City-Wide Open Studios in New Haven this weekend; "Dispersion" opens at Artspace

Artspace
City-Wide Open Studios
50 Orange St, New Haven, (203) 772-2709
City-Wide Open Studios
Oct. 2-4, 2009
Dispersion: The City-Wide Open Studios Juried Exhibition
Sept. 17-Oct. 31, 2009
Opening Reception and CWOS Festival Kickoff Party: Fri., Oct. 2, 6-8 p.m.

Press release

For the past twelve years, Artspace has supported local Connecticut artists by promoting artistic discourse within the greater community and hosting new events and forums during City-Wide Open Studios (CWOS). Artspace is pleased to announce the opening reception for the City-Wide Open Studios juried exhibition, Dispersion, on Friday, October 2, 2009 from 6-8 pm at Artspace in conjunction with the Open Studios Kickoff Party. As the term "dispersion" refers to the process by which a wavelength of light can refract to produce a prism effect, the exhibition explores how artists disperse objects and messages to form variations on indexical relationships and narrative structures. The exhibition will focus on the diverse methods of twenty-seven artists' approaches to space and material relationships.

The artists featured in Dispersion are: Kwadwo Adae, Amy Arledge, John Bent, Meg Bloom, Frank Bruckmann, Matthew Capezzuto, Dave Coon, Courtney Dauwalder, Leila Daw, Geoffrey Detrani, Frank Gardner, Barbara Hocker, Andrew Hogan, Brian Huff, John Jessen, Robert Kirschbaum, Jaime Kriksciun, Barbara O'Shea, Suzan Shutan, Joseph Smolinski, Robert Thomas, Rita Valley, Kevin Van Aelst, Cara Vickers-Kane, Jonathan Weinberg and Christopher White. You can find out more about each artist—and all other artists participating in City-Wide Open Studios—in the CWOS Directory.

Artspace is also pleased to introduce Dina Deitsch, Assistant Curator of the DeCordova Museum and Sculpture Park in Massachusetts, as this year's guest juror. Deitsch has chosen the twenty-seven artists from our CWOS pool of two hundred and forty artist profiles to present in five Artspace galleries.

Ms. Deitsch is currently working on her Ph.D. at the Institute of Fine Arts at New York University in New York City, and holds an M.A. in art history from Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts. She has coordinated and curated several award-winning exhibitions including Carlson/Strom: New Performance Video; Old, Weird America; many annual exhibitions at the DeCordova, and an upcoming 2010 DeCordova Biennial. Her writing has been featured in Phaidon Press's Vitamin Ph: New Perspectives in Photography; Visualizing Rituals: Critical Analysis of Art and Ritual Practice; in various art magazines and journals including Art Papers, C Magazine, Art Fairs International, Threshold, NY Arts, Big Red and Shiny: An Art Journal; and in many exhibition catalogues including Laylah Ali Note Drawings (2008). Dispersion is intended to provide an unbiased, scholarly position on contemporary art, to further engage the local arts community, and to support Connecticut's emerging artists.

In addition to the Dispersion exhibition, Artspace will coordinate the Open Studios Weekend on Sat., Oct. 3rd and Sun., Oct. 4th. During these two days, all participating artists will open their studio doors throughout New Haven and surrounding areas for public viewing. This year, Artspace has updated the CWOS website and artist directory at www.cwos.org, a resource where artists are represented by their own customized web addresses throughout the year. The CWOS website will also function as a hub of information for the Open Studios Weekend where visitors can map their own routes to artists' studios. It is continuously being updated with new images and information from artists.

As Connecticut's leading visual arts festival, and also one of the largest Open Studios programs in the country, CWOS celebrates contemporary art in all its myriad forms and unites hundreds of local artists with the greater New Haven community. Artspace is committed to providing opportunities for artists to network with each other, for curators and collectors to meet artists in person, and for the general public to engage in educational experiences. Artspace is a Connecticut non-profit organization that presents local and national visual art, and provides access, excellence, and education for the benefit of the public and the arts community free of charge. CWOS has drawn thousands of visitors to explore New Haven's neighborhoods while discovering artists, galleries, and the many treasures of our city. Artists and visitors are encouraged to attend the Open Studios Kickoff Party at Artspace on Fri., Oct. 2, from 6-8 p.m. and the Open Studios Weekend from Oct. 3-4.

Painting show opens at Kehler Liddell Thursday, artist talk on Sunday

Kehler Liddell Gallery
873 Whalley Ave., New Haven, (203) 389-9555
Affinities: Joseph Adolphe & Amy Browning
Oct. 1—Nov. 1, 2009
Artists' Talk: Sun., Oct. 4, 2:30 p.m.
Artists' Reception: Sun., Oct. 11, 3—6 p.m.

Press release

Affinities is a title born out of the artists' discussion of the work they love and a shared affinity for subject, material, and the endless motivations to paint.

Joseph Adolphe's paintings and drawings are primarily narrative. His subjects are his people, places, and icons. In the exquisite draughtsmanship, color, and hand, the viewer shares Adolphe's sense of spiritual presence within the physical realities of an image. Central to this exhibit is a series of black and white drawings. They are an expression of his desire for a "hands-on" immediacy through the favored medium of charcoal. Adolphe describes his artwork as existing each image for itself, and also as "pieces of a psychological self-portrait midway in its development."

Amy Browning's paintings are often identified as impressionist or abstract. The rich textural surfaces and explorations of color and shape are clearly landscape or subject informed, with a gently compelling uncertainty of the specific object or place. Perhaps that is due to her affinity for asking questions. "What if" peppers her process visually and intellectually. "What if I could Google from Hubble, an extreme distance, to the beautiful islands I contemplate everyday?" or "What if the typical 16th century view of a landscape from a small window in the context of a large indoor space were given a collapsed perspective?" Browning's search for the unseen and unexpected landscape is a private labyrinth that drives her to paint.

One of the easiest affinities to spot at this is exhibit: it is a painter's show with mutual respect, unique thought-filled processes, and evidence from both of the articulate and accomplished painters' hand.

The Kehler Liddell Gallery will be open this weekend as part City-Wide Open Studios. There will be an artists' talk on Sun., Oct. 4, at 2:30 p.m. The artists' reception for this show will be held the following Sunday, Oct. 11, from 3—6 p.m.

