Art in the Lodewick Children's Library

You may notice several new familiar faces in the Lodewick Children’s Library the next time you visit. Thanks to a grant from the Ridgefield Woman’s Club, we have added artwork depicting some of our favorite characters from children’s literature to the walls. Not only did we want to add more visual interest and recognizable friends for children to enjoy, we wish to continue exposing children to art, creativity, and visual information, essential components of their literacy development.

The Library continues to offer opportunities for children to create and experiment with new mediums, stretch the limits of imagination, and nurture new skills. Recently, children created art inspired by Caldecott Award-winning illustrators. This summer they are enjoying the Cardboard Challenge and Art at the Aldrich. Families can also borrow a museum pass and get acquainted with the work of historical and contemporary artists.

Another new addition to the Children’s Library is an empty frame, to be filled on a rotating basis with art created by your children. What better way to encourage creative expression than to celebrate their accomplishments by showcasing their visual inventions? Ask the Children’s Library staff for details and start creating!

“Creativity is contagious, pass it on” - Albert Einstein

Contributed by Children's Services Library Assistant Sonta Frindt

Searching for the Bard, and the Boss @ the Library

Looking for Kenneth Branagh or Laurence Olivier?  What about Placido Domingo or Bruce Springsteen?  Look no further than the Fine Arts and Literature collections in the historic front part of the Library.  Opera CDs and performance DVDs, Shakespeare audiobooks and performance DVDs, and non-fiction and documentary DVDs on art and artists, music, movie-making and other fine and performing arts topics are now located in the Goldstone Special Collections Room and the Ruggles Fine Arts Reading Room right inside the Main Street entrance.

This change puts all of our printed and media materials related to these topics in one convenient location. Pick out a coffee table volume on the Impressionists, then select an episode of a made-for-TV art appreciation series or a documentary film on the life of Degas or Monet.   Also here are live concert recordings by pop icons like Springsteen and Paul Simon and recorded live performances of musicals like CATS.

This is a great place to brush up your Shakespeare (or Verdi or Tchaikovsky) before Live in HD film presentations at the Ridgefield Playhouse of productions by the National Theatre, Met Opera and Bolshoi Ballet.  Then show your Ridgefield Library card at the box office and get the special member discount price. 

Bookmarks Mark Ridgefield

The Library is currently partnering with The Aldrich Museum of Contemporary Art on a project dubbed “Bookmarks Mark Ridgefield.” Community members of all ages are invited to be part of Aldrich artist Ruth Root’s ongoing project exploring her love of books.

CREATE. Drop into The Aldrich’s Education Center or check at the Ridgefield Library for times to make and donate your own bookmark to the Library’s stacks.  All the materials you need are supplied, including fabric and paper selections from the artist’s studio.

DISTRIBUTE. Tuck your completed bookmark (or one supplied by the Library) into any book on the Library’s shelves.  Choose a favorite title, or search out something new and interesting.

DISCOVER. Find a bookmark in an item you take off the shelf. Keep it to use yourself, or put it in another book for the enjoyment of a fellow reader.

SHARE. Into social media? Take a picture of a bookmark you have made or found and post it to Facebook, Twitter or Instagram with the hashtag #rlbookmarks.  For fun, make it a selfie or a shelfie!

VISIT. Ruth Root’s work will be on exhibit at The Aldrich through April 3rd. Stop by and learn more about this very creative and inspiring woman.

Strolling to the Library

This weekend is the annual Holiday Stroll organized by Downtown Ridgefield, and the Library is pleased to be part of the festivities.

Starting at 6:00 PM on Friday, you’ll be greeted by the sounds (and tastes) of the Ridgefield Music and Arts Center’s RMAC-n- Cheese presentation, which will entertain you while you wait your turn for a horse and carriage ride down Main Street to the Lounsbury House.

In The Gallery on the Library’s Lower Level, you can take in an exhibit opening and reception from 6:00 to 9:00 PM for artist Spencer Eldridge.

Come through the Main Street doors to the Library and enter our Holiday Boutique. Here you will find great gifts for readers and writers from our new Library Store, including book bags, blank journals, magnetic bookmarks, various computer accessories and more.  They’re great for teacher gifts, Secret Santa surprises and stocking stuffers.

Bring along your gifts, no matter where you bought them, and our volunteers will wrap them for a small suggested donation per package, to benefit the Library.

Library Store sales and gift wrapping run Friday evening from 6:00 – 9:00 PM and continue 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM on Saturday. 

Saturday morning at 10:30, don’t miss drop-in storytime for ages 3 and up featuring a special “Frozen” theme.

