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Fom October 10 to November 1 just over 10,000 visitors toured the Lyme Art Colony's Wee Faerie Village. For those three weeks the Museum's grounds were transformed into a magical land of faerie houses. Two-dozen artists and designers were invited to become Faerie Architects, creating spirited habitats for the artistic muses that reside in the nooks and crannies of the 11-acre estate. Creatively conceived and hand crafted, each house was a work of art. What set the Museum's village apart from others was that each Faerie was linked to an artist or other prominent person in the history of the Lyme Art Colony. Visitors were invited to continue their exploration in the Griswold House to learn more about the artists and view the works the Faeries inspired.
Photos from the Wee Faerie Village...houses, architects and fun events!
Call this number (860-259-1586) and listen to each Faerie tell you how he or she built their house and inspire their artist. You will need to press 1#, 2#, 3# and so on to hear the stories.
Or, you can Read what the Faeries have to say about their homes and artists.
E-mail at least 15 Faerie Words (from the cell phone tour) to contest@flogris.org.
Cell Phone Tours are partially funded by the Connecticut Humanities Council.
Faerie FAQs
Why is the Museum doing a faerie village?
The faerie village is a creative way to encourage visitors to explore and think about the Museum's landscape, and the timing could not be more perfect. 2009 is the Year of the American Landscape for the Museum, complete with exhibitions and events that celebrate the American landscape. In May the Museum opened the John and Dyanne Rafal Landscape Center in the restored historic barn in the center of the campus. To create further interest in our grounds, the Museum commissioned North Carolina artist Patrick Dougherty to create a site-specific "stickwork" installations out of tree saplings. This monumental sculpture presents a sense of whimsy and energy to the landscape and will be, in essence, the faerie palace for this project.
Is the Museum to first to do a Faerie Village?
The idea of faerie houses is not new, but we believe the Florence Griswold Museum is the first art and history Museum to sponsor such an event. The inspiration came from the annual Tour of Fairy Houses that takes place in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. It started a few years ago aided by author Tracy Kane of Lee, New Hampshire, and has become more and more successful. Kane is one of our Faerie Architects. A simple google search will show that similar events take place at parks and libraries all across the country.
What makes a faerie dwelling successful?
The goal of each dwelling is to delight, educate, and inspire. The power of these installations is their ability to captivate audiences of all ages with their creativity. Visitors will be drawn into the world of imagination and envision a faerie living in each space. The dwellings will also educate the viewer about the historic artists using subtle clues and bits of evidence that will be explained in the narrative. Visitors are encourage to view the artists's work in the Griswold House and gallery. And lastly, a successful village inspires visitors to go home and create a faerie dwelling in their garden.
I've been inspired! How do I share my Faerie House?
Visitors are invited to link photos of their creations to the Museum's Flickr or Facebook accounts.
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