Grace Farms Reopens With a New Visitor Experience, a Site-Specific Commission by artist Alyson Shotz, Two New Fall Exhibitions, a Panel Discussion Highlighting Ethical and Sustainable Supply Chains in Fashion With Editor & Writer Jay Fielden, and a Conversation with the 22nd U.S. Poet Laureate, Pulitzer Prize-Winning Author Tracy K. Smith
Grace Farms is a new kind of public space that brings land, architecture, and people together around a common cause of advancing good.
On-site programming and new, site-specific daily experiences and exhibits bring visitors further into the work of our Foundation. With programming conceived across our five initiatives — nature, arts, justice, community, and faith — Grace Farms convenes these diverse perspectives across sectors to create new and lasting outcomes.
Come explore our 80 acres of native habitats, take a tour the SANAA-designed and award winning River building, discover our work through on-going daily programing and special events throughout the seasons or enjoy fresh food and beverages in our Commons. Produce used in the Commons is often harvested from Grace Farms’ Community Garden or sourced locally, pastries are made on-site daily, and our Grace Farms Foods – pre-packaged teas, whole bean coffee, and cookies – are available for purchase throughout Grace Farms.
Grace Farms is open Tuesday – Sunday. The River building volumes are open 10:00 am – 5:00 pm and the East and West Barns, as well as the grounds are open until 6:00 pm. On Sunday, the Barns, volumes and grounds close at 5:00 pm.
Follow us @gracefarmsct
To ensure the safety of our visitors and staff, please review our COVID-19 Policy before visiting or registering for an event.
Feature photo: Dean Kaufman
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Events, New Exhibits & Featured Programing
Peace Forest Exhibit
West Barn | Open September 8, 2021
What is Grace Farms and how does Grace Farms Foundation advance good in the world? An immersive installation inspired by nature, Peace Forest offers visitors an interactive experience highlighting how the landscape, architecture, and people at Grace Farms are part of the Foundation’s mission. Pedestals made with ethically sourced steel and wood repurposed from the site gently sway when touched, and feature text, objects, and archival photos. A video installation and a map of Grace Farms highlight offerings each day. The installation is curated by Grace Farms Foundation Creative Director Chelsea Thatcher and designed by Peter Miller (Palette Architecture) and Shohei Yoshida (shohei yoshida + associates / SYA), members of the SANAA-led design team for the award-winning River building at Grace Farms. Graphics were designed by Pentagram
Common Good Through Crisis Exhibit
East Barn | October 2021 – September 2022
Can we continue responding in the interest of the common good after a crisis? Designed by MASS Design with graphics by Pentagram, this exhibit considers the relationships and connections that inspired Grace Farms Foundation’s efforts to provide food relief to hundreds of thousands, 2 million critical PPE to frontline health care workers, and public programming to address the uncertainty caused by the pandemic for all. This work was made possible through our collaboration with the State of Connecticut, a partnership commemorated at a ceremonial bill signing by Governor Ned Lamont.
Site-specific Sculpture Debut
Temporal Shift, site-specific sculpture | September 2021–September 2022
As part of the Arts Initiative’s interdisciplinary study of time, Grace Farms Foundation will present a new commissioned site-responsive sculpture from artist Alyson Shotz. Made of mirrored polished stainless steel, Temporal Shift will interact with natural light and animate an interior courtyard of the SANAA-designed River building, describing time as the seasons change.
Rendering of Temporal Shift by Alyson Shotz, photo by Niv Rozenberg.
Visitor Engagement Experiences
Daily
Join our 10-to-15-minute pop-up talks and facilitated family-friendly activities developed in partnership with the STEM Educators at the Connecticut Science Center. With topics including the exploration of ethical supply chains, sustainable foodways, and the intentionality of architectural design, these interactions serve as pathways into the larger work of our foundation. For more information please call 203-920-1702 or see our Visitor Experience Team in the West Barn Visitor Welcome Center.
Beatriz Milhazes’ Moon Love Dreaming, a permanent art installation. The 108-foot-long wall mural is in the West Barn, a Welcome Center for our visitors and multipurpose meeting space not-for-profits and our initiative convenings. Photo credit: Dean Kaufman
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Featured Programs | September – November
(To register for our programs please visit our events calendar at Grace Farms.)
Birdwatching
September 18, 23, 25 | 10 am
Join Master Birder Frank Mantlik and Nature Initiative Director Mark Fowler for an exploration of Grace Farms’ Walking Trails. See birds in their natural habitat and learn about the 100 species of birds that make Grace Farms home throughout the year, contributing to the natural biodiversity of our site. Early registration encouraged.
