Light Hearted ep 317 – Artist Richard Klein and Peck Ledge, CT

Light Hearted

Richard Klein

A lighthouse was proposed in 1896 to mark Peck (or Pecks) Ledge, at the east end of the Norwalk Islands in Connecticut. It began operation in 1906 and was the last staffed lighthouse to be built at a waveswept site on Long Island Sound. Its life as a staffed light was relatively short, only 27 years. It’s a typical offshore light of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century period, with a cylindrical cast-iron foundation topped by a “sparkplug” type cast-iron lighthouse.

Peck Ledge Lighthouse, photo by Jeremy D’Entremont.

Richard Klein cooking at Peck Ledge Lighthouse

The lighthouse was sold via online auction in September 2015, and the owner is now Norwalk Art Space. Today’s conversation is with artist, writer, and curator Richard Klein. Richard has utilized found objects in his sculptural work since the late 1990s. In early September of 2024 Richard spent a week at Peck Ledge Lighthouse, a residency that was sponsored by the Norwalk Art Space. Richard is also the curator of a new show at Norwalk Art Space. The show is called “Sight and Sound: Artists Consider Long Island Sound.” It opens on June 12^th and continues through August 28^th.