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Grace Farms 10 Year Celebration | Encounter, Experience, and Explore
Saturday, October 11, 2025, 10:00 am - 1:30 pm
Join us for unforgettable moments and joy for all ages! Surrounded by scenic fall landscapes, enjoy live music, a special coffee tasting, art experiences, and more, while welcoming a season of programming centered around the theme, We all build.
Encounter new handmade seating in the Plaza, designed by Kazuyo Sejima & Associates; ParaPosition; Grace Farms’ first permanent sculpture by acclaimed artist Alicja Kwade; new painted portrait by artist Hannah Rose Thomas, PhD; new permanent photographic work, “Haida Gwaii,” for the Grace Farms Library by James Florio; a guided coffee experience led by Ibu Rahmah, chairwoman of the female-led coffee cooperative Ketiara, who is visiting us from Sumatra; and the next edition of our With Every Fiber exhibiton
Experience classical music performed by a string sextet featuring world-renowned musicians, violinists Diana Cohen & Livia Sohn, violists Ramón Carrero-Martínez & Mario Gotoh, and cellists Frankie Carr & Grace Farms Artist-in-Residence Arlen Hlusko; a conversation with James Florio and architect Toshihiro Oki at 11 am; and an inspiring conversation about natural pigments with Hannah Rose Thomas, PhD at 12 pm
Explore expansive fall vistas and the inspiring architecture and landscape of Grace Farms during pop-up talks, while enjoying freshly baked Grace Farms pastries, catered lunch options, and handcrafted ice cream created with Grace Farms Tea flavors
From 2 – 4 pm, Conversation & Music | A Decade of Grace and Peace will feature Grace Farms CEO and Founder Sharon Prince, Chief Strategic Officer and Founding Creative Director Chelsea Thatcher, and Kazuyo Sejima of SANAA, in conversation with Toshihiro Oki; Featured performance by GRAMMY® Award-winning violinist Joshua Bell; and Cellist and Grace Farms Artist-in-Residence, Arlen Hlusko. Register.
A special 10 Year Benefit Sunset Dinner with special guests will close the evening. Benefit dinner tickets include admission to the 2 – 4 pm program.
Know Before You Go
Complimentary shuttles will be available from the New Canaan Train Station. For more information on parking, food and beverages, and more visit our Know Before You Go page. Please note: All bags, including purses, backpacks, baby bags, etc. are subject to search.
Featured Moments | Oct 11
10 am - 1:30 pm 10 am - 1:30 pm 10 am - 1:30 pm 10:30 - 11:30 am 11 am 12 pmFamily-Friendly Fun in the Plaza
Families, savor freshly baked Grace Farms pastries, a variety of lunch options, and a sweet treat for all ages — delicious handcrafted ice cream infused with Grace Farms Tea flavors. With plenty of space to explore and fall moments to share, this morning is a celebration for all generations.With Every Fiber (West Barn)
Experience the new iteration of Grace Farms Design for Freedom Exhibit, With Every Fiber, will open. This exhibit will focus on three new at-risk materials, Stone, Pigment and Glass. The stories of these materials will be told through a number of newly commissioned artworks, on view in the exhibit: a portrait of Nasreen Sheikh, painted by artist Hannah Rose Thomas; a painting by artist and professor, John Sabraw, using pigments made in his studio, from recycled mine drain off in the Ohio mountains; a new glass installation by Nina Cooke John, Principal of Studio Cooke John Architecture and Design; and a stone Pylon sculpture, designed by Steve Webb, of Webb/Yates, and fabricated by the Stone Masonry Company.Kazuyo Sejima and Associates New Seating for the Grace Farms Plaza
"To celebrate the 10th anniversary of Grace Farms, we made six wooden benches for the entrance plaza. They are figures dancing together, each with a different form. In the forest we found gently curved trees that looked like they would work as benches, and simply added legs. Lying on the ground, sometimes the tree trunks are alone and sometimes they meet. Everyone can find their own way to sit, lean, or even hug them - and from this a new kind of dance emerges. After a year, these benches will be relocated along paths that run through the site, and their organic forms will gradually become part of the living landscape of Grace Farms." - Kazuyo SejimaStrings in the Courtyard
