Dedicated to covering the visual arts community in Connecticut.

Monday, September 30, 2013

"Crossing the Line" opens at Institute Library this Saturday

The Institute Library
847 Chapel St., New Haven, (203) 562-5045
Crossing the Line: A Collection of Drawings
Oct. 5—26, 2013.
Reception: Sat., Oct. 5, Noon—2 p.m.

Press release from Stephen Vincent Kobasa

Curated by Stephen Vincent Kobasa, Crossing the Line features works by Anna Held Audette, McCrady Axon, Joan Backes, Dave Bassine, Riley Brewster, Pamela Cardwell, Jan Cunningham, William DeLottie, Kate Ten Eyck, Teresa Fortsch, Laura Gardner, David Livingston, Lenny Moskowitz, Perry Obee, Ronnie Rysz, Kelly Schmidt, Jean Scott, Rick Shaefer and Anita Soos.

Laura Gardner: "Lily"

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Susan Weinreich show at Reynolds Fine Art opens Friday

Reynolds Fine Art
96 Orange St., New Haven, (203) 498-2200
Breaking the Boundaries: The Art of Susan Weinreich
Oct. 4—29, 2013.
Artist Reception: Fri., Oct. 4, 5—8 p.m.

Press release from Reynolds Fine Art

Reynolds Fine Art is pleased to offer a hand picked selection of early Vintage Drawings executed by the artist, Susan Weinreich, in the 1970’s. Raw and Frenetic, these drawings were created on the cusp of the artist’s descent into schizophrenia. Also included in this exhibition is a selection of signed black and white woodcut prints, powerfully bold and unique, produced from the 35 original blocks executed by Weinreich during the acute phase of her illness. A corresponding selection of the original blocks, themselves, will also be on display throughout the show. The exhibit concludes with significant and highly compelling large-scale pastels and mixed media works created during the early phase of Weinreich’s recovery.

"Art is the noblest way to make a seeming tragedy into the occasion of triumph. Susan Weinreich's drawings and paintings have that redemptive quality: they reach unabashedly into darkness and thrust into shattering clarity, telling the story of their sometimes tortured inspiration from a hard-earned place of safety. These brave pictures, suffused with intimacy, elaborate her unstinting gaze at both the smoothness of the world’s surfaces and the jagged turmoil of the human mind. Susan Weinreich is remarkable for the art she has made in sickness and in health, for the profound emergence from schizophrenia she has achieved, and for the intense self-awareness that has marked her recovery." — Andrew Solomon, PhD, is a writer and lecturer on politics, culture, psychology and the arts.

Woodcut by Susan Weinreich


Susan Weinreich is a celebrated American Artist, Lecturer and Mental Health Advocate whose paintings and drawings have been exhibited across the nation. At the request of galleries, universities, public corporations and private non-profit organizations, Susan has spoken in the United States and Canada about her art and the impact of her past illness on her life. Her art and life story have been featured in the national press, including the New York Times.

Originally diagnosed in 1975 with paranoid schizophrenia while attending the Rhode Island School of Design. Weinreich's recovery from her illness provides an important lesson for us all in the power of heroic commitment, perseverance and healing to affect change. Her work both as an advocate for those less fortunate and as an artist has made much impact on the lives of many people and their energy.

Ms. Weinreich's artwork is in the collection of numerous individuals, public and private, including, The William Jefferson Clinton Presidential Library in Little Rock, Arkansas, the World Corporate Headquarters of Eli Lilly in Indianapolis, Indiana, and the Four Winds Hospital, in Katonah, New York.

The show will be on display from Oct. 4—29 at Reynolds Fine Art located in New Haven’s historic 9th square on 96 Orange St. The show's opening reception will be held on Fri. Oct. 4.

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Opening reception at Silver Circle Gallery in Putnam Fri., Oct. 4

Silver Circle Gallery
75 Main St., Suite 3, Putnam, (860) 928-2900
Selections from CT ArtList
Oct. 4—27, 2013.
Opening Reception: Fri., Oct. 4, 6—9 p.m.

