This week, we're dreaming of art and design in advance of our June 2 Southport Garden Stroll! Also read on for the buzz on our latest programming announcements and Pequot Library news.

Upcoming Programs

Fairfield Public Schools 49th Annual Art Show | Reception with Food Trucks
May 31 at 5:00 p.m.

Pequot Library will showcase two-dimensional and three-dimensional artworks made by Fairfield Public Schools students. The exhibition is a tribute to the talented students and teachers of Fairfield’s two high schools, three middle schools, and 11 elementary schools, exemplifying the progression of skills from kindergarten through high school, and demonstrating the building blocks of Fairfield’s extraordinary visual art program. Food trucks will be on site, including Super Duper Weenie Truck, Lobster Tales, Mini Cinnabomb Donuts, More than Tacos, 900 Degree Pizza, and SoftServeCT.

AP Show: May 11 – 31

Exhibit: May 20 – 31

Southport Garden Stroll and companion programs
June 2 

Featuring eight of Southport’s finest private gardens, this self-guided walking tour starts at the heart of Southport Village at Pequot Library. Wind your way through a floral adventure in an idyllic seaside New England neighborhood. Take your experience to the next level with a cold glass of Fleurs de Prairie rosé donated by Deutsch Family Sprirts from our ticketed Rosé All Day tent, which is sponsored by Sturges Ridge of Fairfield. Lunch boxes will be available for advanced purchase from Gruel Britannia.

Also join us for the Champagne & Canapé Kickoff on Thursday, June 1, at 6:00 p.m, with featured speaker Marisa Marcantonio, a design and interiors expert who has worked at magazines like House Beautiful. This evening is sponsored by TV host, author, and realtor Mar Jennings.  In addition, we're hosting a Coffee and Conversation on Friday, June 2, at 8:30 a.m. with Connecticut's Historic Gardens President Jill Hogan about our state’s beautiful, historic gardens. Many thanks to premier event sponsor On the Harbor real estate. 

Click here to see our full calendar of programs & events.

Fairfield residents ages 45+: click here to take part in a survey from Fairfield Senior Advocates and Fairfield University about what’s important to you as you age. Share your experiences, and let us know the extent to which our community is supporting the needs of residents!

Exhibition Connection

The House of Life by Dante Gabriel Rossetti
New Rochelle, NY: Elston Press, 1901

Pequot Library Special Collections

Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood (PRB) founder Dante Gabriel Rossetti alternated between poetry and painting throughout his storied career. He came from an illustrious family of ex-pat Italians who settled in London. Gabriele Rossetti, his father, was a Dante scholar living in exile from Naples after he wrote poetry that celebrated the Neapolitan Constitution of 1819. His mother had worked as a governess and nurtured her children's intellectual interests. His brother, William Michael Rossetti, was also a founding member of the PRB and worked as a memoirist and an editor. The youngest child, Christina Georgina Rossett, gained fame as a lyric poet, while an older sister, Maria, wrote A Shadow of Dante (1871) and went on to become an Anglican nun.

We're featuring this book in advance of our next exhibition, The Book Beautiful: Selections from the Private Press Movement. (Mark your calendars for the Opening Reception: June 22 at 6:00 p.m.) The exhibition will showcase works from Rossetti's close friend and fellow PRB member, William Morris. Morris, in fact, married one of the group's favorite models, Jane Burden, the daughter of a laundress and stableman whose look read both as androgynous and lush. Read more about Jane's role within the PRB here.  

Click Here to view the Pequot Library Digital Digest E-Newsletter - May 20, 2023