Subject: Artists Newsletter May 5, 2018

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ARTISTS' NEWSLETTER
News and Opportunities for Artists of Fairfield County, CT
May 5, 2018
The Cultural Alliance of Fairfield County is a nonprofit service organization that supports its members through unified marketing, capacity building, professional development, and advocacy services. This newsletter is sent to all who request it - but we ask that, if you are not a member, you explore membership benefits and consider joining this community of more than 575 individuals and organizations. You can sign up here.
OUR NEWS
ACE AWARDS BREAKFAST TICKETS NOW ON SALE
Tickets are now available for our 3rd annual Arts & Cultural Empowerment (ACE) Awards Breakfast, Wed. June 6, 7:30-9am at the Shore and Country Club, Norwalk. James Naughton is our master of ceremonies and Robin Tauck, business leader and philanthropist (at right), is our keynote speaker. Our honorees this year are: Dennis Bradbury (Citizen Award); Valerie Cooper (Corporate Award); Megan Bonneau McCool (Artist Award); New England Dance Theater (Nonprofit Award); and Jim Royle (Educator Award). A special President's award is being made to the Family of Burt Chernowin recognition of the powerful impact he made on Fairfield County’s arts and culture community. The Cultural Alliance of Fairfield County is grateful to the generous ACE Award event platinum sponsors: United Capital  Financial Life Management, Cohen & Wolf, and Hobbs, Inc., gold sponsor, Studio2pt0, LLC, and media sponsor Moffly Media, and applauds their dedication to the vibrant arts and culture community in Fairfield County. Individual breakfast tickets cost $75 and are available now at https://aceawards2018.eventbrite.com
NEXT SPOTLIGHT: ACE Awardees: What Drives Them?
On Mon. May 14 at noon, join three of our six Arts & Cultural Empowerment (ACE) award winners in our monthly Spotlight on Arts & Culture interview show. Listen to the stories of Dennis Bradbury (Citizen Award), Megan Bonneau McCool (Artist Award) and Jim Royle (Educator Award) in 2018 ACE Award Winners: What Drives Them? What drives these arts leaders in their indefatigable work that inspires others? This is our regular Spotlight on Arts & Culture interview show, the 2nd Monday of each month, at noon on WPKN.org 89.5FM. Catch podcasts of recent shows on Creating a Sustainable Future, Who Cares About Public Art, Creative Placemaking and David Green & Adger Cowans.
SAVORCITY SUCCESS: NEXT STOP BEREKET, BLACK ROCK
SAVORCITY, a monthly tour of Bridgeport restaurants, food, art, and music, showcasing the culinary and cultural delights of Connecticut’s most diverse city, launched at Ruuthai's Kitchen in the West End to great applause (see Facebook images and video). The next stop on the tour is May 23, 6-9pm at Bereket Turkish Cuisine, serving “The most delicious Turkish I've ever had! Homemade, so flavorful and plentiful." Paintings by Susan Taylor Murray will be displayed. Musicians to be announced. BYOB! Reserve your seat here!
CULTURAL ALLIANCE SUPPORTING JANE'S WALK BPT
The Cultural Alliance is partnering with the Bridgeport Downtown Special Services District, along with bikeport co-op, Bridgeport Generation Now, Urban Bike Tours of Bridgeport, Hatch 130 and others to support the Jane's Walk Bridgeport, this Saturday May 5. Part of an international festival of free walks on this day to honor urban activist Jane Jacobs, the Bridgeport Jane's Walk will meet at Bridgeport Public Library at 3pm for a 101 on Jane Jacobs. Then participants will go on one of 4 tours - 2 by foot, 2 by bike for an hour, convening afterwards at Harlan Haus. For more information, and to register for this free event, click here.
CATCH US ON WPKN
Catch our 2-minute Drive Time selections from the week’s E-Buzz on WPKN 89.5 FM and wpkn.org. Selected events from FCBuzz.org postings, can be heard as PSAs: 7-9am and 4-7pm, weekdays.

WELCOME NEW MEMBERS
LAUREN CLAYTON

Lauren Clayton is a graphic artist by day, running Studio 162, a boutique design studio in Stamford, and a fine artist by night, where she enjoys exploring artistic expressions without deadlines. Lauren, also working as "Sugacane Danger", studied graphic design, photography and printmaking at the Cooper Union School of Art in New York. After writing a business plan for starting her company, she was delighted to receive a grant for $20k in start-up capital from the Miller Brewing Company’s Urban Entrepreneur Business Grant Series, and launched Studio 162 in 2003. She specialized in designing handmade family heirloom books at the start of her business, but has grown to offer a variety of design solutions. She is an alumna of the Jackie Robinson Foundation, that awards scholarships to minority high school students who have excelled academically and in their community. Lauren has served on the Board of Directors of Stamford's  Yerwood Center, and remains active in the community by mentoring students entering college and donating design services to small non-profits. Lauren has appeared in numerous magazines, including Jewel, Black Enterprise, and New Canaan Magazine as well as on Connecticut News Channel 12’s Our Lives, hosted by Gwen Edwards. In her art, Lauren says she is "enamored with bold colors, fine details, crazy patterns, funky music and generally anything that makes me stop and take notice." See her Studio 162 websiteFacebook Page, Twitter feed and Instagram page.
PENRHYN COOK

Penrhyn Cook has been a photographer for the past fifteen years. Her early work was shot with film and processed as toned, silver gelatin prints. She now works digitally but uses little manipulation other than that which could be achieved in the darkroom. Her photography documents things that other people tend to overlook; the serendipitous moments that make life interesting: the presentation of contradictions, innocence and humor. Her family, personal history and ideology are an important part of her story telling. She loves children; dislikes confrontation: is continuously puzzled by acts of inhumanity. She believes in the contagiousness of laughter and the joy of music and art. Penny frequently uses Celebrations and public spaces as her backdrop. She is looking for interactions that express the breadth of human emotions; wonder, loneliness, envy. Whatever the emotion, she wants the viewer to participate in the experience and create his or her own interpretation. Like human emotions, Eidelons can also be fleeting. She doesn’t set out to capture them, she just found them; here and there, wedged between the here and now; a rift between the dimensions. Her work has been exhibited in solo and group exhibits including the Summer McKnight Crosby Jr. Gallery, New Haven, CT, City Lights Gallery, Bridgeport, Shoreline Arts Alliance, Guilford, 22 Haviland Street Gallery, Norwalk, Art Place at the Shoreline, New Haven, and Café George, New Haven. Cook has self-published two books titled Eidolon and Serendipity. Her work is in many private collections. She is a member of the Kehler Liddell Gallery in New Haven. She collaborates with photographer husband Rod Cook under the name of PenRod and they have their studio in Bridgeport. See their website.
ROD COOK

