Rubicon Seven: Spreading the Gift of Art

One of Benay's clients, Rubicon Seven, is making huge strides for the art community in New Canaan. Tedrowe Bonner, principal of Rubicon Seven, has transformed the old Post Office Garage Depot (located between Elm and Cherry Streets behind the Dunkin Donuts) into a new arts center. The building, now called the Art House, will offer free studio space to artists. In return, the artists must teach art to local children for free.

"'The idea is that New Canaan was one of the greatest art centers in all of America,' Bonner said in an interview, 'and our aim is to bring back that spirit, to get the artists back in town. To do that, we know that we have to give artists space that is virtually free. We're giving accomplished artists basically free space, but in exchange for that they teach art to kids in the region.'"

The building will be designed and renovated by Norwalk Community College's Art, Architecture and Design students, which will provide them with an invaluable, hands-on experience.

"'Norwalk Community College has a very good design program,' Bonner said. 'Their work is to figure out how to create a green building, a sustainable building, that does not change the iconic nature of this building. A building that uses no fossil fuels, uses the sun, is a good working space for people, and really holds together the fabric of this building.'"

New Canaan is home to an interesting history of architectural design. If you've ever seen Ang Lee's The Ice Storm, then you know what I'm talking about. A quick look at Wikipedia and you'll see how a group of Harvard architects (The Harvard Five as they are now known) designed and erected about 80 modern homes in the '40s-'60s. In the middle of colonial New England, these homes looked out of place and garnered strong reactions. Today, many of the homes are still standing as a testament to the rich history.

There is already a prominent arts center in New Canaan, the Silvermine Arts Center. However, Bonner's goal is to create a more tight-knit community for artists. According to New Canaan News Online, "Bonner said his space will differ from Silvermine in that its virtually free space will allow a small group of artists-in-residence to form a tight creative community. He thinks they could eventually have up to 10 artists-in-residence. Silvermine has a guild of more than 300, according to its website."

It's a rather noble cause, in my opinion, for Bonner and Rubicon Seven to continue to make New Canaan a mecca of modernized architecture and art. The Art House is an ecologically sound building with the intention of freely spreading the gift of art. It will be exciting to see how this new center will impact the community.

Read more about the Art House here.

Learn more about Bonner and Rubicon Seven by visiting their website.

- Marcie Gainer

A Time Machine in a Garage Building

Two weeks ago, green land use development corporation, Rubicon Seven, opened the doors of their newest development. Though simply named, the Art House proved to be far more than your typical gallery. The building itself, once used as a garage space and formerly unoccupied, has been reborn and transformed into a wonderful world reminiscent of the small-town New Canaan of the early 18^th century. Thanks to the innovative thinking of Principal, J. Tedrowe Bonner, a once useless piece of property has become a cultural center for citizens of all ages. Strongly emphasizing a sense of communal pride and togetherness, Bonner created the Art House with the idea of un-industrializing the rapidly growing New Canaan community. Instead of further development and building modern architecture, Bonner has utilized a building that has been standing for the greater part of a century. Moreover, the new project aims at “regenerating the unique nature of New Canaan” (Bonner), a town brilliant artistic minds such as the husband-wife  duo, Katherine and Gordon Brinley, as well as the controversial acting brigade known as the Sillies once called home. Once a rich and diverse community with a large influence from its many Italian immigrants, New Canaan has diverted from the “global antique center” Bonner remembers from his childhood. This project aims at putting the locomotive back on the old tracks, so to speak, and reestablishing a unique cultural identity within Bonner’s beloved city.                

On October 12, 2012, the Art House hosted its very first event, celebrating the creative spirit and history of New Canaan. During the event, Bonner announced the gallery’s exciting partnership with Norwalk Community College, which will allow students from the university’s art, architecture and design program to research, plan, and program everything for the new project. Soon, this building will be filled with beautiful artwork, all from local artist. As an added incentive, Bonner has reduced the cost of studio rent with one small stipulation; that the local artists come to the gallery and teach their craft to young children and art lovers, alike. If you would like to view the exhibit for yourself, you can plan your trip to visit 100 R Elm Street, New Canaan, CT in the near future.

Michael Iovino, Intern, Benay Enterprises, LLC.  

http://newcanaan.dailyvoice.com/neighbors/old-new-canaan-postal-depot-becomes-art-house

Welcome Rubicon Seven!

Benay is proud to announce our newest client, Rubicon Seven LLC, a visionary provider of land-use solutions.  Rubicon’s vision is not only found in its designs, but also in the lasting effect those projects have on communities both local and global.  Rubicon Seven uses green technology and holistic methods to pursue its mission of improving lives as well as improving the environment, all while building meaningful places that enrich both consumers and the community as a whole.

The company is led by its founder, Tedrowe Bonner, an interdisciplinary scholar with degrees in political economics and statistics from the Universities of Massachusetts and Boston, respectively, and who has   an avid interest in global sociology, environmental sociology, urban sociology, and methodology.  Alongside his endeavors to make Rubicon Seven’s projects aesthetic and functional successes, Mr. Bonner completes work on his PhD in sociology.

Mr. Bonner and Rubicon Seven are currently engaged in several projects to revitalize community involvement and stand as an example of the power of communal effort and green building methods.  Anyone inspired by the cause can visit Rubicon Seven’s home page, where there is more detailed information about Mr. Bonner’s vision and the company’s current projects, as well as opportunities for you to get involved through sponsorship, advising, or investment.

We look forward to working with Rubicon Seven in the years ahead and are very proud to be a part of this noble effort.