Catherine Smith Invites you to Open Studios 2011 – 2 more days – December 3rd & 4th

Thank you to all who stopped by for the first week-end of Artists Open Studios of Northeast CT 2011

There is one more weekend left: Sat, Dec 3 & Sun, Dec 4

Artist studios will be open daily from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM.

Download the Artists Open Studios Brochure

The Artists Open Studios tour encompasses 20 towns in Northeast Connecticut.  More information about the Artists Open Studios of Northeast CT and directions can be found on the website www.aosct.org

(Image: "Which Way to Lund" by C.W.Smith)

The piece photographed – “Which Way to Lund”  is Smith’s interpretation of the graphics on the many trains she saw while in Copenhagen last Summer.  (All cotton materials – Hand quilted – 36H x 36W inches). 

To see more of Catherine’s work, visit her blog: http://catherinewhallsmith.com/

Catherine Smith’s “SmithStitch Studio” is located at 44 Chaplin Street (D-3), Chaplin CT 06235.  

Margaret Phillips Earns Award for Workmanship at Quilts=Art=Quilts

SAQA-CT fiber artist Margaret Phillips has earned the “Award for Machine Workmanship” at the 2011 Quilts=Art=Quilts Exhibition for her beautiful quilt Pink Desert with Roadrunners (detail shown).   Awards were presented on October 29th at the Schweinfurth Art Center in Auburn, New York.

Congratulations Margaret!

Quilts=Art=Quilts is the Schweinfurth Art Center's 31st annual juried quilt exhibition. The Art Center has long recognized the importance of quilts as a visual medium, and has been presenting quilts in an art gallery setting since 1981.

To see all the prize winning quilts from this year’s show, along with the artists and titles, visit Schweinfurth’s website:

http://www.schweinfurthartcenter.org/events/QAQPrizes.html

Opening Friday: “Fabulous Fiber” at the Farmington Valley Arts Center (Avon, CT)

Women Against the Grain, a group of fiber artists including Diane Cadrain, will be participating in a new show called FABULOUS FIBER at the Farmington Valley Arts Center.

A candlelight Opening Reception will be held this Friday, November 18 from 6 – 9PM.

The exhibition will be on display at FVAC until December 31, 2011.

Gallery Hours:

Fridays 1 – 4PM

Saturdays 10 AM – 4PM

and by Appointment

(860) 678-1867

 

FVAC is located at 25 Arts Center Lane in Avon, CT.  visit http://www.artsfvac.org for more information.

The Farmington Valley Arts Center in Avon, Connecticut, is dedicated to the belief that artistic expression and creativity are vital to daily life. FVAC connects the community to the creative process by offering arts education for people of all ages, supporting and encouraging working artists, and serving as a community resource for promoting the arts. The Arts Center is a vibrant arts community that enables visitors to experience the entire creative process, from seeing artists at work to viewing finished creations in a gallery to learning the skills necessary to create works of their own.

Shoreline Arts Trail 2011 Kicks Off with Reception at Guilford Art Center TONIGHT (Guilford, CT)

Shoreline ArtsTrail Exhibition at Guilford Art Center

November 4, 2010 - January 9, 2011

ARTISTRY

Preview work of all 37 members of the Shoreline ArtsTrail in an exhibit with Artistry at the Guilford Art Center, November 4, 2010 through January 9, 2011, 411 Church Street, Guilford.

The two month exhibition will kick off with an opening reception on Friday Nov 4, from 5 to 8 PM.

Guilford Art Center Artistry hours:
Monday–Saturday 10 am–6 pm
Thursday 10 am–8 pm, Sunday 12–5 pm

ARTISTRY is the Center's annual holiday sale of fine art and crafts and includes artists from throughout the nation, and presents the perfect opportunity for purchasing distinctive and unusual holiday gifts.

 

Shoreline Arts Trail celebrates their 10th Anniversary with Open Studios Weekend

November 19 - 20, 2011 from 10AM - 4PM

Meet the artists, including SAQA-CT fiber artists Diane Wright and Vivika DeNegre.  Discover the unique fine arts and crafts that the CT Shoreline has to offer. 

Excerpt from their new blog http://shorelineartstrail.wordpress.com/:

The Shoreline ArtsTrail celebrates its 10th Anniversary with the annual Open Studios Weekend, November 19 and 20, 2011. In total, 43 artists from Branford, Guilford, and Madison are participating in this two-day event, presenting an array of mediums: cut paper, engraving, fiber, found objects, glass, goldsmithing, jewelry, metal, paint, pastels, photography, pottery, printmaking, sculpture, stained glass, and textiles.

This year, in lieu of an opening reception, the group of shoreline artists made a $1,000 donation to the Community Dining Room on November 1, 2011 at the Branford location on Harrison Avenue.

“The shoreline community has been so supportive of our efforts over the years,” says Shoreline ArtsTrail Coordinator Owen Sea Lucky. “We felt it was very important for us to give back, especially in this economy, especially this time of year.”

Open Studios Weekend is a community event, and a great way to learn about art and to meet shoreline artists. Along the way, enjoy refreshments while you watch demonstrations and ask questions, learn how and where artists produce their work, get a head start on your holiday shopping and much more! So, save the date and make it a weekend event with your friends or family!

