New 'Sight & Sound' Exhibit To Open At Norwalk Art Space

Information via the Norwalk Art Space

NORWALK, CT — The Norwalk Art Space has announced a summer opening for its upcoming exhibition, "SIGHT AND SOUND: Artists Consider Long Island Sound."

According to a news release provided by the Art Space, the exhibition will run in the main gallery, located at 455 West Avenue, from June 12 through Aug. 28.

This dynamic exhibition features eleven contemporary artists whose work explores Long Island Sound’s beauty, history, and evolving environmental story as one of the region's most vital, yet often overlooked, natural landscapes, according to the Art Space.

An opening reception will be held June 12 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., featuring remarks from curator Richard Klein and participating artists.

Admission is free and open to the public, according to the Art Space.

Participating artists include:

● Frances Ashforth (New Canaan)

● Christopher Baker (Brooklyn, N.Y.)
● Marion Belanger and Martha Willet Lewis (Guildford, New Haven)
● Christopher Coffin (Fairfield)
● Kenneth Martin (Norwalk)
● Brechin Morgan (Milford)
● Constance Old (New Canaan)
● James Prosek (Easton)
● Duke Riley (Brooklyn, N.Y.)
● Alexis Rockman (Warren)
● Jeremy Slater (Brooklyn, N.Y.)
● Beth Stewart-Kelly (West Haven)
● Catherine Vanaria (New Fairfield)

Designed by Klein, a notable artist, writer and curator, "SIGHT AND SOUND" invites audiences to delve into the sound's significance through diverse artistic perspectives, shedding light on its ecological resilience, rich cultural history, and striking natural beauty, according to the Art Space.

"Over eight million people live in the watershed of Long Island Sound, yet for most of the adjacent population, the sound has a certain invisibility," Klein said in a news release. "Other estuaries, for instance, Chesapeake Bay or Puget Sound, are revered and storied. Why has this expansive body of water boasting over 600 miles of coastline failed to attain the same cultural mystique of its peers?"

Klein's personal connection to the Sound deepened in September 2024, when he became the first artist-in-residence at Peck's Ledge Lighthouse, an initiative sponsored by the Art Space.

His extended time at this historic beacon between Norwalk and Westport provided a unique vantage point from which to explore and study the sound's intricate relationship with its surrounding communities, according to the Art Space.

While the sound has indeed drawn artists to its shores, most notably the art colonies founded in the late 19th century in Cos Cob and Lyme, a new generation of artists has focused on what Timothy Dwight, former president of Yale College, called "this fine piece of water," according to the Art Space.

"SIGHT AND SOUND" brings together artists who engage with Long Island Sound through a variety of media, including painting, drawing, photography, sculpture, and video.

From traditional landscape depictions to contemporary conceptual interpretations, the exhibition showcases a breadth of artistic responses, offering visitors an immersive experience of the sound’s complexities, according to the Art Space.

More information is available at the Norwalk Art Space website.