Not only do the galleries of Kent contribute to the cultural legacy of this town but the annual Litchfield Jazz Festival and the Kent Film Festival are also attracting world-wide audiences.
By GERRI HIRSHEY | NY TIMES: March 26, 2009 | Village life is sustainable indeed for Manhattan weekenders, flinty natives and day trippers — with a year-round menu of essentials and amenities, and a penchant for the arts that dates back to the “landscape tourism” of painters who were attracted to the state’s rugged northwest corner once the Shepaug Valley Railroad made it accessible in 1872. The Litchfield hills are still larded with writers, painters and sculptors, who find inspiration there year round. But some of Kent’s half-dozen galleries have just begun to reopen or expand their hours for the warmer seasons.
The Kent Art Association, which features members’ works in multiple mediums, is the oldest gallery in town. Founded in 1923 by nine expatriates of the Manhattan art scene who moved north, it was a moveable feast of yearly shows until 1956, when it acquired permanent space on Main Street. At the Ober Gallery in the Village Barns, Russian artists and German neorealists are the penchant of the owner, Rob Ober, who also teaches history at the private Kent School. Steadfastly open all year is the Morrison Gallery in the town center, a linchpin of Litchfield County’s art scene. It occupies a soaring, modern space. And there is nothing backwoods about its enriching group exhibitions and solo shows that keep pace with established and emerging contemporary artists. Openings and receptions, often with live jazz, draw collectors from Manhattan, the Litchfield Hills and beyond.