Artist In Residence: A Cooperative Gallery, 321 Main Street, Enosburg Falls, VT, Toby Fulwiler, Editor
FEATURED ARTIST OPEN HOUSE. A week later than usual because of Dairy Days, plan to attend our next Open House on Sunday, June 9, from 1 to 4 p.m. Bowl turner, Michael Fitzgerald, photographer Eugene Garron, glass artist Karen Scheffler, will display, present, and discuss their work at AIR, and we’ll all ask questions and applaud as appropriate! Refreshments, good conversation, the monthly raffle, and profound insights into the creative process complete the afternoon’s agenda. Do join us! Michael Fitzgerald: Mike has been woodturning three years now since he fully retired from a nine- to-five life, but already his work shows high quality. He has been experimenting with various woods, including spalted maple shown here. Other favorite woods include black cherry, black walnut, butternut, and sugar maple. Bowls from these various Vermont woods are currently on display in the AIR gallery. Mike has been taking advanced classes in woodturning from former gallery woodturning veteran, Nick Rosato, and expects to have a new line of bowls on display soon. Eugene Garron: “Fine art images of places I've visited is what I do. Images taken with various cameras record things I want to enhance to what I can call my own and still reflect an inherent beauty. Tinting and application of the images may be done in Photoshop or with artist mediums. Archival mounting of the finished image is also part of the process. Things within the image can be added or removed and colored to the statement I'm trying to make. What really makes it fun is the way I can return to a place I really enjoyed and reconnect with that slice of time.” Karen Scheffler: “I've been a member of AIR for six years; a featured artist for all but one of those years. This year I'd like to turn the focus on stained glass, of course, but with a twist. I've found that one of the Gallery's strengths and indeed a part of its mission is the encouragement of artists to work in their medium, giving us a place to share with a wider community what we do (usually) in our home studios. I don't think I ever would have made so many panels, windows, and commissions had it not been for this beauty of a Gallery in Enosburg. My sharing for the show this year will be pictures of those commissions as well as some older work. I share them with much thankfulness!”
MAY OPEN HOUSE. Our May 5 Open House featuring David Juaire, Genie Rybicki-Judkins, and Susan Smolinsky was well attended and lively. Also featured was an exhibit of the “American Plate Parade” by students from Enosburg Falls Elementary School. Live music was provided by coop members, Pat Murphy and Cindy Weed along with Cindy’s husband Jim who call themselves the Missisquoi River Band!—good music, good food, good art—doesn’t’ get better than this! how great to Photos courtesy of Gene Garron and David Juaire.
OPEN STUDIO WEEKEND AT AIR On May 25 and 26, Artist In Residence participated in the Vermont Open Studio Weekend, sponsored by the Vermont Crafts Council. The Crafts Council explains the philosophy behind this event: "Most Vermont craftspeople work in studios located in or close to their residences. These are places of production and inspiration located in downtowns as well as at the ends of dirt roads. Wherever their locations, they are exciting places to visit because they reflect the dynamic yet organized process that is used to produce the finished work of art.” “The studio itself is enormously informative because you can see at a glance how the artist works. You see the swatches that have not been chosen for the quilt or the work that is experimental or not serious enough for the gallery. Buying or ordering work during an Open Studio sale is a unique experience because you have the opportunity to speak to the artist directly." For more photos from Open Studio weekend, visit http://www.artistinresidencecoop.com/open-studio.html OPEN STUDIO WEEKEND AT GRUPPE GALLERY Over the same cold, rainy weekend, painter Harald Aksdal, box-maker Carl Newton and woodturner Toby Fulwiler displayed their wares and demonstrated their craft in Jericho at Emilie Alexander’s Gruppe Gallery.
