Mark your calendar and ready your totes—the seasonal Washington farmers market will soon be returning to The Judy Black Memorial Park and Gardens beginning May 24! Your Saturdays are about to get a whole lot fresher with the bounty that comes from the fields, greenhouses and kitchens of Litchfield County’s best growers and makers. 

Enjoy locally grown veggies, freshly baked breads and pastries, pasture-raised meats, artisanal cheeses, delectable dairy, scrumptious seafood and more. The market also features fresh-cut flowers and handmade pet food, too. Rotating musicians will also be performing during many of our farmers markets.

Catch the market every Saturday from 9:30 am to 12:30 pm through November 22.

Follow the market on Instagram at @washingtonctfarmersmarket for the latest news and updates.

Get ready for warmer weather by creating beautiful, seasonal crafts! Youngsters can use colorful paper, craft sticks, gems, and paper butterflies to design their own unique creations to take home. All materials will be provided, and the activity is fun for all ages!

Registration required

One week a year, six local artists get together and paint at Onadune, a sprawling family house in Rhode Island. A giant porch, surrounded on three sides by the Atlantic, serves as their studio. The painters ( insert names or list above?) met fifteen years ago at the Washington Art Association, in Ira Barkoff’s class, and have continued sharing their work and ideas ever since.

While the artists have very different styles, interpretations, and backgrounds in the arts, the artwork created at Onadune shares a singular flavor of salt air and light. This special place has given the artists the rare opportunity to paint from dawn to dusk, follow their instincts while supported by each other, and has cemented the bond forged at the Washington Art Association.

The exhibit brings the viewer to Onadune and shows how six different artists have used

the same place for inspiration and personal artistic growth.The artists:

Joanne Conant

A jeweler and recognized enamellist, Joanne brought her talent to seascapes fifteen years ago and never looked back. A resident of Newtown and a former teacher at Brookfield Craft center, she is well known for her cloisonné enamels and jewelry and brings much of that sensibility to her paintings.

Elizabeth MacDonald

After Elizabeth worked as an actor in Seattle, she moved to her Bridgewater residence and started her journey with clay. She is known for her vessels, large scale mosaics, sculptures, and paintings on clay. Her time at Onadune has expanded her paintings on slate as well as canvas.

Ronnie Maddalena

A graphic designer living in Warren, Ronnie contributes her graphics skills to many important corporate and local causes, including The Farmer’sTable. Ronnie creates brilliant and exuberant still lifes, both found and arranged.

Kathleen Love Mooney

A resident of West Cornwall, Kathleen started her career as a fashion designer in NYC designing clothing on silk that she hand-painted. Her focus is painting landscapes; she continues to paint everything she sees.

Karen Simmons

Was an architect in NYC, and in France, and joined WAA when she moved to Woodbury, CT. Her paintings, landscapes and still-lifes, reflect both her architectural and European background.

Wendy Walker

Has previously worked as both an illustrator and a scenic artist /designer in NYC. When she moved to Roxbury Ct, she started painting “a little smaller” and paints landscapes and subjects that inspire her emotionally.

The Gunn Memorial Library Stairwell Gallery is pleased to present Restoration: Landscapes & Botanical Abstracts in Gouache, an exhibition of beautiful landscapes and botanicals by artist Susan Newbury, on view from April 5 through May 31.

Susan’s work is a celebration of nature’s depth and detail, drawing inspiration from the stunning landscapes, waterscapes, and gardens of her rural New York State roots and her home in Litchfield County. With a background in graphic and fashion design, her artistic practice has evolved into a dynamic exploration of color, pattern, and movement. She works primarily in gouache, acrylic, and mixed media on paper, canvas, and wood panel, using a bright, rich palette to create layered compositions that blend natural elements with abstract forms.

“Nature not only provides the subject matter but the solitude, joy, and purpose for my paintings, creating a place of quiet introspection and restoration,” she says. Her work reflects this philosophy, infusing familiar landscapes with energy and emotion while maintaining a sense of tranquility and balance. Inspired by both the botanical world and interior design elements such as fabric, wallpaper, and tilework, her paintings feature repeating shapes and striking color contrasts for an unexpected visual experience.

Her instinctive approach to painting allows her to let go of the rules, creating compositions that are both structured and free-flowing. She paints in her Litchfield County studio and accepts commission work.

Gunn Memorial Library is located at 5 Wykeham Road at the juncture of Route 47 opposite the Green in Washington, CT. Library hours may be found at gunnlibrary.org.

For more information call (860)868-7586 or email, adoerwald@gunnlibrary.org.

The Gunn Memorial Library Stairwell Gallery is pleased to present Restoration: Landscapes & Botanical Abstracts in Gouache, an exhibition of beautiful landscapes and botanicals by artist Susan Newbury, on view from April 5 through May 31.

