ReFraming Aging: Health, Happiness, and the Arts
February 16-March 23, 2019
Silvermine
2019 ARTISTS - Years in Guild June Ahrens Binnie Birstein Paedra Bramhall Marilyn Clements Kathy Conway Carol Nipomnich Dixon James Grashow James Reed Jonathan Talbot
28 10 48 32 42 47 30 39 43
Florence Zolan
35
ReFRAMING Aging: Health, Happiness, and the Arts This exhibition traces the creative evolution of ten outstanding artists whose energy and ingenuity have continued over a lifetime and who are central to Silvermine’s enduring presence as an artists’ community. Their visually compelling art addresses socially relevant ideas in a wide variety of media and materials—cardboard sculpture, collage, photography, oil painting, watercolor and pastels, printmaking, and mixed media pieces using industrial or household materials. Artists thrive through the innovation and risk-taking involved in the making of art—becoming “better with age.” ReFRAMING Aging debunks myths about aging, deepens visitors’ understanding of why lifelong creativity matters, and inspires intergenerational bonds—illuminating what it means to age creatively in our youth-oriented society when people are living longer. An honorarium in memory of the late Guild artist Jane Ingram helped fund the gallery exhibition. Connecticut Humanities awarded Silvermine a Grant of $3500 to support dynamic programs – a keynote lecture, a moderated panel discussion, and a family day of storytelling – to accompany this exhibition. Visitors of every age will explore the benefits of creativity. They will have the opportunity to hear rich life stories directly from artists and to be inspired to find their own ways to flourish through artistic expression. ReFRAMING Aging strives to dispel the notion that you have to be privileged to indulge in art; creativity is in fact a vital and necessary component of a joyful life. As it nears its centenary, Silvermine is shining a light on its true legacy and the vital role artists’ communities play in American culture. Connecticut Humanities, a non-profit affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities, provides opportunities to explore the history, literature and the vibrant culture that make our state, cities and towns attractive places to live and work. Learn more by visiting cthumanities.org.
June Ahrens Sculptor
Stamford, CT Member since 1991
June Ahrens received a BFA (Summa Cum Laude) from Purchase College, New York, and was part of an advanced studies group at Yale University. Ahrens has participated in numerous one-person shows, group exhibits, and collaborative installations throughout the United States as well as internationally. Her work has received awards from the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Duracell and Polaroid Foundations. Her work was nominated for a Joan Mitchell Foundation grant. She was also granted the Distinguished Advocate for the Arts Award by the Connecticut Commission on the Arts as well as an Individual Artists Grant. Ahrens had an installation acquired by the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, Kansas City, MO for their permanent collection. Ahrens work is also in the collection of the Trustman Gallery, Boston, MA, Housatonic Museum, Bridgeport, CT, Contemporary Gallery of Art, Sacred Heart University, Fairfield, CT, and Silvermine Arts Center, New Canaan, CT.
Binnie Birstein Painter
Norwalk, CT Member since 2009
Binnie Birstein’s work was always about multiple images and layers, with off-angles, spatial ambiguity, feelings of flying or falling and of not fitting in. Combined with, or even opposed to, the luminous and painterly layers in her work, a vigorous energy and an underlying grid suggest hidden structure and alternative interpretations. Birstein has exhibited her work throughout the country, extensively in the Northeast, in many prestigious shows and invitationals, including the two museum exhibitions of Swept Away: Translucence, Transparence, Transcendence in Contemporary Encaustic - at the Cape Cod Museum in Dennis, Massachusetts in 2013 and at the Hunterdon Museum in Clinton, New Jersey, in 2014. Other exhibits included Organic to Geometric: Investigations in Structure & Surface in 2015 at Endicott College, Beverly, Massachusetts, and in 2018 in Organic to Geometric II: Investigations in Structure & Surface at the Provincetown Museum & Art Association, Provincetown, Massachusetts. Birstein’s work was also included in Encaustic Works 2012, published by R & F Handmade Paints.