Rod Cook was born and grew up in Savannah, Georgia. He first picked up a camera while a helicopter pilot in Vietnam, fell in love with the medium, and subsequently worked as a fashion and illustration photographer in New York for the first twenty-five years of his career. In 1997, he essentially gave up commercial photography to pursue a personal vision, seen in Cypress Knees and Tupelos, nudes taken in cypress swamps in and around Savannah, Ga. Since then he has created his own interpretations of botanicals, FP and Fungi, landscapes, Moving Landscapes, masks, mannequins, and statues, Animate Objects. He has works in platinum/ palladium, digital black-and-white and color, and invented color prints married with encaustic. Rod generally works on projects inspired by spontaneous experimentation, so will occasionally venture into other mediums. When he was younger, he was in love with the idea of being a photographer. Today, he says, he just wants to create images. A subtle differentiation but one he thinks is significant. His most recent works are prints of nudes wearing Venetian style masks that he designed and made with papier-mâché - in the case of Mask they are created from molds taken from the model’s face). Rod's work has been exhibited in solo and group exhibits including Jack Leigh Gallery, Savannah, GA; Photosensualis Gallery, Woodstock, NY; 22 Haviland Street Gallery, Norwalk; Hunter Fox Gallery, New York; Bassetti Fine Photographs, New Orleans, LA; Joel Soroka Gallery, Aspen, CO; Gail Severn Gallery, Ketchum, ID; Houston Center for Photography, Houston, TX; and Stephen Daiter Gallery, Chicago, IL. His work is in numerous private and public collections notably Graham Nash Collection, University of Chicago and the Cherye R. and James F. Pierce Collection. He collaborates with his photographer wife Penrhyn, under the name of PenRod and they have their studio in Bridgeport. See PenRod's website .
AFSANEH DJABBARI-ASLANI

Iranian born artist Afsaneh Djabbari-Aslani attended USC’s Roski School of Art and Design, at the onset of the Iranian revolution. The upheaval in her native country culminating with the US embassy hostage crisis dramatically transformed her world, with significant influence on her artistic work. After earning her BFA, she moved to New York in 1983, and then began working at the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), in the Public Affairs Division, where she learned more about the plight of third world countries and their socio-economic issues. She also earned her Master's Degree from NYU’s Robert Wagner School of Public Service. Her painting Working towards a Brighter World was published as a Holiday Card and sent out worldwide in 1989. With the birth of her second child, Afsaneh moved to New Canaan and became an active volunteer in the community, and an art history teacher in the public school system. This reconnected her with her passion for the arts and she started painting full time again in 2009. Afsaneh says she never finds art relaxing: "It is a very active emotion for me." She is very responsive to issues in the world: choosing a self-portrait from 1982 for her website, she writes: "I had hoped that 35 years later I would look at this and put it as part of my history, where politics, religion and sexism would be resolved and I would not feel this trapped. Unfortunately, it continues — with all of its trappings." She says that, as an older artist and mother of three, she has learned to channel her feelings in more positive ways. Afsaneh enjoys painting still lifes and playing with texture and color: "I don’t think of these simple objects as just a bowl or a vase but containers which hold life. We have always created containers to carry our grains and water. Bright colors, light, water, texture and reflections are an integral part of my work, tracing back to my Persian roots where color and decorative art are part of its rich history." Afsaneh sits on the board of the New Canaan Art Society and is a member of the Loft Artists Association. She currently has work in the Loft Artists Association's show, Bring a Friend to the LAA,  alongside Eugenie Diserio. See Afsaneh's website.
HENRI LEPETIT

Born in Brussels in 1956, Henri Lepetit has always been a great traveler. Around the age of twelve, Henri began to accompany his father, a dedicated naturalist, on scientific assignments. It was during these early travels, which took them for many years throughout the African continent, the Middle East, and later the entire length of South America, that his father one day asked him to help with illustrations for a project. The natural artistic talent that his father possessed provided the guiding hand during these first steps. From the age of 16 he traveled widely by himself, funding his trips by painting and selling his work on the spot, enabling him to get from one location to the next. Apart from a brief spell at a Paris art school in 1975, he has not received any formal training, preferring to rely on his natural ability and feedback from the public. It was while he was in Provence that Henri’s passion for visual art transformed from a paying hobby into full professional status, when he met his wife, who is an accomplished equestrian. Since that time, he has steadily and successfully built a wide and eager collector base throughout the world. The New England coastline fuels Henri’s unabated passion for painting. As one commentator has put it: "His bold and gutsy brushstrokes tackle with thick creamy paint the delightful sparkling colors and brightness of light without hesitation. He knows where he is going and how to achieve the end result." His scenes, apart from those set in New England, are mostly from France, Italy and England. Today, Henri’s home is in Westport, for the summer, and travel is still an integral part of his life. He currently has a solo show of urban paintings, Urban Adventures at Gallerie Meisterstücke, in Nuremberg, Germany, and is scheduled to take part in the Westport Fine Arts Festival this July   See Henri's website here.

CURRENT MEMBERS
Elizabeth Agresta, Painter
Valerie Ahneman,
   Musician 
Peter Alexander, 
   Landscape Architect
Kristen Ambrosi, Painter
Tracey Anderson-Kollar, 
   Visual Artist
Francesca Andre,
  Filmmaker & Photo-
   grapher
Leslee Asch, 
   Curator, Writer
Frances Ashforth, Painter/ 
   Printmaker
Judith Bacal, Designer
Anna Badini, Painter
Mary Bailey, Sculptor & 
   Writer
Louise Baranger, Musician
Patrice Barrett, Painter
Nina Bentley, Mixed 
   Media/Sculptor
Sue Benton, Photographer
Paul Berger, Photographer
Karla Bernstein, 
   Photographer
Thomas Berntsen, 
   Photographer/Sculptor
Binnie Birstein, Painter/
   Printmaker
Elise Black, Painter
Tara Blackwell, Painter
Christina Blais, Quilter
Ziggy Bober, Sculptor 
Amy Bock, Painter
Andrea Bonfils, Mixed
   Media Artist
Dennis Bradbury, 
   Photographer
Carolyn Brady, 
   Photographer 
Nancy Breakstone, 
   Photographer
Michael Brennecke, 
   Painter
Wendy Brest, Mixed Media
Lucienne Buckner, 
   Sculptor
Bevi Bullwinkel, Painter
Miggs Burroughs, Graphic 
   Artist 
Trace Burroughs, New 
   Media
Joy Bush, Photographer
Louise Cadoux,    
   Painter/Sculptor
Bob Callahan, Painter
Donna Callighan, 
   Photographer 
Patricia Campbell, Dancer
Linn Cassetta, Printmaker
Polly Castor, Painter
Carolyn Cavolo, Dancer
Ann Chernow, 
   Painter/Printmaker 
Alan Chapell, Musician
Eric Chiang, Painter
Frederic Chiu, Pianist
Yvonne Claveloux, Painter
Elaine Clayton, Painter 
   and Writer
Lauren Clayton, Painter
Alicia Cobb, Painter
Joyce Colburn, Painter
Heidi Lewis Coleman, 
   Mixed Media
Rosa Colón, Painter, Mixed
   Media
Penrhyn Cook, Photographer
Rod Cook, Photographer
Margaret Stapor Costa,
   Filmmaker
Adger Cowans, 
   Photographer and
   Painter
Naomi Cruz, Painter
Dolly Curtis, Curator
Lisa Cuscuna, Painter
Dawn Dahl, Painter
Cris Dam, Painter/Muralist
Holly Danger, Video Artist
Betsy Davidson, Painter
Carlos Davila, Painter, 
   Sculptor
Jane Davila, Fiber Artist/ 
   Mixed Media 
Cortney Davis, Writer
John Deakins, Sculptor
Ken Delmar, Painter
Joseph Dermody, Painter/
   Sculptor/ Furniture 
   Maker/Violinist
Emily Derr,  
   Illustrator/Designer
Joyce DiCamillo, Musician
Barbara Kunin Dierolf, 
   Painter
Jan Dilenschneider, Painter
Eugenie Diserio, Painter
Carol Nipomnich Dixon, 
   Mixed Media
Afsaneh Djabbari-Aslani, 
   Painter
Erin Dolan, Painter
Amy Dolego, Photography
Jennifer Drolet, Painter 
David Dunlop, Painter
Philip Eliasoph, Writer
Jeanine Esposito, Mixed Media 
Katherine Evans, Painter 
Susan Fehlinger, Painter
Louise Flax, Mixed Media
Rosaida Flores, Dancer
David Laurence Flynn, Lighting
   Designer
Heide Follin, Painter
Christa Forrest, Painter
Rose-Marie Fox, Painter
Cecilia Moy Fradet, Painter/ 
   Printmaker
Herm Freeman, Painter
Rebeca Fuchs, Painter
Megan Garbe, Painter
Rhonda Gentry, Painter
Joe Gitterman, Sculptor
Scott Glaser, Painter
William Glaser, 
   Photographer
Lori Glavin, Visual Artist
Danielle Goldstein, 
   Photographer
Ellen Gordon, Painter
Sue Brown Gordon,    
   Painter/Jeweler
Ellen Gould, Photographer
Joyce Grasso, Painter/
   Photographer
Kristen Graves, Musician 
Len Grayeck, Painter
Jen Greely, MultiMedia/
   Installation
Mindy Green, Mixed Media
Carolina Guimarey, Multi-
   Media Artist
Barry Guthertz, 
   Photographer
Dorothy Hafner, Sculptor
Don Hamerman, 
   Photographer
Mary Harold, 
   Photographer
Julie Headland, Painter/
   Printmaker
Adair Heitmann, 
   Printmaker
Kate Henderson, Mixed 
   Media - ASSOCIATE
MaryEllen Hendricks,
   Photographer
Gwen Hendrix, Fiber/ 
   Mixed Media
Lenore Eggleston Herbst
   Dancer
Tracy Hoffman, 
   Photographer & 
   Printmaker ASSOCIATE
Veronica Hofstetter, 
   Painter
Bruce Horan, 
   Painter/Printmaker
Elizabeth Howard, Writer
Sonya Huber, Writer
Yuko Ike, Painter
Jana Ireijo, Painter
Sholeh Janati, Painter 
Renée Kahn, Painter/ 
   Sculptor
Vasken Kalayjian, Painter
Karen Kalkstein, Graphic 
   Artist 
Amy Kaplan, Painter 
Natasha Karpinskaia, 
   Painter
Ed Katz, Theatre Critic
Emily Kelting, 
   Photographer


