New Canaan Library

Professor Brian Torff Presents “Great Women of Jazz, Blues and Rock,” Three Part Lecture Series at New Canaan Library

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New Canaan Library welcomes Fairfield University professor Brian Q Torff, presenting a three-part lecture and musical series, “Great Women of Jazz, Blues and Rock.” The lectures will be held on Wednesday February 5, 19th and 26th at 6:30 p.m. in the Adrian Lamb Room. Please register online at newcanaanlibrary.org. Professor Torff begins the series on February 5 by exploring and tracing the evolution of some of the most iconic female musicians and performers in the genres of jazz, blues and rock, from Ma Rainey and Billie Holiday to Janis Joplin and Aretha Franklin. The February 19 session will focus on jazz, as Torff presents “Soul on Soul: Mary Lou Williams and Great Women in Jazz.” Jazz pianist Mary Lou Williams was a pioneer in the evolution of jazz whose development as an artist was profoundly influenced by both modern and traditional blues. In this presentation, bassist Torff, who played with Ms.Williams will analyze the significant role of dynamic women in jazz.

Government

Selectmen Vote 3-0 To Recommend Capital Plan with $10 Million for Library, Police Station Projects

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The Board of Selectmen on Tuesday voted unanimously to recommend a Five-Year Capital Plan that includes earmarks of $10 million for the New Canaan Library’s rebuilding project and $10 million for a long-discussed renovation of the New Canaan Police Department. 

The Capital Plan—a fluid planning document that’s required by the Town Charter—calls for four $2.5 million payments to the library starting next fiscal year, and $5 million in fiscal years 2022 and 2023 for the police station. The selectmen’s 3-0 vote in favor of the Capital Plan does not amount to an appropriation—an allocation of taxpayer funds toward either project would require public hearings with multiple appointed and elected bodies. The document now moves to the Board of Finance. 

Officials representing the library and NCPD both have described their buildings as inefficient and limiting, with aging physical plants that haven’t undergone substantial upgrades in decades. 

The Police Department renovation “would be two-year project and we anticipate a year of planning,” First Selectman Kevin Moynihan said. He voted in favor of recommending the Capital Plan, as did Selectmen Kit Devereaux and Nick Williams.

Williams said all the selectmen agree “that the library should be fully funded.”

“Yes, it’s a lot of money, it’s $10 million over four years but it’s one for two,” Williams said. “The public-private partnership is putting in $20 million from private money, and 20 plus 10 is 30, so it’s a one for two and it’s something I am very supportive of.”

Devereaux said, “Although I do support the capital expenditure.

New Canaan Library

Trustees Lecture Series: Oncologist Azra Raza on Her Book ‘The First Cell’

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New Canaan Library’s inaugural Trustees Lecture is honored to present guest lecturer Dr. Azra Raza, a world-class oncologist, professor and author who, in her book The First Cell, examines the current state of cancer and its devastating impact on the individuals it affects — including herself. The event will take place on Sunday, January 26 from 4-5 p.m. in the Adrian Lamb Room. Please register to reserve a seat, online at newcanaanlibrary.org. The war on cancer wages on. At least $150 billion is spent annually to treat it, yet — a few innovations notwithstanding — a patient with cancer is just as likely to die of it as one was fifty years ago.

New Canaan Library

Opening Reception for ‘Landscape Poetry’ Exhibition by Claudia Mengel

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Nature’s softer side, and the fluid, sometimes ethereal, quality of landscapes resonates in the luscious paintings that comprise the new works featured in Claudia Mengel’s show, “Landscape Poetry.” The exhibition opens at New Canaan Library’s Curtis Gallery on Thursday, January 21 and runs through Sunday, February 23, 2020. An opening reception will be held on Thursday, January 23 from 6 – 8 p.m.; a Q & A with the artist will begin at 6:30 p.m. All are welcome to attend. Poetry is a type of literature, or artistic writing, which attempts to stir a reader’s imagination or emotions. In this show, Claudia Mengel is the poetic artist; she embraces her surroundings and through her personal interpretations of the world around her presents unique combinations of color and line that let the viewer’s imagination soar. Her composed fields are unexpectedly light, and bring the viewer into a beautiful, visual poem.

New Canaan Historical Society

Brennan Center for Justice President to Speak

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The New Canaan Museum & Historical Society and the New Canaan Library present “An Evening with Michael Waldman – The Bill of Rights: A History of the Second Amendment.” This lecture, the second in a six-part series on the Constitution, explores the history of the right to keep and bear arms and what that Amendment means in the 21st Century. Michael Waldman is president of the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law. A nonpartisan law and policy institute that focuses on improving systems of democracy and justice, the Brennan Center is a leading national voice on voting rights, money in politics, criminal justice reform, and constitutional law. Waldman, a constitutional lawyer and writer who is an expert on the presidency and American democracy, has led the Center since 2005. He is the author of numerous books, including The Second Amendment: A Biography.