Restoring the 10 biodiverse habitats at Grace Farms has brought back over 100 bird species to the area. Photo credit: Julien Jarry
$20 | member: $16
Books on Faith & Meaning | Modern Muslim Theology
September 14 | virtual | 12 pm
Join us for a conversation with Faith Initiative Director Dr. Matthew Croasmun and Dr. Martin Nguyen, Professor of Religious Studies at Fairfield University and widely considered one of the top Muslim theologians. In his recent book, Modern Muslim Theology, Dr. Nguyen asserts that theology is a creative, ongoing process, and offers refreshingly accessible perspective on practicing the Islamic tradition in our contemporary world. Books on Faith & Meaning spans multiple religious and philosophical traditions, encouraging us to think critically about the meaning in our lives.
free
Against the Grain
September 17 | virtual
Enjoy a video series shared throughout various volumes of the River Building that celebrates individuals and organizations working to fix our food systems at the intersection of impact and innovation. Hosted by Community Initiative Director Karen Kariuki, the series shares inspiring stories from FEED Projects, Soul Fire Farm, Rockefeller Foundation, Stone Barns Center for Food & Agriculture, Freight Farms, Grace Farms, and Grace Farms Foods.
free
The series explores how we can create a more just, equitable, and accessible food system. Photo credit: Julien Jarry
Community Dinner
September 17 | 6 pm
Enjoy a seasonal community dining experience in our River building’s Commons, a 6,900-square-foot glass space with 18-foot-long communal tables that foster community and conversation. Visitors can also experience dining outside along the Commons. Rain or shine.
$15 | member: $12
The Commons is a community space, with communal tables built from trees harvested on site. Throughout the River building there are expansive views of the natural landscape. Photo credit: Ann-Dahlgren
Pollinator Walks
September 18, 23, 25 | 1 pm
Enjoy a guided walk on our 80 acres with Nature Initiative Director, Mark Fowler and the founders of Pollinator-Pathways.org, who will explain how to restore native meadows and plants in outdoor spaces small and large, to nurture habitats for pollinators like bees, butterflies, and birds.
Nature Initiative Director Mark Fowler pointing out the native plants at Grace Farms. Restoring the native landscape helped bring back biodiversity and pollinators such as bees, butterflies, and birds. Photo Credit: Julien Jarry
$20 | member: $16
Astronomy | Fall Equinox
September 21 | 7:30 pm
Come explore the universe with Explorers Club Expert and Nature Initiative Director Mark Fowler. This event inspires an understanding of the world beyond us and instills a compassion and stewardship for our planet.
$20 | member: $16 | under 12: free
Grace Farms offers year-round exploration of the stars and planets. Photo credit: Vanessa Van Ryzin
Member Welcome Reception
September 25 | 5 – 7 pm
Members are invited to join us for an open-house style event featuring new visitor experiences and the opening of a new, site-responsive sculpture from artist Alyson Shotz. Temporal Shift is a reflective work that interacts with natural light and animates an interior courtyard of the SANAA-designed River building, describing time as the seasons change. Director of Strategic Partnerships Meg Hely Walsh will host the evening, joined by Arts Initiative Creative Director Kenyon Victor Adams and curator Pamela Ruggio. The reception will be catered with a signature cocktail and light appetizers by Chef Neena Perez.
To learn more about membership visit: gracefarms.org/membership.
member event: free
River Retreat Launch from the Faith Initiative
September 25 | 2:30 pm | self-guided
Booklets are available year-round in the Welcome Center.
The River Retreat offers a self-directed way to encounter the faith initiative and its core question: what is the shape of flourishing life? Completed at an individual pace, over the course of a couple of hours, a whole day, or longer, it inspires insights about priorities, relationships, and visions of a life worthy of our shared humanity. Faith Initiative Director Dr. Matthew Croasmun and Faith Initiative Coordinator Katie Grosh will be available for discussion, questions, and reflection for those who wish to engage at the launch.
free
The SANAA-designed River building has won numerous awards for its architecture, including the prestigious Mies Crown Hall Americas Prize (2014-2015). Photo credit: Iwan Baan
Wildlife Encounters
September 25 | 11 am
Come face-to-face with native wildlife at Grace Farms. Learn about the animals in your own backyard as falcons soar under the River building’s canopies.
free
The restoration of native habitats at Grace Farms has created a thriving environment for many species of birds. Photo credit: Julien Jarry
Family Discovery Kit from the Arts Initiative
September 25 | self-guided | 10:30 am – 2:30 pm
Explore at your own pace with a new resource inspired by the architecture, landscape, and artworks at Grace Farms. Participants will keep their projects as a reminder of the multi-sensory experience and as an invitation to continue noticing relationships between line, color, shape, space, texture, movement, light, space, and sound. Recommended for children ages five to ten with adult caregivers.
