Exhibition Inspires Play ~ EN PLEIN AIR ~ at the Florence Griswold Museum

Written by Danny Hutchinson Wednesday, 29 June 2011 21:14

OLD LYME, CT - EN PLEIN AIR—Impressions of Painting in Giverny & Old Lyme is a new play created especially for the Florence Griswold Museum by actor Christopher Eaves.EN PLEIN AIR premieres Wednesday, June 25 and continues through Saturday, June 28.

Conceived and performed by Christopher Eaves, performances of EN PLEIN AIR coincide with the Museum's exhibition Impressionist Giverny: American Painters in France. Filled with color, movement and sound, EN PLEIN AIR is an immersive theatrical experience that transports audiences through the picturesque landscapes of Giverny, France and Old Lyme, Connecticut using wall-size projections of famous Impressionist paintings.

Eaves is the award-winning artistic director of eavesdrop®, the New York City performance and arts education collaborative. He is recognized for his stylish and thought-provoking performances that combine bold imagery and movement.

The Florence Griswold Museum in Old Lyme, Connecticut, is the first venue for the exhibition, Impressionist Giverny: American Painters in France, 1885-1915. Selections from the Terra Foundation for American Art. Organized by the Musée d’Art Américain Giverny and on view through July 27, 2008, this exhibition of over 50 oil paintings features Impressionist masterworks by American expatriate artists who worked in this small French village. Attracted by the presence of the Impressionist master Claude Monet, who settled in Giverny in 1883, an international community of artists flocked there from the late 1880s through World War I. The Florence Griswold Museum is especially suited to present this international exhibition. The idyllic towns of Giverny, France and Old Lyme, Connecticut share a similar history. Both were creative meccas for artists at the turn of the last century. They traveled to the villages from the nearby cities of Paris and New York in search of plein air painting opportunities and social life among fellow artists. In each town, many of the artists stayed for long periods, formed lifelong friendships and immortalized the surrounding landscapes with their paintings.

Florence Griswold opened her timeworn family home to artists searching for a quiet country retreat where they could rejuvenate their spirits and find sources of inspiration. The group was known as the Lyme Art Colony and Miss Florence's boardinghouse became the center of Impressionism in America. To honor Miss Florence and the Colony, the Florence Griswold Museum was established and has flourished in exciting ways.  Visit : www.flogris.org/

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