Susan’s work is a celebration of nature’s depth and detail, drawing inspiration from the stunning landscapes, waterscapes, and gardens of her rural New York State roots and her home in Litchfield County. With a background in graphic and fashion design, her artistic practice has evolved into a dynamic exploration of color, pattern, and movement. She works primarily in gouache, acrylic, and mixed media on paper, canvas, and wood panel, using a bright, rich palette to create layered compositions that blend natural elements with abstract forms.

“Nature not only provides the subject matter but the solitude, joy, and purpose for my paintings, creating a place of quiet introspection and restoration,” she says. Her work reflects this philosophy, infusing familiar landscapes with energy and emotion while maintaining a sense of tranquility and balance. Inspired by both the botanical world and interior design elements such as fabric, wallpaper, and tilework, her paintings feature repeating shapes and striking color contrasts for an unexpected visual experience.

Her instinctive approach to painting allows her to let go of the rules, creating compositions that are both structured and free-flowing. She paints in her Litchfield County studio and accepts commission work.

Gunn Memorial Library is located at 5 Wykeham Road at the juncture of Route 47 opposite the Green in Washington, CT. Library hours may be found at gunnlibrary.org.

For more information call (860)868-7586 or email, adoerwald@gunnlibrary.org.

One week a year, six local artists get together and paint at Onadune, a sprawling family house in Rhode Island. A giant porch, surrounded on three sides by the Atlantic, serves as their studio. The painters ( insert names or list above?) met fifteen years ago at the Washington Art Association, in Ira Barkoff’s class, and have continued sharing their work and ideas ever since.

While the artists have very different styles, interpretations, and backgrounds in the arts, the artwork created at Onadune shares a singular flavor of salt air and light. This special place has given the artists the rare opportunity to paint from dawn to dusk, follow their instincts while supported by each other, and has cemented the bond forged at the Washington Art Association.

The exhibit brings the viewer to Onadune and shows how six different artists have used

the same place for inspiration and personal artistic growth.The artists:

Joanne Conant

A jeweler and recognized enamellist, Joanne brought her talent to seascapes fifteen years ago and never looked back. A resident of Newtown and a former teacher at Brookfield Craft center, she is well known for her cloisonné enamels and jewelry and brings much of that sensibility to her paintings.

Elizabeth MacDonald

After Elizabeth worked as an actor in Seattle, she moved to her Bridgewater residence and started her journey with clay. She is known for her vessels, large scale mosaics, sculptures, and paintings on clay. Her time at Onadune has expanded her paintings on slate as well as canvas.

Ronnie Maddalena

A graphic designer living in Warren, Ronnie contributes her graphics skills to many important corporate and local causes, including The Farmer’sTable. Ronnie creates brilliant and exuberant still lifes, both found and arranged.

Kathleen Love Mooney

A resident of West Cornwall, Kathleen started her career as a fashion designer in NYC designing clothing on silk that she hand-painted. Her focus is painting landscapes; she continues to paint everything she sees.

Karen Simmons

Was an architect in NYC, and in France, and joined WAA when she moved to Woodbury, CT. Her paintings, landscapes and still-lifes, reflect both her architectural and European background.

Wendy Walker

Has previously worked as both an illustrator and a scenic artist /designer in NYC. When she moved to Roxbury Ct, she started painting “a little smaller” and paints landscapes and subjects that inspire her emotionally.

Feeling stressed? Visit the Makerspace to relax and unwind at this calming craft night. Work on a project from home or make a collage as you listen to tranquil music and spend time with friends.

Ages 18+

Registration Required: https://www.gunnlibrary.org/calendar/peaceful-palettes-collage/

For preschool children and their caregivers. A cheery program of stories, music, rhymes and crafts designed for busy toddlers.

No registration required

Discover what the CNC machine can do in this beginner-friendly workshop! You’ll learn how to create a design in Canva and then program the CNC to engrave it on a wooden picture frame. Frames will be cut after the workshop and can be picked up at the library at a later date.

18+

Registration Required: https://www.gunnlibrary.org/calendar/adult-workshop-engraved-frames/

ASAP!’s annual fundraiser is not only a night of celebration but a crucial source of funding for the arts-infused educational programming we provide to youth in our community. Your participation in this extraordinary evening of art and live performances directly supports a world where young people’s passion for learning is ignited.

Join us to honor Founder JoAnne Torti’s remarkable 26-year legacy and welcome our new Executive Director, Ali Psomas. Let’s celebrate the rich history and exciting future of ASAP! with host Ellen McCourt!

Families are welcome. We look forward to celebrating with you!