Karen Kent, Painter
Elisa Keogh, Photographer
Susan Keown, Painter/  
   Mixed Media/Ceramicist
   Photographer
   ASSOCIATE
Niki Ketchman, Sculptor/
   Multimedia 
Jin Hi Kim, Musician
Lesley Koenig, Painter
Richard Koleszar, Painter
Xiao Mai Kong, Painter
Moki Kokoris, Visual Artist
Michael Kozlowski, Painter
Joanie Landau, Jewelry 
   designer/Printmaker
Lydia Larson, Painter
Emily Hamilton Laux,
   Photographer
Eric Jiaju Lee, Visual 
   Artist/Musician
Phyllis Lee, Visual Artist
Julie Leff, Painter
Susan Leggitt, Painter
Julia-Rose Liptack, Painter
Barbara Loss, 
   Photographer
Shelley Lowell, Painter/ 
   Sculptor/Poet
Jane Lubin, Mixed Media
Laurie MacLean, 
   Choreographer, Dancer
Mark Macrides, Painter, 
   Collagist
Jessica Makin, Painter/ 
   Photographer
Connie Manna, Painter
Mary Manning, Painter/
   Printmaker
Elizabeth Marks, Painter
Ruben Marroquin, Fiber Artist
Nadia Martinez, MultiMedia
Sooo-z Mastropietro, Multimedia
Barbara Mathis, Painter
Megan Bonneau McCool, 
   Choreographer
Carole McClintock, Painter
Grace S. McEnaney, Painter
Nancy McTague-Stock, 
   MixedMedia
Shanna Melton, Poet
Kristin Merrill,
   Jeweler/Sculptor
Toby Michaels, Painter
Jay Misencik, Photographer
Duvian Montoya, Painter
Brechin Morgan, Painter
Day Moore, Painter
Nancy Moore, Painter
Meighan Morrison, Painter
Carol Mueller, 
   Painter/Printmaker
Cynthia Mullins, Painter
Susan Murray, Painter
Aisha Nailah,MixedMedia/
   Photographer
Tava Naiyin, Dancer
Dale Najarian, Painter
Karen Neems, 
   Photographer/MixedMedia
Susan Newbold, Painter
Mary Newcomb, Painter
Jill Nichols, Painter
Eddie Niño, Painter
Judith Norinsky, Painter
Julie O’Connor, 
   Photographer
Kazumasa Oda, Painter
Amy Oestreicher, 
   Performing/Visual Artist
Melissa Orme, Painter
Rose Palmiero, Painter
Parkway South, Musicians
Steve Parton, Painter
Judy Peknik, Painter
Justin Perlman, Sculptor
Chris Perry, Book Artist
Jay Petrow, Painter
Laura Pflug, Painter
Diane Pollack, Mixed 
   Media 
Karen Ponelli, Painter 
   ASSOCIATE
Lynn Carlson Popat, 
   Painter 
Joseph Provey, Painter


