Artist In Residence: A Cooperative Gallery, 321 Main Street, Enosburg Falls, VT, Toby Fulwiler, Editor
NEWSLETTER May, 2013 FEATURED ARTIST OPEN HOUSE. This coming Sunday, May 5, from 1 to 4 p.m., photographer David Juaire, painter Genie Rybicki-Judkins, and quilter/weaver Susan Smolinsky 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. David Juaire: “I have been interested in photography for over 30 years and I’m never bored to take some time, go for a short ride, mainly in Franklin County, and to search, whether it may be a landscape scene, a quiet country setting, or just the people enjoying the great outdoors playing all of the sports, working the farmland or just relaxing. Our wildlife alone can fill our needs to live and share our environment. Photographing what we see each and every day with our new digital equipment can make being a artist so enjoyable. There is always a market for that special photograph and I will keep searching for it the rest of my life.” Genie Rybicki-Judkins: “Painting nurtures, stimulates, and restores my being. It broadens who I am. Paint time is serious play time, a space “never-never land” where color and form, lights and darks, invites a game of hide and seek. The color and form of flowers seems an especially natural haunt for the pastels. My husband’s garden and surrounding fields provide inspiration for more paintings than our short Vermont summer has time to accommodate. Now that May is here, the fun and the rush is on.” Susan Smolinsky: “I have always loved playing with yarn, fabrics and colors so weaving and quilting seemed logical playgrounds. I do not have a formal art background, but have learned from talking to (and reading about) other fiber artists and observing their methods and work. I have been weaving for over 40 years, but quilting only some 20 years. My work is more hobby more than a livelihood. I am so glad to be a part of this gallery which provides motivation to actually complete my projects and inspires new ones. I am attracted by the alchemy and synergy of both processes - taking small pieces of fabric or lengths of yarn and watching them transform into something that is sometimes hard for me to believe I created.“
April Open House. We had a successful Open House last month with presentations by Jean Backhaus, Toby Fulwiler, and Karen Scheffler on behalf of Hank Reilly. Thanks to David Juaire and Eugene Gannon for fine photos.(Ever notice how many people talk with their hands—or not?)
TREASURER’S REPORT: by Jan Brosky It’s official…spring is finally here and the daffodils in bloom are such a welcome sight! It’s so refreshing to see everyone out and about, enjoying the warm sunshine. April sales aren’t finalized yet, but artist’s checks should be in the mail early next week; the week of May 6th. As noted last month, year-to-date sales (thru March 30th) were down by almost 30% when compared to 1st quarter last year. However, as I reported at the Board Meeting on April 22nd, while we want to increase sales, we want, even more, to succeed as an artist coop serving artist needs in northwestern Vermont. Bottom line: our gallery needs to grow its membership! At present, we have 33 members, but we need a minimum of 40 members to run the gallery on the days we are open, as well as pay our operating expenses throughout the year. Last year, we lost an astonishing 18 members, but we were able to replace them by offering several new creative membership packages. Some worked, some didn’t. Unfortunately, unless we are able to raise additional money through sponsorships, fund raisers, and recruit several new members, we will be in a financial crisis by the end of this year. As your Treasurer, I’m pleading with each and every one of you to do your part to help our gallery succeed. Please contact any board member with any comments or suggestions you may have. On a happier note, here is the often-requested recipe for my Hot Crab Dip, which is served at most Sunday afternoon AIR Open House/Receptions. HOT CRAB DIP 16-oz Imitation Crab Meat, finely chopped 16-oz (2 pkgs) Cream Cheese, softened 1 cup Hellman’s Mayo (no substitutes!) 1 cup White Sharp Cheddar Cheese, shredded 1 Tablespoon Garlic Powder 1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice Mix all ingredients together & beat until smooth.Spoon into lightly greased 2-quart casserole. Sprinkle top with Paprika. Bake uncovered 35-40 minutes @ 350 degrees. Serve with crackers or fresh veggies & ENJOY! Note: It’s just as good when eaten cold.
WEB SITE UPDATE. The website is a work in progress. One goal will be to have at least one image from each artist someplace on the site. Right now I am using the images on file - usually one from your featured artist month. Please feel free to submit one or two more current or preferred images for me to use. Send to artistinresidence.coop@gmail.com. –Susan Smolinsky
MONTHLY RAFFLE. Hans Jaensch won Barb & Larry's Candlestick Vase; David Juaire won Toby’s Toothpick bowl; Pat Murphy won the Watercolor Print by featured artist, Jeanne Backhaus; Bruce Charron, a guest from Montreal, won the $50 Gift Certificate towards the purchase of a Henry Trask-Reilly painting. The April raffle generated a much appreciated $49 toward AIR expenses. Thanks, again, to all who participated.