Opening reception and lecture Tuesday evening at Clare Gallery in Hartford

The Clare Gallery
285 Church St., Hartford, (860) 756-4034
Silence Speaks: Paying Homage to Gentle Giants of New England
Through Oct. 4, 2009
Opening reception: Tues., Sept. 29, 6—8 p.m.

Press release

The Clare Gallery is pleased to present Silence Speaks: Paying Homage to Gentle Giants of New England, an exhibition by painter Aleta Gudelski. The exhibition is free and open to the public and extends from August 6 to October 4, 2009. A reception and lecture will be held on Tuesday, September 29 from 6 to 8 p.m., at which time Ms. Gudelski will make a presentation exploring the origins and themes of her art. Her lecture will begin at 6:30 p.m. All are welcome to the reception and lecture.

Silence Speaks pays tribute to the vanishing farms and barns throughout New England. The paintings focus on the haunting stillness of these majestic structures as they are being slowly reclaimed by the earth. Ms. Gudelski's work continues to be a journey of letting go and allowing the Divine to work through her and her brush to capture images that reflect peace, at times tension and frequently subtle challenges. Regarding this exhibition she states, "It is my deepest hope that these majestic barns in various stages of struggle yet still standing with profound dignity, whisper to your heart and soul. Perhaps some may be motivated to conserve, to treasure and to be mindful of the majesty of our farms past and present."

Ms. Gudelski has been exhibited nationally and has taught painting, drawing and design at both the secondary and college level for several years. She has also received advanced degrees from Wesleyan University and the Lyme Academy College of Fine Art.

The Clare Gallery primarily features exhibitions that emphasize world religions or interfaith themes, as well as social justice themes, on either a global or local level. The Gallery is housed in the Franciscan Center for Urban Ministry at 285 Church Street. The Center is part of St. Patrick-St. Anthony Church, a vibrant and active downtown faith community.

The Clare Gallery's hours are from 8:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays; 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Fridays; Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.; and Sundays from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. The Gallery and all related events are free and open to the public. Free parking is available directly across from the church, and the facility is handicapped accessible. More information may be found at www.spsact.org, click "Community Life" and then "Clare Gallery."

Complements to the artists

Kehler Liddell Gallery
873 Whalley Ave., New Haven, (203) 389-9555
Scene/Seen: Photography by Rod Cook & Paintings by William McCarthy
Through Sept. 27, 2009

The Kehler Liddell Gallery often shows pairings of artists whose work, on first glance, seems quite different. But on closer inspection, there is often some point or points of complementarity that make these shows work. Such is the case with Scene/Seen, an exhibit of paintings by William McCarthy and photographs by Rod Cook. The imagery seems bathed in mists as though each photograph or painting is a hazily recalled memory.

McCarthy is an abstract painter masquerading as a landscape artist, or vice versa. His landscapes flow from a combination of memories, imagination and thumbnail sketches. He works his paint in layers, attentive more to the emotional detail of light and color than to pictorial detail. I've often felt there was a certain measure of darkness in McCarthy's paintings. Not in a negative way, more that his color choices tended to a light temperature suggesting the onset of evening tinged with melancholia. The previous works of his that I've seen were notable for their stands of slim, upright trees—vertical forms contrasting with the horizontal imagery of foreground, horizon and background.

But McCarthy's distinctive trees really appear in only two of these paintings. These works are different in a couple of ways: the general absence of the trees and the brightness of his colors. These are mostly views of wetlands, marshes seen in a gauzy sunlight. Even in a painting entitled "Evening Light," the sky is a roiling disturbance of pastel blue, yellow, green and gold. "Summer Wind," "All the Changes" and "Distant Thunder" trend strongly toward formalist abstraction, the notion of landscape just hinted at through an accumulation of horizontal applications of differing colors at the bottom of the canvas. Where his paintings in the past—those I'm familiar with, at least—suggested coolness, these works radiate luminous warmth.

Luminosity is also a characteristic of Rod Cook's photography. There are a lot of shadows in his prints, a mix of what he calls "botanicals" (flower, plant and fungi photos) and "moving landscapes." Despite the fact that these images are drenched in shadow, they gain their luminosity from Cook's use of platinum/palladium printing paper. Platinum/palladium prints have a warmth to them and that softness of tonal image plays well with Cook's photographic method.

With the "moving landscapes" all the shots were taken from a moving vehicle of some kind. That sense of motion imparts an almost charcoal blur to the images. In the case of the "botanicals," Cook moves in close to his subject, whether it's a mushroom, tulip or a thistle attracting a tiger swallowtail butterfly. With next to no depth of field—he's not using a macro lens—much of the image goes softly out of focus. In a photograph like "FP 57" of a tulip plant, the result looks almost like a perfectly realized graphite drawing. (Cook, who was gallery-sitting when I visited, told me that he does touch up his large contact negatives to emphasize some lines for dramatic effect.) There is an otherworldly beauty to many of these photographs. "FP 27" resembles a scene in outer space, the Big Bang or a distant nebula as photographed by the Hubble telescope.

"The Weekend Inventor" opens Thursday at Artspace

Artspace
50 Orange St, New Haven, (203) 772-2709
The Weekend Inventor
Sept. 17—Oct. 31, 2009
Public Opening: Thurs., Sept. 17, 6—8 p.m.

Press release

The Weekend Inventor is a group exhibition that explores the continuously evolving relationship between art, technology, and innovation. Inspired by the mathematical equations, diagrams, maps, and models used by engineers and inventors that attempt to give visual form to complex thought and problem-solving endeavors, the artists in this exhibition employ similar analytical and pictorial strategies, creating works of art that question or subvert notions of stability and utility long associated with technology. In their works, fragmented machine parts, devices, and plans are put to new, at times inventive and absurd, use.

Although these artists work in a variety of media ranging from painting and drawing to high-definition video and sculpture, their works have much in common. They share a formal concern for space and material, an interest in the experimental and nonsensical, and an entrepreneurial ethos that underscores the "do it yourself" attitude that has recently re-emerged in the 21st century. Like the hobbyist-inventor whose ceaseless tinkering is driven by an intense curiosity and a need to create, the artists in this exhibition are fueled by their own imaginations as they push the conceptual boundaries of utility through physical materials, expose the fragility of belief systems, and explore society's resistance to the notion of failure.

