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The Bruce Museum is honoring young artists in the community as it announces the winners of its new Junior Art Competition for 2020.
Launched in May, the competition was built on the theme of “Seeing and Feeling During the Pandemic.” Local students in kindergarten through eighth grade were invited to use art to express their unique experiences during the international COVID-19 crisis. Things that kids took for granted, including going to school with their friends, suddenly weren’t safe.
“These are uncharted territories for students, and with schools no longer in session, we wanted to find a new way to channel their creative expression,” said Felicity Kostakis, a judge for the competition. “As an art teacher, I firmly believe that art has the ability to empower and bring meaning to students’ lives as well as the lives of others.”
Kostakis oversaw the judging along with fellow volunteers Lily deJongh Downing and Cricket Lockhart.
“As jurors, Felicity, Lily and I were absolutely delighted with all the entries we received and had a difficult time deciding on the individual winners,” said Lockhart, a member of the New Bruce Campaign Committee that is raising money for the museum’s renovation project. “Our hearts go out to these children as they deal with the pandemic and with the compelling issues surrounding the Black Lives Matter movement.”
Downing added, “Their works were incredible, powerful expressions of how to seek truth and justice and beauty through art.”
The museum received more than 80 electronic submissions from students in the medium of their choice. “Each piece of art (was) more touching and heartfelt than the last,” the Bruce said. Awards were given in two age groups: kindergarten through fourth grade and fifth through eighth grade.
In the K-4 category, third-grader Alexa Kwasniewski won first place for her pencil on paper work, “Sadness.” First-grader Chloe Yan took second place for “Holding Hands Again,” a mixed media work with flowers. Kindergartner Leonardo Costanzo won third place for the tempura and pen on paper work, “Do Not Touch.”
For the 5-8 category, sixth-grader Yana Thukral won first prize for her pen and pencil on paper work, “Trapped In Darkness.” Karen Lund, a seventhgrader, won second for “Headline Shock,” using pencil and paper as well as iMovie. Third place was awarded to seventh-grader Whit Armstrong for “Lockdown,” a pen and pencil work on paper.
The Director’s Award went to eighth-grader Christian Graziano for “Fraying,” a work in digital media.
Images of all the artwork is available at www.brucemuseum.org.
“We’ve seen the impact that the museum’s popular annual ‘iCreate’ exhibition of high school artists has had throughout the community,” said Robert Wolterstorff, the museum’s executive director. “This is
a wonderful opportunity for us to show how younger artists are using their creativity to express themselves. Art truly does inspire, and it will help us all get through these trying times.” Cos Cob
Parking will be banned along Cognewaugh Road, which means some visitors heading to Mianus River Park must come up with alternate plans.
Last Thursday, the Board of Selectmen approved a prohibition on parking along both sides of Cognewaugh Road between Shannon Lane and Stonebrook Lane. Deputy Police Chief Mark Marino, head of town’s Parking Services Department, told the board there has been a steady increase in the use of Mianus River Park and the overflow parking has spilled onto Cognewaugh.
This created a problem that has grown worse this summer, Marino said.
“It’s a very narrow, winding road and it creates a number of safety of concerns when people park on various sections of it,” he said.
Temporary “no parking” signs had been put up, but they have been removed or ignored, he said.
First Selectman Fred Camillo said Cognewaugh is a “dangerous road to begin with” and said the parking only made it worse.
The vote was 2-1, with Selectwoman Jill Oberlander voting against it. Oberlander said there had not been enough notice of the change and expressed concerns on whether the restriction would work.
Marino said he sent a letter to area residents June 22 and had received only three responses, all of which supported the parking restriction.
According to Marino, the parking lot at Mianus River Park can accommodate 25 to 30 cars. And the road is not wide enough for parking even on one side, he said.
But Oberlander also said there should be flexibility
and she worried about limiting access to a town resource that is “there for everyone in town to enjoy.” Greenwich
The work of the Greenwich Youth Conservation Program will go on this summer despite the outbreak of COVID-19.
The local youths in the program do work throughout town to keep the green in Greenwich.
Earlier this month, the nonprofit GYCP kicked off its 42nd summer of providing 14- and 15-year-olds with their first job opportunities. It is part of a public/ private partnership program that allows the kids to “earn and learn.” And the virus did not quell interest in the program, which had 173 applicants by early June.
“We knew we had to make it possible,” said Christina Nappi, GYCP program director. “We didn’t know how many teens could work each shift or how we could transport them to worksites. But we knew it would be more important than ever to give teens a positive learning experience and an opportunity to work and be outside together this summer.”
The Transportation Association of Greenwich offered to help the program.
“It’s extremely important to us that teens from different areas of town work together and get to know each other,” Nappi said. “We are thrilled that we can utilize TAG to transport participants this year. Their large vehicles make it possible to transport teens from different neighborhoods
Greenwich
to worksites while we adhere to social distancing guidelines.”
Training was another challenge. Usually, guest speakers talk to the youths about job and life skills, including resume writing and balancing a personal budget. That will not be possible due to the pandemic, but they arranged for virtual speaker presentations.
The program is put together by the town Departments of Human Services and Parks and Recreation as well as the Friends of GYCP.
“Their ongoing commitment to our town’s young people is inspiring,” said Kimberly Terrenoire, chair of Friends of GYCP.
The annual Fourth of July ceremonies were canceled due to the coronavirus, but the patriotic work of the Putnam Hill Daughters of the American Revolution has continued throughout the year.
The chapter honored its winners of its DAR Good Citizens award. A winner was chosen from each of the five houses at Greenwich High School by the housemasters based on academics, leadership, service, dependability and patriotism in their home, school and community.
The winners were Rachael Karetsky, Mathew Meyers, Patricia Olivia, Kathleen Piotrzokowski and Henry McGannon. The award has been given since 1934 by an act of Congress.