"Puffin" D'Oench

The Hartford Courant, on its Obituary page, had the following announcement:

Ellen Gates D'Oench
D'OENCH, Ellen Gates Ellen Gates D'Oench, "Puffin," died at her home on Coleman Road in Middletown on Friday, (May 22, 2009) at age 78. She was Curator Emerita of the Davison Art Center, Adjunct Professor of Art History Emerita, and a former trustee of Wesleyan University. Mrs. D'Oench attended Miss Porter's School in Farmington, and interrupted her education at Vassar College to marry Russell "Derry" D'Oench and to raise their family, Peter, Ellen "Dodie," Russell "Toby" and Jennifer D'Oench. She completed her education at Wesleyan in 1973, graduating magna cum laude in the same class as her son Peter. She received a Ph.D. from Yale University in 1979 with her doctoral dissertation, Arthur Devis: Master of the Georgian Conversation Piece, She organized or co-organized nationally traveling exhibitions, and wrote catalogues on various artists, including Arthur Devis, Jim Dine, and Sylvia Plimack Mangold. Her book, 'Copper into Gold': Prints by John Raphael Smith (1752–1812), was published in 1999 by the Yale University Press. Her courses at Wesleyan focused on topics related to the university's 20,000 works on paper. Aided by gifts and by Friends of the Davison Art Center funds, she added about 5,000 photographs and important prints to the collection. She was a member of the Print Council of America. Mrs. D'Oench was the first woman to be elected to the board of an area bank, City Savings. In the '60s she served as treasurer of Homesteads, Inc., an organization that facilitated mortgages for low-income homeowners in the greater Middletown community. She was a trustee of Miss Porter's School, a board member of the Middlesex NAACP, and of the Greater Middletown Community Corporation, and a corporator of Middlesex Hospital. Many volunteer organizations sought her intellect and vision, and she served as residential chairman of the United Fund; on the Mayor's Committee for the Children's Library Annex of the Russell Library; and on the boards of the Middletown Family Service Community Council of the United Fund, the Junior Matinees in Middletown, and the Independent Day School in Middlefield. Puffin was one of the founders and a co-chairman of the Friends of the Davison Art Center and a devoted supporter for more than 40 years. She is survived by her children, Peter G. D'Oench of Cooper City, FL; Ellen D. Ruimerman of Higganum; and Russell G. D'Oench, III of New York City; as well as daughters-in-law Connie D. D'Oench and Tani H. Takagi; and Paul E. Ruimerman, son-in-law. She was predeceased by her daughter, Jennifer. Mrs. D'Oench is also survived by siblings Peter Gates, Arthur A. Houghton, III, Ada G. Patton, and Jonathan Gates; five grandchildren; a great grandchild; and her devoted dog, Arthur. There will be a Memorial Service at the Chapel, Wesleyan University, High Street, Middletown, on Sunday, May 31 at 1 p.m. Donations in memory of Ellen D'Oench may be made to the Friends of the Davison Art Center, 301 High Street, Middletown, CT 06457; and Middlesex County Community Foundation, Inc., 211 South Main Street, Middletown, CT 06457. Messages of condolence may be sent to the family at: www.doolittlefuneralservice.com. The Doolittle Funeral Home, 14 Old Church Street, Middletown is handling the arrangements. Puffin and her husband, Russell "Derry" D'Oench, were an integral part of the Middletown community from the day they moved here. Both of them believed in the possibilities and capabilities of the people who live and worked in this town. Derry, as most know, was co-owner/publisher and editor of The Middletown Press and made the paper a true community asset. As you have read above, Puffin also was a difference-maker, helping to grow the Davison Art Center into a major collection, most of which is stored away for the day the DAC gets a bigger home. She was an intellectual who never talked down to anyone and, in her own quiet way, helped make this area become a better place to live.