During Open Studios Weekend, the distinctive yellow “Open Studio” signs will point you to all of these artists and studios. For specific locations and more information about events, participating artists, and discounts to local business and restaurants, pick up a copy of the Shoreline ArtsTrail map, available in libraries, town halls and visitors’ centers in Branford, Guilford and Madison, as well as at the Guilford Art Center and the various studios. For more information call the Branford Artist Cooperative at 203-589-6995 or visit www.shorelineartstrail.com.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD A MAP

OR DOWNLOAD THE ARTS TRAIL BROCHURE

Kate Themel Will Represent CT in ArtQuilt Elements 2012 (Wayne, PA)

SAQA-CT artist Kate Themel has been accepted into ArtQuilt Elements 2012.  Her piece, Stars Not Included (image, left) depicts a mariner’s sextant.  It was created using pieces of colored fabric which were layered and raw-edge appliquéd and then densely quilted with free motion machine stitching. 

Jurors Elizabeth Barton, David Revere McFadden and Dr. Sandra Sider selected 48 pieces from over 660 entries.  Exhibiting artists hail from 42 US States and 11 different countries.  Kate is happy and proud to be one of 28 first-time exhibitors and the only artist from Connecticut in this year’s show.

From AQE’s website http://www.artquiltelements.com/:

ArtQuilt Elements 2012
March 30 - May 13, 2012  /  Wayne Art Center  /  Wayne PA

Opening Reception will be held on Friday, March 30, 2011

The Wayne Art Center
413 Maplewood Ave, Wayne, PA
19087 /  phone: 610-688-3553
email: info@wayneart.org

AQE 2012 is the 10th Exhibition of this internationally acclaimed show set in suburban Philadelphia. "One of the distinctions of our show is our professional presentation of art quilts. The exhibition has been widely praised by reviewers and artists not only for exhibiting the quilts in a gallery setting but also for promoting the art quilt as an art form."

Reception for CTFAC “Identity” Show and Demonstration by Mary Lachman at the Levi Coe Library (Middlefield, CT)

Levi Coe Library Presents

(Images left to right: Pieces of my Heart by M.Lachman, Identity by K.Loprete, Self Indulgence by C.Eaton, I Dream in Color by C.Hurney, Sanctuary by D.Cadrain)

“IDENTITY” a collection of small art quilts created by the

Connecticut Fiber Arts Collective

November 3 – 30, 2011

i·den·ti·ty ~ (-dnt-t) The distinct personality of an individual regarded as a persisting entity; individuality.

The collection is unique and inspirational.

 

Special Event November 3^rd:

5:30 – 6:45 Artist Reception: We invite you to meet the artists for an opportunity to learn more about the design process and techniques used when creating their pieces.

6:00 – 6:45 Hands on quilting demonstration by nationally recognized fiber artist Mary Lachman and sale of hand dyed fabrics, hand painted silk scarves, and felted purses by artist Carol Eaton.

The CT Fiber Arts Collective is a recently-formed but very active group of artists from around Connecticut dedicated to promoting Fiber and Mixed Media Arts.  “Identity” is their 3rd group show just this year. “Small Quilts for a Sacred Space” opened at the Unitarian Society of Hartford in May 2011 and “Fiber Harvest” at the Noah Webster Library in September.

Participating artists include: Diane Cadrain, Carol Eaton, Cher Hurney, Barbara Khachane, Mary Lachman, Karen Loprete, Rosalind Spann, Toni Torres,  Diane Wright and Carol Vinick.

Visit the CTFAC blog: http://ctfac.blogspot.com/

The Identity Exhibition will be on display until November 30, 2011. 

The Levi Coe Library is located at 414 Main Street, Middlefield, CT 06455 (phone 860-349-3857)

For directions and more information about the library, visit their website: http://www.leviecoe.com/Main/Home.html or find them on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Levi-E-Coe-Library/114156831968221

.

SAQA Trunk Show Pieces Chosen for Permanent Collection, Kresge Art Museum (Michigan State U.)

SAQA-CT Artists Margaret Phillips, Mary Lachman, Kate Themel and Catherine Whall Smith are 4 of the 50 artists whose trunk show quilts will become part of the Kresge Art Museum’s permanent collection. 

(Images: Jackie by M. Phillips; Untitled by M. Lachman, Luka’s Eyes by K. Themel; Hay Bale with Blue String by C. Whall Smith)

This is a Quilt! is SAQA’s second Trunk Show. Curated by Deb Cashatt and Kris Sazaki, it showcases SAQA’s diversity of talent and its mission to promote the art quilt through education, exhibitions, professional development, and documentation. 268 SAQA artists at every level of their careers answered the invitation to submit a quilt to the Trunk Show, in order to answer the question, “How do we as SAQA members explain what we do –- create quilts -- without people immediately thinking of a nine-patch that goes on your bed?”

Seven trunks, containing 30-50 art quilts, will travel the globe between 2011 and 2013. The pieces are in 12” square white mats with 8" openings, and are presented in clear envelopes with artists’ statements on the back. Some trunks also contain 3D pieces housed in acrylic boxes.

Michael Solomon, formerly of the Solomon Dubnik Gallery in Sacramento, California, chose 50 of the quilts to become part of the permanent collection of the Kresge Art Museum at Michigan State University after the trunks finish traveling.

The SAQA trunk show is a wonderful way for members and non-members alike to view and engage with quilts made using a wide variety of styles, techniques, and fibers. Some regions might want to organize special meetings around the trunk show and invite local quilt groups to view the works. Other regions might want to use the trunk show as the basis for a critique session while still more might consider exhibiting the trunk show in their local libraries or art centers.

Recently, Trunk Show “D” (including Catherine Smith’s and Margaret Phillip’s pieces) was exhibited at the Guilford Art Center.

See all 268 quilts! For more information about the 2011 SAQA Trunk Show visit http://www.saqa.com/about.php?ID=1904