CT ArtList opens inaugural pop-up show this Saturday

CT ArtList
703 Kent Rd., Gaylordsville
CT ArtList Pop-Up ExhibitionFeb. 9—28, 2013.
Opening Reception: Sat., Feb. 9, 4—7 p.m.

Press release from CT ArtList

CT ArtList (www.ctartlist.com) is presenting it’s first pop-up show of artists from the website’s curated image bank.

The art and artist resource website was founded in September, 2012 by Danbury painter Megan Marden. Marden, who has an M.F.A. in painting from Western Connecticut State University, created the site to provide visibility and valuable information to working Connecticut visual artists. In November 2012, the website was profiled on Sharon Butler’s art blog Two Coats of Paint.

Painting by Amy Almeida

The website lists information on 155 (and counting) Connecticut galleries and art spaces. Additionally the website provides listings for arts employment, internships, grants and residencies. Calls for artists and exhibition opportunities statewide are updated on a regular basis.

The curated image bank currently features 18 artists from every corner of the state, and in all different stages of their careers. An overwhelming majority of the featured artists are graduates of Connecticut art schools.

Marden maintains the website with the assistance of Hartford artist Joe Bun Keo. Together, they have spent hundreds of hours updating, promoting, and improving the quality of the web-project on a strictly volunteer basis.

"As artists ourselves, we examine all of the information we put up onto the website personally. We make sure that everything we post is of real value," says Marden.

Keo’s artwork, which often humorously deals with the eccentricities of language and interpretation will be on exhibit along with 13 other artists from the image bank.

New Fairfield painter Amy Almeida who has an M.F.A. from W.C.S.U. says of her large-scale paintings, "I reproduce recognizable inanimate objects by portraying them in unrecognizable situations rooted in my own experiences. By altering the scale and color, I create a visual tension between the familiar objects and how they are functioning."

Painter and sculptor Yelizaveta Masalimova's hyper-realist, and emotionally charged sculptures invoke memories of her early childhood in Kiev, Ukraine. Masalimova earned her B.F.A in Sculpture from the Lyme Academy in Lyme CT., and her M.F.A. in painting from the University of Connecticut.

Daniel Bohman is currently a graduate student at the University of Connecticut says of his work, "My paintings are comprised entirely of found imagery which range from commercial photographs to anonymous pictures from image searches. Piece by piece the work progresses through trial and error- disparate images and the points of view inherent in them are constantly rearranged and consolidated. Understanding is altered as the paintings grow and new elements re-contextualize existing realities. I welcome this awkward exchange as I seek to highlight absurdity and contradiction present in everyday life."

Marden says, "I’ve selected these artists based on the strength of their work alone, but I must say that I have been so thrilled that so many of the applicants have been young artists, and recent graduates just like me. These artists’ works vibrate with a youthful vigor that isn't always well represented in the Northwest Corner’s arts community."

The opening reception will include free food and drinks, and a trunk show by Twitch and Whiskers - up-cycled jewelry made by Danbury artist Mei-Ling Uliasz. The event is free and open to the public. Donations to support CT ArtList will be accepted.

ARTISTS:

Amy Almeida
Matthew J. Best
Daniel Bohnam
Ethan Boisvert
Matthew Cassar
Charlie Cunningham
Kevin Ferreira
Jim Felice
Matthew Hester
Jana Ireijo
Tiffany Johnson
Joe Bun Keo
Janet Lage
Yelizaveta Masalimova