Artspace will produce an exhibition catalogue that contextualizes the work by these emerging artists, contributing new scholarship to the broader art historical debate around art and technology. Committed to fostering the careers of New Haven artists, Artspace will commission Martha Lewis to create a site-specific installation in the gallery that participates in these debates. Participating artists include: Nathan Carter, Molly Larkey, Martha Lewis, Billy Malone, Peter Sarkisian, Jeff Shore and Jon Fisher, and Jane South.

Thursday evening opening at Flinn Gallery at Greenwich Library

Greenwich Library Flinn Gallery
101 West Putnam Ave., Greenwich, (203) 622-7947
Nathan Sawaya: An Intimate Perspective
Sept. 17-Oct. 28, 2009.
Opening reception: Thurs., Sept. 17, 6-8 p.m.
Artist Walk & Talk: Sun., Sept. 27, 2-3 p.m.

Press release

There will be an opening reception tomorrow evening, 6—8 p.m. at The Greenwich Library's Flinn Gallery for the show Nathan Sawaya: An Intimate Perspective.

Nathan Sawaya will debut a series of sculptures created exclusively for his first solo gallery exhibit, An Intimate Perspective at the Flinn Gallery in Greenwich, CT, opening Sept. 17, 2009.

An outstanding and emerging contemporary sculptor, Sawaya uses a very unique medium, small square LEGO® bricks, to make surrealistic and individualistic masterpieces. Sawaya transforms this common construction toy into awe-inspiring and thought provoking sculptures. His touring exhibit, The Art of the Brick, catapulted him to critical prominence and garner worldwide media attention by luring record-breaking numbers of families into fine art museums and exposing children to fine art in a medium that they can relate to and understand.

Sawaya’s inaugural gallery collection explores human emotion and whimsy and the complicated interlocking relationship between the two.

“My pieces grow out of my fears and accomplishments as an artist and as a man. The fundamental purpose to my art is to captivate people for as long as I can keep their attention.”

With hundreds of thousands of colorful bricks on display, An Intimate Perspective is sure to be popular with everyone.

Sawaya's show will run for six weeks, Sept. 17—Oct. 28, 2009.

Opening reception for Paper New England show at Manchester Community College Thursday night

Paper/New England
(860) 236-4787
Go Figure
Sept. 17—Oct. 20, 2009.
Opening reception: Thurs., Sept. 17, 6—8 p.m.

Press release

Paper/New England presents a new exhibition, Go Figure, from Sept. 17 -Oct. 20, 2008. The exhibit will be shown in the Hans Weiss Newspace Gallery at Manchester Community College, Great Path, Manchester, CT.

The featured artists are Joseph Adolphe, John Bula, Harriet Caldwell, Jeff Cowie, Anne Cubberly, Robert Dente, Jonathan Frechette, Bryan Nash Gill, Karen Karen, Jenny Knaus, Theresa Larivee, Maureen McElhone, Eric Neubauer, Paul Selwyn, Ronald Sloan and Alice Smith.

There will be an opening reception Thurs. night, 6—8 p.m. For more information contact Paper New England at info [at] papernewengland.org or moconnor [at] mcc.commnet.edu, (860) 512-2692.

Paper/New England is a nonprofit art center dedicated to presenting works of art on or of paper. The center displays, collects and promotes art produced by artists who are either New England based or were trained or produced work while residing in New England.

Gallery 195 artists' reception on Tuesday evening

Gallery 195
195 Church St., 4th floor (NewAlliance Bank), New Haven, (203) 772-2788
Phyllis Crowley & Janet Lage
Through Nov. 13, 2009
Artists' reception: Tues., Sept. 15, 5—7 p.m.

Press release

The Arts Council of Greater New Haven presents an exhibition of works by Connecticut artists Phyllis Crowley and Janet Lage at Gallery 195 at NewAlliance Bank, 195 Church St., 4th floor, New Haven. The exhibition will be on display during bank hours from Aug. 17 through Nov. 13, 2009. An artists' reception is scheduled for Tuesday, September 15, from 5—7 p.m. The public is invited to attend.

This exhibition showcases photography by Phyllis Crowley and paintings by Janet Lage.

Photographer Phyllis Crowley's work has been exhibited Connecticut, and in Massachusetts, Michigan, New York, Pennsylvania, and Texas. Her work was included in the Arts Council-curated 2007 Player's Lounge Invitational Exhibition at the Pilot Pen Tennis tournament in New Haven. Also that year, Crowley's work was featured in Roadside Attractions, a group show presented by the Arts Council. In 1995 and 1999, Crowley received Artist Fellowship awards from the Connecticut Commission on the Arts.

Janet Lage's work has been exhibited throughout Connecticut, as well as in California, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, and Rhode Island. In 2007, Lage won an award at the 78th Connecticut Women Artists Open Juried Exhibition, and, in 2003, received the 74th Annual Connecticut Women Artists Speedball Award. Her work has been featured in Studio Visit magazine.

The public opening of "Long Shot," scheduled for The Lot tomorrow, postponed til Sunday

Artspace
50 Orange St, New Haven, (203) 772-2709
The Lot: Long Shot
Sept. 12, 2009—Jan, 2010
Public opening at The Lot: rescheduled to Sun., Sept. 13, 2—4 p.m. with pick-up basket ball game

Press release

The public opening and pick-up basketball game for Long Shot, originally scheduled for tomorrow, Sept. 12, has been postponed due to a rainy forecast.

NEW DATE: Sunday, Sept. 13, 2—4 p.m. in The Lot at 812 Chapel Street, New Haven.

Long Shot will complement Lamson's solo exhibition at Artspace in November 2009, a comprehensive exhibition of his work to date.

View artwork tomorrow, attend "Somewhat Off the Wall" Arts Council fundraiser on Sunday

Arts Council of Greater New Haven
70 Audubon St., 2nd floor, New Haven, (203) 772-2788
Somewhat Off the Wall
Sun., Sept. 13, 2009, 5-9 p.m.
View artwork: Fri., Sept. 11, 11 a.m.-1 p.m. and 5-8 p.m. at the O'Donnell Company, 760 Chapel St., New Haven

Press release

Come party at Somewhat Off the Wall and take home a piece of original art.