Attire

Casual cocktail

Program

5:30-6:00 pm – Check-in, snacks, and open bar

6:00-7:00 pm – ASAP! Youth Ensemble and Celebration of Young Writers performances

7:00-8:00 pm – Food, open bar, and Celebration of Young Photographers exhibition

One week a year, six local artists get together and paint at Onadune, a sprawling family house in Rhode Island. A giant porch, surrounded on three sides by the Atlantic, serves as their studio. The painters ( insert names or list above?) met fifteen years ago at the Washington Art Association, in Ira Barkoff’s class, and have continued sharing their work and ideas ever since.

While the artists have very different styles, interpretations, and backgrounds in the arts, the artwork created at Onadune shares a singular flavor of salt air and light. This special place has given the artists the rare opportunity to paint from dawn to dusk, follow their instincts while supported by each other, and has cemented the bond forged at the Washington Art Association.

The exhibit brings the viewer to Onadune and shows how six different artists have used

the same place for inspiration and personal artistic growth.The artists:

Joanne Conant

A jeweler and recognized enamellist, Joanne brought her talent to seascapes fifteen years ago and never looked back. A resident of Newtown and a former teacher at Brookfield Craft center, she is well known for her cloisonné enamels and jewelry and brings much of that sensibility to her paintings.

Elizabeth MacDonald

After Elizabeth worked as an actor in Seattle, she moved to her Bridgewater residence and started her journey with clay. She is known for her vessels, large scale mosaics, sculptures, and paintings on clay. Her time at Onadune has expanded her paintings on slate as well as canvas.

Ronnie Maddalena

A graphic designer living in Warren, Ronnie contributes her graphics skills to many important corporate and local causes, including The Farmer’sTable. Ronnie creates brilliant and exuberant still lifes, both found and arranged.

Kathleen Love Mooney

A resident of West Cornwall, Kathleen started her career as a fashion designer in NYC designing clothing on silk that she hand-painted. Her focus is painting landscapes; she continues to paint everything she sees.

Karen Simmons

Was an architect in NYC, and in France, and joined WAA when she moved to Woodbury, CT. Her paintings, landscapes and still-lifes, reflect both her architectural and European background.

Wendy Walker

Has previously worked as both an illustrator and a scenic artist /designer in NYC. When she moved to Roxbury Ct, she started painting “a little smaller” and paints landscapes and subjects that inspire her emotionally.

Enjoy an acclaimed movie taken from a celebrated book!

Small Things Like These, the acclaimed 2024 historical drama directed by Tim Mielants and adapted by Enda Walsh from Claire Keegan’s Booker Prize–nominated novella, offers a powerful meditation on moral courage and institutional silence. Set in 1985 in a small Irish town, the film follows coal merchant Bill Furlong (Cillian Murphy). He uncovers disturbing truths about the local convent’s treatment of young women, echoing the real-life atrocities of Ireland’s Magdalene laundries.

Registration is required: https://www.gunnlibrary.org/calendar/monday-movie-matinee-small-things-like-these/

1H 38M

PG-13

More Crochet Granny Squares with Missy Stevens | June 3, 2:00-5:00 pm

Do you know how to chain and double crochet? Come to the Makerspace and learn how to combine these foundational techniques to create colorful squares for blankets, pillows, and scarves. Whether you’ve joined our previous crochet workshops, made a few granny squares at home, or are diving into this classic craft for the first time, this workshop is for you!

Guest instructor Missy Stevens will guide participants through decoding crochet pattern language, crafting a modern granny square block, and joining multiple blocks to build a larger project. Bring your questions, four colors of worsted-weight yarn, and an H-8 (5mm) crochet hook.

About the Instructor:

Missy Stevens is a maker and studio artist who works with thread, fabric, and clay to create distinctive pieces inspired by the natural world. Introduced to sewing in childhood, she has since explored many textile arts, including weaving, embroidery, crochet, and punch needle embroidery—a technique she uses to produce richly colored thread paintings. Her work has been exhibited nationally and featured in numerous books and magazines.

Ages 18+, Registration Required.

https://www.gunnlibrary.org/calendar/more-crochet-granny-squares-with-missy-stevens/

The Gunn Memorial Library and the Washington Ambulance Association are pleased to offer CPR Training in Spanish on Thursday, June 5, 2025, from 6:00 to 7:30 PM. This free, hands-on session will provide participants with life-saving skills in a supportive and accessible environment.

Led entirely in Spanish by a certified instructor, the training covers the basics of adult and child CPR, how to respond to choking emergencies, and using an AED (Automated External Defibrillator). Participants will gain practical knowledge that can help save lives in their homes, workplaces, and communities.

This program is ideal for parents, caregivers, and anyone who wants to be better prepared in a medical emergency. All materials will be provided.