PAedrA BrAmhAll MIxed Media
Bridgewater, VT Member since 1971
Paedra Bramhall is a transgendered male to female artist, who has been out and proud for more than 20 years. Bramhall lives and works in Bridgewater Corners, in Central Vermont. A native Vermonter, she still owns the cabin in which she was born. She has been supporting herself as an artist since 1970, after graduating from the Cleveland Institute of Art with a BFA in sculpture and a minor in ceramics. She remarkably explores a wide array of media from paper to glass to bronze to digital. After spending over 35 years creating blown art glass, Bramhall had her first solo exhibition of paintings in 2007. She paints in inks and has created sculpture in cast and fabricated bronze, glass, steel, wood, clay. Now, Paedra says, “I make art with my mind using… the computer, which allows me to create at nearly the speed my mind works.”
mArilyn Clements Painter
Stamford, CT Member since 1987
Abstract painter Marilyn Clements employs a diversity of forms and colors to express the experience of inner states of consciousness – that of an expanded, highly energetic field. Into this space, geometric shapes mix comfortably with biomorphic and organic forms, and the whole space vibrates with the energy of color. Clements' work is inspired by her deep involvement in Meditation practice as well as her interest in diverse cultures she has experienced in extensive travels. Trips to Bali in 1997 and 2004 led to a series of paintings that draw on the richness of that culture. "In Bali, I saw how spirituality, ritual, and ceremonial magic are all woven into dance, drama, art and life. With the background of an astonishingly beautiful landscape, I was very moved to record some of these impressions in a visual way. In my work I explore Bali as a state of mind, a place where the archetypes of the human psyche can come to life." Clements work has been exhibited in galleries and museums in New York, New England, Canada and Europe. She is represented in numerous corporate and private collections.
KAthy ConwAy Photographer
North Haven, CT Member since 1977
Kathy Conway is a self-taught photographer originally from Chicago and now North Haven, Connecticut. Her creative expression, first in oil painting in the 1970s and 1980s, has focused on fine art photography since 2013, being inspired by her travels and exploration of nature as well as her experience as a lawyer concentrating in environmental and land use law. Conway’s ability to see and capture the dignity, beauty and ever-changing moods of people and wildlife in their environment evokes a sense of place that engages viewers in an intimate way. Inspired by form, lighting and texture, her landscapes, both natural and man-made, challenge the viewer to enter her domain and thus engage in her visual stories. Conway is influenced by Edward Hopper, Winslow Homer and Andrew Wyeth’s use of color and starkness of subject matter to elicit emotion; and Eugene Atget, Frederick Whitman Glasier and Walker Evan’s documentary and street photographs conveying timeless reality in black and white images. “Art is about story telling – capturing and conveying the essence of a moment in time, evoking memories of people and places, and often stimulating a new way of looking at something familiar. If I can communicate this vision, I have succeeded in my goal of touching others through artistic expression”.
CArol niPomniCh dixon Fiber
Old Greenwich, CT Member since 1972
Carol Nipomnich Dixon has been drawing, painting, photographing and experimenting with mixed media since she was a child. “I like to think that the child in me still appears in the art I do, along with more mature "soul," feeling, intelligence and often wit, expressed in large part through color, texture, shape and composition. For me, art needs to convey a personal, original point of view, along with its strong visual elements and wellexecuted techniques.” Her inspiration comes from her own experiences and emotions, nature, places visited, varied cultures, historical eras and art over the ages – ranging from Ming Dynasty squares to paintings by Klimt, Kandinsky and Krasner. Dixon’s most characteristic pieces are her mixed media embroidered collages, whose influences go back to her Russian paternal grandparents – her grandmother, who taught her to embroider, and her grandfather, who gave her fabric remnants from his tailor shop. Dixon recieved a BA from Vassar College PBK, and her MA from Columbia, studying at The Pratt Institute and the Brooklyn Museum Art School. She received teaching certificates in NY and CT. Her works have been shown in numerous galleries and museums and are in many corporate and private collections.
JAmes grAshow Mixed Media
Ridgefield, CT Member since 1989
James Grashow is an American sculptor and woodcut artist. He is perhaps best known for his sculptures and large-scale installations (such as cities, fountains, and menageries) made of cardboard. Grashow was born in Brooklyn, New York and received his BFA (1963) and MFA (1965) degrees from Pratt Institute. He then received a Fulbright Travel Grant to study in Florence. Based in Redding, Connecticut, his works have been exhibited at many museums including the DeCordova Museum and Sculpture Park in Lincoln, Massachusetts; the Art Complex Museum in Duxbury, Massachusetts; the Center for the Arts at SUNY Purchase, the Taubman Museum of Art in Roanoke, Virginia; and the Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum in Ridgefield, Connecticut. Grashow has created cover art for record albums such as Jethro Tull's 1969 album Stand Up and the 1971 Yardbirds album Live Yardbirds. Grashow is the subject of a 2012 documentary entitled The Cardboard Bernini, describing the creation, exhibition, anticipated decay, and ultimate destruction of an enormous cardboard fountain, inspired by the Trevi Fountain in Rome and the work of Gian Lorenzo Bernini.