The Arts Council's longstanding gala fundraising event is back and more exciting than ever!

Somewhat Off the Wall, a unique art exhibition and party from which guests will take home original works of art, will be held on Sun., Sept. 13, from 5-9 p.m., at 760 Chapel St., New Haven, in the spectacular space that is home to the O'Donnell Company.

This year's event features drawings, jewelry, paintings, photography, pottery, prints, sculpture, and stained glass by 60 outstanding artists who have each donated three pieces of their work. These works will be on display on Wed. & Thurs., Sept. 9 & 10, from 11 a.m.-1 p.m., and on Fri., Sept. 11, from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. & 5-8 p.m.

Then, at 7 p.m. on the night of the party, premium tickets will be numbered, put into a hat, and drawn at random. As each premium ticket-holder's number is called, he or she will select a piece of original artwork to take home.

Only 120 premium tickets at $100 each are available to the public! Each of the 60 participating artists will be given a premium ticket. An unlimited number of tickets to the event are available for $50 (these will not include artwork).

Participating Somewhat Off the Wall artists include Cheryl Albaine, Amy Arledge, Cat Balco, Laura Barr, Hayne Bayless, Marion Belanger, Ben Blanc, Ethan Boisvert, Alexis Brown, Greg Cochenet, Larry Cowles, Peter Craig, Jessica Cuni, Terry Dagradi, Jennifer Davies, Anne Eisner, Freddi Elton, Roxanne Faber-Savage, Silas Finch, Joan Fitzsimmons, Julie Fraenkel, Josh Gaetjen, Joyce Greenfield, Larissa Hall, Barbara Harder, Louise Harter, Brian Huff, Keith Johnson, Jaime Kriksciun, Leslie Kuo, Melody Lane, Mara Lavitt, Mary Lesser, Art Liem, Ann Lindbeck, Vanilia Majoros, Barbara Marks, Fethi Meghelli, Irene K. Miller, Paul Nager, Dana Osborn, David Ottenstein, Liz Pagano, Jacob Pongratz, Michelle Reynard, Dawn Rudd, Gerald Saladyga, Inger Schoelkopf, Harold Shapiro, Alan Shulik, Judy SirotaRosenthal, Katro Storm, Rashmi Talpade, Juliana Thaens, Alicia Van Campen, Lori Warner, Jonathan Waters, Marjie Wolfe, Joy Wulke, and Trevor Youngberg.

Call the Arts Council at (203) 772-2788 or visit www.newhavenarts.org for more information about Somewhat Off the Wall.

Sunday afternoon opening at Kehler Liddell Gallery

Kehler Liddell Gallery
873 Whalley Ave., New Haven, (203) 389-9555
Scene/Seen: Photography by Rod Cook & Paintings by William McCarthy
Through Sept. 27, 2009
Artists Reception: Sun., Sept. 13, 3—6 p.m.

Press release

Scene/Seen is about the landscape observed and imagined. Rod Cook and William McCarthy are artists who throw open the notion of landscape and nature genre by evoking intimacy and recognition in their subject while balancing on the edge of other-worldly.

Rod Cook's photographs are an ethereal earthy documentation of the natural world. This exhibition features a selection of closely framed Botanicals—delicate, sensual and glowing with available light, mixed with a series of his "moving landscapes" shot from assorted vehicles in motion. All are printed in the rich tonalities of platinum palladium, sometimes appearing to have been rendered or hand tinted toward the slightly surreal.

William McCarthy paints "atmospheric landscapes". These too, are luminous and mysterious—trees against sky, field and river, subtle variations of light and atmosphere. And what would appear to be painted in the plein aire tradition is actually all comprised from memory, imagination and thumbnail sketches in a basement studio. Traditional techniques of cadmium red base, a quick sketch, and thin layers of oil color and glaze result in these imaginary landscapes, which contain an inner light and "speaks about spiritual places... an ethereal whisper of the places we see every day."

There will be an artists' reception on Sun., Sept. 13, from 3—6 p.m., featuring live music by cellist Julie Ribchinsky (5—6 p.m.) And meet the artists and join the conversation at the artists' talk on Wed., Sept. 16, at 7 p.m.

"Cultural Passages" opens Sunday at Creative Arts Workshop in New Haven

Creative Arts Workshop Hilles Gallery
80 Audubon St., New Haven, (203) 562-4927
Cultural Passages: What's Art Got To Do With It?
Sept. 13—Oct. 9, 2009
Opening reception: Sun., Sept. 13, 1—4 p.m.

Press release

Creative Arts Workshop (CAW) is pleased to announce its third biennial exhibition, Cultural Passages, this year entitled What's Art Got To Do With It?, which runs September 13 to October 9, 2009. Featuring fifty-seven artists from throughout Connecticut, this year's exhibition communicates the many ways that we define our culture today, revealing who people are, what they do, and how they respond to the world. An opening day celebration will take place on Sunday, Sept. 13, from 1—4 p.m. In coordination with the exhibition, a screening of the documentary The Billboard from Bethlehem is scheduled for Thurs., Oct. 8 at 7 p.m. as well as several I Break for Art! artist talks on Wednesdays at 12 p.m. on Sept. 23 and 30, and Oct. 7. The exhibition and coordinated events are free and open to the public.

In its third run, this year's Cultural Passages exhibition expanded to include artists from across Connecticut who were asked to explore the meaning of culture. The result is fifty-seven artists who use their work to tackle issues of identity, sense of place and locality, ethnic heritage, social and economic circumstances, familial histories and personal struggles, and responses to the tumultuous politics of our time. Seen as a whole, Cultural Passages: What's Art Got To Do With It? represents a complex and vibrant collection of individual viewpoints that work collectively to communicate across cultural barriers.

Artwork for the exhibition was chosen by a Selection Committee composed of local community art advocates Colleen Coleman, Joyce Greenfield, and Benjamin Ortiz. Beginning in March 2009, artists throughout the state were invited to submit work for consideration. In making their selections, the committee also considered a written statement discussing the theme with the artist's work, which will be displayed during the exhibition. Joyce Greenfield, artist and CAW Board member, commented, "The most striking thing to me about viewing the entries for Cultural Passages was how infinite the possibilities are to express ones cultural life experiences through art and how broad the definitions of 'culture' are. Ones culture and geography cannot be separated from who we are and how we view the world. It is wonderful to have this opportunity to explore these influences and experiences."

