Issues → May/June 2008 → Travel →
6 Art Hits for the Summer
Museums and theaters you won't want to miss
Connecticut
Westport Country Playhouse.
In 2000, actress and Westport resident Joanne Woodward rescued the Country Playhouse from years of neglect and disrepair by stepping in as artistic director, leading a successful $30.5 million capital campaign to transform the venerable old red barn from a straw-hat summer-circuit venue into a year-round regional theater. In January of this year, Ms. Woodward came to the rescue again, returning as co-artistic director. Westport has a light and lively lineup in place for the summer, including the musical revue "Hot 'n' Cole: A Cole Porter Celebration" (June 10-28). Call or visit Web site for performance schedule; tickets: $30-$55.
25 Powers Court, Westport.
888-927-7529,
203-227-4177; westportplayhouse.org
Maine
Farnsworth Museum of Art.
The Farnsworth occupies an entire block of downtown Rockland with galleries, a gift shop, the Wyeth Center, and a historic house museum. This summer, the counterpoints to the romance of the Wyeths are the abstractions of Rockland native Louise Nevelson and the flat figures of Maine summer resident Alex Katz (both through October 26). Memorial Day-Labor Day open daily 10-5, closed Mon. rest of year; $10, seniors/students $8, ages 17 and under free.
16 Museum St., Rockland.
207-596-6457; farnsworthmuseum.org
Massachusetts
Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute.
Williamstown is an oasis of culture in the beautiful Berkshire Hills, home to both Williams College (with its own significant museum collection of 12,000 works, open free
to the public; wcma.org) and the incomparable Clark. The Clark's lovely 140-acre campus contains not only a celebrated collection of Old Master and Impressionist paintings but also an extensive research library and art conservation center. Featured summer exhibitions include "Like Breath on Glass: Whistler, Inness,
and the Art of Painting Softly." July-Aug. daily 10-5; Sept.-June Tues.-Sun. $12.50, students/ages 18 and under free.
225 South St., Williamstown.
413-458-2303; clarkart.edu
New Hampshire
Peterborough Players.
Over the course of 75 years, nearly 400 productions have enchanted audiences here. The history is told in a new book, "Our Playhouse," by Van Allen Sherman, available through the Players. This summer, to mark the anniversary, James Whitmore returns as the stage manager in Thornton Wilder's "Our Town." "Something is eternal," the character remarks, and it might be the appeal of sitting in a barn on a summer night listening to stories. June-September; call or visit the Web site for schedules and ticket prices.
55 Hadley Road, Peterborough.
603-924-7585; peterboroughplayers.org
Rhode Island
The RISD Museum of art.
The Rhode Island School of Design's museum has an amazingly large collection -- some 84,000 objects in all media -- and a plethora of specialized galleries. As RISD prepares to inaugurate its new Chace Center with a major installation by glass artist Dale Chihuly this fall, watch for a wild array of summer shows, from an exhibition of Styrofoam art (through July 20)
to 19th-century Japanese landscape prints (through October 5), among others.
Tues.-Sun. 10-5, third Thurs. of month 10-9; $8, seniors $5, students $3, ages 5-18 $2.
224 Benefit St., Providence.
401-454-6500; risd.edu/museum.cfm
Vermont
Simon Pearce Glass Factory.
Glassblowing is a fascinating process. Molten glass worked in its plastic state, dripping and oozing like honey, inflating like bubblegum, then hardening right before your eyes into brilliant forms -- it's magical and entrancing. At this factory in Windsor, the alchemy of glass is performed daily by the skilled craftspeople who create the elegant Pearce line of clear tableware. Deft hands turn gobs into goblets, blobs into bowls, as visitors watch from the balcony, holding their breath against the threat of breakage. Glassblowing is also on display at the Pearce store in downtown Quechee. Windsor Mon.-Sat. 9-5, Sun. 12-5; free. Quechee store open daily 9-9, glassblowing Mon.-Fri. 9-7, Sat.-Sun. 10:30-7; free.
Route 5, Windsor.
802-674-6280;
simonpearce.com/CSTM_WindsorWorkshop.aspx
1760 Quechee Main St., Quechee.
802-295-2711; simonpearce.com/CSTM_QuecheeWorkshop.aspx
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