$8 | member: $6.50
Source to Sound
September 29 | 10 am
Join us for Source to Sound and commit an afternoon to doing something we should all do daily—make our world a more beautiful place. Together, we can keep our watersheds, oceans and communities clean.
free
Healing Hope Through Community with Melissa Bernstein Co-Founder Melissa & Doug
September 30 | 10:30 am – 12 pm
Melissa & Doug Co-Founder, Melissa Bernstein will discuss her new book, LifeLines, which documents her experiences with mental health. A small group will gather for refreshments to learn how Melissa leveraged nature, art, creativity, and community on her journey toward wellness.
member event: $35
October
Tour & Tea with Alyson Shotz
October 2 | 2:30 pm
Experience Temporal Shift, a new site-responsive sculpture that interacts with natural light, animating an interior courtyard of the SANAA-designed River building at Grace Farms. Join the artist Alyson Shotz and curator Pamela Ruggio for a conversation about the Arts Initiative’s interdisciplinary study of time. This event is presented in collaboration with Derek Eller Gallery.
Artist Alyson Shotz while on site at Grace Farms. Photo credit: Souki Mehdaoui
$30 | member: $24
Family Discovery Kit from the Arts Initiative
October 2, 9, 16, 23, 30 | self-guided | 10:30 am – 2:30 pm
Explore at your own pace with a new resource inspired by the architecture, landscape, and artworks at Grace Farms. Participants will keep their projects as a reminder of the multi-sensory experience and as an invitation to continue noticing relationships between line, color, shape, space, texture, movement, light, space, and sound. Recommended for children ages five to ten with adult caregivers.
$8 | member: $6.50
Life Worth Living
Tuesday evenings, October 5 – November 16 | 7 – 9 pm
This 7-week online academic course hosted on-site at Grace Farms and led by Dr. Matthew Croasmun, Director of the Life Worth Living Program at the Yale Center for Faith & Culture, and Katie Grosh from Yale University Divinity School, explores the shape of a flourishing life through a range of philosophical and religious traditions.
$250 | member: $200
Pollinator Walks
October 2, 7, 9 | 1 pm
Enjoy a guided walk on our 80 acres with Nature Initiative Director, Mark Fowler and the founders of Pollinator-Pathway.org, who will explain how to restore native meadows and plants in outdoor spaces small and large, to nurture habitats for pollinators like bees, butterflies, and birds.
Grace Farms has installed thousands of native plants, attracting pollinators such as butterflies. The pollinators are essential to growing our food. Photo credit: Grace Farms Foundation
$20 | member: $16
Wildlife Encounters
October 9, 23 | 11 am
Come face-to-face with native wildlife at Grace Farms. Learn about the animals in your own backyard as owls and falcons soar under the River building’s canopies with master falconer Brian Bradley.
free
Fall Forest Walks
October 16, 22, 23, 30 | 1 pm & October 22 | 3 pm
Engage all your senses and experience the fall landscape with guest expert Laura Green from Yale School of Forestry and Environment. The program will highlight the importance of forest restoration through topics including climate change, oxygen, and biodiversity, while walking among the bright foliage of our 80 acres.
$20 | member: $16
Books on Faith & Meaning | This Sacred Life: Humanity’s Place in a Wounded World
October 12 | virtual | 12 pm
Join Dr. Matthew Croasmun and author Dr. Norma Wirzba to discuss his latest work This Sacred Life: Humanity’s Place in a Wounded World. The books asks pointed questions about matters of social justice and environmental degradation, making us aware of our creative and healing presence within the world.
free
Grace Farms Exploring Nature Series
October 21 | 1 pm
Join Nature Initiative Director Mark Fowler and a visiting Explorer from the renowned Explorers Club, where Mark serves as Vice President of Conservation, Wildlife and Sustainability, for an engaging conversation on topics ranging from preserving forests, protecting wildlife and restoring our climate, among many others. Be a part of the discussion and engage in topical conversations with visiting explorers of land, sea, and air to discover how you can make a difference for our planet. Additional events will be offered in November and December.