Cultural Passages: What's Art Got To Do With It? is part of the Workshop's efforts to connect the community art school with artists from New Haven and its neighboring communities. Creative Arts Workshop is committed to future exhibitions and ongoing programming designed to continue building and strengthening connections within the community.

Silvermine September exhibits open Sunday

Silvermine Guild Art Center
1037 Silvermine Rd., New Canaan, (203) 966-9700
September Exhibits at Silvermine
Through Oct. 1, 2009
Opening Reception: Sun., Sept. 13, 4—6 p.m.

Press release

The fall exhibits at the Silvermine Guild Arts Center, located in New Canaan, CT brings a range of works that will spark interest for all art lovers and collectors. Opening Sept. 6 and running through Oct. 1, the show will feature new works by Silvermine Guild Artist members Gerald Saladyga, Jeanine Esposito, Nash Hyon and Director's Choice with Janice Mauro and Joanne Pagano. All are welcomed to the opening reception on Sunday Sept. 13 from 4—6 p.m.

The Director's Choice exhibit The Tidal Decade is a collaborative effort by artists Janice Mauro and Joanne Pagano. Through the construction of artifacts for an imaginary society future's past, the artist duo creates a world that draws us into a place outside of time. A place which hauntingly reveals the possibilities that lie on the edge of present day man's misuse of science and technology. In the remote mountaintop caves the ancestors of this imaginary society not only have endured the ending of humanoid civilization but created art that just may be a testament to their ordeal. The Tidal Decade exhibition opens in collaboration with the Williamsburg Art Gallery Association, at Art 101 located in Brooklyn, New York, opening on Sept. 11.

Janice Mauro, from Redding, teaches figurative sculpture at the Silvermine School of Art in Connecticut and the Art School at Old Church in New Jersey. Her award winning sculpture has been exhibited in New York at The National Sculpture Society, Lever House, and the Inter Church Center, as well as at City Without Walls and the Meadowlands Center for the Arts both in New Jersey. Mauro's museum exhibits include the National Academy of Design Annual Exhibition in New York, the Paterson Museum, NJ, and in Connecticut at the Discovery Museum, the Mattatuck Museum, and the New Britain Museum of American Art. Ms. Mauro is a sculptor member of the National Sculpture Society and member of the Silvermine Guild of Artists.

Joanne Pagano is an artist, writer, and performer residing in Sunnyside, New York. She has designed and collaborated on numerous sets for the long-running Alternative New Years Day Spoken Word/Performance Extravaganza. As a member of The No Chance Ensemble, a troupe of writer/performers that she also directs, she has brought multimedia interpretations to such venues as St. Marks's Poetry Project, Dixon Place, The Bowery Poetry Club, and The Knitting Factory. Joanne Pagano Weber exhibits at Art 101 in Brooklyn, NY.

In his new works Landscapes After the Battle, Gerald Saladyga's investigative intensity brings together a variety of scientific and political source material to create multi-layered "landscape" paintings that astound the viewer with their bold colors and spurs contemplation of the tragic results of man's devices. For this New Haven artist, "representing landscape is a very important part of my work. But I see landscape painting not as a romantic representation of the past, but as an ongoing inspiration of an ever-changing environment challenged by urban sprawl, pollution, industrialization, victimization and conflict." His approach is different in that this artist prefers the fantasy underlying the reality to bring the viewer in with color, form and texture and then let him go with a sense of unease that there is something wrong and it's just below the surface.

Jeanine Esposito is a sculptor and installation artist who creates conceptual works using an unusual combination of paper pulps, textiles and found materials. She has had several solo shows and her work has been chosen for over 25 juried shows throughout the Northeast, and has won several awards. Her new one-person show, Daily Shower, explores the fragmentation of how life is actually lived. According to the artist, who lives in Westport, "No matter what events, joyful or catastrophic, or what situations or states of mind we are in, all of it is lived in one day increments." Through conceptual installations, the works in this exhibit takes every day discarded and overlooked materials and transforms them into meditative compositions exploring this fragmentation. The works reflect upon the emotional and psychological nuances of everyday life.

Working primarily with encaustics in her exhibit Convergence, Wilton artist Nash Hyon explores the connection between man, nature, beauty, art and science, and above all, what it means to be human. The meticulous process of melting, layering and scraping give Hyon's pieces an almost archaeological feel with depth and substance, a sense of history, and how even the sharpest remembered experiences gradually fade with the passage of time. She combines the raw materials of an artist—paint, paper, graphite—with a passion for every aspect of human culture, mixing concepts in science and medicine with striking symbolic imagery, thereby transforming them into timeless, emotionally evocative works of art.

Natural feel for sculpture

City Gallery
994 State St., New Haven, (203) 782-2489
Nancy Eisenfeld: Out on a Limb
Through Oct. 4, 2009.
Opening reception: Sat., Sept. 12, 2—5 p.m.

With Out on a Limb, Nancy Eisenfeld continues and broadens her explorations of the past several years. The show includes several sculptural works composed using found objects from strolls in the woods: sloughed-off bark, branches, discarded construction wood, metal trash. There is a striving for organic integrity to the compositions but one that mirrors nature. Beauty and chaos, order and wildness.

The show features both Eisenfeld's sculptural works and drawings and, in several cases, a combination of the two. One such work is "Blaze." This large wall sculpture clusters panel, curling birch bark, sun-bleached branches, mylar and plastic mesh next to an incendiary abstract drawing. Executed with rubber stamps, charcoal, paint and spray paint, the drawing is a vision of black, almost graffitiesque shapes consumed by orange and bathed in gray smoke. It is a complex work, dense with layering both of materials and ideas.

The interplay of the fiery colors and the forest scraps intimate destruction and decay. But within and from those processes there is life, too. It is reflected in the vibrancy of Eisenfeld's line and brushwork in the drawing—and she paints, sparingly, into the found materials also—and in the undulating curls of the birch bark.