Jennifer Prat, 
   Photographer
Elizabeth Quesada, 
   Painter
Ben Quesnel, Sculptor, 
   Videographer
Lauren Rago, Mixed Media
Tim Reimer, Painter
Gwen North Reiss, Poet
Rick Reyes, Singer/ 
   Songwriter
Barbara Ringer, 
   Photographer
Mariya Rivera, Painter
Dorothy Robertshaw, 
   Mixed Media
Alyse Rosner, Painter/ 
   Mixed Media
Richard Sadlon, Musicians
Renee Santhouse, 
   Graphic Artist 
Jill Sarver, Painter
Roxanne Faber Savage, 
   Visual Artist
Ellen Schiffman, Fiber 
   Artist
Norma Schlager, Fiber 
   Artist
Marianne R. Schmidt, 
   Painter
Guy Sealey, Multimedia
Lisa Seidenberg, 
   Filmmaker
Rick Shaefer, Visual Artist
Barbara Shea, Writer
Alissa Siegal, Painter
Norm Siegel, Painter
Lisa P. Silberman, 
   Photographer
Phyllis Sinrich, 
   Photographer
Megan Smith-Harris, 
   Writer/Filmmaker
Cleo Sonneborn, Painter 
Rene Soto, Painter
Liz Squillace,   
   Painter/Printmaker
Connie Stancell, Painter
Sergei Stepanenko, 
   Painter
Barbara Stewart, Painter
Pam Stoddart, Painter
Florence Suerig, Visual 
   Artist
Janice Sweetwater, 
   Painter
Susan Tabachnick, Sculptor
Juliette Tehrani, Painter
Mick Theebs, Writer/Painter
Alicia Thompson, Actress/ Playwright
Dara Tomeo, Painter
Kris D. Toohey, Painter
Andrea Towey, Musician
Ruth Kalla Ungerer, Printmaker
Vincent Verrillo, Painter
Karen Vogel, Painter
Lee Walther, Mixed Media 
Ann Weiner, Multi-Media, 
   Painter
Peggy Weis, MultiMedia
Cynthia Whalen, Painter
Joan Wheeler, Painter
Al Coyote Weiner, Painter
Ann Weiner, MultiMedia
   Conceptual Artist
Jahmane West, 
   MultiMedia Artist
Elizabeth White, 
   MultiMedia
Justin Wiest, Painter
Jarvis Wilcox, Painter
Bruce Williams, Painter
Jen Williams, Painter
Tammy Winser, Mixed 
   Media
Nancy Woodward, 
   Photographer/Mixed 
   Media
Dmitri Wright, Painter
Jeffrey Wyant, Visual 
   Artist
Greg Ziebell, Painter
– Latest List by Town of Organization and Creative Business Members: here
– Latest List by Town of Artist Members: here
 See a List by Town of Artist Members: here❦ – See a List by Town of all Organization and Creative Business Members: here
YOUR NEWS
GROUP SHOWS
Paul R. Berger, Heidi Lewis Coleman, Rosa Colon, Carol Nipomnich Dixon, Joyce Grasso, and Judy Peknik had work accepted for the 19th Annual Vivian and Stanley Reed Marine Show - "Water!" at  Stamford Art Association. The exhibition opens with a reception Fri. May 4, 6-8pm and runs through May 31. At right here, Paul Berger's Sailor's Reprieve (see below for details; click for complete image). 
Ina Anderson, Alicia Cobb, Herm Freeman, Marianne Schmidt, Jill Sarver, and Lee Walther are among the Artists of 205 Knowlton who will holding their first collective art show and pop up shop of 2018, No Vacancy, on Fri. May 4, 6-10pm. The building is officially full and 305 is celebrating a full house, art, creative spaces, collectives, and inspiration! Light refreshments and wine will be served. A small works raffle and pop up shop and more! 
Nina Bentley, Miggs Burroughs, Kat Evans, Scott Glaser, Veronica Hofstetter, Jana Ireijo, Amy Kaplan, Jane Lubin, Carole McClintock, Dale Najarian, Kris Toohey, and Cynthia Whalen are all part of the Westport Artists Collective Studio Tour Sat. May 5, 10am-5pm. A $25 ticket include a Welcome Brunch and access to 13 artists' studios. Each studio is as unique as the artist and the work, and questions are encouraged.
Nancy Breakstone, Bevi Bulwinkel, Joseph Dermody, Heidi Follin, Mary Harold, Bruce Horan, Chris Perry, Julliette Tehrani, and Cynthia Whalen all won awards in the Rowayton Arts Center's Community Sponsored Awards exhibit, opening Sun. May 6, 4-6pm with the presentation of awards. Amy Simon was juror. At right in poster, Best of Show: Joseph Dermody's 1995. Congratulations all!
Shanna Melton, Jay Misencik & Geralene Valentine, and Suzanne Kachmar are three of the 14 presenters at the first PechaKucha Night Bridgeport coming to the Barnum Museum this Wed. May 9, 6:30pm. Designed to bring people together to listen to great personal stories, PechaKucha is a presentation style in which a speaker uses 20 slides, each shown for 20 seconds, resulting in a total time of 6 minutes and 40 seconds. This licensed format keeps presentations focused and fast-paced.
Nina Bentley, Sue Benton, Tom Berntsen, Miggs Burroughs, Trace Burroughs, Kat Evans,  Susan Fehlinger, Mary Harold, Amy Kaplan, Jane Lubin, Karen Vogel, and Lee Walther are featured in a special pop-up exhibition, Revelations, organized by Trace Burroughs and Amy Kaplan, at 153 Post Road East, Westport. Sales from the works will benefit Clasp Homes of Westport, a nonprofit creating and supporting family environments for people with autism and intellectual disabilities by attracting and retaining a nurturing and dedicated staff. The show runs May 10-20; opening reception: Sat. May 12, 4-6pm.
Elizabeth Hasegawa Agresta, Elise Black, Heidi Lewis Coleman, Lisa Cuscuna, Joseph Dermody, Carol Nipomnich Dixon, Eric Jiajun Lee, Meighan Morrison, Dale Najarian, Justin Perlman, and Florence Suerigall have work in stores in Art to the Avenue, along Greenwich Avenue and surrounding streets  through May 27. Click image for a map of stores where artists are showing their work. 
INDIVIDUAL NEWS
Paul Berger has two photographs in the Kent Art Association’s Spring Juried Show.  His Zabriskie Point (B&W from film 28 x 32”) was given the Award of Excellence in Photography.  The upcoming Vivian and Stanley Reed Marine Show at the Stamford Arts Association includes a new photograph from Paul Berger, “Sailor’s Reprieve”.  The 24 x 28” color photograph, taken in Nantucket, will be part of the annual show dedicated to images of maritime and water themes.  The show's opening reception is Friday May 4, 6-8 pm.
Nancy Breakstone won Second Prize in Photography  in the Rowayton Arts Center's Community Sponsored Awards exhibit, opening Sun. May 6, 2-4pm with the presentation of awards. Amy Simon was juror. At right her Lines in the Sand (B&W photograph, 34x29; click for complete image) 
Bevi Bullwinkel won First Prize in Mixed Media in the Rowayton Arts Center's Community Sponsored Awards exhibit, opening Sun. May 6, 2-4pm, with the presentation of the awards. Amy Simon was juror. At right her winning painting Grieg in B minor (2018, acrylic and ink on canvas, 30x24). Bevi writes that the black ink drawing is on top of an acrylic background. She painted the piece while listening to the Grieg work, which she found particularly dramatic.
Miggs Burroughs is seeing the fruition of his labor and commitment, working with the Drew Friedman Community Arts Center (DFCAC), initiating art work-shops for underserved and developmentally disabled students in the Westport area, and matching up local organizations with qualified art instructors to facilitate the Foundation's mission, in the opening of ADFCAC's Heart Open Wide (HOW) art show at Westport Woman’s Club, Thurs May 17. The show will celebrate the creative works of budding local artists from CLASP Homes, Project Return, Homes with Hope, The Westport Arts Center and the Westport Historical Society and U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal will award four $5,000 DFCAC scholarships. The event will include the introduction of the $1,000,000 DFCAC Fund, earmarked to support art programs and scholarships for underserved artists of all ages, to be awarded over the next ten years. The DFCAC, its scholarships and programs have been established in memory of Drew Friedman and to commemorate Mr. Friedman’s (deceased) wife Bobbie, a passionate artist who envisioned a haven for fee-free visual and performing art classes where underserved youth can build and experience creative expression. Above right, Miggs with Nick Visconti, Chair of the DFCAC.
Andrea Bonfils has recently signed with Isabella Garrucho Fine Art, and her first solo exhibition there, Botanical Refractions opens with a reception, Thurs. May 10, 6-9pm. The exhibition features new underwater floral photography, demonstrating the change in direction of light passing through one medium to the other. The refraction theme is also represented in her Nest Collection: table top or wall mounted photo montage sculptures, capturing birds in flight, floating flowers, people or butterflies in three transparent acrylic panels that are layered, allowing the viewer to feel as if they are adventuring through nature. At right, detail of one of Andrea's Submerged Garden series. More...
Heidi Lewis Coleman is currently exhibiting several of her mixed media pieces at Kristals  (229 Greenwich Ave) during the Greenwich Arts Council’s 2018 Art to the Avenue. At right Heidi's Rivendell (2016, acrylic & cut paper on canvas, 24x24, click for larger image). Rivendell is part of Heidi's Dreamscape Series, which reflects an exploration of landscapes inspired by the ancient lands of mythology and cultural lore, whether historical, fictional or fantastical.
Joseph Dermody stands next to his latest high energy paintings exhibiting through May 28th at Tesla of Greenwich, 340 Greenwich Avenue, during the Greenwich Arts Council’s 2018 Art to the Avenue. Joseph also won Best in Show at the Rowayton Arts Center's Community Sponsored Awards exhibit, with his 1995 (click for image). The show opens Sun. May 6, 2-4pm with the presentation of awards. Amy Simon was juror.
Scott Glaser will be showing the first three pieces in his new “neo-pointillist” style during the Westport Artists Collective's Art Studio Tour in Westport, Sat. May 5, 10am-5pm.  At right, a detail from The Lobby of the PierreEach piece is hand-stippled with ultrafine felt markers, each measures 22” x 30.” Click on detail for the complete image.
Mary Harold won the first prize in color photography at the Rowayton Arts Center's Community Sponsored Awards exhibit, with her Cracked Up (2018, 24x18, at right, click for complete image) taken in Cold Spring, NY. The show opens Sun. May 6, 2-4pm with the presentation of awards. Amy Simon was juror.
Painter and global brand expert Vasken Kalayjian has just published Brand Real: "The Ultimate Artist Entrepreneurs’ Guide for Branding with Value & Purpose."  Described as a complete handbook for startup success, Vasken brings together 27 of the leading names in branding, marketing, social media marketing, PR and other key disciplines, to provide a useful tool for creating, branding and growing successful companies that are rooted in their values. Says Richard Branson: “The brands that will thrive in the coming years are the ones that have a purpose beyond profit. Brand Real is an important tool for any startup entrepreneur who wants to build a startup with a purpose.”
Richard Koleszar won an Award of Excellence from the Kent Art Association for his work in its Spring Juried Show. Richard's painting, Dockside View (2017, oil on canvas) is of a view out the back patio of the Rowayton Arts Center. The five mile river and someone 's deck were his subjects. He commented that he embellished the colors in the painting somewhat.


