| VOLUME 4 | * * All Arts News On the Web * * | March 23, 2000 |
ArtBits always features a calendar of the goings on of Franklin County artists. Check out these events around Franklin County. Each issue includes the entire text of our weekly newspaper column. STUFF YOU SHOULDN'T MISS
Regular AAC CoffeeHouses with networking time and "show-and-tell" are held in borrowed space at 7 p.m. on the first Thursday of every month. These gatherings bring new opportunities, gossip, and workshops every month. This spring, we will gather in a different AAC member's home around the St Albans area starting February 6 at Corliss Blakely's. Watch this space for details.
The members of the All Arts Council of Franklin County, Inc, will hold the 2000 Annual Meeting in the Northwest Regional Transportation Network office (home of the Purple buses), 44 S. Main St, on Thursday, April 6, at 7:00 p.m.
Natalie LaRocque-Bouchard's term as a director expires in 2000. Corliss Blakely was elected to fill an open position. There are still three open position to be filled. Nominations will be taken from the floor.
Control of the Arts Council rests with the membership. Members will report on major projects including the Artist Register and the ArTrain, and plan the 2000 season.
"I could do this all day," one artist said. PERSONAL ART
Fairfield artist Gail Salzman is leading an eight week painting workshop for adult consumers of developmental services. VSA-Arts Vermont and Northwestern Counseling and Support Services/Developmental Services (NCSS/DS) sponsored the workshop. An exhibit of paintings from the workshop opens with a public reception Monday afternoon, March 27, in the City Elementary School Gallery. The Gallery is a space with a beautiful skylight next to the cafeteria.
VSA-Arts Vermont is the organization formerly known as Very Special Arts.
Called Painting Your Personal Stories, the class was an exploration of lines, shapes, colors, textures, and patterns. Gail used some of the same successful techniques as the ongoing St Albans CAN! community workshops and residencies.
Eight artists brought in objects they called their "personal treasures" from home to trigger thoughts about how shapes and colors and textures enter into artwork and express a meaning personal to them. "It was a pretty even mix of excitement about the media itself and how to talk about their own personal images," Gail said.
The participants explored the language of art to express their own personal stories. They began with cray-pas (an oil pastel) and colored chalk to create small drawings of the people, places, and objects that had special meaning in their lives. As the artists learned new techniques and became more familiar with the materials, they worked on progressively larger scale paintings.
The final 3' x 4' paintings were created in acrylic paint "applied with rollers, sponges, house painting brushes, smaller art brushes, and even hands and fingers," Gail said. "Some paintings may seem abstract, but they are strongly representative to the artists."
Hilda Bonnett painted her outdoor garden with sunshine, dirt, grass, and flowers.
Patricia Bray branched out tremendously and also was particularly inspired by flowers.
Danny Bruce was particularly interested with the dogs and horses that live around him and figured out how to express those in new shapes and colors.
Clarence Hoague made great sweeping fields of red and green with the paint rollers and was particularly inspired by and included a blue image of his wheelchair.
Sports are important to Andrea Magnan who used images of softballs, softball bats, and other sports equipment.
Jeff Moss used his collection of wrestling cards and figures as an inspiration. He also conveyed his feelings of the Vermont flag.
Vicy Poquette proved to be an abstract expressionist. She was involved with and excited by how the colors moved around the page.
Christine Sanders made beautiful hearts and color combinations that radiate outward.
"The way the participants worked together and responded to each other and encouraged each other was creativity in a group process at its best," Gail said.
The public reception is at St Albans City Elementary School on Monday, 3:30-4:30 p.m. The public is invited to this free exhibit. The paintings will remain on display through March 31 before moving to the Main Street display windows at Franklin Lamoille Bank, April 3-14. The larger works will also be exhibited in the All Arts exhibit at the Maple Festival.
City Feed and Lumber, Sherwin Williams Paints, Newton's Decorating Center helped with paint rollers and large brushes. Fonda Group donated all of the heavy large paper. Interested artists may call Kelly Errion (524-6555, extension 462), the coordinator of the project in Franklin County, for info.
The All Arts Council will fill St Albans City Hall with works by Franklin County artists at the Vermont Maple Festival, April 29-30. E-mail the All Arts Council for information if you would like to show. CALL FOR ARTISTS
RICHFORD--The Traveling Storyteller presents The Three Little Pigs, a new puppet show for all ages, at the Richford Emergency Services Building on Saturday, 1-3 p.m. The show is sponsored by the Richford Even Start Family Literacy Program. STUFF YOU SHOULDN'T MISS
The Elder Art Program needs volunteers to help with art shows in several towns. Volunteers will help prepare and hang the artwork, pick up donated food items, make copies, hang posters and more. VOLUNTEER ART SHOW COORDINATORS NEEDED
Two volunteers are needed in North Hero for postering on March 29, and for hanging the Art Show on April 4-5). In St. Albans, postering will occur April 10, hanging the first show April 16 and 17 and the Maple Festival show April 29-30. All Artwork will be taken down May 1. e-mail Mark Montalban for info.
More than 20 million of the 131 million workers around the country have ditched (or been ditched by) their real jobs. Many of these workers now serve as independent freelancers. CLICK HERE: ART SITE OF THE WEEK
Businesses around the country rely on freelance graphics artists to finish those jobs needed "yesterday." The Etalent Agency places designers and artists in dot.com companies.
ArtBits features a quick weekly peek at the bookshelf or night stand of the folks you know in and around Franklin County. That popular feature has a page of its own at the Franklin County Bookshelf here on the AAC site. FRANKLIN COUNTY BOOKSHELF
All Arts Council of Franklin County
P.O. Box 1
Highgate Springs, VT 05460
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