A sculptural work in one of the front windows, "Embers," has the feel of a monument. Burnt pieces of wood, some scorched to an almost anthracite glisten, are arranged within a circle bounded by a rusty ribbon of metal. It's like a miniature landscape of sheer obsidian stone forms. I felt like I wanted to be shrunk to an inch tall so I could wander through this ancient park like one does through the hoodoos of Bryce Canyon in Utah.

The works that are strictly drawings, such as "Smoldering Woods," "Rolling Stones" and "Erupting Shards," complement the sculptural works. The plethora of different media used—paint, spray paint, ink, charcoal, rubber stamps, line, brush strokes—provide a strong analog to the diversity of materials in the sculptural works.

For most of her career, Eisenfeld has worked in two dimensions. Her step into the third is not only bold but successful, too. There is a convincing solidity and confidence to her constructions that belie the short amount of time she has been engaged with this body of work.

There will be an artist's reception for this show this Saturday, Sept. 12, from 2—5 p.m.

Memorial exhibit for Phillip Foxx opens Saturday afternoon at New Haven Public Library

New Haven Free Public Library Art Gallery
133 Elm St., New Haven
The Family Spirit of Art: Three Generations
Memorial Exhibition of artist Phillip Foxx (1915-2008) with son Jeff Foxx, daughter Patricia Foxx and granddaughter Cora Foxx
Through Oct. 7, 2009
Artist's reception: Sat., Sept. 12, 2:30—4:30 p.m.

Press release

The artistic spirit of the Foxx family spans three generations. The diversity of each family member's choice of medium, technique and content is unified by a passion for creativity, travel, and adventure.

Phillip Foxx had humble beginnings as an art department assistant during the depression, earning only $5 a week. His career blossomed in the nineteen fifties, enabling him to travel the world. He documented his explorations in vivid illustrations and watercolors, which stand as a wonderful collection of paintings and sketches done on site in Europe and Asia. He raised two children who studied and became artists, Patricia Foxx of Westchester County, NY and Jeffery Jay Foxx of Brooklyn, NY,. His grandchild Cora Gaw in San Francisco is a filmmaker.

As the 60's took hold, change was in the air and the Foxx family went through transformations of its own. The nuclear family dispersed and Philip moved to New York City, He took classes at the School of Visual Arts, started to sculpt in marble and his adventurous spirit prompted numerous trips including a cross continental journey via VW bus from Germany to Katmandu, oftentimes blazing trails through areas with no roads. He had a successful career in commercial art, becoming the principal artist for the jewelry ads of Lord and Taylor.

Patricia Foxx grew up in Westchester County, New York. She lived in France studying art at he American School in Paris, and returned to the US to join a group of artists in the Napanoch, NY where she began her career creating wall hangings and decorative pillows, which sold in stores including Bloomingdales and the Museum of Natural History. She went on to become a silk painter and clothing designer and later moved from NYC to Warwick, New York where she still resides, to raise her daughter Cora and teach. She continues her interest in watercolors, painting the beautiful countryside of the Hudson Valley. As an exhibiting artist, once a year she spends time with a group of women artists painting on Monhegan Island off the coast of Maine, to paint. These sojourns are reflected in he work.

Jeff Foxx's career as an ethnographic photographer is well documented in three books published by Harry N. Abrams, Inc. Sharing his dad's adventurous spirit, he traveled the world photographing for such clients as National Geographic, Scholastic, the UN, CARE, SAVE THE CHILDREN. His specialty is documenting contemporary Mayan culture in Mexico and Guatemala. Another focus of his work is powwow portraits of Native North Americans. Jeff's talent for candid, expressive depictions of his subjects makes his photos powerful and intensely captivating. His work has been exhibited internationally.

Cora Foxx, Pat Foxx's daughter, attended the noted School for Performing Arts in NYC and went on to the Academy of Art University, San Francisco, California where she studied film production graduating in 2005, resides and is a member of Heap a video collective. She created Pigeon Farm Media, a video production company, and is currently playing keyboard with the band Crystal Antlers, touring Europe and the United States.

Philip's life experiences are reflected in his artwork. He spent time at the Sivananda Yoga Center in Canada and years later did a larger-than-life bronze of their leader, Swami Sivananda, which is still in place in the center.

Philip married three times and spent the last part of his life with Betsy Gaw Foxx in New Haven, living in a condo overlooking the Quinnipiac River. He painted the bridges and the busy commercial activities of the river, never losing his fascination for the color, light and life passing by. He continued his travels with Betsy alongside in Europe and around the United States and wintered with family in Arizona.

It was Philip's lifelong wish to exhibit with his children. The Foxx family is honoring this wish and continuing his legacy. His artistic talent first manifested itself as drawings on paper bags in the back of his parents' grocery store. As humble as their situation was, his mother recognized and encouraged his artistic talent. His offspring can clearly identify where their artistic gifts come from and they are very grateful to Philip for fostering this exciting and gratifying aspect of their lives.

There will be an artists' reception on Saturday from 2:30—4:30 p.m.

Saturday afternoon artist reception at City Gallery in New Haven

City Gallery
994 State St., New Haven, (203) 782-2489
Nancy Eisenfeld: Out on a Limb
Through Oct. 4, 2009.
Oening reception: Sat., Sept. 12, 2-5 p.m.

Press release

Nancy Eisenfeld explores the forces of nature, growth and decay, and the impact of human destruction on our environment. Her drawings and sculptures express chaos and order, exploding energies and natural beauty. The sculptures are made of found wood and man-made objects. The drawings are composed of inked rubber stamps, pen and pencils. These works develop from her visual observations and imagination.

There will be an opening reception for Out on a Limb on Sat. Sept. 12, from 2-5 p.m.

(I will post a review of the show tomorrow. HH)

Saturday night opening at Hygienic Gallery

Hygienic Art Gallery
83 Bank St., P.O. Box 417, New London, (860) 443-8001
Renee Rhodes & Rebecca Guay: Portraits of the Divine Feminine
Sept. 12—Oct. 10, 2009
Opening reception: Sat., Sept. 12, 7—10 p.m.