$20 | member: $16
Restoring the native habitats at Grace Farms has created a biodiverse environment for all types of wildlife, including our resident snapping turtle that will sometimes visit our Commons. Our Nature Initiative Director Mark Fowler. Photo credit: Grace Farms Foundation
October4Design
October 22
Grace Farms is honored to be featured in the Modern House Day Tours, a local tradition of over 70 years in the making. Organized by the New Canaan Museum & Historical Society, this event is part of New Canaan’s October4Design a month-long celebration of architecture, art, design, and the community where it happens. Register early at october4design.org; tickets available on a limited basis.
Fieldnotes on Time | Featuring Distinguished Poet Tracy K. Smith
October 23 | 3 pm – 5 pm | Sanctuary
Tracy K. Smith, the 22nd U.S. Poet Laureate and Pulitzer Prize-winning author. Photo credit: Rachel Eliza Griffiths
The grammar of time allows a way of perceiving that assumes a layered composition of past events and future becomings, a perspective often lacking in daily life and in public discourse. Join the 22nd United States Poet Laureate, Pulitzer Prize-winning author, and Harvard professor for a program that invites participants into a world of ideas from the Arts Initiative’s interdisciplinary study of time at Grace Farms. A book signing will follow the reading.
$25 | member: $20
Design for Freedom & Sustainable Materials Tour
October 23 | 10:30 am
Nora Rizzo, Sustainable Materials Director at Grace Farms, will tour the SANAA-designed River building and Barns to highlight ethical and sustainable material sourcing. In buildings worldwide, glass, brick, timber, stone, and copper are vulnerable to being produced with forced labor, and this tour will offer guidance for asking questions about material sourcing as a professional or consumer.
$30 | member: $24
November
Fall Forest Walks
November 5 | 3 pm & November 6 | 1 pm
Engage all your senses and experience the fall landscape with guest expert Laura Green from Yale School of Forestry and Environment. The program will highlight the importance of forest restoration through topics including climate change, oxygen, and biodiversity, while walking among the bright foliage of our 80 acres.
$20 | member: $16
Design for Freedom x Fashion present Woven — Community, Fashion, and Sustainability with Jay Fielden
November 6 | 4 pm
Jay Fielden, former editor of Esquire, will moderate a panel of innovative industry leaders who are reshaping the world of fashion by weaving values, vision, and a commitment to a better tomorrow into their companies and products. This program is a part of a series that will explore materials, like textiles, highlighted in the Design for Freedom movement.
$20 | member: $16
Jay Fielden, former Editor-in-Chief of Esquire magazine. Photo credit: Julien Jarry
Family Discovery Kit from the Arts Initiative
November 6, 13, 20, 27 | self-guided | 10:30 am – 2:30 pm
Explore at your own pace with a new resource inspired by the architecture, landscape, and artworks at Grace Farms. Participants will keep their projects as a reminder of the multi-sensory experience and as an invitation to continue noticing relationships between line, color, shape, space, texture, movement, light, space, and sound. Recommended for children ages five to ten with adult caregivers.
$8 | member: $6.50
Wildlife Encounters
November 6 | 11 am
Come face-to-face with native wildlife at Grace Farms. Learn about the animals in your own backyard as owls and falcons soar under the River building’s canopies with master falconer Brian Bradley.
free
Books on Faith & Meaning
November 12 | virtual | 12 pm
Dr. Asha Shipman, the Director of Hindu Life and Hindu Chaplain at Yale University, will join Dr. Matthew Croasmun in conversation about the Bhagavad Gita. This scriptural text calls for selfless action and righteousness, while being openly accepting and harmonizing spiritual pursuits through action (karma), knowledge (gyaana), and devotion (bhakti).
free
Design for Freedom & Sustainable Materials Tour
November 13 | 2:30 pm
Nora Rizzo, Sustainable Materials Director at Grace Farms, will tour the SANAA-designed River building and Barns to highlight ethical and sustainable material sourcing. In buildings worldwide, glass, brick, timber, stone, and copper are vulnerable to being produced with forced labor, and this tour will offer guidance for asking questions about material sourcing as a professional or consumer.
$30 | member: $24
Beauty and Logic
November 19 | 7:30 pm
Join musician Marcus G. Miller, acclaimed saxophonist and mathematician, as we understand how to explore the world, ourselves, and our community through beauty and logic.
$20 | member: $16
Marcus Miller on sax, performing at a Grace Farms’ Annual Benefit. Photo credit: Jenna Bascom
Community Dinner
November 19 | 6 pm
Enjoy a seasonal community dining experience in our River building’s Commons, a 6,900-square-foot glass space with 18-foot-long communal tables that foster community and conversation.
$15 | member: $12
Continuing Programming
Community Dinner
monthly
Enjoy a seasonal community dining experience in our River building’s Commons, a 6,900-square-foot glass space with 18-foot-long communal tables that foster community and conversation.