JAmes reed Printmaker
Bridgeport, CT Member since 1980
James Reed is an artist, master mrinter, professor, and collector/curator. His Bridgeport printmaking studio, Milestone Graphics, is an important institution for contemporary artists in Connecticut. Reed’s own work is included in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the New York Public Library, and the Tamarind Institute, among others. His work and life have been archived in the Smithsonian Institute Libraries.The work produced in collaboration with other artists is housed in museums and public collections throughout the world. Reed has taught drawing, color theory and printmaking as a university adjunct professor for over thirty years. Reed studied at the University of Missouri, Kansas City (B.A.); San Francisco State University (M.A.); Tamarind Institute; and the University of New Mexico. Reed has received a Ford Foundation Fellowship and a Rockefeller Research Grant. Solo exhibitions include Institute Technilogico, Monterey, Mex.; Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco; and participation in more than 150 group exhibitions throughout the United States, Latin America and France. Reed interned with a curator/conservator at the Achenbach Collection in San Francisco and was a curatorial assistant for the permanent print collection at San Francisco State University. He is presently the Manager and Curator of the Gabor Peterdi International Print Collection at Silvermine Arts Center.
JonAthAn tAlBot Mixed Media
Warwick, NY Member since 1976
Jonathan Talbot is an American collage artist, painter, and printmaker. He also is the creator of an innovative collage technique that eliminates liquid adhesives from the collage assembly process. His technique is the subject of his book, Collage: A New Approach. He conducts workshops throughout the U.S. for artists who wish to study collage, his techniques, and related subjects. Talbot is best known for his collages and multidimensional collage-constructions, as well as, for his oils, watercolors, and etchings. Talbot's works have been exhibited at The National Academy and the Museum of Modern Art in New York. His artwork has represented the United States in exhibitions sponsored by the U.S. State Department as well as by the Smithsonian Institution. His works are included in permanent museum collections in the United States, Canada, and Europe. His studio is in Warwick, New York.
FlorenCe zolAn Printmaker
Bridgeport, CT Member since 1984
Florence Zolan’s work is concerned with the actual and the implied relationships in the arrangements of form, object, and color. She explores contrasts: a smooth surface against rough, patterns next to solids, soft edges as well as sharp. Zolan expresses these effects in various media: oil, collage, pastel, various forms of printmaking, and often a combination of these plus random objects. Zolan is a founding member of ArtPlace Gallery, Fairfield, CT. Early studies were at the University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon. In New York City, art studies continued at Pratt Manhattan Graphic Center, and The New School. Zolan received her MFA from Hunter College studying with Tony Smith. She has taught school in New Rochelle and print classes at the Museum of Modern Art with Sol Lewitt. She has exhibited statewide in many juried and invitational shows and is represented in corporate and private collections throughout the United States. Zolan is on the curatorial committee of the Kershner Gallery in the Fairfield Public Library.