KAREN’S GLASS CLASSES! I've been inspired by what I have been given through the Gallery, and so will be giving three workshops in June with 80% of the proceeds earmarked for the Gallery's “Need $$$ to- stay-open fund. The cost of the three hour class is $75; materials included, class size limited to 4 per class. Dates are June 11, 19, & 25 11am -2pm at the Gallery. Registration by June 7, absolutely essential : info@artistinresidence.com . Right-Karen demonstrates colored glass making in AIR’s window during Open Studio Weekend. MY TWO CENTS This issue inaugurates a new regular column in the Air Newsletter, one written by members who wish to ponder, ruminate, or sound off on any issue of interest to coop members. Susan Smolinsky, who writes this first column, will also coordinate future columns, so send your ideas directly to Susan <sussmo@gmail.com> Susan Smolinsky: I have only been a member of AIR since September, 2012, but I have been involved in co-ops of some sort - mostly food co-ops - for the past 30 years and I know the level of involvement of members can vary from those who do the minimum (if that) to those who put in as much time as if their responsibilities are part time jobs. After I joined it was easy for me to think that I had paid my membership fee and worked my days and then my responsibilities were fulfilled. But I have come to realize there are many small ways the co-op needs my help to run smoothly and be successful. Without a full cohort of members it is important to seek out new prospects to fill in the empty spaces - and that includes chatting with visitors on my work days and at receptions and asking if someone might be interested in joining. We have rack cards now and need help with distributing the rack cards. We ordered 1000 which sounded like a lot to me until I did some math - if there are 30 (and some) members and we each take 30 (and some) rack cards - that’s nearly the whole batch! If we each leave 10 cards at 3 different locations - that’s 90 more places people can discover us. Liking us on facebook and liking or sharing our post increases our visibility online. When I work my days I look a little more closely at things. I was surprised when another member recently pointed out two frames with cracked glass that I had not noticed. She notified the artists when she did. I make sure when I make a sale that I do my best to describe the item sold, so the artist will know exactly what sold (not just “card” or “ring”) because that’s the information I’d like to know when I sell something. Cleaning the bathroom isn’t on our list of things to do, but recently there was a complaint about the bathroom being dirty, so now it’s on my mind to pay closer attention, especially on a high traffic day like a reception. Our painting party was a stunning example of the group coming together to get a job done. With so many people participating the events went smoothly and quickly. Do you know what the most difficult part was? Getting people to sign up! There was such a poor response to numerous emails that the board considered canceling it. However when we had a sign up sheet at the January reception and someone asked each member, the response was overwhelming. It’s our gallery so we all are responsible for its vitality, appearance and success. Your contribution doesn’t have to be a big, time consuming project, if you just pay attention to the needs you will find many small ways to help us succeed.
MEMBERSHIP REPORT True to our monthly endeavor to welcome new members we juried 3 potential members at our board meeting in May. Three interesting artists were successfully juried so their unique work will add another dimension to our increasingly revered Gallery. We do know that one couple, Barry and Maureen Genzlinger, will have their turned wooden tops and hanging ornaments on display by this Saturday, giving us all another great reason to support our fellow artists Sunday June 9 th at the Open House reception for our Featured Artists....(shameless plug by one of the featured artists) Finally, a note about the recent passing of former member, Henry Trask “Hank” Reilly, who passed from this world on April 21. The Board has offered to continue to show Hank's work while we have the available space in honor of him as an artist and a long time member of the Gallery. Hank's family has graciously accepted our offer. MONTHLY RAFFLE. At the May Open House, we had ticket sales of $000 , another successful day for the gallery. Raffle winners included the following: David Juaire won two items, Larry’s keyholder and Jan’s bracelet, Jim Weed won Susan’s kitchen towel. Larry Langlais won David’s print, and Pat Murphy won Susan’s tomato plants! Each month Jan Brosky conducts a raffle in which AIR artists donate items to be raffled off as a fund-raising event that supports gallery events from refreshments at Open Houses and member meetings to light bulbs and hanging supplies. When you attend the next open house, consider a few raffle tickets—a buck each or six for five bucks. RACK CARD QUESTION Hey members! Usually it is only at our Annual Meeting that we ask the all members to vote on things that will affect the gallery as a whole, but here's your chance to weigh in on a publicity issue that's come up. You may have seen our new rack card (right) and read elsewhere in the newsletter of our efforts to put rack cards in very visible places in our area and beyond. One of the places we have looked at are interstate rest stops where it costs $75 per year, per rest stop to place the cards in a rack-- not in our publicity budget for this year. Do you think it is a good idea to place these cards in rest stops? Do you think it would be worth $75 to try this year at one rest stop (northbound I-89 in Georgia or the Welcome Center in Alburg)? And, would you be willing to help fund it? If 8 members kick in $10 each, and we can do it . When you are here at the reception this month, consider a “rest stop donation.” At least two board members have already pledged, so we are already 25% to the goal of one rest stop. If we have an overwhelming response we can do two (or more!) Let the board know, in person or by email, whether you think this is an important avenue of exposure to explore. It's your co-op and what you think is important. Susan Smolinsky
TREASURER’S BRIEF REPORT (Jan has no computer this month!) Sponsorship letters are in the mail with some positive returns already. Member checks will be in mail soon. When working a shift, if somebody pays with a check, make a copy so we can add the name to our sponsorship mailing.