Joanie Landau has two of her digital collagraphs on display through May 21st at the Taos Art Insurgency, hosted by the Greg Moon Art Gallery in Taos, NM. The gallery is located on Gallery Row in the central historical district. The 2 pieces are: Love + Lust (30x40, detail at right) and State of Becoming (30x30).
Jay Misencik will be presenting with Geralene Valentine at Bridgeport’s first PechaKucha Night . . . their Bridgeport Portrait Project  Wed. May 9th, 6:30pm at The Barnum Museum and will fit the theme, "The noblest art is making others happy!" (P.T. Barnum). 
Sooo-z Mastropietro has 9 pieces in a 2-person show Surface and Structure at the Howard County Arts Council in Ellicott City, MD, May 2-June 22. Works include: Baptism by Fiber (2016, fabric, plexiglass, dowels, stitching, cotton lycra, fabric piecing and tubes over armature, 35x13x46, detail at right) create an ensemble of fabric flames. Soo-z reminds us that she will be running the Bass Camp at Fairfield University's Quick Center, August 27.
Amy Oestreicher will be workshopping her full-length drama, Flicker and a Firestarter with Playlight Theatre Company on May 20. Amy was honored to be the only playwright to have her full length play, Leftovers, worked on in a two-week masterclass with Tectonic Theatre Founder, director and playwright Moises Kaufman (at right). And, May 15, 2018​, Amy's monologue "I'll Tell You a Story" will be featured in the Off-Broadway performance of Park for Your Problems:.
Rick Shaefer's The Refugee Trilogy, first shown at the Fairfield University Art Museum, and then at Marquette University's Haggerty Museum of Art, is now moving to BYU Museum of Art. The exhibit will run from May 18 through September 29, 2018. After this showing, the Trilogy will move to Stetson University in Florida, which will show the work in July - November 2019. At right, a detail from "Water Crossing" (click for complete image).
Lee Walther's latest table Transparency (plexi and wood table 20x20x20; acrylic cityscape sculpture, 9x20x4, at right) with removable boxed acrylic sculpture, is being featured this weekend at the Design Within Reach Preview Party (154 Post Road East, Westport), Fri. May 4, 6pm-8pm, in conjunction with the Westport Studio Tour, Sat. May 5. Lee will be showing more of her tables at Revelations pop-up show, opening reception May 12, 4-6pm. Lee also has her Collaged Mirror Series in No Vacancy  at 305 Knowlton Street , Fri. May 4, 6-10pm.

Sat. May 5: Westport Arts Collective Studio Tour. 10am-5pm. (Nina Bentley, Miggs Burroughs, Kat Evans, Scott Glaser, Veronica Hofstetter, Jana Ireijo, Amy Kaplan, Jane Lubin, Carole McClintock, Dale Najarian, Kris Toohey, and Cynthia Whalen)
Sun. May 6: Rowayton Arts Center, Community Sponsored Awards . Opening Reception, 4-6pm (Nancy Breakstone, Bevi Bulwinkel, Joseph Dermody, Heidi Follin, Mary Harold, Bruce Horan, Chris Perry, Julliette Tehrani, and Cynthia Whalen)
Wed. May 9: Barnum Museum, Pechakucha Bridgeport 6:30-9:30pm (Shanna Melton, Jay Misencik & Geralene Valentine, and Suzanne Kachmar)
Thurs. May 10:  Andrea Bonfils, Botanical Refractions, Isabella Garrucho Fine Art, Opening Reception, 6-9pm.
Sat. May 12:
Revelations. Opening Reception, 4-6pm (Nina Bentley, Sue Benton, Tom Berntsen, Miggs Burroughs, Trace Burroughs, Kat Evans, Susan Fehlinger, Mary Harold, Amy Kaplan, Jane Lubin, Karen Vogel, and Lee Walther)/
Mon. May 14: Spotlight on Arts & Culture, 
2018 ACE Awardees: What Drives Them? WPKN, 89.5FM, noon. (Dennis Bradbury, Megan Bonneau McCool, Jim Royle)
Sat. April 7: Kershner Gallery, Fairfield Public Library, In The Moment. Opening Reception, 4:30-7pm. (Lisa Cuscuna, Joyce Grasso, Susan Leggitt, and Dale Najarian)Sun. April 8: Rowayton Arts Center, Abstraction. Opening Reception, 4-6pm (Nancy Breakstone, Bevi Bullwinkel)Sat. April 14: Carol Nipomnich Dixon, Near and Far. Byram Shubert Branch Library, Greenwich library. Opening Reception 3-4:30pmMon. April 16: Jin Hi Kim, One Sky II. Crowell Concert Hall, Wesleyan University, 7pm.Wed. April 18: Jin Hi Kim, One Sky II, Yale university, Luce Hall, 34 hill house Ave., 7pm. Fri. April 20: carriage Barn Arts Center, Spectrum 2018. opening Reception, 6-8pm. (Bevi Bullwinkel, Miggs Burroughs, Trace Burroughs, Eric Chiang, Dawn Dahl, Eugenie Diserio, Heide Follin, Barry Guthertz, Emily Kelting, Katya Lebrija, Susan Leggitt, Julia Rose Liptak, Barbara Loss, Jessica makin, Kristin Merrill, Cynthia Mullins, Susan Murray, Julie O'Connor, Justin Perlman, Chris Perry, Jay Petrow, Diane Pollock, Barbara Ringer, Juliete Tehrani, Lee Walther, Al Coyote Weiner, Nancy Woodward).Sat. April 21: Colorblends House and Spring Garden, Inside Outside Pop Up Gallery. Open House and Gardens and Opening Reception 10am-6pm (Kristen Ambrosi, Amy Kaplan, Jahmane, Cynthia Mullins, Jahmane, Aisha Nailah, and Joan Wheeler)
Kershner Gallery, Fairfield Public Library,. Opening Reception, 4:30-7pm. (Lisa Cuscuna, Joyce Grasso, Susan Leggitt, and Dale Najarian) Rowayton Arts Center, Opening Reception, 4-6pm (Nancy Breakstone, Bevi Bullwinkel) Carol Nipomnich Dixon, Near and Far. Byram Shubert Branch Library, Greenwich library. Opening Reception 3-4:30pm Jin Hi Kim, One Sky II. Crowell Concert Hall, Wesleyan University, 7pm. Jin Hi Kim, One Sky II, Yale university, Luce Hall, 34 hill house Ave., 7pm. carriage Barn Arts Center, Spectrum 2018. opening Reception, 6-8pm. (Bevi Bullwinkel, Miggs Burroughs, Trace Burroughs, Eric Chiang, Dawn Dahl, Eugenie Diserio, Heide Follin, Barry Guthertz, Emily Kelting, Katya Lebrija, Susan Leggitt, Julia Rose Liptak, Barbara Loss, Jessica makin, Kristin Merrill, Cynthia Mullins, Susan Murray, Julie O'Connor, Justin Perlman, Chris Perry, Jay Petrow, Diane Pollock, Barbara Ringer, Juliete Tehrani, Lee Walther, Al Coyote Weiner, Nancy Woodward). Colorblends House and Spring Garden, Inside Outside Pop Up Gallery. Open House and Gardens and Opening Reception 10am-6pm (Kristen Ambrosi, Amy Kaplan, Jahmane, Cynthia Mullins, Jahmane, Aisha Nailah, and Joan Wheeler)Sat. April 7:In The Moment
Sun. April 8:AAbstractionbstraction
Sat. April 14:
Mon. April 16:
Wed. April 18:
Fri. April 20:
Sat. April 21:






OTHER NEWS
Gianni MottiMoneybox2013
ARTISTS HOLDING EQUITY IN THEIR WORK

A recent article by Isaac Kaplan looks at a proposal for artists to forego some cash when a work is sold, for an equity holding in it as it gains value over time. In New Research Models How Artists Can Benefit from Holding Equity in Their Work he reports on research by Amy Whitaker, at New York University Steinhardt, and Luxembourg School of Finance professor Roman Kräussl, that quantifies how beneficial such an equity stake could be for an artist with a major secondary market. They examine the returns that Robert Rauschenberg and Jasper Johns would have seen had they been able to retain a 10% equity stake in a small sample of works sold by Castelli between 1958 and 1963. Those returns they compare to returns had they invested that 10% stake in the S&P 500 index. The research is a quantitative test of the “fractional ownership,” model long-advocated by Whitaker as a way to bring equity to the art market, by allowing artists to forgo some cash from the primary sale of an artwork in order to retain an equity stake in the futile value of the piece. While early-career works cost a relatively small amount in dollar terms and don’t bring much income to an artist, they can go on to be some of the costliest pieces in an artist’s oeuvre. The artist doesn’t see any direct financial benefit from the upswing. Artworks are not divorced from economics, amounting to investments by artists in themselves, and this model aims to give artists benefits similar to those of early investors. While the examples of Johns and Rauschenberg will not be generalizable across the field, the exercise is intended to prompt a conversation about the potential benefits for an equity stake model for living artists, who currently see little direct upside when their early works get sold and resold. The fractional ownership model might have prevented one of the art market’s great conflicts, when in 1973, art collector Robert Scull auctioned off Rauschenberg’s Thaw (1958) for $85,000, bought for $900 just 15 years earlier. Rauschenberg saw none of the returns from the increased price and was so irked that he confronted the collector after the auction. Had Rauschenberg  taken a 10% equity stake in Thaw (foregoing $90 in cash), he would have made $8,500. The incident sparked proposals in the U.S. to help ensure artists saw some return for secondary sales, such as the artist’s resale royalty, which is in effect in the European Union and California. Federal proposals for a resale royalty have failed through the years. Fractional ownership wouldn’t rely on government administration or set fees as a percentage of the overall sale but instead function as a marketplace where equity could be traded independently of the piece, with blockchain allowing the work’s history and authenticity to be verified. Unlike resale royalties, fractional ownership also provides the potential for gallerists to keep an equity share in work by young artists, incentivising them to adopt the model. While fractional ownership has a long way to go before widespread implication, Whitaker argues that it’s crucial to start a dialogue about equity and value in the art market now. "To see the potential of the outsize gains leads us to believe that this structural intervention in markets for creative work deserves serious consideration," reads the study, “and that it is perhaps artists themselves who should decide whether to take the risk of retained equity.”
Works from 18-3838, an exhibition at Heather Gaudio Fine Art, through May 5, 2018, showing artists using the color declared by Pantone as "the official color of 2018," a blue-based purple pigment shade known to evoke spiritual and meditative reflection, as well as elicit cosmic and futuristic outlooks.
KEYS TO ART PRICING

This article by Rob Sharp in a recent Artsy blog post caught our attention: The Keys to Art Pricing New Collectors Need to Know. The article explores some of the nebulous elements, like shifts in taste, along with economic variables like supply, demand, and the vagaries of the global economy. Sharp spoke to leading specialists about the myriad elements they consider when assigning value to different pieces. 
DemandFirst is whether the artist is in demand, whether there is some historical importance to the artist or, whether they are a new young maverick. “You might also look at artists of a similar ilk, engaged in the same ideas, like-minded artists, artists from a similar geography,” said Matt Carey-Williams, Phillips’ deputy chairman for Europe and Asia
SizeWhen it comes to painting, bigger is not always better, but it’s almost certainly more expensive. On the primary market, gallerists tend to price works for each artist at a standard price-multiple based on size. However, “If it’s too big, you can have trouble housing it, if it’s too small, it’s not important or significant enough…most people who are collecting, unless they have their own foundations which can easily accommodate a painting of this size, most people are going to have to go to the living room and get the ruler out.”
Color and Other Unique Attributes“At different times, different colors are more or less popular,” wrote Melanie Gerlis, in Art as an Investment?, referring to Lucio Fontana, who punctured the surface of paper or canvas from the late 1940s on. "At different times," Luigi Mazzoleni says of these slashed works, "the most popular colors on the market are white and red. But then the quality of the cut is important as this gives a different rhythm and effect to the canvas."
Condition: With older work, the less the wear and tear, the more it’ll hurt your bank balance. The market really values the work that has not been retouched by anyone. You can explain differences in terms of results with those things.” On the flipside, damage that is particularly unique can make prices rocket. Dennis Hopper famously shot a Warhol portrait print of Mao Zedong, leaving two bullet-holes, and it sold at Christie’s in 2011 for 10 times its pre-sale high estimate.
ProvenancePieces with high-profile exhibition and collecting history cost more, particularly if celebrated names are involved. In the contemporary market, provenance can involve shoring up an artist’s reputation. “The provenance of the contemporary artist [involves] the kind of events that are taking place around the artist, from being picked up by a gallery to having exhibitions in public and private institutions,” said Anders Petterson, founder of art market research and analysis firm ArtTactic. “All of this will add to the wider story of the artwork. And obviously being part of a major collection will add to the work itself.”
CALLS FOR ENTRY- Deadlines
ARTISTS & ARTISANS
DOWNTOWN MARKET STRATFORD
MAY 31

