Annual bash returns to Glass House with gusto
NEW CANAAN — Visitors wearing vivid avantgarde couture, toted picnic baskets around the 49 curated acres of the Glass House and explored its 14 structures on Saturday, as the annual fundraiser returned after a pandemicprompted hiatus.
The organization celebrated 15 years of being owned by the National Trust of Historic Preservation by welcoming 500 visitors, more than ever before, and bringing in an estimated $255,000, topping past years.
Visitors came to bid on artwork and walk through the home of mid-century modern architect Philip Johnson, the Pavilion on the Pond, the painting gallery, the sculpture gallery and his studio at the National Historic Landmark.
In previous years the annual celebration has attracted people from 50 states and 50 countries, Executive Director Greg Sages said. “We don’t have 50 countries from around the world this year, but we’re stepping back toward normalcy. So close.”
Sages said the organizers sold more tickets, the donated art has done well in the last few years and corporate sponsorships “were stronger than ever.”
“I am extremely happy,” Communications Director Christa Carr said, as visitors were having their artwork wrapped and started embarking on the shuttle back to the visitors center. “We did better than we expected. We did extremely well.”
This was a far cry from June 2020, when Sages told the Planning and Zoning Commission the Glass House had lost $1 million because of COVID-19. He asked for allowances on the special permit. Though people usually meet at the
visitor’s center at 199 Elm Street to shuttle over, to adhere to COVID-19 restrictions, they asked to let people park on the premises, which reduced the attendance.
Then, people were not allowed in the buildings, because of social distancing. “We weren’t offering the same experience, and
we dropped the prices,” Sages said.
This year, visitors were allowed to enjoy all of the offerings of the property where Johnson lived with his partner David Whitney.
“The crew makes the acreage, look exactly like Philip Johnson and David Whitney wanted it when they lived on the property,”
Sages said.
Visitors wandered through a grass-mowed path to the studio, a oneroom workspace and library, with few windows, designed by Johnson to have fewer distractions than working in the Glass House. More visitors came to stand where the renown architect worked until he was nearly 100 years old, than previous years, said educator Gwen North Reiss.
Several ventured to eat lunch in the Pavilion in the Pond, which is scaled down in size to play with viewers perspective, making it seem further away from the Glass House than it is.
On the lawn in front of the Glass House, Ayodele Casel tap danced and recalled her experience as a young girl, returning back to the U.S. after living in Puerto Rico for six years. “I felt afraid that I would not be able to communicate or express myself clearly,” she said, “tap dancing to
me was like just another language.”
Looking like an underground bunker, the
painting gallery features Connecticut artist Charles Ethan Porter. On the ground, David Hartt’s designed A Colored Garden, was in bloom with the flowers featured in paintings by Porter, such as peonies and chrysanthemums.
A video plays in the welcome center, called the “da Monsta,” which uses software employed in video games. In it, a giant woman dressed in gold is standing in front of the Pavilion on the Pond. The film was created by David Hartt and cellist Tomeka Reid.
The property will be open to visitors the rest of the summer Friday to Monday, with educatorguided tours and with self-guided tours on Sunday.