Press release from Silver Circle Gallery

The Silver Circle Gallery in Putnam, CT. is proud to present Selections From CT ArtList, a group show featuring new work from Amy Almeida, Jessica Bartlett, Tiffany Johnson, Ashleigh Kay and Lori Warner. There will be an opening reception on Fri., Oct. 4 from 6—9 p.m. at the Silver Circle Gallery. The show will run from Oct. 4—27, 2013.

Amy Almeida is a New Fairfield-based painter. She has an MFA from Western Connecticut State University. She says of her work, "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. My paintings symbolically embody sadness and despair allowing for an experience that is authentic. While confrontational, I paint visceral awareness that suggests something happening beneath the surface of our immediate understanding."



Jessica Bartlett who also has an MFA from Western Connecticut State University, and lives in Torrington, CT will exhibit her contemporary landscape paintings. "I find that landscapes have provided me the ultimate opportunity for seeing my environment (and my work) in an excitingly unpredictable way while kneading line into paint and paint into line. As the seasons pass I find myself preoccupied with the concept of painting fluidly and directly and using strokes of color to separate planes and depth through light. I have also found myself noticing the qualities of the surface of the paintings and their ability to either draw in and/or keep a viewer out of the picture space. This realization in particular has allowed my work to become more than just the study of my environment but to also become an outlet for expression."

Tiffany Johnson has an MFA from Western Connecticut State University, and has completed residencies at The Vermont Studio Center, The Chataqua Institution, and most recently Weir Farm National Park in Branchville, CT. She currently lives in Danbury CT, but she has created series of paintings about exploring, and developing an intensely personal relationship with the places she depicts, including Harlem, NY, Vermont, Chataqua and CT. When asked to describe her paintings, she says, "My work is based on an idea of interpreting a situation of who I am—of the past and present—and how I absorb and gather the settings I am placed in through color to express a moment or feeling."

In addition to being an exhibiting artist, Ashleigh Kay is also the Marketing & Outreach Coordinator of the Silver Circle Art Center, and has been instrumental in organizing and promoting the CT ArtList exhibition. She has a BFA in Painting from The Hartford Art School at The University of Hartford, and has been actively engaged in the local arts community since graduation in 2009. She exhibits her work locally and internationally.

Lori Warner has a BFA from the Rhode Island School of Design, and owns and operates the Lori Warner Studio and Gallery in Chester, CT. Lori creates unique woven monoprints, and encaustic paintings.

The Silver Circle Gallery was established in 2008 by Carly Martin, longtime resident of northeast CT, who envisioned having a fresh and inspiring space where local and regional artists and artisans could exhibit their work, sell one-of-a-kind handmade gifts and boutique items, and individuals of all ages could improve their quality of life by taking art classes. With the support of many passionate and dedicated individuals, Silver Circle has become a haven for the artistic community and an advocate for the benefits of creativity for any and every one.

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Roberta Friedman show opens Sunday at City Gallery in New Haven

City Gallery
994 State St., New Haven, (203) 782-2489
Roberta Friedman: Embedded
Oct. 3—27, 2013.
Opening Reception: Sun., Oct. 6, 2—5 p.m.

Press release from City Gallery

Roberta Friedman, a member of City Gallery, 994 State Street, New Haven, CT., presents Embedded, new work of multimedia collages and encaustics, from Oct. 3—27, 2013. The opening reception is on Sun., Oct. 6, from 2—5 p.m. On Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 12 and 13, City Gallery hours will be extended to 5 p.m., as a participant in City Wide Open Studios.

Roberta Friedman: "Escape"


Friedman's watercolor and wax enhanced collages transform papers and natural elements into embedded layered paintings that explore and celebrate the wondrous unpredictability of water-based media infused with the intense colors of wax and oil based pigments. Friedman's bias remains her unending fascination with the natural layering of the landscape—its grandeur and its serenity—and her continued quest to re-imagine those layers, through textures, light and color. She has introduced both hot and cold wax techniques into her layering process.

