REMEMBERING CHRIS: AN EXHIBIT IN HONOR OF CHRISTOPHER R. MORLEY, 1953-2011

For the month of April, The David M. Hunt Library in Falls Village will honor a dear friend, Chris Morley, with an art exhibit featuring his work and that of three local artists who knew him well: Michael Gellatly, Pieter Lefferts, and Karen LeSage. The exhibit will be on display on the library’s art wall from April 9 through April 28. A reception with refreshments will take place on Saturday, April 14 from 5pm to 7pm.

Mr. Morley, who passed away in April of 2011, helped make the library’s art wall a permanent feature for the exhibition of local artists. The library’s art wall committee thought it would be appropriate to honor Chris this year with an exhibit of three artists who were his close friends and whose work he collected.


Michael Gellatly, who was Chris’ art instructor for several years, is the illustrator for the popular mystery writer, Rita Mae Brown. Mr. Gellatly’s work (right) in this exhibit includes graphite drawings featuring corgis and other animal characters from Ms. Brown’s books including the cat heroine, Mrs. Murphy.

Pieter Lefferts, a painter and art instructor from Sharon , will exhibit a selection of his landscapes, both in oil and pastel. Pieter was Chris’ choice for the inaugural exhibit on the Hunt Library’s art wall in April of last year.

Karen LeSage’s first exhibit of her enigmatic abstract landscapes took place at the Hunt Library in 2002. Since then, Karen has exhibited regularly at venues around the Berkshires, most notably with the Ober Gallery in Kent .

In addition to these artists’ work, the library is pleased to exhibit works by Chris Morley himself. Chris’ work, on loan to the library by his wife, Leone, includes a gentle and subdued self portrait and several eccentric still life paintings that display a humorous combination of brightly-colored objects. Ms. LeSage said of Chris last year, “I have never met an art appreciator like him. He collected art with unbridled glee and, in recent years, began making art himself. His first paintings were remarkably vital and reinforced my belief that ‘passion trumps technique.’”

April 6 through April 28

Reception: Saturday, April 14, 5-7pm; Refreshments; Free; wheelchair accessible
David M. Hunt Library, 63 Main Street, Falls Village, CT 06031 / 860-824-7424

LOCAL HISTORY PRESENTATION: THE FOUNDING OF THE HUNT LIBRARY on March 24

For the month of March, and in honor of Women’s History Month, The David M. Hunt Library in Falls Village will focus its attention on the family that established and built an institution that has served its community for over 120 years.

On Saturday, March 24th, there will be a lecture entitled The Founding of the David M. Hunt Library, accompanied by many historic pictures and an exhibit on the library’s art wall. The lecture by Betty Tyburski will begin at 4:00 pm and will be followed by a brief reception. The lecture relates to the lives of David Morgan Hunt, for whom the library is named, and his three sisters--Harriet, Wealthy Ann (photo below) and Catherine, who gave the money to build and sustain the library in honor of their beloved brother.


The Founding of the Hunt Library is the story of the prominent Hunt family, whose local influence was significant during the 19th century. The talk will cover all aspects of the library’s founding, from the bequests the sisters left to the people who played major roles in establishing a library that remains a central community institution to this day.

Betty Tyburski has been curator of the library’s archival Connecticut Room for many years. Tyburski’s narrative is rich in incident and character, bringing the village, the Hunts, and the library to life. Betty was assisted by town historian Elizabeth Clark and artist Sergei Fedorjaczenko, both Hunt Library board members, in assembling a wealth of photographs, documents, and ephemera that compliment the presentation. The art wall exhibit, which will be on display throughout the month of March, will feature many of these historical items including a series of portraits of Hunt family members and others integral to the library’s founding.


Free presentation with refreshments, 4pm to 6pm

Exhibit through March 31; Tues/Thurs 10am to 5pm; Weds 2pm to 8pm; Fri 2pm to 6pm; Sat 10am to 2pm

Kellogg's Lasagna Dinner Fundraiser for Quebec Class Trip on Friday, March 16

Lee H. Kellogg School 7th and 8th Grade students and parents will host the annual Lasagna Dinner on Friday, March 16th, to benefit the Class of 2012 trip to Quebec. The dinner menu is a choice of meat or vegetable lasagna served with green salad, bread and butter, hot and cold beverages, and home-made desserts. There will be continuous servings from 5:30 – 7:30 with take-out orders available. The cost is $12/adults and $6/ages 10 and under. Tickets can be reserved by calling 860-824-7791 or purchased at the door. LHK School is located at 47 Main Street, Falls Village. All ages are welcome. The snow date is Saturday, March 17th

Support the Falls Village Children's Theatre!

How lucky we are to have the Falls Village Children's Theatre, which has changed the lives of so many kids in our town. From "The Wizard of Oz" to "Cinderella" to "Annie" to "Guys & Dolls," they have learned so much about hard work and team work. We've been lucky to see shy and awkward kids become confident performers. It's all been possible because of volunteers and donations from the communnity, so if you're able you should definitely attend the fund-raising wine dinner for this year's production of "Beauty and the Beast" at the Falls Village Inn on March 10.

Battle Hill Forge at Hunt Library: Opening Reception February 10

The new art wall at the library is being well used, and the next exhibit will be work by the great guys at Battle Hill Forge. If you don't know Willy, Izzy and Jeff, read "Alternative Metalworkers with Indie Spirit" from Rural Intelligence, and see you at the library next Friday.

LILLY WOODWORTH: RECENT PAINTINGS OPENS JAN 13 at HUNT LIBRARY

Lilly Woodworth, Paris Roses, 2011, oil on four panels, 32 x 32"

The David M. Hunt Library is pleased to announce its first exhibit of the New Year, Lilly Woodworth: Recent Paintings. The free opening reception (with refreshments) will be Friday, January 13, from 5 to 7 p.m.

In the genres of still life and landscape, Lilly Woodworth uses the language of oil paint to express the changing nuance of season and light. Personal emotive connections to her subject matter and to the paint itself result in a rich variety of familiar views from the region of her relatively new home in Sharon, Connecticut, where she embraces what she observes as the "real poetry in these hills and valleys."

Whether she presents a lushly dense bunch of roses in a Parisian florist's window or a view of the SharonValley, Woodworth's oil paintings reflect a heart-connection to nature. Several recent works break the confines of a single frame by using multiple panels to expand an emotion or feeling. Her images are a deeply personal response to what she sees and feels at the moment she is making the painting, allowing the fluidity of the medium of paint itself to "lead the way."

Lilly Woodworth: Recent Paintings will be on exhibit at the David M. Hunt Library in Falls Village from Tuesday, January 10 through Saturday, February 4.