Registration is required: https://www.gunnlibrary.org/calendar/cpr-training-in-spanish/

***********************

 Entrenamiento de RCP en Español en la Biblioteca Gunn Memorial

Jueves, 5 de junio de 2025 | 6:00–7:30 PM

La Biblioteca Gunn Memorial se complace en ofrecer un entrenamiento gratuito de RCP en español el jueves 5 de junio de 2025, de 6:00 a 7:30 PM. Esta sesión práctica brindará a los participantes habilidades esenciales para salvar vidas, en un ambiente accesible y de apoyo.

Impartido completamente en español por un instructor certificado, el entrenamiento cubre los fundamentos de la RCP para adultos y niños, cómo responder ante emergencias por atragantamiento y el uso del desfibrilador externo automático (DEA). Los participantes obtendrán conocimientos prácticos que pueden marcar la diferencia en situaciones de emergencia en el hogar, el trabajo o la comunidad.

Este programa es ideal para padres, cuidadores y cualquier persona que desee estar mejor preparada ante una emergencia médica. Todos los materiales serán proporcionados.

El cupo es limitado y se requiere inscripción.

Para registrarse: https://www.gunnlibrary.org/calendar/cpr-training-in-spanish/

The Judy Black Memorial Park and Gardens is pleased to present Just Passing Through, an art exhibition by Brooke Hirsheimer, on view beginning Friday, June 6.

An opening reception will be held at the park on Saturday, June 7, from 3 to 5 p.m. The public is invited to attend.

Brooke Hirsheimer is a contemporary mixed media artist whose work explores the whimsical and grounding relationship between humans and the natural world. Her playful yet introspective style combines color and abstraction, reminding us that we’re all here navigating a beautiful and wild planet.

This show will remain on view through Sunday, June 29. Check our social media for weekly open hours: @judyblackpark on Instagram and Facebook.

Adult Sewing Workshop: Sew a Playing Card Holder | June 7, 10:00-11:30 am

Summer is the perfect season for card games with friends—make it even more enjoyable with your handmade playing card holder! In this beginner-friendly sewing workshop, you’ll learn how to:

• Thread a sewing machine
• Sew straight stitches with an accurate seam allowance
• Pivot around corners
• Add neat topstitching for a polished finish
• 
  

By the end of the session, you’ll have a practical and gift-worthy item you made yourself. No experience is necessary—just bring your enthusiasm and creativity!

Ages 18+, Registration Required.

https://www.gunnlibrary.org/calendar/adult-workshop-sew-a-playing-card-holder/

Support our new works, education programs, and performances in the year ahead by attending our most important fundraiser of the year!

Join us for a sun-kissed cocktail reception followed by an outdoor performance with casual lawn seating for the audience. As the sun sets, we'll enjoy dinner under a glittering tent and a joy-filled dance party featuring the Pilobolus artists.

For more information, visit pilobolus.org/ball

The Judy Black Memorial Park and Gardens is pleased to present Just Passing Through, an art exhibition by Brooke Hirsheimer, on view beginning Friday, June 6.

An opening reception will be held at the park on Saturday, June 7, from 3 to 5 p.m. The public is invited to attend.

Brooke Hirsheimer is a contemporary mixed media artist whose work explores the whimsical and grounding relationship between humans and the natural world. Her playful yet introspective style combines color and abstraction, reminding us that we’re all here navigating a beautiful and wild planet.

This show will remain on view through Sunday, June 29. Check our social media for weekly open hours: @judyblackpark on Instagram and Facebook.

The Judy Black Memorial Park and Gardens is pleased to present Just Passing Through, an art exhibition by Brooke Hirsheimer, on view beginning Friday, June 6.

An opening reception will be held at the park on Saturday, June 7, from 3 to 5 p.m. The public is invited to attend.

Brooke Hirsheimer is a contemporary mixed media artist whose work explores the whimsical and grounding relationship between humans and the natural world. Her playful yet introspective style combines color and abstraction, reminding us that we’re all here navigating a beautiful and wild planet.

This show will remain on view through Sunday, June 29. Check our social media for weekly open hours: @judyblackpark on Instagram and Facebook.

The Judy Black Memorial Park and Gardens is pleased to present Just Passing Through, an art exhibition by Brooke Hirsheimer, on view beginning Friday, June 6.

An opening reception will be held at the park on Saturday, June 7, from 3 to 5 p.m. The public is invited to attend.

Brooke Hirsheimer is a contemporary mixed media artist whose work explores the whimsical and grounding relationship between humans and the natural world. Her playful yet introspective style combines color and abstraction, reminding us that we’re all here navigating a beautiful and wild planet.

This show will remain on view through Sunday, June 29. Check our social media for weekly open hours: @judyblackpark on Instagram and Facebook.