Downtown Market Stratford! is a juried crafts, art, and jewelry show accompanied by music, activities for children, and theater. It takes place on Sun. Aug. 26, 2018, on the Colonial Square Parking Lot, 2420 Main Street, Stratford, with easy access from exit 32 off I-95. Free parking for the show is available at Stratford’s railroad station.The show, in it's third year, is sponsored by Stratford’s Economic Development Commission, Stratford Arts Commission, and the Stratford Historical Society. One section of the show will be devoted to 18th Century crafts and art. The 2018 Downtown Market is a juried show, with qualified artists from the Coastal Arts Guild jurying the show. There will be no jury fee this year. Only handmade crafts will be admitted. No mass-produced, imported, kits or non hand-made crafts will be accepted. Based on the artwork submitted, applications will be judged based on the following criteria: creativity and originality of the work; quality of artistic design; overall salability of the art; craftsmanship; price point; and presentation and photos. Submit application and photos by May 31, 2018. Photograph resolution of your craft must be a minimum of 1000 x 1000 pixels, and may be higher. If you are selling more than one kind of craft, a separate application must be sent for each medium. We reserve the right to accept one medium and not another. Further instructions and application form here.
LOFT ARTISTS ASSOCIATION
RELISHING RESTRAINT
JULY 16

The Loft Artists Association announces its fifth annual Tri-state juried exhibition. The theme and concept is created by this year's juror, Krista Scenna, an independent curator and gallerist based in Brooklyn, NY. Scenna's thought process for "Relishing Restraint" comes from our limitations. She states “while limitations are often considered negative or restrictive to daily life or artistic production, they have the potential to enhance both if embraced as a strength, as opposed to a weakness. Restraints compel us to respond to adverse situations in creative and unorthodox ways, with results that can be markedly complex and nuanced." Relishing Restraint will explore how contemporary artists working today have embraced limitations imposed by space, finances, materials, identity, time (or otherwise) to enhance or transform their practice for the better. Open to all artists, 18 years and older, residing in the Tri-State area (Connecticut, New York, and New Jersey). Drawing, painting, photography, digital art, and mixed media will be accepted. Three-dimensional work must be accompanied by a pedestal or base upon delivery of art. All work must be original (no giclee prints) and have been completed within the last two years. Further details and entry form here.

And Remember:
May c5: Norwalk Maritime Garage Gallery: A Reverence for Nature Submission Deadline
May c5: Carriage Barn Arts Center: Art in the Windows: Submission Deadline
May 10: Rowayton Arts Center: Focus Under 40: Submission Deadline
May 16: Westport Arts Center, Selects 2018 Submission Deadline
May 16: Darien Arts Center: Pic Darien Submission Deadline

See more in Opportunity Calendar below, after JOBS.

Resources:
  • Cafe.org CallforEntry.org: Run by WESTAF (Western States Arts Federation) this is a registry of opportunities, as well as an application management system. Registration required.
  • ArtSake: Archive of Calls for Artists, run by the Massachusetts Arts Council
  • ArtDeadline.com "the art world's first and most accessed resource of its kind"
  • The ArtGuide.com: Calls for Artists (can be indexed by state and deadline)
  • Scoop.It: Public Art RFPs and RFQs
  • NYFA Opportunities: Calls, Residencies and other opportunities. Can be indexed by date, location and type
  • No Film School recently released a list of opportunities available for documentary, narrative, screenwriting, and new media projects with Spring 2018 deadlines
  • Poets & Writers - the most trusted resource for legitimate writing contests grants and awards available anywhere.
FUNDING & OPPORTUNITIES
POLLINATION PROJECT
ROLLING DEADLINE

The Pollination Project seeks to unleash goodness and compassion across the world. Daily seed grants are made to inspiring social change-makers who are committed to a world that works for all. Daily grant making began on January 1, 2013 and since then, the Project has funded a different project every single day. It also makes larger impact grants of up to $5000 to projects that have demonstrated impact and success. Through a global network of grantees and community partners, the Project identifies extraordinary grassroots leaders who would not likely qualify for funding from other foundations or institutions. Once they have the backing of The Pollination Project, grantees often leverage their grant into more funding, building their team, media attention and more. The Pollination Project is a learning laboratory for emergent Indy Philanthropy trends and practices. To apply first read the Guidelines, have a look at the FAQs, take the short questionnaire, then, if you qualify, you will be sent an application.
CT OFFICE OF THE ARTS
GRANTS WEBINAR
TUES. MAY 8

The CT Office of the Arts has announced a Webinar on the above grants on Weds. May 8, 12-1pm. Remember: Artists can apply for a CT Office of the Art Project Grant ($5-15,000; June 6 deadline) - or Regional Initiative Grant (REGI; $1-4,000, June 20 deadline) -  either with a fiscal sponsor (such as NYFAFractured Atlas or other 501(c)(3) cultural nonprofit) or through their own legal entity. Or they may seek to work with a cultural nonprofit (or municipal department, school district, college or university) as part of a project, as every project has to engage at least one Connecticut artist. Discuss project ideas with cultural nonprofits and be one of the artists they work with. Project Grants support "arts-based projects of artistic excellence for Connecticut audiences, communities and participants and that are accessible and relevant to the audience and community it is designed to serve." REGI Grants are designed to encourage and support small community arts-based projects and are perfect for engaging in a specific community matter, reflect on personal experience, and/or projects that bring neighborhoods together. Sign up for the webinar to learn about these programs and get answers to your questions from the program staff of the CT Office of the Arts. Register here.
PUBLIQUARTET ACCESS OUR ENVIRONMENT
MAY 15

Applauded by The Washington Post as “a perfect encapsulation of today’s trends in chamber music,” PUBLIQuartet’s creative programming lends a fresh perspective to the Classical music scene.  Dedicated to presenting new works for string quartet, PUBLIQuartet designed PUBLIQ Access (PQA) as a commissioning competition in 2014 to promote emerging composers and to present a wide variety of under-represented music for string quartet–from classical, jazz and electronic, to non-notated, world and improvised music. In addition to annual PUBLIQ Access showcase concerts at NYC’s DiMenna Center for Classical Music and at Boston’s First Church, the group features at least one PQ Access composition on every concert program. PQA commissions new works for string quartet by emerging composers living within the U.S. Composers are asked to submit work samples and a written project proposal based on the theme, "Our Environment." PUBLIQuartet considers an emerging composer to be someone who is at a stage in their career when they would significantly benefit from a performance and workshop of this kind. There is no restriction on composition type. Composers of all styles from traditional, world, or jazz to improv., non-notated, multi-media and everything in between are encouraged to apply. All composers 18 and under should apply for the PQA Junior category. This is an opportunity to collaborate with a string quartet that has extensive new music, improvisation, and composition experience. PUBLIQuartet does not want to restrict the type of work submitted as long as it is performable within the capabilities of the quartet. How can we...  capture the sounds of nature... bring aware-ness of climate change... celebrate the Earth's beauty...through music? Apply here.
ART FOR SCIENCE RISING
MAY 15