Press release


This show explores the feminine forces represented in sacred myths and religions. Renee Rhodes uses mythological symbols as her source for these sculptures and draws from a broad background of Christian, Hindu, Buddhist, Ancient Greek and Celtic traditions. As a painter, Rebecca Guay is intent upon the concept of the dynamic power that lies at the core of beauty and sensuality. Her inspiration as an artist was cultivated early by her love of Greek mythology and the complex relationships and passions within the pantheon of deities. Please join us at Hygienic Art in celebration of the Divine Feminine.

Renee Rhodes divides her time between her sculpture and her private practice as a clinical psychologist. Her most recent sculpture series focuses on sacred art and the visual translation of divine feminine archetypes. Her work is meant to inspire using myth and symbols. This show explores the feminine forces represented in sacred myths and religions. Rhodes uses mythological symbols as her source for these sculptures and draws from a broad background of Christian, Hindu, Buddhist, Ancient Greek and Celtic traditions. She believes that through sculpture, the wisdom and message of these spiritual deities and mythological figures can be transmitted into form that is instantly recognizable and therefore easier to take in. Myths and fables used to be a way knowledge and wisdom was passed on. Visual depiction of the goddesses is another way to carry on this oral tradition by creating a visual that has impact on a soul level.

Rebecca Guay began her career after graduating from Pratt Institute in 1992. She has been working full time as a painter for the last seventeen years, both in published work for books and fantasy art and with fine art commissions sold within the private collector market. As a painter she is intent upon the concept of the dynamic power that lies at the core of beauty and sensuality. She has developed a reputation in the industry and among collectors as an artist with a powerful vision of the feminine. Her inspiration as an artist was cultivated early by her love of Greek mythology and the complex relationships and passions within the pantheon of deities. Guay is fascinated both by the undeniable strength of Athena or Artemis, and in what the more illusive and complex symbol the mortal-to-goddess Psyche (and her journey to redeem Cupid's love) represents. When Guay paints her women she hears their voices in her mind,"I am fierce," they say. "I will devour you with my savage beauty, stun you with the glory of my presence the confidence of my spirit, I will enlighten you in the knowledge I have of myself," they sing. "I am whole forever".

Renee Rhodes:

Six years ago when my daughter was 11 years old, I bought her a book on Goddesses called Goddesses: A world of Myth and Magic to show her the way. When I started sculpting this goddess series last year I pulled the book off the shelf and would often refer to it, especially enjoying gazing at the incredibly lovely and magical illustrations. The week I had begun sculpting Kali I had the book open on a table in my studio to the dancing Kali illustration as inspiration. Later that week I went to Amherst, Massachusetts for an event on storytelling by the Veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan Wars. I was going with Matt Mitchell, the portrait artist whose show 100 Faces of War I arranged to have as an exhibit for at the Hygienic last August as part of a not for profit organization I started called Wounds of War. The morning after the event I went to Matt's studio for a studio visit and passed through his wife's studio on the way. There was the artist who illustrated the picture of Kali on my table in my studio!!!!!!!!!!!!! I had no idea that Matt was married to her. I took this as an auspicious sign and asked her to join me in my show Portraits of the Divine Feminine, which was originally going to be a one women show of my sculptures. And that's how Rebecca and I came to meet.

Saturday evening opening at New London's Golden Street Gallery

Golden Street Gallery
94 Golden St., New London, (860) 444-0659
Soft
Sept. 12—Oct. 10, 2009.
Opening reception: Sat., Sept. 12, 6—9 p.m.

Press release

Soft, a new exhibition curated by guest curator Kat Murphy, opens at the Golden Street Gallery in New London this Saturday. Murphy, a New London artist and graphic designer, completed her study of Print Design and Production at the Rhode Island School of Design in 2009. She writes, "I put together this show of softness to reflect different ideas of soft by different artists and designers that I know and some whom have recently come across my path. I feel a fine collection of soft coming on. Come and see!"

Participating artists:

Rachel Brensilver:

I'm an artist living in New London, who likes flowers, television and sharks. I am also a few short months away from finishing up a graduate program in elementary education and am so excited to be a teacher that it's almost embarrassing. I make art with cut paper and a variety of things found in my apartment and go through an extraordinary amount of glue. If my art makes someone smile, it makes me smile.

Justin Clapp: graphic designer

My name is Justin Clapp and I am a fine artist and graphic designer from Auburn, Massachusetts. I have a background in graphic design, and have recently completed my studies at the Rhode Island School of Design in 2008.

I am fascinated with typography and letterforms, and the power of the written word. I am interested in how letterforms and words have the capability to transcend the chasm between abstract formal elements and vessels of conceptual meaning in a work. As an artist, I am especially inspired by philosophy, language, and music.

Softness to me is subtlety-the suggestion of an idea, the attention to detail, the textures in a work. Softness has to be carefully looked at and considered, and is much deeper than it may first appear.

Susan Hickman:

I am a local artist & designer working from my kitchen table. My background is in graphic design, photography, visual merchandising & food service, but I enjoy dabbling in most mediums. I am always ready to try something new. I recently opened TAKEOUT GALLERY & BOUTIQUE (almost a year now folks) last october, which focuses on local & regional artists & has prompted me to take the dive into sewing, which I discovered I love. My softness is the little things in life that gently make themselves known to you.

Amy Visockis:

A recent graduate from Rhode Island School of Design with a certificate in Print Design. In 2000 I received my MFA from University of Colorado, Boulder focusing on installations and drawings inspired by childhood memories. I have exhibited work in Iceland, at the Boston Museum of Contemporary Art, Atlantic Center for the Arts and the small works alumni exhibition at University of Hartford.

This series of work captures the delicate quality of (soft). With a further exploration of Gestalt Theories of visual perception, I am inspired by the structures and rhythms created from photographs. Drawing from these elements creates a visual texture in scale and value. Echoing lines, capturing a poetic quality informs my design process.

Victor Visockis:

I received an MFA in ceramics from Rhode Island School of Design in 2003. Following graduate school I formed Object Function Designs, a ceramic tableware company, and have exhibited in group exhibitions and sales including Buyer Market of American Craft, and American Craft Council. In addition I have worked as an artist assistant to Tony Falcone, and Roseberry Winn Pottery. Currently I am teaching art at Indian Mountain School in Lakeville CT.

