By Liz Leamy
Last Tuesday, more than a dozen people convened at the Bruce Museum for an unforgettable experience of expressing themselves with their own storytelling through art, an event marking the third and final portion of the popular ‘Afternoon of Wellness’ collaborative series offered by this iconic art, science and natural history town-based institution and The Greens at Greenwich.
Held on a picturesque sunny autumn afternoon, this event was memorable as well as enlightening as all participants responded to the art with wonderful energy to in turn, ignite a series of enlightening conversations among the entire group.
Centered around Joel Sternfeld’s moving ‘American Prospects’ exhibition that is on display at the Bruce Museum through January 5th, 2025, those attending this event seemed to be affected by his work, for certain.
Specifically, this body of work by Joel Sternfeld, the famed American fine art photographer based in New York City known for his large-format color pictures of contemporary American life and identity, features several dozen pieces of his work chronicling life at locales all throughout the U.S. from 1978 to 1984.
Some of these iconic images feature the back parking lot of a shopping center in Rancho Mirage California next to a giant sinkhole that occurred as the result of a flood, along with a white limousine parked in front of Alaskan glaciers, among other interesting narratives.
“Each photo gives us the opportunity to make our own connections,” said Corinne Flax, Manager of School and Community Partnerships at the Bruce Museum. “You see things and it brings you back to your own personal story.”
Maria Scaros, Executive Director of The Greens at Greenwich, the renowned assisted living community for those individuals living with memory impairment based on King Street, further elaborated about this.
“I realize how often I walk past so many places and things and there are so many stories they are trying to say,” said Scaros. “Now I take my time, especially in a museum.”
Notably, one of the primary themes of this exhibition was the juxtaposition of the beauty of one’s surroundings, mostly pastoral in relation with the realities of humanity and its man-made creations.
“There are all of these layers to each of these pictures and you see the beauty of nature in relation to man’s footprint, which is everywhere,” said Flax. “We get used to where we live and this reminds me that it’s always important to appreciate our surroundings and not take them for granted. It’s a powerful message.”
For virtually all of those attending this event, conversations had also been sparked about life during this time, as many spoke about their experience in the 1970s and 1980s in relation to the narratives and locales featured in Sternfeld’s photographs.
“This is a stunning exhibition,” said Flax.
This collaborative event, meanwhile, represented the final installment of a three-series experience in which individuals interact with the art on display at the Bruce Museum in conjunction with the professionals there as well as leaders from The Greens at Greenwich, who lead participants with their knowledge and experience of art and the human condition, respectfully.
This memorable series plans to be offered by the Bruce Museum and The Greens at Greenwich in 2025 while Sternfeld is slated to speak at the Bruce on December 12th.
For more information, please contact:
The Bruce Museum
1 Museum Drive
Greenwich, CT 06830
293-869-0376
www.brucemuseum.org
The Greens at Greenwich
1155 King Street
Greenwich, CT 06831
203-486-8642
www.thegreensatgreenwich.com
