Saturday evening opening for group show at Ulla Surland in Fairfield

Ulla Surland Gallery Eleven
11 Unquowa Rd., Fairfield, (203) 259-1572
Water: A Group Exhibition
July 14—Aug. 31, 2012.
Opening Reception: Sat., July 14, 6—8 p.m.

Press release from the Ulla Surland Gallery

Marianne Van Lent—Fresco Secco & Dispersed Pigment on Canvas
Brechin Morgan—Acrylic on Canvas
Janis Melone—Collage/Mixed Media
Rebecca Harper—Oil on Canvas
David Dunlop—Oil on Metal
Ann Conrad—Intaglio Prints with Hand Coloring
Frank Bruckmann—Oil on Canva

Where there is no water, there is no life as we know it. Water covers 71% of the earth's surface. It exists in the universe in vast quantities, it's components, hydrogen and oxygen, among the most plentiful of the elements. Water vapor along with carbon dioxide create a buffer around the earth keeping the temperature stable and within a range that supports life.

Too much water as in floods, and combined with energy as in tsunamis and hurricanes causes cataclysmic destruction. Scarcity of water creates deserts where life exists only in the rarest forms and with difficulty. Civilizations rise and prosper in the fertile land around rivers and in the temperate zones where oceans meet land masses. Waterways are used as pathways of transportation, as receptacles of waste, for recreation, and when harnessed, to produce energy. Water is used for food preparation, to extinguish fires, for bathing, to cool our nuclear reactors, quench the thirst of factory farms, and in religious ritual.

Volumes have been written about water in all its forms and uses, from the world of science and the finite, to the world of science fiction and the infinite and in the places where they meet and combine. The seven artists participating in this exhibition using their creative voices have used water as inspiration for works of art. The works are literal and abstract, sometimes both, small and large, and use a variety of materials, scales and dimensions, expressing the poetic, the factual, the surreal and the fantastic.

The show will be on view from July 14 through Aug. 31. There will be an opening reception this Sat., July 14, from 6—8 p.m.

(Image: "Bitmap XIV" by Ann Conrad.)

Fairfield Arts Center announces "FACes and Places" art tours

Fairfield Arts Center
70 Sanford St., Fairfield, (203) 319-1419
FACes and Places: Art Behind the Scenes
$75 for FAC members, $95 for non-members.

Press release

The Fairfield Arts Center presents a new program for the community called FACes and Places: Art Behind the Scenes. With this new program series, FACes and Places strives to give art collectors, arts enthusiasts, and the general public access to Fairfield County’s vast arts community by introducing the faces behind the art and the place where their art is created. The program will kick off with three studio tour events featuring artist studios or live/work spaces in Bridgeport. Known for its empty factory buildings, Bridgeport has become artistic home of many area artists from around Fairfield County who have worked with building owners to repurpose the factory spaces and turn them into hubs of creative energy. The three studio buildings that FAC will showcase are the American Fabrics Arts Building, 305 Knowlton, and Read’s ArtSpace, a live/work space downtown Bridgeport.

Each tour will guide a limited number of guests from studio to studio. At each stop, the guests will have the opportunity to hear the artist talk about their background and their work. Guests will have an intimate look at the artists work in their studio. A light catered lunch and wine tasting will be provided in one of the artist’s studios. Guests are invited to linger after the program to visit with the artists and explore the studios. Each FACes and Places tour will be $75 for FAC members and $95 for non-members. Due to the limited number of spaces, guests are requested to purchase tickets in advance by visiting the Fairfield Arts Center Web site or calling (203) 319-1419.

The first tour will take place on Thurs., June 2 from 10 a.m.—3:30 p.m. at the American Fabrics Arts Building. 15 Studios will be featured and include Denyse Schmidt Quilts (Bridgeport), Lisie Orjuela (Trumbull), Brechin Morgan (Milford), Judith Corrigan (Shelton), Ulla Surland Interior Design (Fairfield) among other noted artists in the area. Lunch will be held in the studio of Janine Brown who is also from Fairfield.

The American Fabrics Art Building, once housed the American Fabrics Company. The factory was built around the 1920's, and was once a hub of the textile industry, specializing in the manufacture of linen, lace and knits. The factory buildings at that time were built with large windows to provide light and fresh air during the summer months, which provides a perfect setting for an artist loft building. Manufacturing activity at the factory began to decrease in the 1960's and by the 1970's the entire industrial complex was abandoned. A handful of artists started to rent space in the building several years ago and in 2009, the current owner of the building, Westrock Development, LLC., renovated the building turning the second, third and fourth floors into artist’s studios.

The Fairfield Arts Center (FAC) is a not-for-profit, local municipal arts agency dedicated to enriching the cultural experience of the members of its community. In support of Fairfield’s arts and artists of all disciplines, FAC seeks to integrate the creative process into the daily lives of the Town’s 60K residents by providing access through opportunity, education and outreach. FAC is funded in part by the Connecticut Commission on Culture and Tourism, the National Endowment for the Arts and the Fairfield County Community Foundation.

(Image: "Sienna Aspens," linoleum cut print by Janine Brown.)