AMERICAN PLATE PARADE! Come visit the “American Plate Parade� at the AIR gallery Sunday, May 3, 1-4 p.m. Fifth grade students at Enosburg Falls Elementary school create beautiful works of art as they extend their learning in math and social studies. This group of students met 2-3 times per week as part of an enrichment group and were provided with extension activities to extend and enhance their learning. Students created commemorative plates based on their classroom research about regions of the United States. When learning about two-dimensional polygons, this group of students designed beautiful barn quilts. The following students participated in the projects: Hannah Burns, Kaitlynn Donna, Megan Gervais, Kayla Lovelette, Gabriella Neuberger, Zeke McGee, Marika Luneau, Kyra Weatherwax, Faith Wells, Nikolaus Saborowski, Madeline Lameh, Connor Lavallee. The fifth grade enrichment group was led by Kim St.Pierre and Elizabeth Pieroni-Schulte
PRESIDENT’S MONTHLY RUMINATIONS. I’ve just come back from three days at “Maple Fest” in St Albans where I, along with Larry & Barbara, sold our wares with some success. But make no mistake, Larry & Barb were the rock stars of the event with their booth always busy, people amazed at the variety and quality of their products. Contributing to their success was a portable, battery-powered LED light set-up Larry designed and built that made their wares sparkle while the rest of us put up with flat fluorescent gymnasium lighting. Now take note: I recruited this amazing couple at last year’s “Maple Fest”—a reminder about how maybe we recruit new members this year. So, Larry and Barb joined me in the recruiting effort at this show. We made a number of contacts with other local artists who might be candidates to join AIR, passing out a one-page flyer along with AIR business cards to encourage applications. So, what’s on my mind is to remind you all that when you do such art and craft shows this year, keep your eyes open for other interesting artists and artisans who live within easy driving range of Enosburg Falls and bring along some recruitment materials to pass out. Attached at the end of this newsletter is the one-page flyer Carl and I designed for that purpose— please duplicate as needed! AIR OPEN STUDIO WEEKEND MAY 25 & 26. The Gallery has registered with the Vermont Craft Council and is participating in their Open Studio Weekend the last weekend in May. We can show how we create our art while promoting the Gallery. Jim Foote, Susan Smolinski, and Karen Scheffler will be demonstrating carving, weaving, and glass breaking. But there’s still room for more AIR members to participate: would you like to be a “live” artist too? To learn more about the AIR Open Studio visit http://www.vermontcrafts.com/links/open.html or contact Karen Scheffler at tratescheffler@gmail.com or artistinresidence.coop@gmail.com. Meanwhile, other AIR artists participating in Open Studio include Harald Aksdal, Toby Fulwiler, and Carl Newton all of whom will set up shop at the Emile A. Gruppe Gallery in Jericho for the weekend. JERICHO PLEIN AIR FESTIVAL CALL TO ARTISTS: It’s that time again! We’re excited to announce the 3rd Annual Jericho Plein Air Festival to celebrate, nurture and enhance the visibility of our Art Community , and look forward to your joining the fun. Come paint outdoors and enjoy the fellowship of other artists of all levels and experience, both established and emerging, in a variety of beautiful and visually stimulating locales. The Festival will be held rain or shine. When: Saturday, July 20, 2013 Where: Festival headquarters: the Emile A. Gruppe Gallery, 22 Barber Farm Rd, Jericho Center, VT. Painting sites to be announced. Registration: $20.00 The work created on Saturday will be exhibited at the Emile A. Gruppe Gallery from July 21 to August 11, 2013, with an opening reception on Sunday, July 21 from 2:00pm to 4:00pm. The organizers for the Jericho Plein Air festival are also offering the following painting workshops this spring: May 4: Painting Still Life with Vibrant Pastels: composition and set-up Instructor: GENIE RYBICKI-JUDKINS Emile A. Gruppe Gallery, Jericho Ctr. May 11: Painting Still Life with Vibrant Pastels: Instructor: GENIE RYBICKI-JUDKINS Emile A. Gruppe Gallery, Jericho Ctr. All workshops are from 10AM-2PM Cost: $45.00 per workshop; to register: email Jane Morgan at janesmorgan@comcast.net or call Tel# 802-893-4447 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@atintedmoose.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).