Heidi Lewis Coleman, Press Links

When you look at Heidi Lewis Coleman’s art, there is a strong sense of someone speaking in tongues. It has to do with the mysterious lettering gracing her work, which is now showing at the University of Connecticut Stamford Art Gallery in the exhibit “Love Letters ~ Prayers,” a five-year retrospective of Coleman’s work that runs until August 31.

Coleman, a Stamford artist, says the rhythmic ebbs and flows of the abstract writing filling her canvases is an intuitive process. “It’s automatic – putting the paint brush down on paper. These languages came to me without a sense of what they were saying. It’s a very positive, mystical process.”

Mystical? Yes. But Coleman’s mandalas, scrolls and triptychs exude Asian art forms of antiquity that are engrossing and accessible to the viewer pulled in by the symmetry, a visual base supporting a vibrant syncopation of layered, intermittent color and patterns.

Coleman was inspired by calligraphy found on ancient scrolls and screens and developed her own alphabet in 2000. What the viewer takes in is the sheer visual whimsy of her invented “letters,” lyrical marks leaving a quiet impression of language. “I became a fan of other languages that use characters different from our own and started working with my own abstract languages,” says Coleman.

In the large “Fresco Triptych,” the three-panel piece has intricate, repeated patterns of “writing” interrupted with turquoise sections, as sea water randomly catching the light, some brighter, some faded. Coleman says the form appeals to her on many levels.

“Making something look like a fresco appeals to me, especially the way it seems to be decomposing, but there are glimpses of original work still intact.”

Coleman uses acrylic paint with a diverse palette of mixed media, some only detectable on close observation. In “Nepthys,” Coleman created a piece that could’ve been unearthed in an Egyptian tomb, but the ingenious use of paper and newsprint flips our perception.

“When you stand back and look at it, it feels ancient. But when you get up close you’ll see the paper,” Coleman explains. “Here’s this very old-looking form from afar, but then up close it’s so contemporary. There’s something lovely about the juxtaposition and the interactivity of moving back and forth and watching the changes.”

Some pieces in the show use Japanese and Thai paper, natural fibers, bits of bark, leaves and stems. “The petals from the flowers are very subtle,” says Coleman. “You see the work close up and you see the natural fibers floating across the surface of the image. It makes the experience of the image very different.” Coleman also uses enhanced photographs which she scans and digitizes and integrates in her work.

Coleman’s work with mandalas grew from her fascination with circles used throughout art history. “The circle, or mandala, means inclusiveness, wholeness. For women it means the womb,” she says. “There are so many beautiful connections we subconsciously make with the circular format.”

Coleman studied at Parsons and the New York School of Design. She has been a juried member of Silvermine and the National Association of Women Artists since 2000. In 2007, she received a Mayor’s Award from Stamford Mayor Dan Malloy, celebrating her commitment to the arts as one of Stamford’s “Art Treasures.”

“Heidi Lewis Coleman: Love Letters ~ Prayers” is on view at the University of Connecticut Stamford Art Gallery, One University Place. Gallery Hours are Monday through Thursday, 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Call 203-251-8400.

Art
“Heidi Lewis Coleman: Love Letters - Prayers” at the UConn Stamford Art Gallery
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Jun 1, 2009 - 7:15 AM

“Love letters ~ Prayers,” a five year retrospective of work by artist Heidi Lewis Coleman, will be on exhibit at the University of Connecticut Stamford Art Gallery this summer, from July 2nd through August 31st.

Coleman is a Stamford artist, but she was born and raised in a small farming town in Central Washington State. The warm colors of the Yakima countryside provide the basic palette for the artist’s rich and earthy work. Coleman attended college in Seattle, a port city which has long been a major center for trade with the Far East. Asian design has become an intrinsic part of Seattle’s culture and has inspired many of the local artisans. Coleman was particularly fascinated by the intricate calligraphy used to decorate ancient scrolls and screens – the columns of simple, yet elegant characters are imprinted in her memory and have influenced the primitive style of her abstract work.

Coleman creates mixed media pieces using acrylic paint and cut or shredded paper/silk on canvas. Her paintings and steel sculptures incorporate her own abstract writings, which are invented, rhythmic languages that flow automatically from her hand. The strands of writing are painted on paper, cut out and then applied either vertically or horizontally to a painted canvas. The artist also includes computer-altered images of her own work in her assemblage pieces, further enhancing the technique.

