
Kneeland Munson owner of KM Cattle (Falls Village) in the John Deere tractor with round baler attachment wrapped the rows of hay which turns into the round bale as pictured.
Kayla Jacquier
Kneeland Munson owner of KM Cattle (Falls Village) in the John Deere tractor with round baler attachment wrapped the rows of hay which turns into the round bale as pictured.
In Connecticut, we get a full four seasons. Bitter cold and snowy winters give way to lush springs, hot summers, and scenic falls.
To many, this is a predictable and reliable cycle. But farmers see the seasons differently.
Crop growth switches throughout the time of year and depends on weather. It is a delicate rhythm that farmers must balance for crop rotation and growth as the year marches on.
The correspondence between soil health, crop growth, leading yield, and weather is a vital harmony for success in the agricultural industry. The winter weather, from December to February, provides a much-needed rest period for fieldwork. It’s the ideal time for farmers to take stock of their seed inventory and prepare equipment for planting, highlighting the role of weather in the agricultural cycle.
By spring, the nutrient-filled fields are planted. Corn, grasses, and other varieties of vegetables are often highly produced locally for the agricultural industry. To naturally boost the bountiful crops, farmers may increase aggregate nutrients.
“Improved soil health assists the region long-term through: increased carbon sequestration rates, better soil organic matter and improved microbial activity, increased water infiltration, improved pollinator habitat — as well as increasing yields and profits. Improved soil health helps preserve local agricultural systems for future generations,” stated Shelby Washburn, a fourth-generation farmer from Laurelbrook Farm in East Canaan.
The planting process for larger plots typically includes heavy equipment and tractors with specific accessories to plant efficiently with maximized success in a shorter time frame. The two schools of seed planting are separated by tillage and no-till methods, both with their advantages and disadvantages. Tilling is turning the soil to better separate the aggregates for seed; however, it is more labor-intensive. The opposing method is the no-till option, which directly plants the seed into the ground without as much soil preparation.
Pictured above is a Laurelbrook Farm Field that portrays the difference of a hay field after first cut to a corn field that is still standing in the month of July — difference between a cycle timeline between different plants.Kayla Jacquier
Once seeding is done, in a short time the germination process begins to cover the field with the luscious green of growing crops. The farmers who planted their yields by hand or equipment indulge in the sight of hard work beginning to pay off.
When traveling through the area during summer, the eye often sees leafy growth amongst a field. Primary products for the local agricultural industry take root and lead to hay, additional types of grass, and vegetables. Specifically, different types of corn are significant products grown locally in the Northwest Corner. Ford Farm stand in East Canaan feeds many families with corn on the cob, while cattle companies plant just for animal feed. For decades, the corn-growing agriculturalists have used the Farmer’s Almanac term “knee high by the fourth of July” to help measure the ideal crop growth goal for corn.
While waiting for the green and yellow vegetables to be ready, this is hay season. Hay is what many people refer to as the overgrown lawn that needs to be mowed. More accurately, hay is cut about three times in this season to be turned into bales for the remainder of the year. When the field of tall grasses gets mowed, they then get raked into rows as needed and converted to square bales or wrapped into round bales.
The first cut of hay has the most variety of grasses, high levels of fiber, thicker stems, and a yellow tinge of color. The second cut can be classified as the higher fat and protein bunch with a greener color. The final cut is leafy, with the highest fat and protein content and the lowest fiber levels. The third cut can look the greenest of all.
Corn progression of growth — what it looks like in July.Kayla Jacquier
When fall finally rolls around from September to November, also referred to as harvest season, is when the tractor-trailer trucks are lining up on the road filled with corn. The corn is produced to consume for the remainder of the year. The importance of harvest season surpasses just the agricultural industry both economically and nutritionally and supports all industries. From farm markets and grocery stores to the economy cycling, the food rations would decrease without the harvested goods and the money passing through businesses.
With the arrival of winter, the process is recycled in the same order. New modern equipment, tools and techniques keep every year exciting. Endless hurdles of weather and risk must be overcome to provide these products, yet they bring greater rewards.
Each passing year continues the growth of goods and knowledge. From the snow melting and grasses green to when the tree leaves become warm-toned and raked off. The yearly cycle of a farm yields benefits that are endless and necessary.
Agriculture author Brenda Schoepp summed it up: “Once in a lifetime, you may need a doctor. You may also need a lawyer at least once. You may need a policeman at least once, and you will probably need a preacher at least once anyway. But every day, three times a day, you need a farmer.”
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.”