Science Rising is a nationwide mobilization effort, organized by The Union of Concerned Scientists, taking place throughout 2018 in the run-up to the midterm elections. It is not a one-day march—it is a series of local activities, events, and actions organized by many different groups.
Our shared goal is to ensure that science is front-and-center in the decision-making processes that affect us all—and to fight back against efforts that sideline science from its crucial role in our democracy. In Arts for Science RisingThe Union of Concerned Scientists
is awarding grants to artists across the country who submit winning proposals for public-facing art that highlights the role science plays in protecting our health and safety, and the critical role we all play in ensuring that science isn’t sidelined. We are looking primarily for outdoor work, visible and bold, in public areas, for example, paintings on buildings, sculptures in parks, video projections, large-scale photography, multimedia installations, or something else beyond our imagination. Something that will be seen by large numbers of people, in a location of your choice. A limited number of high-visibility, high-trafficked indoor locations will also be considered. The art should communicate how crucial science is to our health and safety. A jury of artists and science communicators will select the grantees based on the visual impact of the proposed art, the potential to inspire action, the ability to reach large numbers of people, and how it may reach diverse audiences. Grants of $10,000 per artist will be awarded, up to $50,000 in total grants. Deadline for proposals is May 15, 2018. For more information, including the submission guidelines, download the call for entries. To submit an entry, visit our Art for Science Rising submission page. For questions or additional information, email artforscience@ucsusa.org
KOHLER ARTS CENTER/ KOHLER CO.
ARTS/INDUSTRY RESIDENCY
MAY 31

Hundreds of artists have benefited from the celebrated Arts/Industry Residency Program since its beginning in 1974. One of the most unusual ongoing collaborations between art and industry, the Arts/Industry Program, was founded in 1974, by the John Michael Kohler Arts Center and hosted by Kohler CoArts/Industry offers artists the time and space to focus on the creation of new work, and a unique location for their studios. Each year up to 12 artists are selected for residencies in the Pottery and/or Foundry areas of the factory through a competitive jury process. No experience with clay or cast metal is required, just an interest in pursuing a new body of work and being open to new ideas. Arts/Industry residencies are three months in length and divided into three seasonal cohorts: Spring (January–April); Summer (May–August); Fall (Sept.–Dec.). There are four artists-in-residence in each cohort. Artists-in-residence receive 24-hour access to studio space, materials, use of equipment, technical assistance, photographic services, housing, round-trip transportation, and a modest weekly stipend. Application materials must include: 20 images of the artist’s work; a résumé/CV (3 pages maximum); a written project proposal (250 words or less); images supporting project proposal (3 images maximum); contact information for 4 professional references. For more information on the application process, contact the Arts/Industry coordinator at 920-694-4548 or artsindustry@jmkac.orgFor more information, please download the Arts/Industry brochure or visit our FAQs pageApply here.
VERMONT STUDIO CENTER 
ARTISTS & WRITERS RESIDENCY FELLOWSHIPS
JUNE 15

The Vermont Studio Center was founded by artists in 1984. The location--situated along the banks of the Gihon River in the historic village of Johnson, Vermont--was chosen with the intention of fostering creativity through community, collaboration, and quiet reflection supported by the unspoiled beauty of the northern Green Mountains. Over the last 30 years, VSC has grown to become the largest international artists' and writers' residency program in the United States. Our mission is to provide studio residencies in an inclusive, inter-national community, honoring creative work as the communication of spirit through form. VSC's residency format includes six distinguished Visiting Artists and Writers per month. Each Visitor offers a public slide talk or reading, and is available for a private studio visit/writing conference with residents working in their medium/genre. Visiting Writers also offer a craft talk for the writing residents (see list of 2018 residents). VSC offers nearly $1.4 million annually in fellowships and grant assistance to make residencies possible for approximately 700 artists and writers each year. In addition, there are other sources of support to which you might apply to help fund your residency. such as your local and state arts councils, faculty enrichment grants for university employees, etc. VSC has 25 of its own fellowships open to ALL artists and writers living and working anywhere in the world. In addition there are many other fellowships available that visual artists only and writers only can apply for through VSC. See the Fellowship page here.
JOBS
DARIEN ARTS CENTER
P/T DATABASE
ADMINISTRATOR

The Darien Arts Center is currently seeking a friendly, articulate, self-motivated individual for a (30 hour week) part-time database administrator position. Candidate must have strong interpersonal and organizational skills, and excellent Excel skills including database management experience. Bachelor’s degree with non-profit experience desirable. The Darien Arts Center promotes the arts to all ages, offering classes, recitals, and performances in Dance, Music, Theatre and Visual Arts. If you are an enthusiastic team player with an interest in fundraising and educational development please email your resume and cover letter to: resumes@darienarts.org. Rate of pay based on experience. Vacation benefits included.
JACOB BURNS FILM CENTER
MEMBERSHIP ASSISTANT

Jacob Burns Film Center (Pleasantville, NY) seeks a full-time Membership Assistant as part of its Membership/ Marketing team. The position requires a highly computer-literate individual to handle data entry and membership processing for the membership database and coordinate email communication to customers. The job includes a variety of membership administrative tasks and department projects. This position provides support to a large membership/customer base and involves enthusiastic and professional representation of the institution with the public and all members via written, phone and in-person communication.Full job description click here. Interested candidates should send resume, cover letter and three references via email only to jobs@burnsfilmcenter.org with “Membership Assistant 18” in the subject line of your email. No phone calls please.
Jobs Previously Listed and Still Available
Kennedy Center/Maggie Daly Arts Cooperative: Expressive Arts Facilitator/Thereapist
Philip Johnson Glass House: Visitor Center/Design Store Associate

MEMBERS: Please post your Job Opportunities in FCBuzz Classifieds: http://fcbuzz.org/classified/jobs/
OPPORTUNITIES CALENDAR
MAY
May c5: Norwalk Maritime Garage Gallery: A Reverence for Nature Submission Deadline
May c5: Carriage Barn Arts Center: Art in the Windows: Submission Deadline
May c8: CT Office of the Arts Webinar for State Arts Grants
May 10: Rowayton Arts Center: Focus Under 40: Submission Deadline
May 10: Canadian Women Artists Award: Application Deadline
May 15: PubliQuartet Access Composer Submission Deadline
May 15: Art for Science Rising Grant Application Deadline
May 16: Westport Arts Center, Selects 2018 Submission Deadline
May 16: Darien Arts Center: Pic Darien Submission Deadline
May 21: Creative Capital: Arts Writers Grant: Application Deadline
May 21: Make Music Connecticut: Application Deadline for Musicians
May 25: City Lights Gallery: SameSex  Submission Deadline
May 31: Downtown Market Stratford: Artists Submission Deadline
May 31: Kohler Arts/Industry Residency Program Application Deadline

JUNE
June c6: CT Office of the Arts: Project Grants Application Deadline
June c6: New Art Center, Newton, MA: Curatorial Opportunity Program, Application Deadline
June 20: CT Office of the Arts: Regional Initiative Grants Deadline
June 22: Carving Studio & Sculpture Center, Vermont: SculptFest2018 Submission Deadline

JULY
July 16: Loft Artists Association: Tri-State Juried Exhibition, Relishing Restraints Deadline
July 25: CT Office of the Arts: Artists Fellowships Application Deadline

SEPTEMBER
Sept. 28: The Bennett Prize for Women Figurative Painters: Application Deadline

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The Cultural Alliance of Fairfield County is a 501(c)(3) organization. We are very grateful for the support of our individual and organization members, our individual donors and the following organizations.
 
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