When asked about the show’s title, Coleman explains,
“For me, these abstract languages have an ancient, almost mystical quality. I believe they carry a hidden message which is unique for each viewer. When I create them, I am guided by my intuition. I don’t think about how the words should look or what they should say – somehow I just know when they feel right. Abstract artistic expression carries an energy that we all respond to very individually. My intention is to send messages from my heart, and I hope that is how they are being received.”

Coleman studied art at Parsons and the New York School of Design. She has exhibited in New York, Connecticut, California, Florida and many other states across the country

The opening reception for “Heidi Lewis Coleman: Love Letters ~ Prayers” will be held on Friday, July 17th, from 7 to 9 PM. The University of Connecticut Stamford Art Gallery is located at One University Place in Stamford. Free parking is available next door on the 2nd Floor of the UConn Stamford Parking Garage on Washington Boulevard.

© Copyright by StamfordPlus.com

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It was exactly 10 summers ago that Heidi Lewis Coleman had her first show at the Allied ArtsCenter, the neighborhood art space she'd grown up near and would frequently visit.

Since that show, Coleman's work has evolved from still life paintings to cut and woven paper to mixed media pieces in which she uses acrylic paint and cut or shredded paper or silk on canvas.

While Coleman's color pallette reflects the warm colors of the Yakima countryside -- she's a 1976 Eisenhower High School graduate -- the abstract calligraphy is influenced by her time in Seattle with its rich Asian culture.

"It's so dramatically different than what I showed before," says the 48-year-old Coleman, whose most recent body of work, which she's titled "Writing in Tongues," goes on display Sunday at the Allied ArtsCenter.

These pieces "incorporate my own abstract writing which is an invented, rhythmic language that flows automatically from my hand," she writes in her artist's statement.

"The benefit of working in abstract is the writing is not literal," says Coleman, who now makes her home in Connecticut.

That means interpretations of her work are left up to each viewer. He or she is allowed to "feel the piece," she says, and perhaps decipher a message on a subconscious level.

Coleman makes her way to Yakima today, and will attend the opening reception of "Writing in Tongues" from 3-5 p.m. Sunday at the Peggy Lewis Gallery in the Allied ArtsCenter, 5000 W. Lincoln Ave.

The show runs through Sept. 16. Gallery hours are 9 a.m.-5 p.m. weekdays. Call 966-0930 or visit www.alliedartsyakima.org.

“No two figures are alike and no face an unchanging subject. 'It requires an equal measure of creative energy and technical skills. The slightest change in posture or expression inspires a new artistic creation.”

Rosa Portell moves quickly around the Stamford Art Association gallery, studying the 77 canvases, photographs and sculptures that line the walls of the two-floor gallery.

As juror of the 'Faces and Figures' exhibit, she steps from wall to wall, up the stairs and down again, occasionally handling a frame, deciding which of the submitted works will remain as finalists in the fourth annual show, opening today.

'In the early sorting, I'm looking for technical ability,' says Portell. 'After that, I like originality, a fresh voice. If I can recognize an artist's hand, I like to see a little stretch, something new, with a little daring. If it's (by) someone older and more established, I like to see a little growth.'

A handful of gallery volunteers and board members watch Portell as she turns selected frames toward the wall, apparently rejecting them from the competition. They whisper among themselves about the works that remain.

'Capturing the human figure is a rewarding experience,' says SAA president Christine Irvin. 'No two figures are alike and no face an unchanging subject.

'It requires an equal measure of creative energy and technical skills. The slightest change in posture or expression inspires a new artistic creation.'

After more than hour, during what Portell calls her 'final walk-through,' she changes her mind and turns back a painting she had earlier rejected and includes it among the 57 pieces that ultimately make the show.

'Jurors are instructed to pick high-quality work, what is believed the most excellent and still fits the theme,' explains Irvin.

Because the theme is purposely literal, artists are allowed to interpret the face and the figure any way they like. What results is a rich and varied collection of mostly representational works that pay tribute to the human form.

'Artists and visitors alike should remember that an exhibition is more than a sum of individual artworks,' says Portell in her juror's statement. 'It is supposed to be well-rounded. If the pursuit of and appreciation of multiple art forms is to be encouraged, an exhibition should at least include several of them.'

Irvin says the collective impact of the works shown today through Feb. 15 is legitimized further by hiding artist information from Portell until she has completed her judging.

Before Portell decides the show's winners, she voices concern that her decision to reject any given work will discourage the artist to whom the piece belongs.

'Every juror has his or her own biases,' she begins. 'Reviewers and critics are invested with this magical authority that unfortunately discourages what could be great work.'