Arts This Week (5/11-5/14)

Tuesday Jazz at Public, 337 Main Street, presents MDIII from 6 - 9:30 p.m. Led by vocalist Michael Dunham, the quartet specializes in r'n'b, Brazilian music, smooth jazz and, especially, the Stevie Wonder songbook. The III part of the group consists of Pete Hines (drums), Mike Nunno (bass) and Glenn Masso (keyboards.) Crowds have been quite good lately and so has the music - check it out.



The West African Drumming and Dance Concert at Wesleyan, originally scheduled for last Friday, will take place on Tuesday at 6 p.m. in (weather permitting) the CFA Courtyard. If the rain comes, the show will take place in Crowell Concert Hall. No matter the venue, the program will be visually and aurally exciting. The event is free and open to the public.

The Davison Art Center at Wesleyan reopens Tuesday at 12noon. The excellent Judith Joy Ross photographic exhibition continues through May 24. Gallery hours are 12noon - 4 p.m. every day but Monday. For more information, go to www.wesleyan.edu/dac.

The Ezra & Cecile Zilkha Gallery will reopen on Thursday of this week.

Wednesday evening at 7:30, The Buttonwood Tree, 605 Main Street, presents "Evening Oasis", the bellydancing event that draws performers and audience members from throughout Southern New England. For more information, call 347-4957.

This item from The Russell Library:

The Literary Tea for the entrants of the Edna Ray and Benjamin Shenker Creative Writing Contest will be held on Thursday, May 14 at 7 p.m. in the Hubbard Room of Russell Library, 123 Broad Street. The young writers submitted stories and poems about “The Funniest Thing That Ever Happened To Me!” All contest participants and their families are invited to attend. Refreshments will be served.

The guest speaker is Lisa Sherman who has been a middle level educator and consultant for more than 15 years. She currently teaches 8th grade language arts at Woodrow Wilson Middle School in Middletown. She has a passion for empowering young adults to discover their writer's voice and believes that community partnerships, such as the one she shares with Russell Library, strengthen her ability to do so. For more information, call 347-2528, extension 135.

Images, Music & Words

The new exhibition at The Davison Arts Center is the work of contemporary photographer Judith Joy Ross. The American-born Ross is a recipient of numerous honors, including a Guggenheim Fellowship, a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship, a Charles Pratt Memorial Award, and an Andrea Frank Foundation Award. Her work can be found in numerous permanent collections, including the Museum of Modern Art, New York; the Museum Ludwig, Cologne; the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art; and the Victoria & Albert Museum, London.

The Opening Reception takes place today (3/26) from 5 - 7 p.m. and Ross will deliver the Gallery Talk at 5:30. Andrew Szegedy-Maszak, Professor of Classical Studies at Wesleyan and a huge photography fan, will introduce the photographer. They collaborated on "Protest The War", a photographic essay published in 2007 by Steidl/PaceMacGill. The exhibition officially opens tomorrow and runs through May 24.

The Buttonwood Tree has been busy lately and continues that trend this weekend. Tonight at 7 p.m., "The Armchair Geographer", aka Claude Masse, will discuss "Topographic Connecticut." Masse is passionate about the outdoors and encourages discussion.

Singer-songwriter Brooke Campbell comes to The Buttonwood on Friday with a repertoire steeped in folk, blues and bluegrass traditions with a hint of "pop" music sensibilities. Her voice is soft, sensual, and soulful and her songs look at life and love and how the two don't always fit together. The music starts at 8 p.m. To find out more about Campbell, go to http://brooke-campbell.com.

Saturday at 7 p.m., The Riverwood Poetry Series, hosted by Colin Haskins, comes to The Buttonwood with "An Evening of Irish Storytelling Through Poetry" featuring Kathryn Kelly and Maggie Greene. Providing the Musical Prelude will be Patrick & Joseph Ganci on violin and piano, respectively. For more information, call 347-4957.