$15 | member: $12
Tuesdays in the Commons
Every Tuesday, Grace Farms visitors are invited to enjoy the same healthy, delicious, and sustainably sourced meals we serve to Open Doors Shelter and Domestic Violence Crisis Center each week. Proceeds from your purchase will help support our food relief program. Together, we can celebrate our ongoing commitment to foster a more equitable and nutritious food system.
vegetarian options are available
Architectural Tours
year-round | visit grace farms.org for updated schedules
Explore the River, a meandering glass building designed by Pritzker Prize winning architects SANAA, and site-specific works by artists Thomas Demand, Olafur Eliasson, Teresita Fernandez, and Beatriz Milhazes. This immersive experience draws you into the history of the land, the intentionality of design and architecture, and the various expressions of our mission to pursue a more peaceful world through our five initiatives.
Additionally, special tours about specific aspects of Grace Farms, including sustainability, the Arts, and more, are offered at various points throughout the year.
Check gracefarms.org for more information.
$30 | member: $24
The view of the River building from the Sanctuary, a 700-person indoor amphitheater The River building has won numerous prestigious design awards.
River Retreat from the Faith Initiative
self-guided | booklet available year-round in the Welcome Center
The River Retreat offers a self-directed way to encounter the faith initiative and its core question: what is the shape of flourishing life? Completed at an individual pace over the course of a couple of hours, a whole day, or longer, it inspires insights about priorities, relationships, desires, and visions of a life worthy of our shared humanity.
free
Family Discovery Guide from the Arts Initiative
Saturdays | 10:30 am – 2:30 pm
Explore at your own pace with a new resource inspired by the architecture, landscape, and artworks at Grace Farms. This multi-sensory experience invites participants to notice relationships between line, shape, color, texture, sound, space, light, movement,and rhythm. Recommended for children ages five to 10 with adult caregivers.
$8 | member: $6.50
Imagination Playground at Grace Farms
View calendar at gracefarms.org for program times.
Build skills, solve problems, and make friends at Grace Farms in the Imagination Playground — an innovative system of large-scale, light-weight blocks, designed to encourage fun and learning through curiosity-driven play. Recommended for ages five to 10 with adult caregivers.
Community Dinner
monthly
Enjoy seasonal community dining experiences in our River building’s Commons — a 6,900-square-foot glass space with 18-foot-long communal tables that foster community and conversation.
$15 | member: $12
Self-guided Activities
- Tour the River building and Barns and view permanent art installations by Beatriz Milhazes, Teresita Fernández, Thomas Demand, and Olafur Eliasson.
- Hike around Cattail Pond and through the restored native meadows along a one-mile loop with 10 different habitats and breathtaking views.
- Enjoy tea and conversation in the Pavilion.
- Walk through the Community Garden tended by Master Gardner Lauren Elliott and visit the apiary to see the produce grown at Grace Farms and its Italian honey bees.
Sign up for our newsletter for future events and discover how you can advance good.
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Grace Farms Membership & Benefits
Engage in your own unique exploration of Grace Farms and our work. Make the most of your experience with 20% off our thought-provoking programs, early registration for select events, an invitation to our annual members-only event, access to select private events, and an opportunity to share in something greater with a gift bundle from Grace Farms Foods. Your membership supports the preservation of the River building and its surrounding 80 acres and plays a critical role in our mission to advance good by sustaining our local and global initiatives. Learn more about the benefits of becoming a member.
About Grace Farms Foundation
Grace Farms Foundation’s interdisciplinary humanitarian mission is to pursue peace through five initiatives—nature, arts, justice, community, and faith—and Grace Farms, a SANAA-designed site for convening people across sectors. Our stake in the ground is to end modern slavery and gender-based violence, and create more grace and peace in our local and global communities. For more information visit gracefarms.org.
How to get to Grace Farms
Grace Farms is accessible by train, car, as well as local taxi and ride sharing services, which is a short ride from the train station to Grace Farms. Visit our Welcome section of our website for more information.
COVID-19 safety and on-site protocol
By visiting Grace Farms, you acknowledge that all visitors over the age of 12 must show proof of being fully vaccinated against COVID-19, or present a negative COVID-19 test (PCR or rapid antigen test) with results posted within 48 hours of a scheduled visit. Proof of vaccination may include a CDC Vaccination Card (or photo of a CDC Vaccination Card) or an official immunization record. Visitors over the age of 18 also will be asked to show a government-issued photo ID, such as a driver’s license or passport.