Library Days Return to Books on the Common, with Some New Twists

The annual Library Days at Books on the Common will take place Thanksgiving weekend.   Just show your Ridgefield Library card at the cash register, and 15% of the proceeds of your purchase will be donated by the bookstore to the Library.  As a special thank you, all participating buyers will receive a specially designed bookmark; these limited edition keepsakes are being made by community members in conjunction with an exhibit by artist Ruth Root at The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum.  Those purchasing goods in excess of $100 will be entered in a special drawing to receive a signed bookmark created by the artist herself.

November 28 is also Small Business Saturday, and the bookstore will have additional promotions and special programs on offer. So many reasons to visit Books on the Common and support the Library that weekend!

Store hours are Friday 10:00 AM – 8:00 PM, Saturday 9:30 AM – 6:00 PM and Sunday 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM; call 203-438-9100 for more information about the store.  Ridgefield residents who do not have one may register for a library card at the Circulation Desk; all that is needed is proof of residence.  Contact The Aldrich at 203-438-4591 or aldrichart.org for information about the Ruth Root exhibit and related activities.

New Card Designs for the New Library

The Ridgefield Library now offers an array of colorful designs from which card holders may choose.  The newest styles were drawn from the design contest held by the Library in anticipation of the opening of its new building. The winning designs were selected by leaders of the town’s arts community from 80 total entries in five age and experience categories.  The designs have been adapted from the original artwork to fit standard library card specifications and all come with a convenient accompanying keychain card. You can see the choices at the Library or on our website at www.ridgefieldlibrary.org.

The five winners are: Hailey DeWalt (K-5^th grade); Catherine D’Jay (Middle School); Sandra Carpenter (High School); Elizabeth DiSalvo (“Adults”); and Michelle Fisher (Professional Artists). Congratulations to all, who were recognized at a special ceremony at the Library in December.

Those getting new cards may choose any of the new or existing styles at no charge.  Existing cardholders may switch to one of the new designs for a nominal $1.00 charge. The "red bird" card designed by Jamison Odone is also still available, at the new price of $1.00. Please bring your existing card with you if you wish to transfer your account to one of the special edition cards. 

It's National Arts and Humanities Month

October is National Arts and Humanities Month, as designated by Americans for the Arts, a national non-profit advocacy group for the arts in America.

National Arts & Humanities Month is a coast-to-coast collective recognition of the importance of culture in America. It is designed to encourage all Americans to explore new facets of the arts and humanities in their lives, and to begin a lifelong habit of active participation in the arts and humanities. Here in Ridgefield, we have a vibrant cultural community that impacts our lives every day. Under the leadership of the Ridgefield Arts Council, many of these groups have decided, rather than creating a separate event for the occasion, to turn a spotlight on the extraordinary line-up of public programs and educational activities already being offered locally during October.


Here at the Library, we start with monthly book discussions for all ages, arts and crafts sessions, author talks and ARTalk presentations, live musical and dramatic programs, and workshops for aspiring poets, photographers and memoirists. There is even the Friends fall used book sale, where readers can pick up everything from illustrated art books to classic literature in handy paperbacks. For a full line-up of arts and humanities events at the Library this month, visit www.ridgefieldlibrary.org.

Extreme Draw On! at the Library

Spring is the time for the annual community drawing festival organized by The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum. Expanded in time and scope this year, Extreme Draw On! will run from March 24^th through May 4^th, with exhibits and programs in scores of locations around the state and the country. This year’s program features a special tribute to Ridgefield’s own late great author and illustrator Maurice Sendak.

The Library is pleased to partner with the Aldrich again this spring, as we have since the program’s inception in 2006. We will be hosting a "drawing horse" near the entrance to our 21 Governor Street facility, so come by and make a drawing inspired by the work of our beloved Mr. Sendak and we will post it in our front windows for all to admire. We’ll have all the supplies you need. Draw the "wild thing" in you, or pay homage to another favorite Sendak character with your own interpretation.  As Mr. Sendak so ably demonstrated, creativity has no age limits and imagination has no boundaries. Adults and children of all ages welcome! 

Bloomsday Is Coming!

Bloomsday is coming! For the uninitiated, Bloomsday is an annual celebration for enthusiasts of James Joyce’s masterpiece “Ulysses.” The date commemorates June 16th, 1904, the day on which the action of the novel takes place. Each year, groups all over the world organize activities based on the book. This year, the Ridgefield Library will be among them!