Sunday, the Free at Last Players will present live skits, poetry and stories at 4 p.m. in the intimate performance space. The troupe is a not-for-profit theater group dedicated to dispelling some of the myths and misconceptions that surround mental illness. Founded in 1989, the members have performed all over Connecticut and the United States with shows created by the group’s members. To find out more, go to www.freeatlastplayers.org.

Boney's Music Lounge, directly above the Fishbone Cafe, 120 Court Street, welcomes soul-blues-funk-jazz guitarist Melvin Sparks for a Saturday evening filled with danceable grooves and hot solos. Sparks, who's been purveying his r'n'b infused licks since the early 1970s, will be joined by his new trio featuring Bill Carbone (drums) and Matthew O. (organ.) You can bet the room will be rocking. The music should get underway after 9 p.m. and run past midnight. For more information, call 346-6000.

American Graphic Arts

From the Davison Arts Center director:

Last chance to see the Davison Art Center exhibition.
Closing Thursday March 5 at 4:00 pm

Modern Times: American Graphic Arts, 1900-1950










Pictured here: Martin Lewis (American 1881-1962), Shadow Dance, 1930, drypoint and sandpaper ground.
Gift of George W. Davison, 1939. D1.20 (photo: R. J. Phil).

Gallery hours today and Thursday, 12:00-4:00 pm
The gallery is open to the public free of charge.
The Davison Art Center is located at 301 High Street.

"Leave Your Troubles On the Doorstep"

This is part 2 of my look at this very busy first week of December (part 1 is here.) Before we dive into Thursday, there's one change and one addition. This Tuesday's "Jazz at the Public" has been postponed and will return next Tuesday (12/09) from 5 - 9 p.m. On Wednesday, The Russell Library presents the CT Concert Ballet in "A Nutcracker Sweet Evening" at 6:30 p.m. in the Hubbard Room. Children ages 4 and older will hear the story of "The Nutcracker" and see excerpts from "The Nutcracker's Land of Sweets." Doors open 30 minutes before the performance and seating is limited. Call 347-2528, ext. 135, for more information.

On to Thursday.

The Friends of the Davison Art Center at Wesleyan presents its Annual Holiday Print Sale from 12noon - 7 p.m. Curated by fine print dealer Charles M. Young, the sale has an impressive selection of prints in all price ranges (including the lovely Keiji Shinohara color woodcut at the top of the posting.) It's open to the public and a portion proceeds from each sale goes to fund acquisitions for the DAC's collection. The DAC is located at 301 High Street and there's no admission charge. For more information, call 685-2500.

The Russell Library continues its "Dangerous Dreams and Wet Pavement" free film series at 12noon with the 1958 classic "Touch of Evil." Directed by Orson Welles, the "film noir" thriller stars Charlton Heston and Janet Leigh and features a number of cameo appearances by Welles' friends, including Joseph Cotten, Marlene Deitrich and Zsa Zsa Gabor. It's considered the ultimate "B-movie." Bring your lunch to the Hubbard Room and the staff will supply the drinks.

At 4:30 p.m., the Mansfield Freeman Center for East Asian Studies at Wesleyan, 301 Washington Terrace, welcomes Linda Rosenfeld Pomper who will deliver a talk titled "Chinese Porcelain: The Ubiquitous Artifact." The talk is free and open to the public. Call 685-2330 for more information.

There are 3 separate "Open Mics" taking place on Thursday. At 6 p.m., Javapalooza, 330 Main Street hosts one for singers and musicians. At 7 p.m., Bob Gotta hosts the monthly "Acoustic Open Mic" at The Buttonwood Tree, 605 Main Street. At the same time, the Green Street Arts Center of Middletown hosts "Writers Out Loud: A Literary Open Mic."

There will be a concert of Javanese Gamelan Music & Dance at 7 p.m. in the World Music Hall at Wesleyan, Wyllys Avenue. Performing will be beginning students in gamelan, the Wesleyan Youth Gamelan and students of Javanese Dance.The program is free and open to the public.