To Portell, the best criticism should come from trusted and respected fellow artists who know an artist's body of work and value it as a collection.

'Only that can offer true insight into an artist's strengths and weaknesses,' she says.

Accordingly, failure to make it into the show is not a reflection of poor work, she adds, only her biases as a judge under specific instructions from the SAA.

'Art is for self-expression and that small painting, sculpture, photograph or mixed-media work that 'did not make it' may turn out to be the gem that best signals who you are, eclipsing all others,' she says later in her statement.

'I am ready to announce Best in Show,' says Portell to the waiting group, a couple with cell phones in hand.

Among the first calls was one to Stamford's Heidi Lewis Coleman, who screamed when she heard that her 'Self-Portrait Diptych,' acrylic and shredded paper on canvas, had won this year's 'Face and Figures' competition.

'The quality of this piece is extraordinary, a very original technique,' says Sary Backer, an SAA member and sculptor whose 'Torso' received third place. 'By shredding the paper in the second portrait, she has deconstructed her image but held it together at the same time. Very avant-garde.'

In Coleman's piece, the two portraits, one intact, the other meticulously shredded and re-assembled, serve to give contrasting impressions of the artist, one more unforgiving yet intimate, the other more distant, emotionless. Side by side, the impressions are effectively emphasized further.

'The shredding technique I used in this piece, I've used for years, but in the abstract,' says Coleman. 'The shredding, I think, introduces this energy and vibrancy. So I started to consider the possibility of using it in a self-portrait.'

To step away from her abstract approach, Coleman says, was a risky artistic move, but she liked the idea of trying.

'I was going through a difficult personal time and the idea of taking my face, shredding it and reassembling it was interesting because it was indicative of some of the personal transformation I was going through,' she explains. 'It was almost like breaking down the old me and reassembling the pieces into a new me. The thought of making it into a diptych really showed the transformation.'

The diptych is an anomaly in Coleman's body of work, which focuses on an invented language, also painted on paper, either shredded or cut out, and re-applied to canvas.

'Usually, I'm applying the writing vertically to the canvas, which draws references to Asian calligraphy,' says Coleman. 'The writing also looks much more like an ancient language, almost like words, so it gives off a mystical quality, allows people to feel it - but not translate it specifically - and take a unique message from it on a subconscious level.'

'It is so distinctive from the work that I do, there was never a great opportunity to show with my other pieces,' she says. 'I loved the idea that it could be part of this show.'

'Juried shows mean so much to me, even if it means I won't get in, because you are honored when you're included,' she says, agreeing with Portell.

'For me, it's wonderful to win with this piece but I think, as you work with your art, and develop your skills and your style over a number of years, you get connected to what you do. So even if it doesn't get selected, you are still doing something very meaningful that may connect with some and not with others.

The Stamford Art Association's annual 'Faces and Figures' show opens today with an opening reception from 4 to 6 p.m. Free. Thursday and Friday, 11 a.m.-3 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, noon

May 28, 2000, Sunday Late Edition - Final
Section 14CN Page 15 Column 1 Desk: Connecticut Weekly Desk Length: 1009 words

It is not mere consolation when the Silvermine Guild in New Canaan tells artists who didn't make the cut in its annual competition, ''Art of the Northeast,'' to try again next year. Every year the show has a different judge. Though all are prominent in the art world, the judges' tastes differ markedly, and for viewers, each year's edition has its own distinctive tone.

Last year's judge was Allen Stone whose gallery in Manhattan can be counted on to show zany works as well as objects of classic beauty. This year the judge was George B. King, formerly director of the Katonah Art Museum, now director of the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum in Santa Fe, N.M. Even though O'Keeffe was a daring individualist, her images are now part of tradition, and Mr. King's Silvermine choices are largely traditional. They are also frequently commonplace and sometimes bewilderingly stale. But he also selected strong pieces, including some with humor.

The show contains a lot of landscape and other nature imagery. A fine pairing of small works that might be overlooked by a viewer in a hurry is a pastel, ''Sabino Canyon,'' by Sharon Golden and Linda Merck-Gould's watercolor, ''Saugatuck River, Westport.'' Though the subject matter is geographically disparate, both works reveal their traditionally elusive mediums given weight and precise clarity. Along those same lines, ''Northeast Adobe,'' by Paula Madawick, is a colored-pencil drawing with strong luminosity. In the drawing a simple concrete building, but one with the traditional contours of an adobe hut, is being built.

