing Company, and Executive Cuisine catering will provide the food and drink.
Ticket prices are $125, open to guests 21 and older, available online at givebutter.com/artsconnected.For more information or to ask about sponsorship opportunities, email Katherine Pelletier at katherine@artsnwct.org or visit givebutter.com/artsconnectedsponsorship.
Arts Connected is made possible thanks to the generous support of sponsors; Antonia Steinberg is sponsoring all the artists for the event and Valiant Energy and Torrington Savings Bank are presenting the event.Additional sponsors include William Raveis Lifestyle Realty, Litchfield Magazine, Housatonic Heritage, Art Bank 7, Harney & Sons Teas, Aquarion Water, The Lost Fox Inn, George Home, NKYV Rituals, and Litchfield Distillery.
Lily Al-Nemri, founder and owner, and artistic director and painter Rudy Vavra at Tyte medispa and gallery in Millbrook.
The painter Rudy Vavra once created floor collages in Texas. You could, in theory, lie on them. Now, years later and much farther north, his work graces the walls of a medispa in Millbrook, New York where he also serves as the artistic director. You can still lie down, just not on the art. Instead, you might be undergoing an EmFace non-surgical facelift while surrounded by twenty-two of Vavra’s paintings.
The space, Tyte Medispa in Millbrook, is equal parts gallery and treatment center, the brainchild of Lily Al-Nemri, a medical aesthetician and now gallery owner. She also owns the nail salon, Bryte, down the street on Franklin Avenue. A few years ago, feeling she was outgrowing that space, she looked to expand and, just a few blocks away, found this rather sprawling maze of rooms with the gallery that now inhabits the grand central ballroom. “This used to be a gym,” she said. “It was way more than I was looking for, but I went for it.”
Vavra, a self-professed “painter’s painter,” has spent decades layering pigment in his barn-turned-studio in Milan, New York. “I find paintings as much as I make them,” he mused. “Some happen quickly, others are slow.” Of this latest collection, he said, “Some people call them busy. I think they’re slow.” His marks accumulate with a kind of devotional persistence, like petals left at a shrine. “A while ago, I saw a photographic image of a shrine,” Vavra said. “I don’t know if it was a Buddhist shrine or what, but there were colors on the ground all around it, and I realized they were the stains of flowers left in the worship. That’s very similar to the way I paint.”
The collection of paintings on view at Tyte — some as large as a shrine — are meditations on color, inviting the viewer to slow down. Or speed up. Whether viewers are activated or soothed by the images is neither Vavra’s intention nor within his control. Still, he said that watching people interact with the work has been a real treat. “Now that I have my paintings here, I get to see them all together,” he said. “It’s only when they’re all together that I see how they talk to each other. It’s interesting to see people come in and go to have a treatment and come out. It’s a very interesting connection.”
And what is the connection? What could be a disjointed pairing — aesthetics and aesthetic medicine — has become, improbably, a perfectly logical continuum. “They’re related in a sense,” Vavra said.
Aly Morrissey
Al-Nemri, a former radiologist who taught for over a decade at Westchester Community College, is no stranger to layering, precision, or the quiet rigor of care. Her incredible menu of services — Botox, body contouring, pelvic floor therapies — are the cutting edge of the industry. Of Vavra, Al-Nemri said, “I fell in love with his work, and we just hit it off.” It’s a kind of kismet that seems to hover over the place. Pilates mat classes take place twice a week in the main gallery space and both Al-Nemri and Vavra have loved watching clients pause, eyes caught by a stripe of cerulean or a vibrating cluster of brushstrokes. “Something will catch their eye,” said Vavra. “They’re looking for something in it.”
So, this gallery-meets-spa (or is it the other way around?) has plans. Vavra will be curating six shows a year. Laurie Adams’s photographs will be hung in June, a group show of local artists will share the space in July and August, and a Fall show will feature twenty women artists, which Vavra is eager to anchor with a piece by Judy Pfaff. “There’s nothing like this on this side of the county,” he said of the light drenched space. “It’s been a bit sleepier here. We want to wake it up.”
He means it kindly; sleep certainly has its place. But here in Millbrook, amid the low drone of machines designed to rejuvenate, something unexpected has emerged. Perhaps that’s what both Al-Nemri and Vavra are really after — not the quick fix or the final image, but the suspended moment, the long look. A face seen anew. A painting revealed slowly, in silence.
As for Vavra’s curatorial process? “I just unpack the paintings, lean them against the wall, and look,” he said. “Eighty percent of the time, they’re already where they’re supposed to be.”