"Foodies" Opening Party & Night Market @ WAC, Sept. 14 Deanna Foster September 10, 2012 Foodies Descend on the Westport Arts Center for a Delectable Reception on September 14 The connection between food and art shares such a long thread throughout humanity; it winds its way back to our cave dwelling days. Art has come a long way since those early drawings, and so has our food supply. To celebrate this lasting connection, and its progress, The Westport Arts Center will host an Opening Reception and Night Food Market for its upcoming exhibition, “Foodies.” On Friday, September 14th from 6 - 8pm, the Arts Center on 51 Riverside Avenue, Westport, will become an art and food gallery featuring local artists’ works and local chefs’ creations. The “Foodies” exhibition, sponsored by Pepperidge Farm, was conceived by WAC’s Director of Visual Arts, Helen Klisser During, who invited local artists to submit their interpretation of food in any medium, from painting and sculpture to photography and video. The opening reception will showcase works chosen from more than 140 submissions. While appreciating the artists’ conceptual displays of food, patrons can savor real food by well-known local chefs and purveyors. The Night Market will be a food emporium of chefs, butchers and food trucks, starting outside with the gourmet cheese truck MELTMOBILE, serving delicious sandwiches and cheese melts. Moving indoors, The Arts Center is pleased to have the following chefs selling an assortment of their finest food creations: refreshing salads from Du Soleil, signature rolls from Matsu Sushi, delectable savories from SoNo Bakery, and sweet desserts from Sugar and Olives. In addition, Craft Butchery will be offering tastings of their premium, cooked meats, and Saugatuck Grain and Grape will be sampling their barrel-aged cocktails. In addition to the local artists and chefs, WAC called upon some notable local foodies to participate as jurors for this exhibition. Pat Callaghan of Pepperidge Farm, Stew Leonard Jr. of Stew Leonard’s, Michel Nischan of the Dressing Room and Bill Taibe of Le Farm and The Whelk, all bring their expertise in making daily judgments about the artfulness of the food they serve or display, from its placement on the plate or shelf, to the smile on a Goldfish TM. Thanks to the jurors and sponsor Pepperidge Farm, integrated program sponsor Green Village Initiative, and media sponsor, CT Bites, as well as all the participating member artists, this exhibition and opening reception is a hyper-local affair. As always The Westport Arts Center invites local media to attend the opening reception and capture the party with more than 350 people expected to attend. Foodies juried works will be on display from September 14th through November 4, but the Night Market and the celebration among artists, art lovers, foodies and food lovers will only happen once, between 6 and 8 pm on Friday, September 14th. For more information and tickets, contact Westport Arts Center at (203) 222-7070, www.westportartscenter.org. The WAC gallery is open seven days a week, Monday-Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday, 12 p.m. to 4 p.m., at 51 Riverside Avenue, Westport, CT.
