Gimme sanctuary, says this exhibition

The late Jerry Stiller’s character on “Seinfeld” said, “Serenity now!” But this offspring of a Connecticut art exhibition says to us, “Sanctuary now!”

The parent exhibition: The Florence Griswold Museum in Old Lyme had an intriguing exbibition that was one of many in the state affected by the coronavirus shutdown. “Nothing

More American: Immigration, Sanctuary, and Community — An Exhibition by Matthew Leifheit” began in October but was curtailed in mid-March when the museum closed.

The offspring; The sanctuary idea motivated Director of Education and Outreach David D.J. Rau and Curator Amy Kurtz Lansing in February to invite amateur photographers to

submit examples of their own work on the theme of “sanctuary” for a pop-up exhibition. Nearly 300 submissions from around the world offered a moving portrait of the places and people that foster in us a sense of peace, security and inspiration, officials said. The museum’s pandemic closure pushed the new exhibition, “Sanctuary, a Juried Photography Exhibition,” online, so the exhibition juried by Kurtz Lansing and photographer Matthew Leifheit is now on view at flogrisphotocontest. artcall.org/pages/web-gallery?page=2.

⏩ Speaking of offspring and parent, folks in Guilford know that “American Idol” winner Nick Fradiani’s father, Nick Fradiani Sr, is also a veteran musician who does regional gigs when there’s no pandemic keeping people home. But since there is, Fradiani Sr. has been putting out a song a day on Facebook — more than 50 now from a lovely Baby Boomer-friendly version of the Bee Gees’ “Words” to the latest as we write this, “Always Be With You,” an original song he wrote after his daughter lost a dear friend.

“I started the song a day when we went into lockdown,” Fradiani said in an email exchange. “I thought I would share a song a day. I have been performing all kinds of music for 50 years so I knew I could reach all age groups to bring some happiness to people. Songs are attached to memories. (A song a day) seemed to do just that.”

Fradiani said his viewership has doubled since the start and he’s even received thank-you cards. He plans to end the series on May 20 with the phase one reopening.

“I am still hoping I will perform for people someday soon and I hope that my love for music has brightened some days for people in these difficult times,” he said.

⏩ Singer/songwriter John Ciambriello of Orange is releasing a new 5-song EP titled “It All Begins,” on Friday, May 22, available on music streaming platforms such as Apple Music and Spotify. A videosingle of the EP’s title track “It All Begins,” can already be seen/heard on his website (ciambriello.com), YouTube and Facebook. The collection of songs has been written, produced, performed, recorded, mixed and mastered by the Fairfield-rasied Ciambriello, who is a father of three, a wedding singer and

played in the group After Autumn. In an email exchange, he said, “This collection of songs casts a wide net — there’s everything from finding love to losing a loved one, from building a relationship on a road trip to learning from mistakes.”

⏩ Not all community walks are canceled this troubled spring. The Huntington’s Disease Society of America’s Connecticut Chapter will hold the first Connecticut Virtual Team Hope Walk on Sunday, May 17. Team Hope is HDSA’s largest national grassroots fundraising event. Thousands of families, friends, co-workers, neighbors and communities walk together each year to support HDSA’s fight to improve the lives of those with HD and their families. A virtual walk is a real walk, but on your terms: You get choose to your own course, you can walk in your driveway, neighborhood, in your house and even on treadmill, says HDSA.

⏩ Long Wharf Theatre is looking for stories from the Greater New Haven community, virtually, for now. In this year’s New Haven Play Project, LWT is focusing on bridging Muslim and non-Muslim communities, stories and people — with aims of featuring and celebrating New Haven’s international communities (immigrant and refugee). Storytellers will be matched with local artists who will interpret their stories in entertaining, thought-provoking and boundary-breaking ways online, says LWT.

⏩ The Yale Undergraduate Jazz Collective will be live-streaming a concert Friday, May 22, at 5:30 p.m. to benefit for the Arts Council for Greater New Haven’s creative sector relief fund (newhavenarts.org/relief) on YouTube and Facebook Live. Several Yale undergraduate students will play pieces, either alone or in (remote) duos.

⏩ Speaking of Yale, the Beinecke Rare Book Library has added some material to its YouTube channel, two new additions to the Creativity in Isolation series and a new conversation about children’s literature: Wayne Koestenbaum’s “Why I Make MiniMovies,” Charles Bernstein’s “Poetry Month Will Come a Little Late This Year” and in children’s literature: Revisiting bestsellers of the past with Timothy Young and Pádraic Whyte.

Nick Fradiani Sr. (see item on D2)

Florence Griswold Museum / Contributed photo Of “boundless light,” Bruce Lippman of Orange says, “Surrounded by the energy and infinity of nature as reflected by paint on canvas, the students are creating their own energy in room which is not only a sanctuary but also sanctified through its art.”