Past, Present & Future: Sunday openings at Silvermine

Silvermine Guild Art Center
1037 Silvermine Rd., New Canaan, (203) 966-9700
Past, Present and Future: New Exhibits at Silvermine
Jan. 11—Feb. 7, 2008
Opening reception: Sun., Jan. 11, 2—4 p.m.

Press release

The exhibits opening at Silvermine Guild Arts Center in January 2009 are representative of past, present and future as showcased in The Expressionist Experiment, a retrospective exhibition of over 40 years of artistic production by artist Vincent Baldassano and the Director's Choice exhibit Bamidbar, a collection of works by Belle Manes that reflects her journey and search through life. In addition, works by eight newly elected Silvermine Guild members will be on view in the multi-media Annual New Members Exhibition. Exhibits open on Sunday, Jan. 11 with an Opening Reception from 2—4 p.m. and run through Feb. 7.

Belle Manes, a resident of White Plains, New York grew up during the Depression years in New York and her works of oil on canvas are reflective of her vision and journey in life. Drawing and painting the teeming life on the east side was encouraged at an early age. About her work, Manes says, "Our lives are comprised of memories of the past to learn from, the present to apply what we learn, and the future which gives us the dreams and incentive to grow from the present. My paintings reflect that journey. Where I come from, where I am and hopefully where I am going. The word 'Bamidbar' means the wilderness, or to some, the desert. In my search, I try to penetrate that wilderness by employing the three tools of past, present and future to find my way." The most difficult lesson of finding one's own voice is an ongoing struggle. Where we come from and where we are going haunts all of Manes' work.

Manes, whose education includes a BFA from Cooper Union in New York, has had one person shows and group exhibitions at many galleries and museums in the New York, New Jersey and Connecticut areas, including Broome Street Gallery, Hammond Museum, Northern Westchester Center for the Arts, Westport Art Center, Gallery in the Park, Carriage Barn, Art Place Gallery, the Art Gallery at SUNY, Flinn Gallery, the Brooklyn Museum, the Aldrich Museum and the Philadelphia Museum. Her works are included in private collections such as General Electric, Chubb Insurance, the Cochran Group and Pfizer Learning Center. In addition to her artwork, Manes continues to moderate a discussion series at the Katonah Museum in New York.

Oxford, Connecticut artist, lecturer and teacher, Vincent Baladassano began his career as a teacher of Fine Arts, and has been a visiting artist and lecturer at many institutions throughout the United States. Baldassano's exhibit at Silvermine, The Expressionist Experiment, is a collection of his works spanning the past 40 years. "My paintings are based on my imagination, which in turn deal with my visual and audible experiences. They are the improvisation and expression of paint and painting." After his foray into painting shaped canvases in the 60's, Vincent returned to the traditional square canvas, still utilizing bold colors and expressive compositions.

With an MFA in Painting and Drawing from the University of Oregon, Baldassano taught at Niagara County Community College (SUNY) and received four SUNY faculty fellowships and two CAPS (NY State Council on the Arts) grants for painting. He has also been a visiting artist at many institutions and universities in the U.S. As an artist, his work has been exhibited nationally at galleries in New York City, Philadelphia, Greenwich, Stamford, and in Santa Barbara and worldwide, including France, Portugal, Germany and Switzerland. His works can be seen in both public and private collections such as the Savannah College of Art and Design, Housatonic Museum of Art, Hammond Museum, Sacred Heart University, Pfizer Corporation, Pepsi Cola Corporation and the Children's Museum of the Arts.

The New Members Exhibition will showcase the works of eight new Guild Members inducted in the spring and fall of 2008, representing a variety of mediums. The new members include: Kari Englehardt, from Rye, New York for her work in encaustic painting; Roxanne Faber Savage, a resident of Fairfield, printmaking; Kristina Kuester-Witt, from Woodbridge, painting; Mauricio Higuera (Web), from Norwalk for painting; Karin Hillmer (Web), Norwalk for photography; Derek Leka (Web) from West Haven, painting; Joe Saccio (Web), a sculptor from North Haven; and Marcia Zimmerman, who works in Fiber and lives in Stamford.