Join world-renowned artists from the United States, Canada, Venezuela, England, and Japan: violinists Diana Cohen & Livia Sohn, violists Ramón Carrero-Martínez & Mario Gotoh, and cellists Frankie Carr and Grace Farms Artist-in-Residence Arlen Hlusko, for a joyful program of string duos and sextets. This program celebrates the marriage of music and nature through works by Brahms, Dvořák, Strauss, Jessie Montgomery, Paul Wiancko, and Jean-Baptiste Barrière. Learn more about the musicians below.Haida Gwaii, 2025 | James Florio in conversation with Toshihiro Oki
Grace Farms Artist in Residence, James Florio, will be unveiling a new permanent artwork from his time documenting the Haida Gwaii forests. Grace Farms has a special connection to Haida Gwaii, as the wood used to fabricate and install the new Fascia (siding along the overhang of the roof of the River Building) was directly sourced from this forest. Florio will discuss his experience in Haida Gwaii, and his process creating the artwork, with Grace Farms Architecture Advisor Toshihiro Oki.Artist in Conversation | Hannah Rose Thomas
Join artist Hannah Rose Thomas, PhD, and Grace Farms Creative Director and Chief Strategy Officer, Chelsea Thatcher, as Thomas discusses her process of creating the portrait of forced labor survivor Nasreen Sheikh, that will be unveiled in the With Every Fiber exhibit. Thomas will speak with Thatcher about the materials and paint she uses for her portraits, as well as her process grinding her own pigments.
Learn more about Strings in the Courtyard
English cellist Frankie Carr was born into a family of string players. He has performed at festivals across Europe and North America, including Kneisel Hall, Music from Angel Fire, Four Seasons Chamber Music Festival, Loon Lake Live Summer Concert Series, Stichting Kamermuziek Amsterdam, Young Pianist Foundation Amsterdam, and Menuhin Festival Gstaad. He is a graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music and received the Curtis Community Artist Fellowship.
Venezuelan violist Ramón Carrero-Martínez is an acclaimed musician, winning prestigious competitions across the US, Italy, Australia, Japan, and Venezuela-Including the Grand Prize at the Fischoff Chamber Music Competition. He is a member of Ensemble Connect at Carnegie Hall (2023–2025) and has toured with the Grammy-winning Orpheus Chamber Orchestra. A versatile chamber musician and educator, Carrero-Martínez collaborates with renowned ensembles. He is dedicated to music education through programs inspired by Venezuela’s “El Sistema.” Ramón holds B.M. and M.M. degrees from the Manhattan School of Music.
Violinist Diana Cohen leads a multi-faceted career as a concertmaster, chamber musician and soloist. Appointed Concertmaster of the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra in 2012, she has served in the same role with orchestras all over the United States. She has appeared as soloist with numerous orchestras, and has performed extensively as a chamber musician. Diana is co-Founder of ChamberFest Cleveland, attracting the most exciting musicians from around the globe. Recently, Diana co-founded ChamberFest West, Calgary’s first international chamber music festival.
Born in Japan, Mario Gotoh (五藤 舞央) is a Grammy Award winner, five-time Grammy Nominee, and an innovative and creative collaborator, violinist, violist, passionate educator and composer with a remarkably unique style of expression in all genres. An avid interdisciplinary collaborator, Mario performs worldwide as a member of the Silkroad Ensemble (led by Rhiannon Giddens, and founded by Yo-Yo Ma), and is also a member of The Knights in NYC. Dr. Gotoh holds dual-degree Doctorates in both Violin and Viola Performance from Stony Brook University.
Hailed by Opus Magazine as “a stunning musician,” Livia Sohn has performed widely on the international stage as concerto soloist, recitalist, and festival guest artist in North America, Europe, and Asia. The Strad Magazine says, “Livia Sohn possesses a remarkably lithe and transparent tone of exceptional purity. [Her] virtually blemishless accounts are nothing short of remarkable. Even when under the most fearsome technical pressure at high velocity, every note rings true with pinpoint accuracy.”
Lead 2025-2026 Sponsor
Special Recognition – Builder of Grace Farms: Sciame Construction, LLC
