Schiffer retrospective and Powers show open Sunday at Creative Arts Workshop

Creative Arts Workshop Hilles Gallery
80 Audubon St., New Haven, (203) 562-4927
Deirdre Schiffer: A Retrospective
Dorothy Powers: The women
Jan. 20—Feb. 8, 2013.
Opening reception: Sun., Jan. 20, 2—5 p.m.

Press release from Creative Arts Workshop

The first show of 2013 to open at Creative Arts Workshop (CAW) will be a joint exhibition of work by Deirdre Schiffer and Dorothy Powers. The exhibition will be on view in the Hilles Gallery at CAW from Jan. 20 to Feb. 8, 2013. An opening reception is scheduled for Sun., Jan. 20, from 2—5 p.m. and the public is invited to attend.

The first floor of Hilles Gallery features a collection of work by Deirdre Schiffer. This retrospective exhibtion encompasses a selection of paintings, drawings and works on paper that highlight her extensive artistic career up until the end of her life in 2011. Known for her understanding and use of light in painting, and often working from life, Schiffer’s portraits pursue an exploration of “a deep interest in the power of being, the ineffable sense of presence we experience in our everyday lives.” Free of intricate detail, a neutral palette and subtle brush strokes allow the emotional depth her paintings to resonate.

painting by Deirdre Schiffer

In 2006, Deirdre Schiffer was selected by the Aldrich Museum to exhibit her work as one of ten noteworthy artists from Connecticut and New York. A graduate of Cooper Union School of Art, Schiffer was awarded fellowships at the Vermont Studio Center and the Women’s Studio Workshop. Her work has also been exhibited at the Silvermine Arts Center, the Maryland Federation of Art, City Gallery in New Haven, CT and previously at Creative Arts Workshop.


Dorothy Powers is a Connecticut-based artist whose work addresses contemporary and sociopolitical concerns surrounding the human rights of women and girls, both within the culture of the United States and globally. The Women is a recent project of works that depict “burka clad figures as symbol or metaphor images for the gender inequality that I try to convey in this series.” Working with a variety of mediums—including painting, drawing, mixed media and digital imaging—Powers approaches gender issues from both an artistic and personal perspective.

Artwork by Dorothy Powers

Dorothy Powers is also part of the CAW community, as a former student and current faculty member. She has taught locally at Sacred Heart University and Albertus Magnus College as well. Her work is included in many private and corporate collections and has been reviewed by The New York Times, Art New England and the Connecticut Journal of Medicine. Fellowships and awards include the Pollock-Krasner Artists Fellowship, the Connecticut Commission Artists Fellowship and the Weir Farm Visiting Prize.