Small but annoying disparities exist between wall labels and information in the catalog. For example, Wendy Sherwin's work is titled ''Driving Through New Mexico Day and Night'' in the catalog. The three-part work is elaborate, with two depictions of rear-view mirrors catching scenery flanking a central landscape. But there is no night; a turquoise sky fills all the panels. The label reads only ''Driving Through New Mexico.'' What's more frustrating though is that Ms. Sherwin's depiction of a sensation lacks vitality. ''The Commute,'' by Gigi Horr Liverant, might be a companion piece to Ms. Sherwin's; there's nothing hedonistic about the twilight drive, and Ms. Horr Liverant's egg yolk yellow headlights are a false note.

Good, satisfying, new abstraction has been in short supply on museum and gallery walls in recent years, but Mr. King found some. ''Sea Animal,'' by Jeanne Mitchell, might be just the traces of an animal. Intriguing small welts waft in linear patterns across a frothy blue surface.

''Pirouette,'' by Carla Aurich, might be a simplified kaleidoscope pattern as it features symmetry and a sense of unfolding. To create the sensation of growth, several luminous layers of oil paint, some translucent, were painstakingly built up on a neutral ground. Paul Blaylock's untitled painting is absorbing as it contrasts rows of light-colored crosses with darker ones for surface action. But there's mystery below the surface as some of the crosses seem to disappear into or emerge from, the surface.

A painting packing a punch is always a welcome find, and viewers might sense a fist, albeit a highly satisfying one, in ''Memorial for a Haida Chief,'' by Sergio Gonzalez-Tornero. The dominant bright red shape is reminiscent of the pictographic Abstract Expressionism of Adolph Gottlieb. For his part, Mr. Gonzalez-Tornero says the work is dedicated to a 19th-century carver of totem poles, Albert Wedard Edenshaw, and he might be trying to pack the inherent power of a totem carving in the aggressive shape. A pungent companion might be ''The Chieftain's Skirt,'' by Heidi Lewis Coleman. It's a traditional flat drawing, but is woven out of paper and painted with acrylic.

The humor alluded to above is found in a major way in ''Hermes,'' by James Reich. This colorful jolly wiener-shaped messenger is heavily outlined like the bright and bouncy figures of Keith Haring. (Not humorous, but rather stately, David Safhay's ''Old Oak Tree'' gains much of its strength through the kind of heavy outline Haring put his stamp on.) Also a little loopy is Jay Clifford's painting, ''Wooden Indian.'' The figure is trying to squelch an expression.

Nina Bentley's acidic tableau, ''Veiled Threats'' is a lineup of knives under loose wraps. But the actual sculpture in the show is decorous for the most part, and the elaborate pieces don't really work. Kimberly Russell's tower of drawers is supposed to be a dig at Martha Stewart, but it is not thought through; it misfires. Too many odd elements are in ''Venetian Measure,'' by Joseph Saccio, an arrangement of thin slats made from a cut-up tape measure anchored by large rocks. But ''Three-Legged Mountain,'' by Kevin Thomas, is coherent while supporting allusions to nature, to a brazier or even to a U.F.O.

The show has two real and heady high points. One is elegant, mysterious and content rich. ''Venetian Feeding,'' by Mikhail Gubin, sets one spinning many possible stories. The work is luridly and darkly colored, much in the manner of Max Beckmann, and features a man straining to feed a fish to a mermaid. The other singular work is a disk on which is painted, near the edge, the streamlined, international symbol for man. The artist, Adam Niklewicz, tells viewers to set the disk revolving; it moves slowly. The slowness lets us identify with this Everyman's rise and fall. But the circle can spin endlessly, as life goes on.

''Art of the Northeast U.S.A.'' is at the Silvermine Guild in New Canaan until June 16.

Images: Photos: Among the show's paintings are Mikhail Gubin's ''Venetian Feeding,'' above, and, left, Sergio Gonzalez-Tornero's ''Memorial for a Haida Chief.''; At Silvermine, Adam Niklewicz's ''Descending Man, Ascending Man,'' acrylic on board with rotating devices. ($;Adam Niklewicz)

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A new exhibition at the Silvermine Guild Arts Center in New Canaan, called ''Political Persuasions,'' opens Friday and will run through Oct. 10.

One painting, by Adam Niklewicz, depicts Uncle Sam on his knees, with his head burrowing into Iraq's desert sand, ostrich-style. Another contributor, Karin Bartimole, created an assemblage of newspaper headlines titled ''Mixed-Up Media.

