Hey Greenwich! Did You Know ... You Can Color Your World With Art?

Today is Thursday, May 17, 2012 and it's not the pits—it's National Cherry Cobbler Day.

This day in history:

In a major civil rights victory in 1954, the U.S. Supreme Court hands down an unanimous decision in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, ruling that racial segregation in public educational facilities is unconstitutional.

In 1983, the New York Islanders win their fourth consecutive Stanley Cup, sweeping the Edmonton Oilers four games to none with a 4-2 win at home on New York’s Long Island.

Marcia Kadish, 56, and Tanya McCloskey, 52, marry at Cambridge City Hall in Massachusetts, becoming the first legally married same-sex partners in the United States in 2004.

Things you should know:

It's an arts-filled weekend

There are always plenty of arts-related events and programs in Greenwich practically everyday. And this weekend isn't any exception.

You can jumpstart your weekend today at the where Icarus and the Myth of the Fallen Angel, a two-artist show inspired by the classic Greek myth, opens in the GAC's Bendheim Gallery. It will feature the works of painter Patricia Arnillas and photographer/mixed media artist Ana De Orbegoso.

The theme of reckless ambition was the starting point for this unique collaboration between the two prominent Latin American artists. While having become familiar with each other’s work more than 2 decades ago, their joint fascination with the classic Icarus story and how it reflected a basic constant of human nature galvanized them to create this special project. 

There will be 20 of Arnillas’ oil paintings, which are abstracts that combine the clash of shadowy marks of dark color across turbulently worked surfaces of grey and brown. Arnillas’ works have been extensively exhibited world-wide, including the recent 2011 Florence Biennial. She is the founder of Contraposto Art Studio, a New York decorative painting firm and artist space.

De Orbegoso, a painter, photographer and mixed media artist, will exhibit 20 of her large scale photographs. Many of De Orbegoso’s photographs are printed on canvas and consist of a series of panels.

Icarus and the Myth of the Fallen Angel will run at the Blenheim Gallery of the GAC through July 1. Gallery hours are 10 a.m. - 5 p.m., weekdays; noon - 4 p.m., weekends. Admission is free. The Greenwich Arts Council is on the 2nd floor of the Senior/Arts Center, 299 Greenwich Ave. For more information or to arrange for a guided tour, log on to www.greenwicharts.org or call 203.862.6750.

The ’s 27th Annual Outdoor Crafts Festival takes place on Saturday and Sunday, May 19 and 20, on the grounds of the museum, 1 Museum Dr., Greenwich. The festival will run from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day, and is to feature juried exhibitors specializing in ceramics, jewelry, wood, wearable and decorative fiber, metalwork, leather, paper arts and glass. All of the works are for sale.

More than 80 artisans will display their unique talents and crafts at the  festival that attracts thousands of visitors each year. The festival also includes fun and educational activities for children, international cuisine, and live music performances inside and outside the museum.

New exhibitors along with some previous favorites are featured this year. The artists will be competing for $3600 in prizes. This year the judges are Dennis Bradbury of 22 Haviland Street Gallery in Norwalk and Gabrielle Savage, the Gallery Manager from Silvermine Arts Center in New Canaan.

On May 19, from 12 to 4 pm, the live entertainment features the blues-rock sounds of Lucid on the main stage. On May 20, The Mallett Brothers Band from Portland, ME, performs from 12 to 4 p.m. Ed Wright plays acoustic originals on guitar both days from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Performances inside the museum on Sunday, May 20, include Sono Guitar School student recital from 11 a.m. to noon and Annalisa Ewald on classical guitar from 1 to 4 pm.

The festival is held rain or shine and admission is free to museum members, $8 for non-members, and free for children under five. Admission includes all festival activities and entry to the museum, which is open to the public during festival hours.

For information, visit www.brucemuseum.org, or call (203) 869-0376.

And for some horticultural art

In case you haven't noticed, it's officially spring in downtown Greenwich and in Cos Cob. On Wednesday (starting at 6 a.m.), crews from hung hundreds of flower baskets filled with pink 'Dragon Wing' begonias and ivy atop the lampposts in those areas.

The annual hanging basket program is done in partnership with . It all begins in March when nursery personnel begin with small 4-inch plants in their North Street greenhouses. After a couple months of nurturing, they are placed in the large moss-filled baskets and prepared for the early morning hanging along Greenwich Avenue, Putnam Avenue in Greenwich and in Cos Cob.

 

Traffic alert:

Connecticut Light & Power continues its power line and equipment upgrades around town. Drivers should expect some delays on:

• North Street, between the Merritt Parkway and Fairfield Road
• Sound Shore Drive
• Station Road
• Indian Field Road
• Circle Drive
• Loughlin Avenue
• Bruce Park Avenue Extension

Meetings today at Greenwich Town Hall:

None.

If you prefer the clicker instead of being there, there's Greenwich Community Television (GCTV) on either Fios Channel 24 or Cablevision's Channel 79.

6:55 am BET Budget Committee Meeting , April, 2012 3:30 pm Einstein, Franklin, and the Role of Creativity in Today's World 4:35 pm My Hometown Hero: Benedict Arnold 4:45 pm Boss Tweed and Greenwich 5:00 pm The Greenwich Symphony presents The Young People's Concert 6:00 pm The Cos Cob Story 6:30 pm Board of Selectmen Meeting, May 10, 2012 9:00 pm Board of Estimate & Taxation Meeting, March, 2012

 

And if you prefer movie entertainment, here's the schedule for:

Bow Tie Criterion Cinemas at Greenwich Plaza
Showtimes for Thursday, May 17, 2012
Dark Shadows (PG-13)
Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter
113 minutes
Trailer 4:30, 7:15
Digital;
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (PG-13)
Bill Nighy, Maggie Smith
118 minutes
Trailer 4:15, 7:00, 7:45
Digital;
Darling Companion (PG-13)
Diane Keaton, Kevin Kline
103 minutes
Trailer 4:45 PM
Digital;

 

Sources: history.com