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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260822T190000
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SUMMARY:Naked Canvas 2026: Cosplay at the Hygenic
DESCRIPTION:Naked Canvas 2026: Cosplay turns the human body into a living canvas Saturday\, August 22\, as artists and models compete during a three-hour live bodypainting competition at Hygienic Art Park in downtown New London. \nGates open at 7 p.m.\, with the competition running from 8 to 11 p.m. The evening combines competitive body art with cosplay\, aerial performances\, live entertainment\, music\, vendors and an outdoor bar. \nThis year’s theme is Cosplay\, giving participating artists a starting point drawn from fantasy\, comics\, games\, movies and other corners of pop culture while leaving the final interpretation to their imagination. \nArt Created in Front of the Audience\nUnlike an exhibition where visitors arrive to see finished work hanging on a wall\, Naked Canvas lets the audience watch the artwork take shape. \nArtists work directly on their models during the competition\, gradually transforming the body through paint\, design and costume elements. What begins as bare skin becomes part of a character and a complete piece of temporary art. \nThe live format also makes time part of the challenge. Artists aren’t simply judged on an idea developed privately in a studio. They’re creating while an audience watches and a clock is running. \nAt the end of the competition\, the finished creations become part art exhibition\, part costume and part live performance. \nThe stakes aren’t insignificant\, either. First place comes with a $1\,000 prize. \nCosplay Takes Over Naked Canvas\nThe 2026 theme opens the competition to particularly theatrical interpretations. \nCosplay traditionally involves transforming into characters through costumes\, makeup\, props and performance. Bodypainting gives artists another way to accomplish that transformation\, using the model’s body itself as part of the design. \nThat could mean recognizable influences or completely original characters. The organizers haven’t announced what individual competitors plan to create\, leaving the transformations themselves as part of the night’s surprise. \nMore Than a Bodypainting Competition\nNaked Canvas is being presented as a full evening of performance rather than simply three hours of artists painting. \nDJ E@ZY provides the night’s music\, while aerialists Dani\, Bobbi Lee and Jessa bring another visual performance element to the Art Park. \nThe entertainment lineup also includes Kela Nore and Big Hookz\, with Cool Ray and Mike Mitch serving as guest hosts. \nVendors will be set up around the venue\, and an outdoor bar will be available during the event. \nThe combination is designed to keep things happening around the competition while the artists work\, turning what could have been a behind-the-scenes creative process into a public performance. \nInside Hygienic Art Park\nThere’s probably no more natural New London setting for something called Naked Canvas than Hygienic Art. \nThe nonprofit arts organization has been part of the city’s cultural landscape for decades\, growing from the independent Hygienic Art Exhibition into a year-round arts organization with galleries\, artist studios\, performances and community programming. \nIts name comes from New London’s former Hygienic Restaurant\, where artists organized the first exhibition in 1979. The annual show was intentionally open and democratic\, allowing artists to display work without the traditional juried selection process. \nHygienic later acquired its historic Bank Street building and developed the adjacent Hygienic Art Park\, creating an outdoor performance space in the heart of downtown New London. \nThe park now hosts concerts\, festivals\, theater\, community gatherings and experimental arts events throughout the warmer months. \nThat history of making art accessible outside a conventional gallery fits particularly well with Naked Canvas. Here\, there isn’t even a traditional canvas. \nAn Evening of Art in Downtown New London\nHygienic Art Park sits at 79 Bank Street\, placing the event within walking distance of downtown restaurants\, bars and the New London waterfront. \nWith gates opening an hour before the competition\, attendees have time to enter\, explore the vendors and settle in before the bodypainting begins at 8 p.m. \nThe finished pieces won’t last forever. Bodypainting is temporary by its nature\, which is part of what makes watching the creative process important. By the end of the evening\, audiences will have seen the artwork move from an idea through its creation to the finished character in a matter of hours. \nEvent Details\nEvent: Naked Canvas 2026: Cosplay\nDate: Saturday\, August 22\, 2026\nGates Open: 7 p.m.\nCompetition: 8–11 p.m.\nLocation: Hygienic Art Park\nAddress: 79 Bank Street\, New London\, CT 06320\nFirst Prize: $1\,000 \nThe evening features live bodypainting\, cosplay\, aerialists\, music\, additional live entertainment\, vendors and an outdoor bar. \nNaked Canvas 2026 is sponsored by Friction Media Group and State Representative Anthony Nolan. \nMore information is available at the Event Website listed below. \nTo purchase tickets\, click the Event Ticketing link below. \n 
URL:https://thectbeacon.com/event/naked-canvas-2026-cosplay/
LOCATION:Hygenic Art\, 79 Bank Street\, New London\, CT\, 06320\, United States
CATEGORIES:Hygenic Art Park
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260508T180000
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DTSTAMP:20260503T173005Z
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UID:10000228-1778263200-1778277600@thectbeacon.com
SUMMARY:Velvet Mill Arts Night
DESCRIPTION:Velvet Mill Arts Night brings together visual art\, food\, and live performance for a multi-sensory evening at Velvet Mill Studios. Designed as a one-night celebration of regional creativity\, the event blends gallery-style art with live experiences\, creating a setting where guests can move between installations\, performances\, and tastings throughout the space. It’s positioned as a curated arts night that leans into atmosphere as much as individual exhibits. \nA centerpiece of the evening is live body painting\, where regional artists create detailed\, large-scale work in real time\, turning the process itself into part of the show. Alongside the visual art\, guests can sample culinary offerings from local restaurants and enjoy beer and wine tastings\, adding a strong food and drink component to the experience. Live music by SUGAR runs throughout the night\, tying the different elements together with a steady\, high-energy soundtrack. \nThis 21+ event is structured as a social\, immersive experience\, combining art\, music\, and tasting in one setting. With support from sponsors including Valenti Subaru and Grey Sail Brewing of Rhode Island\, the event highlights local partnerships while keeping the focus on creative expression. At $39 per ticket\, Velvet Mill Arts Night offers a single-entry experience built around variety\, interaction\, and a lively indoor atmosphere.
URL:https://thectbeacon.com/event/velvet-mill-arts-night/
LOCATION:Velvet Mill\, 22 Bayview Ave\, Stonington\, CT\, 06378\, United States
CATEGORIES:Velvet Mill
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://thectbeacon.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Velvet-Mill-Arts-Night.jpg
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