Submissions now open! ASAP!’s 15th annual Celebration of Young Photographers invites students in grades 6-12 to submit their photographs for a chance to participate in a juried art exhibition. A panel of professional photographers selects 60 photos for a public exhibition, recognizing the top four photographers for their outstanding and thoughtful work based on the yearly theme.

Submissions: now - September 26, 2025

Theme: Transformation

Exhibition: Hartford Art School's Silpe Gallery. Sunday, November 2, 2025, 2:00-3:30 pm

Submissions and guidelines: visit asapct.org

Beginners and seasoned stitchers alike are invited to visit the Makerspace for our new summer Crochet Club with guest coach Missy Stevens! Bring a project you’ve been working on or the supplies to start a new one- you can borrow yarn and hooks from the Makerspace, too! Learn to crochet, get help with a project, or enjoy a relaxing afternoon with fellow stitchers at this fun event.

Missy Stevens is a maker and studio artist who uses thread, fabric, and clay to create unique pieces inspired by her connection to the natural world. After learning how to sew as a child, Missy has since explored many forms of textile art, including weaving, embroidery, crochet, and the punch needle embroidery technique she uses to create richly colored thread paintings with densely stitched loops of sewing thread. Her work has been exhibited across the country and featured in numerous books and magazines. 

Ages 18+

Registration Required: https://www.gunnlibrary.org/calendar/crochet-club-with-missy-stevens-2/

Participants must have a signed GML Makerspace waiver on file. Please arrive a few minutes early to complete this paperwork if this is your first Makerspace program.

In August, the Thursday evening book club at the Gunn will discuss another tour de force novel by Jodi Picoult: By Any Other Name. Readers are encouraged to participate in a dynamic discussion.

Aspiring playwright Melina Green has just completed a powerful new drama inspired by her ancestor, the Elizabethan poet Emilia Bassano. But in today’s theater world—still riddled with inequality—Melina doubts her work will ever see the stage. Disheartened and hesitant to risk another rejection, she’s blindsided when her best friend secretly submits the play to a prestigious festival under a male pseudonym.

In 1581, young Emilia Bassano is a ward of the English court, her intellect and talent nourished by lessons in language, history, and literature. Yet as a woman, her voice is silenced. When she’s forced into a relationship with the influential Lord Chamberlain—the man responsible for all theatrical productions in England—Emilia discovers the profound power of words to stir hearts and minds. Determined to make her mark, she hatches a daring plan: to bring her play to the public by enlisting a young actor named William Shakespeare to present it as his own.

Spanning centuries and told through dual narratives, By Any Other Name is a sweeping story of ambition, resilience, and the unrelenting pursuit of creative freedom. As both Melina and Emilia navigate the barriers placed before them, the novel raises provocative questions about authorship, legacy, and the price women pay to have their voices heard. Anchored in historical research, this moving tale ensures that Emilia Bassano’s name—and story—are remembered.

Registration is required: https://www.gunnlibrary.org/calendar/gml-thursday-book-club-by-any-other-name-by-jodi-picoult/

Join us for our largest fundraising event of the year!

This year, we host a concert on the grounds of the Bryan Memorial Town Hall, featuring rhythm & blues music by Personal Touch.

For select ticket tiers, a reception will follow with refreshments and hors d’oeuvres at the park.

Tickets starting at $10 are on sale now!

Free outdoor family movie nights are back at The Judy Black Memorial Park and Gardens on the third Friday of each month June through September, this time with an exciting new twist. Each screening will be part of a themed evening experience, featuring pre-movie fun which might include trivia, games, live music, sing-alongs and interactive audience activities.

On September 19, we'll be screening the 2012 animated Tim Burton film, "Frankenweenie." Young Victor Frankenstein (Charlie Tahan) is a science nerd and outsider at school, but he does have one good friend: his dog, Sparky. But then, tragedy strikes, and Sparky shuffles off this mortal coil. Victor is heartbroken, but his science teacher (Martin Landau) gives him an idea of how to jolt old Sparky back to life. The experiment is successful, and all goes well, until Victor's fellow students steal his secret and use it to resurrect other dead animals—with monstrous consequences.

Movie rolls at dusk. Check our website, Instagram or Facebook accounts for any changes or updates.