Nearly 100 dedicated local readers have been exploring the famously challenging novel for several months, under the guidance of Dr. Mark Schenker of Yale College. Now we invite everyone to join us to get a taste of what makes “Ulysses” so special. Drop by the Dayton Program Room between 3:00 and 9:00 PM on the 16th to enjoy readings, Irish music and refreshments. Come whenever you can and stay as long as you wish.

There is still space for additional readers and musicians to participate, so contact me as soon as possible if you would like to take part in this unique event.

Rounding out our Enjoying Joyce series is this month’s exhibit in the Dayton Program Room, entitled “The Lure of Mythology” and featuring woodcuts by Donald Axelroad based on “The Odyssey.” Details are available on our website at www.ridgefieldlibrary.org.

Library Participates in Aldrich's Draw On! Art Project

Join us as the Library takes part in the Draw On! project organized by the Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum.

From March 27 through April 10 the Ridgefield Library will be participating in the Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum’s innovative community-based program, Draw On!, Now in its fifth year, Draw On! is working with local libraries, schools, museums, senior centers, art guilds, businesses, etc. to encourage people to pick up a pencil and draw. This two-week celebration of drawing projects, special events and workshops is open to children, teens and adults. Logo for Draw On! designed by Peter H. Reynolds.

This year Draw On! has invited participants from all over New England, New York, and New Jersey. Each participating venue, including the Ridgefield Library, develops its own unique drawing program. The Ridgefield Library will be launching a project for all ages called “Spine Design” based the shape and design of book spines. Each participant will be given a spine-shaped (tall rectangular) piece of heavy paper, and a selection of markers or colored pencils.

Participants will be encouraged to use a wide range of line qualities to create an abstract arrangement of line weights and types, or a more illustrative drawing inspired by a favorite book title, using typography and drawing. After the “Spine Designs” have been completed, they will be set on bright colored poster board “shelves” and displayed at the Library.

Draw On! is sponsored in part by The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum, AT&T, HSBC, Weston Woods Studios, and by Brand Flakes for Breakfast brought to you by The Greatest Agency in the Land. The Library’s drawing project is also made possible thanks to the Wadsworth Russell Lewis Fund.

For further information about Draw On! visit drawon.org. For more information about the Library drawing project, call 203-438-2282.

New Museum Passes Now Available

Planning a “staycation” for your family this summer? Then the Ridgefield Library Museum Pass program is for you. Free or discounted admission is now available to 17 area museums, zoos and other educational and cultural institutions, including three exciting new additions.

• You’ve seen the movies – now visit the real thing! The American Museum of Natural History is THE place to go for dinosaurs, dioramas and much more.

• The landmark Guggenheim Museum in New York City is celebrating its 50^th anniversary this year and remains a premier destination for lovers of art from the late 19^th century through the contemporary cutting edge.

• Mystic Seaport, beloved for its tall ships and re-created 19^th century village, hosts dozens of family activities each week.

Passes may be borrowed for 3 days and may be reserved up to 7 days in advance. Museum pass privileges vary, so pick up a brochure at the Library or visit www.ridgefieldlibrary.org for details. Museum hours, exhibits and programs are subject to change; always check for updates before planning your trip.

Our museum pass program is made possible by the Friends of the Library, along with the generosity of local institutions such as the Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum.

New Year's Library Resolutions

Happy New Year! May we suggest a few resolutions that will be easy to keep, with the help of the Ridgefield Library?

• Make sure every member of your family can enjoy the Library with his or her own card. Our colorful new card design by Jamison Odone makes having a library card even more special for kids and adults alike.

• Set aside quality time each week with your family at the Library, to read, attend a program or work on homework. With 58 open hours a week, including Tuesday and Thursday evenings, all day Saturday and Sunday afternoon, it is easy to find your special time.

• Enrich your reading experience by sharing your thoughts with others. The Library offers 4 regular book discussion groups for adults, 3 for teens, 3 for children and even one for families to enjoy together – plus more informal opportunities to share like the monthly Books & Breakfast meetings and summer Mystery Lovers Brown Bag Lunches.

• Go green, by signing up for e-mail notification of overdues and holds.

• Sign up for Library ELF and eliminate late books and overdue fees by receiving advance notice of when items are coming due.

• Add some art to your life by visiting our monthly exhibits of photography, paintings and more in the Dayton Program Room.

• Look to the stars with the Ridgefield Library during the International Year of Astronomy. Our Visions of the Universe exhibit (on display early April through early June) will be a central part of the townwide commemoration of 400 years of learning about space since Galileo first turned his telescope on the heavens. A full schedule of exciting activities at the Library and elsewhere will be coming soon.

• Subscribe to our e-mail newsletter so you won’t miss any of the fun @ the Ridgefield Library in 2009.