Exhibition
June Ahrens
Unclaimed Memories 1991 State of Connecticut toe tags used to identify the unclaimed homeless at the time of death. site specific, POR
June Ahrens
detail, Unclaimed Memories 1991 Toe tags (authentic from the state of CT) stakes site specific, POR
June Ahrens
Disguise 2007 Screening, and hot glue 19 1/2" x 12" x 1", $850
June Ahrens
Conscience 2018 Industrial filters, cord, rope, metal, re-purposed glass 78"x 21" x 16", $1,500
BInnIe BIrsteIn
The Fence 2008 Encaustic with ink 40" x 48", $6,000
BInnIe BIrsteIn
What Lies Beneath: Reflect 2012 Encaustic, India ink, graphite, oil stick on birch panel 48" x 36", $4,000
PAedrA BrAmhAll
Head 1981 Sumi ink drawing 36” x 24”, $95
PAedrA BrAmhAll
Depression 2007 Ink painting 50” x 38”, $1200
PAedrA BrAmhAll
Dead Bird 2011 Archival ink on archival paper 42 1/2” x 42”, $725
PAedrA BrAmhAll
Fishnet Stockings 2019 Archival ink on archival paper 42” x 32 3/8”, $825
mArIlyn Clements
Table Series #4 1984 Charcoal on paper 25” x 20”, $850
mArIlyn Clements
Table Series #5 1984 Charcoal on paper 25” x 20”, $850
mArIlyn Clements
Under the Table 1986 Acrylic on canvas 89” x 47”, $5,000
mArIlyn Clements
Temple of The Lake Goddess 2003 Acrylic on canvas 75� x 60", $8,500
KAthy ConwAy
A Huck Afternoon 1978 Oil on canvas 34” x 40”, $2,400
KAthy ConwAy
The Great Beyond 2006 Archival ink jet print 34” x 27”, $700
KAthy ConwAy
Going to Market, Hanoi, Vietnam 2015 Archival ink jet print 22” x 21”, $450
KAthy ConwAy
Portrait of a Boxer, Havana, Cuba 2011 Archival ink jet print 19” x 25”, $450
KAthy ConwAy
Tropicana Solo, Havana, Cuba 2011 Archival ink jet print 25” x 19”, $450
KAthy ConwAy
Woman with Gold Earrings, Havana, Cuba 2011 Archival ink jet print 17” x 21”, $450
KAthy ConwAy
Time Out, Ellis Island 2016 Archival ink jet print 21” x 27”, $450
KAthy ConwAy
New Arrivals, Ellis Islands 2016 Archival ink jet print 25” x 21”, $450
CArol nIPomnICh dIxon
Sea of Cortez 1990 Mixed media embroidered collage 13” x 13”, $1,000
CArol nIPomnICh dIxon
Sunlit Woods 2018 Oil on canvas 30” x 30”, $1,200
CArol nIPomnICh dIxon
Sunlit Woods 2018 Mixed media embroidered collage 13” x 13”, $1,000
CArol nIPomnICh dIxon
Early November 2010 Mixed media embroidered collage 13” x 13”, $1,000
CArol nIPomnICh dIxon
In Nature’s Realm 2019 Embroidery on felt 13” x 13”, $1,000
JAmes GrAshow
Live Yardbirds 1971 Wood engraving 20 1/4" x 19 1/4�, $1,000
JAmes GrAshow
Great Monkey Project 2006 Linocut 44" x 32 1/2�, $2,500
JAmes GrAshow
Herons in Stream 2004 Corrugated board, wood, acrylic 38� x 56" x 10", $70,000
JAmes GrAshow
Fish Flower 2017 Wood, paper, acrylic 20” x 7" x 7" x 20", $3,000
JAmes reed
Old Building 1980 Lithograph 18” x 24”, $600 unframed
JAmes reed
Store Front 1977 Lithograph 25” x 20”, $600 unframed
JAmes reed
Britenny 2005 Mixed media 46” x 78”, $700
JAmes reed
I’ll Fly Away 2016 Small book 8” x 6.75”, $200
JAmes reed
Raven 2019 Book letterpress 24” x 16”, $2,000
JonAthAn tAlBot
Anima Captiva 1987 5 plate color etching with aquatint 4.125" x 7", $325
JonAthAn tAlBot
Nine Works from Patrin Series 2002–2018 Collages on 300 lb watercolor paper Images 3” x 3”, Paper 7” x 7”, Frames 13’ x 13”, $400 each
JonAthAn tAlBot
The Number Thief (and his gang) 2016 Collage on canvas stretched over panel 40" x 40", $8,000
JonAthAn tAlBot
Spin & Win 2016 Interactive carnival wheel offering a variety of possible responses to the results of the 2016 Presidential election. 88” x 40”, 15,000
FlorenCe ZolAn
The Queensboro 1967 Woodblock print 23” x 29”, $700
FlorenCe ZolAn
Spaces I 2010 Print, collage, pastel 13” x 15”, $350
FlorenCe ZolAn
Spaces II 2010 Print, collage, pastel 13” x 15”, $350
FlorenCe ZolAn
Blues in the Night 2017 Collagraph, pastel, collage 17" x 22 �, $600
FlorenCe ZolAn
Hiding Places 1995 Oil on canvas 50” x 48”, $2,800
Programs saturday, February, 16, 2-4 pm
opening reception and Keynote lecture Keynote Lecture, “The Science Behind the Art: How Everyone Can be Creative, and Why it Matters,” James Kaufman, PhD, Professor of Educational Psychology at the University of Connecticut and a leading scholar on creativity. He will discuss the science and psychology of creativity and explore the ways in which creativity manifests itself over a lifetime. He will offer some research-based tips on how to enhance one’s creativity.