Saturday pick-up b-ball opening at The Lot in New Haven

Artspace
50 Orange St, New Haven, (203) 772-2709
The Lot: Long Shot
Sept. 12, 2009—Jan, 2010
Public opening at The Lot: Sat. Sept. 12, 2—6 p.m. with pick-up basket ball game

Press release

William Lamson will install basketball backboards and hoops enlarged 2.5 times to the scale of The Lot's 25-foot high rigger poles. The poles define the perimeter of the 90' x 90' site and the interior open gravel plaza of about 20' x 40'. The result is the creation of a miniature basketball court of massive proportions. Artspace will provide basketballs to anyone who wishes to use the court through an exchange program with the gallery. You can use your own balls too—please play and enjoy!

The Lot is an 8,000 square foot pocket park located in downtown New Haven, CT. Situated between two highly trafficked streets in the historic and culturally diverse Ninth Square neighborhood, this formerly derelict parking lot was redeveloped in 2005 as a public transit site and green space for communal use. Long Shot continues in Artspace's tradition of expanding opportunities for public art and commitment to community. Lamson's basketball court will create a function for The Lot's underused space, promoting play, community interactions, and physical exercise; it will also activate an otherwise dormant, unkempt area.

Long Shot will complement Lamson's solo exhibition at Artspace in Nov., 2009, a comprehensive exhibition of his work to date.

After Narrative: creative fundraiser this Thursday night at Artspace

Artspace
50 Orange St, New Haven, (203) 772-2709
After Narrative: An Affordable Art Event
Sept. 10, 2009, 6—8 p.m.

Press release

Artspace:

Join us for a one-night exhibition and fundraiser that focuses on the importance of our Flatfile collection, dedicated local artists and their individual practices, and bringing reasonably priced art to the Greater New Haven community. The Flatfile is reaching a new stage of development, and Artspace is launching a timely but costly website in 2010. Artspace is also dedicating a gallery to the Flatfile collection this year. These changes are vital to artists, providing them with more exposure to a growing audience. Your ticket purchase will help fund the new website, the Flatfile program, and the invaluable artists that contribute their time and artwork to Artspace.

After Narrative is designed to sell the artwork of Artspace's Flatfile artists--both from our existing Flatfile and new, commissioned work for this event--at irresistible prices. Several Flatfile artists have donated 5x10" series priced under fifty dollars including unique prints, drawings, paintings, and/or photographs to be packaged in an Artspace-provided sleeve.

Using both linear and non-linear structures, many of our artists use narrative to address contemporary issues and concerns. The theme of the fundraiser attempts to explore how narratives can change as new viewers and authors participate and exchange work within a master narrative.

Your ticket purchase will help fund Artspace's new website, the Flatfile program, and the invaluable artists that contribute their time and artwork to Artspace. Please support Artspace in 2010 by purchasing one of our four ticket options to the After Narrative fundraiser and exhibition, interacting with hundreds of affordable artworks and multiples, and supporting local artists and their practices.

Enjoy live acoustics by painter Chris Mir (visual art home page and music home page) and songs by Dear Traveler, complimentary sushi by Miya's and free artwork with a $50+ ticket.

For more information and to purchase tickets online, click here.

Thursday opening at Hull's Gallery One Whitney

Hull's Gallery One Whitney
1 Whitney Ave., New Haven, (203) 907-0320
Visiting Artists: Art of New England
Sept. 10—Oct. 17, 2009.
Opening reception: Thurs., Sept. 10, 5—8 p.m.

Press release

Hull's Gallery One Whitney presents an exhibition of artists from the Aucocisco Galleries in Portland, Maine. There will be an opening reception for the show this Thursday evening from 5-8 p.m.

Hygienic issues artist call for "In the Pink," breast cancer awareness art show

Hygienic Art
83 Bank St., P.O. Box 417, New London, (860) 443-8001
Artist call for In the Pink: A Celebration of Women's Strength, Beauty, and Healing
Receiving Dates: Sun., Sept. 13, 2009, 12—3 p.m.
Opening Reception: Wed., Sept. 16, 5:30—7:30 p.m.
Pick up Date: Sun., Oct. 11, 2—5 p.m.
Contact: Laurel Holmes (860) 442-0733; lholmes@lmhosp.org

Press release

A call to artists to participate in a show of works that express the breast cancer experience and the healing process from the point of view of survivors or that of friends and family. We welcome all to this celebration to begin Breast Cancer Awareness Month and enjoy the Hygienic Art Galleries and Art Park.

Artists may submit one piece. All media welcome. All works must be suitably framed with wires and ready for hanging. No clips or saw tooth hangers. All metal frames must have hangers and wire. Work submitted must not exceed 72" in either direction. Sculpture must be easily transportable on stairwell and no more than 50 pounds. All work must remain for the duration of the show. Hygienic assumes no liability for damage, loss or theft of submitted work. All artists are responsible for insuring their own work. Hygienic will retain 30% of sales and collect 6% CT state sales tax. Hygienic will not be responsible for unclaimed work.

For the third consecutive year, the Hygienic Art Galleries and the Breast Health Task Force of Southeastern Connecticut are coming together to present an art show on the breast cancer experience and the healing process. The show, titled In the Pink: A Celebration of Women's Strength, Beauty, and Healing, opens on Wed. Sept. 16, 2009 at 5:30 p.m. at the Hygienic Art Galleries, 79 Bank Street, New London, and runs through Oct. 10.

This year, The Hygienic Art Galleries will donate their portion of any sales of art in the show to the Connecticut Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program at Lawrence & Memorial Hospital, a comprehensive screening program for medically underserved women.

Over the years, it has been the Breast Health Task Force's goal that local communities and their leaders become increasingly active in promoting the importance of breast health and early detection of breast cancer. In recent years, local libraries have joined the effort understanding the importance of continuing to repeat the message that early detection can help to reduce breast cancer mortality.

Municipal leaders from 10 area communities have been invited including: East Lyme, City of Groton, Town of Groton, Ledyard, Montville, New London, North Stonington, Old Lyme, Stonington, and Waterford. The area legislative delegation has also been invited.

The Breast Health Task Force is a collaboration between many organizations including Ledge Light Health District, local health care providers, the Naval Base Health Center, and Lawrence & Memorial Hospital. It seeks to coordinate breast health education activities throughout southeastern Connecticut. This event is made possible by a grant from the Susan G. Komen Foundation.