PRESIDENT’S MONTHLY RUMINATIONS. At Open Studio two weeks ago, Harald , Carl, and I talked about a common artist’s rhythm, where long stretches of solitude are needed to practice one’s craft along with periodic forays into a wider social world to keep one’s balance. That’s certainly the way I work, where I can spend long stretches of time in my shop, at my lathe, experimenting with this and that wood or shape or problem, staying up on Ridge Road where I live many days at a time without leaving. Which seems to make interactions such as I had at Open Studio at the end of May so special: two days with both visitors and fellow artists opens up one’s world to new ideas as well as ego-satisfying praise for work well done. Judging from the comments of Jim, Eugene, Susan, and Karen, the Open Studio weekend at AIR worked pretty much the same way, a time to be together and work together after long quiet hours in one’s own studio. Which, if you think about it, is also the spirit behind our monthly featured artist receptions, where we each take part of an afternoon to share our thoughts and craft with a wider audience, many of whom we know and whose opinions we value. I know it’s sometimes intimidating to speak in front of a public audience about one’s ideas and work--after all, our art is our expression, really, isn’t it? However, I’ve come to think of this annual public presentation as a creative rather than an anxious ritual—a time to come down off the Ridge for sharing, growing, and nourishing the social dimensions of my life. I hope you all feel somewhat the same. Best, Toby Attached at the end of this newsletter is the one-page flyer Carl and I designed for that purpose—please duplicate as needed! WALL TAGS A request from new ‘wall tags” creator, Eugene Garron: When you know you are featured artist, please send your wall tag information to Natalie who cuts and pastes from what you send, so please check your spelling and capitalization. Title length is limited by the card size to 20 characters including spaces . We are limited to these 4 lines (card size again). Questions and concerns, contact Gene at <Gene@<gene@vtmooses.com>
Artist in Residence: A Cooperative Gallery, 349 Main Street, Enosburg Falls, VT, 802-933-6403 Call to Vermont Artists and Artisans: The Artist in Residence gallery in Enosburg Falls has a limited number of memberships available for both 2- and 3-dimensional artists for the 2013-14 year. The jury date for prospective new members will be the 3rd Thursday each month, May through September. To be considered for membership, an applicant needs to provide an artist statement as well as at least 5 items that represent a comprehensive review of their work. About the Co-operative and the Gallery: Now in its sixth year, Artist in Residence is a member owned and operated cooperative gallery serving northern Vermont and southern Quebec, located on Main St. in Enosburg Falls. The gallery is truly a co-operative venture with no paid employees and all aspects of running and maintaining the gallery depend wholly on the active participation of coop members. Membership Details: Annual dues are $325, and members keep 100% of their sales (less modest fees for credit card purchases). Each member is expected to work in the gallery 5 days per year, as well as volunteer to help with miscellaneous needs of the co-op and the gallery. Members arrange and maintain their own display space (for 2-dimensional artists the space is 6’ by 6’, and for 3-dimensional artisans a free-standing 4-shelf unit). All display spaces are periodically moved to refresh the viewing and visitor experience. Each artist and artisan will be ‘Featured’ for one month during the year, when a reception is held on the first Sunday, 1-4 p.m. and refreshments are served. During that month, in addition to their normal display space, featured artists will have additional display space, including the gallery window. More Information: If you have questions about membership, or wish to request an application form, contact membership chair Karen Scheffler (tratescheffler@gmail.com, or 326-4058), or president Toby Fulwiler (fulwile@uvm.edu, or 827-3779).