sunday, march 3, 2-3 pm “Better with Age,” a lecture and conversation with Robin Jaffee Frank, PhD, Director of Strategy and Development at Silvermine Arts Center, and an author and art historian, on the revitalized brilliance of renowned artists late in their long lives. Following at 3:30 pm is a panel discussion and Q & A on Creativity and Healthy Aging moderated by Dr. Allison Ostroff, Director of Geriatrics at Stamford Hospital and Founder/Director of the Geriatric Assessment Center.
saturday, march 23, 2–3 pm A day of family programming and adventurous art-making activities. Join painter and award-winning children’s book Illustrator and author Leonard Everett Fisher in conversation with Anne Butler Rice, Director of Education at Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art. From 3-4:30 pm, families can enjoy “Exploring Art Together.” Listen to books about how making art unites us across generations. Choose from a variety of fun hands-on activities led by Silvermine teaching artists that reflect the work on view in ReFRAMING Aging, from a sense of self and community to concerns about our natural world.
Board Of Trustees Chair Rose-Marie Fox Vice Chairs Robin Jaffee Frank* Barbara Linarducci* secretary Shirley Leung treasurer Grace Tang Board members Mark Carta David Dunlop Stephanie Joyce William Hilson Joseph J. Kais Rob Mallozzi, Emily McDermott Roger Mudre Karen Neems Guild Co-Chairs David Dunlop Roger Mudre* * Ex-Officio
honorary Board Cynthia Guest Roger Mudre Sally Sheehy Leonard Tow Diana Wege
Gallery Staff Gallery director Roger Mudre roger@silvermineart.org 203.966.9700 x26 Gallery Associates Zach Dunn Teresa Gay Leslie Cullen
Silvermine Arts Center is a nearly century-old organization dedicated to excellence in art and art education that inspires creativity and builds community. Located on five bucolic acres, Silvermine encompasses a School of Art with over 4,000 annual enrollments; an Outreach Education Program serving 1,000 under-resourced students annually; a Guild of over 300 professional artists; an outdoor Sculpture Walk; a permanent print collection; and five free, public galleries exhibiting contemporary art. Silvermine has been a place for artists to gather since 1906 when visionary sculptor Solon Borglum moved to the area and held annual exhibitions in his studio and weekly artist-critiques called the Knockers Club. In 1922 The Silvermine Guild of Artists was incorporated as a not-for-profit to provide a permanent and supportive community of artists. Guild members represent artists that have a high level of accomplishment and are selected through a jurying process. Our Galleries have exhibited and involved art luminaries such as Joseph Albers, Gabor Peterdi, Milton Avery, Elaine deKooning, Clement Greenberg, Louise Nevelson, Larry Rivers, Christo and Jeanne-Claude, Faith Ringold, James Rosenquist, Chuck Close, Philip Johnson, and many others. The Galleries continue to expand on our heritage by presenting visually compelling exhibitions of art by emerging and internationally recognized artists, accompanied by programs that encourage appreciation of art and its role in society. Our layered, approach includes programs tailored to make our exhibitions meaningful, accessible, and enjoyable for diverse audiences of every age and background. Many of our landmark exhibitions are juried by distinguished guest curators. All of our exhibitions offer opportunities for visitors to connect with art and each other through an exploration of ideas. What attracts artists, students, and visitors to Silvermine is the pivotal role it plays as an inclusive gathering place that deepens understanding through the arts. Silvermine is grateful for the generosity of its supporters. Gifts ensure excellence now and for generations to come. To learn how you can make a difference contact, Robin Jaffee Frank, robin@silvermineart.org or by calling 203.966.5617 x21.
Silvermine
“ Being an artist is a way of life. You become better with age.� Faith Ringold
Thank you for furthering the vision of art in our community. June Ahrens Binnie Birstein In Memorium
Paedra Bramhall Marilyn Clements Kathy Conway Carol Nipomnich Dixon Leonard Everett Fisher James Grashow James Reed Jonathan Talbot Florence Zolan
Silvermine Silvermine Arts Center
1037 Silvermine Road New Canaan, CT 06840