With support from the CORA Foundation, an enthusiastic audience joined artist Ellen Harvey, 06880’s Dan Woog, and preservationist Ed Gerber at MoCACT
WESTPORT, CT, UNITED STATES, July 17, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — The Museum of Contemporary Art Connecticut (MoCACT) welcomed an engaged audience last night for a public program, presented with generous support from the CORA Foundation, held in conjunction with its summer exhibition Looking for History. The evening brought together artist Ellen Harvey, journalist Dan Woog, and preservation advocate Ed Gerber for a warm and welcoming conversation grounded in the exhibition’s central themes—memory, loss, and the places that shape our communities.
“On behalf of MoCACT, I am enormously grateful to the CORA Foundation for funding a series of conversations inspired by Looking for History,” said MoCACT Executive Director Robin Jaffee Frank. “While the CORA Foundation’s primary grants are international, Robin Tauck—a beloved Westporter—also generously directs the Foundation to support local arts, history, and community dialogue right at home. Like Robin, Ellen Harvey—who has painted lost sites from over forty countries—embraces a global perspective. For MoCA CT’s installation, she created four paintings of vanished local places submitted by our community. Last evening, visitors exchanged stories about affectionately remembered places, revealing that nostalgia creates empathy, motivates us to preserve much-loved gathering spaces, and think critically about what we build for the future.”
Moderated by Woog, beloved founder of 06880, the discussion focused on Harvey’s The Disappointed Tourist, which reflects on sites that have disappeared due to demolition, disaster, or the tides of time. For the exhibition, Harvey created four new paintings based on local submissions—The Remarkable Book Shop, Cedar Brook Cafe, Bloodroot, and Allen’s Clam House—using these familiar places as a starting point for a broader conversation about change and nostalgia.
The discussion, shaped by Woog’s thought-provoking questions, invited audience participation. The evening made space for community voices, many enthusiastic, who shared brief reflections on their own lost places, adding humor, poignancy, and specificity to the conversation.
Gerber, representing Historic New England, added perspective on preservation, helping to connect these personal memories to larger questions about cultural and historical stewardship.
“As a CT-based Foundation with a mission around Culture and Heritage, MoCACT’s innovative 2026 exhibition and public dialog series is central to contemplating our past and future,” said Robin Tauck, Founder and President, CORA Foundation, which sponsored the program. “Treasured places, loved and lost over time, shape us and our culture. Congratulations to the artists and visionaries for Looking for History here in Connecticut.”
The program is part of a four-part series of conversations supported by a CORA Foundation Impact Grant, which has enabled MoCACT to extend Looking for History beyond the gallery and into the community. By bringing together artists, preservationists, and local voices, the series highlights the role of contemporary art as a way to spark dialogue and shared reflection.
The next CORA Foundation sponsored events are scheduled to take place during the course of the exhibition, and include:
– Architectural Elegy: A Mourning Ritual for Lost Spaces on Thursday, July 23, from 6-7pm
– The CORA Foundation Community Conversation with artist Rick Shaefer: Saturday, October 24, 4-5pm
– The CORA Foundation Community Conversation with artist Michael Borders: Thursday, November 5, 6-7pm
About MoCACT
The Museum of Contemporary Art Connecticut (MoCACT) is a premier destination for thought-provoking visual arts exhibitions, musical performances, and arts education programs that enrich the cultural landscape of Connecticut and beyond. Through the arts, community engagement, and multidisciplinary initiatives, MoCACT connects diverse audiences with the art and ideas of our time. Learn more at mocact.org.
ABOUT CORA
CORA Foundation is dedicated to supporting culture and heritage projects internationally. It believes that culture and heritage connect us to our past and inspire exchange that leads us collectively toward a better future.
Now in its 20th Year – previously operating under Tauck Ritzau Innovative Philanthropy (TRIP) – it is committed to empowering those who do the work, convening those who have the ideas, and amplifying those who have the expertise.
THANK YOU TO MOCACT SUPPORTERS
Benefactors
Bill and Jodi Felton + Hofstetter Baron Group + The Joyce Thompson Art Fund + Joyce Pauker + Suzanne and Norman Sorensen
Exhibition Sponsors
The Joyce Thompson Art Fund + CORA Foundation + Bill and Jodi Felton + Kathryn Turley-Sonne + Saatva + Conlon Amendola, Attorneys at Law + Ed Webb Design + Image WorksOur Museum PartnersHonda of Westport + Westport Book Shop + Westport Journal + Dan Woog 06880 + WPKN + WSHU
Sandra Nygaard
MoCA CT
+1 718-928-4212
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