Heidi Coleman, who takes shredded materials and reassembles them in various ways applied the technique to a paper image of the American flag, which she reassembled into ''a cross between a folk art flag and one painted by Jasper Johns,'' she said. ''It's not negative; it represents the American people at this point in time.''

A Director's Choice exhibition will occur during the same period, featuring works by Barbara Wilk and Barry Guthertz, and two solo shows are by Natasha Karpinskaia and Judith Steinberg.

Gallery hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. The address is 1037 Silvermine Road.

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Art review: In the democratic spirit -- political art at Silvermine
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October 10, 2004

BY L.P. Streitfeld
Special Correspondent

Some of the best political art in recent memory was spontaneously presented in the streets of Manhattan during last month's Republican National Convention. In the largest demonstration there were figures wearing Bush and Cheney masks kicking an inflatable globe back and forth. In Union Square, there was an impromptu performance of colonialists singing rap songs while calling for signatures on a rewriting of the Constitution, and an installation in which soldiers' boots were lined up during an all-day roll call of the American servicemen who died in Iraq.

In keeping with this democratic spirit surrounding the most contested presidential race in decades, Silvermine Galleries is presenting "Political Persuasions: Left, Right and Center" through the November election.

The invitation to the show's opening offers the sharpest image of the exhibition, Adam Niklewicz's color drawing of Uncle Sam in the Iraqi desert sticking his head in the sand, presumably looking for WMD's.

"Since it's an election year, everyone seems to have an opinion no matter what political affiliation," writes executive director Cynthia Clair in her statement. "In the spirit of democracy, we invited our artists to exercise their freedom of expression, to comment on the upcoming elections, politics and current issues which shape policy and affect our lives."

The exhibition has an interactive component. At the entrance are sheets offered to visitors with the names of the 1,000 dead servicemen in Iraq. On both sides of the entrance are chalkboards marked with visitors' voices that echo the cries of demonstrators with anti-Bush slogans and appeals to save the environment along with demands to know "Where's Osama"?

In the center of the gallery is Sheila Hale's "We the People," a mock voting booth that engages the viewer through a mirrored exterior marked with the freest medium of spontaneous expression: graffiti. There are also illuminating articles, such as the one spelling out the cost of shopping at Wal-Mart, which contains an encircled statement that half of the giant retailer's employees are on food stamps. Inside are quotes reinforcing the participatory role in the democratic process required by voting.

Jennifer Mazzucco gives voice to her feelings through "WAR," a new form of mixed-media book that transforms an existing volume on human anatomy with words and images introduced by a soldier's letter on the cover. Cate M. Leach's "War Brides" brings a new-found clarity to her evolving style of richly layered integration of collage and painting; the haunted face staring behind bars is also the corset of the bride's skirt, making it one of the strongest, most evocative works in the exhibition.

Some of the most thoughtful works reach beyond politics to voice caution regarding the perils of a divided nation. Pat Van de Graf's "Whatever Happened to the Center" is a mixed-media work revealing a drawing of a naked woman attempting to hold the center against enraged blue- and red-painted faces. Susan Newbold's mixed-media "A Divided Nation" improves on the institutionalized metaphor of red vs. blue states by dividing the United States into sky (male) and earth (female), each half overseen by a pair of grim American gothic figures. Heidi Lewis Coleman's "A Defining Moment" reflects a disintegrated nation through a symbolic shredding of the American flag. Jo Ubogy's lush and fiery digital collage, "Muscling US to the (Far) Right" depicts a classical Hercules figure shoving the meaty U.S. landmass to the far right of a lush surface, which feels like mosaic.

The exhibition also serves as a useful forum for creatively channeling anger toward the current administration. Here we find artists abandoning their carefully developed techniques to experiment with new media. For example, Barbara Rothenberg's study of Bush's brain is accompanied by lyrics of a song sung to the catchy tune of the Scarecrow's song from "The Wizard of Oz": "In these times that are not merry, we need a man like Kerry."

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"Political Persuasions" will be on view at Silvermine Galleries, 1037 Silvermine Road, New Canaan, through Nov. 14. Gallery hours are: Tuesday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-5 p.m.; Sunday, 1-5 p.m. Call 966-1517.

Copyright (c) 2004, Southern Connecticut Newspapers, Inc.