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Thursday, September 19, 2013

Opening tonight: "Constructed Ecology" at Seton Gallery at UNH

Seton Art Gallery at the University of New Haven
Doods Hall, University of New Haven, 300 Boston Post Rd., West Haven, (203) 931-6065
Constructed Ecology
Sept. 19—Oct. 26, 2013.
Reception: Thurs., Sept. 19, 5—9 p.m.

Press release from Seton Art Gallery

Constructed Ecology aims to enhance the viewer's spatial perception using light, sound, video and texture. When entering the gallery space, one is confronted with two luminescent cubes in a field of grass. These architectural vessels create tension between themselves and the triple L-shaped gallery. This spatial narrative is akin to the first day of spring, recalling the feeling of grass beneath one's feet as one takes in a deep breath of fresh air.

The exhibit will be on view through Oct. 26. An opening reception is scheduled for Thurs., Sept. 19, from 5—9 p.m.

This exhibition blurs the lines of the natural and the engineered. Subsequently, the notion of "viewing" space and "passage" through space is inhibited, forcing the viewer to slow down and interact with the work. The installation encourages one to challenge their perception of curated and regulated spaces from that of nature and the wilderness.



Seton has become more experiential as two artists, Michael Galvin and Kyle Skar, work for one month as artists-in-residence. They have customized the gallery and used it as an incubator for a large-scale project. This discovery aims to challenge the traditional views of exhibition space through an interaction with the existing architectural space. Galvin and Skar have invited two local video collaborators Lisa Amadeo and Nicki Chavoya to develop and project video content within one of the architectural vessels. Gary Velush will customize an auditory piece in the second space. Within this interdisciplinary exhibition, a variety of sensory experiences will be produced.

Constructed Ecology raises questions and draws awareness to the built environment, encouraging viewers to seek out natural spaces. This interdisciplinary project combines architecture, sculpture, digital media and natural forms resulting in conversations about manufactured experiences and the air we breathe. This discourse is relevant to the development of the Seton Gallery as a cultural center for both the University and the New Haven community.

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Friday, September 13, 2013

"Disturbing the Comfortable" opens Thursday at Sumner McKnight Crosby, Jr. Gallery in New Haven

Sumner McKnight Crosby Jr. Gallery
70 Audubon St., 2nd floor, New Haven, (203) 772-2788
Disturbing the Comfortable
Sept. 19—Nov. 1, 2013.
Artists' reception: Thurs., Sept. 19, 5—7 p.m.

Press release from the Arts Council of Greater New Haven

The Arts Council of Greater New Haven presents Disturbing the Comfortable in the Sumner McKnight Crosby Jr. Gallery. Curated by Hayward Gatling, this exhibition will be on display from Fri., Sept. 20 through Fri., Nov. 1, 2013. An opening reception is scheduled for Thurs., Sept. 19, from 5—7 p.m. The public is invited to attend.

The title of this show is a take on the British street artist Banksy’s quote: "Art should comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable." The quote has inspired curator Gatling to put together this show that is meant to push the envelope.

Artwork by Alan Neider


"Every time there is a new art movement it disturbs the art community, but eventually gets adopted," Gatling explained. "Sometimes change is painful, but overall usually good."

He has gathered more than twenty artists to participate in the show, many of which will be contributing artwork made at his request specifically for Disturbing the Comfortable.

The work in Disturbing the Comfortable will range from paintings and photographs to sculptures and bone carvings. The artists included in the show range in age from 17-65 and will include; Kwadwo Adae, Vito Bonanno, Leila Crocket, Lisa Daly, Uber Dami, Chuck Dorris, Mike Franzman, Barbara Harder, Jahmane, Dooley-O Jackson, Trevor Lyon, Jim Martin, Alan Neider, Mike Ross, Liz Pagano, Damian Paglia, Carla O'Grady Payson, Uma Terri Ramiah, Heidi Richard, Bill Saunders, JodiAnn Strmiska, Katro Storm, and Jonathan Waters.

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