Ike Grad Designs YSOPoster -- Heidi Lewis Coleman
Published On: September 11, 1998

Page: 7E-1
Section: Local

Introducing ... the poster for the 1998-1999 Yakima Symphony Orchestra. Artist Heidi Lewis Coleman, 40, an Eisenhower High School graduate influenced by Yakima painter/sculptor Leo Adams and local acrylic artist Felicia Holtzinger, painted this floral still life at the request of the YSO board.

The yellow and red tulips and a Yakima red delicious recall a piece Coleman exhibited during a show last year at Allied ArtsCenter. It sold, so the board had Coleman create another.

"They liked the color a lot - bright, vivid color appeals to them as something that would look good in the poster," said Coleman, who has other YSO posters hanging at her home in Connecticut. "Knowing I was going to be donating the painting to (the YSO) was something I was really thrilled about." Her original will be auctioned off at a YSO fund raiser, open to the public, from 4-6 p.m. Saturday at the home of Adams, 3205 S. 62nd Ave. Cost is $20, which includes food and wine. Call the YSO at 248-1414.

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Coleman's abstract paintings have been showcased in many New York and Connecticut galleries. She's recently launched a collection of handcrafted wool and silk rugs based on those colorful paintings. The artist calls these replicas of her works "Paintings for the Floor."

The carpets are featured at the Silvermine Guild Art Center's Holiday Show and Sale through Dec. 22. The center is at 1037 Silvermine Road, New Canaan. They also are available in local stores including A.T. Proudian Carpets of Greenwich.

Made of hand-spun yarn, hand-knotted and hand dyed in the Tibetan tradition, the rugs combine Coleman's contemporary designs with the centuries old crafts of rug weaving.

Before becoming a painter, Coleman worked the field of interior design. After graduation from the University of Washington in Seattle, she earned an an associate degree at the New York School of Interior Design and also studied at the Parson's School of Art and Design.

As a student, she interned for Robert A.M. Stern, and later worked for interior designer Greg Jordan, assisting him with projects for clients including Blaine Trump. She also designed wallpaper and fabric and painted murals for New York's annual Show House to benefit the Kip's Bay Boy's Club.

Her new line of silk carpets are made in Nepal by village artisans who recreat the painting designs using a graph matrix format and weave them with 100 knots per inch.

"All the rugs are created from my paintings," says Coleman. "A rug is another canvas to work with - like another wall. You can look at the floor as a framework for a piece of art."

Fairfield County arts organizations will host charity events this weekend for Save the Children, a Westport-based nonprofit working to help displaced families affected by the January 12 earthquakes in Haiti.

On Friday and Saturday, Rockwell Galleries in Fairfield, Westport, Wilton and New Canaan, along with Galleria dArte in Ridgefield, will host heART for Haiti, an art sale benefit.

More than 100 artists are expected to donate their work to sales at each of the five galleries. Among them is Stamford artist Heidi Lewis Coleman, who will donate her assemblage piece, “Prayer for Haiti.”

“This is a situation that has opened up the heart of the world,”she said of the earthquakes. “Its a wonderful thing to be part of the arts community and to have an opportunity to give back.”

On Sunday, Stamford’s Avon Theatre Film Center will screen Haitian singer Wyclef Jean’s concert film, “All Star Jam at Carnegie Hall” and a Haitian movie in its small theatre.

In the 2004 film, Jean welcomes an all-star gathering to Carnegie Hall in New York City for the first ever Clef’s Kids concert, benefiting the Wyclef Jean Foundation. Stars include Eric Clapton, Stevie Wonder, Charlotte Church, Destiny’s Child, Marc Anthony, Macy Gray, Mary J. Blige, Steven Marley and Third World.

Chuck Royce, board president and Avon co-founder, will match all donations made at the benefit.

The event is organized in collaboration with the Haitian American Catholic Center in Stamford.

heART for Haiti art sale fundraiser will take place Friday from 6 to 9 p.m. and Saturday from noon to 3 p.m. at Galleria d’Art Ridgefield, 3 Bailey Ave., Rockwell Fairfield, 1630 Post Road, Rockwell New Canaan, 9 Burtis Ave., Rockwell Westport, 15 Myrtle Ave., and Rockwell Wilton, 379 Danbury Road. Visit http://heartforhaiticttumblr.com. The concert film “All Star Jam at Carnegie Hall” and a Haitian movie will be screened Sunday at 9 p.m. at the Avon Theatre, 272 Bedford St., Stamford. $10 minimum donation is requested and includes a ticket to either film, popcorn and soda. Call 203-967-3660 or visit www.avontheatre.org.