Great Speakers
As we begin our new program year in November, we take a moment to reflect on the past twelve months. What a year we’ve had! As a member you know some of the highquality programs and events that we’ve shared together. We invite you to scan through just a few of the highlights listed below, and think about where you can find such rich programming with only a $40 membership fee.
We gathered at the Little Compton Game Club, where artist and writer Ben Shattuck author of Six Walks: In the Footsteps of Henry David Thoreau, and The History of Sound shared his creative journey in a talk entitled “Exploration in Art: Across Forms and Interests.”
At the Little Compton Community Center, nationally recognized sculptor John Magnan presented stories of his astonishing creative practice Many of us were moved to tears when he shared images and stories of cancer survivors who joined him in creating his huge sculpture for the pharmaceutical company Eli Lily. The work was a monument to these survivors and a testament to hope.
Our Own Cecelia DelGaudio spoke at the Macomber House, in Westport, about her life as an educator, and her figure carving in stone and wood, and of overcoming physical limitations by shifting to less taxing mediums, such as pastels.
Internationally known ceramicists, Chris Gustin and Nancy Train Smith, kicked off a members’ gathering at Buzzards Bay Brewing. Their talk, A Thirty-Year Dialogue, was itself a dialogue about the ongoing conversations between this married couple and how these feed their work and ideas.
Opportunities to Show and Sell
In December, 153 artworks were hung in the Dartmouth Cultural Center for our Annual Holiday Exhibition. In May, the Annual Members’ Invitational was presented at the beautiful Bristol Art Museum. And of course, the summer’s Open Studio Tour our trademark event was a sell-out.
Awards
The Art Contest—open to members registered for the Tour—was juried by Mary Dondero, Exhibition Curator at Bristol Art Museum and founding artist for Imago Gallery. And for the first time, artists who submitted work to the Members’ Invitational had the opportunity to be selected for awards too. This was juried by Donna Parsons, owner of Donna Parsons Gallery. These awards are a way that SCA helps to strengthen the resumes of our members. There were also some fun awards for volunteers that were presented in October’s Annual Meeting
Building Community and Connections Among Artists
For the first time ever, we introduced a “New Members Get Together” as a way to help new members make friends and understand what is available to them. It was a success and will become an annual event.
Other social events included our Annual “Welcome Back” Members’ Gathering always an evening of fun and laughter included a hilarious round of art-related bingo. It took place at Round the Bend Farm, where members were treated to the Farm’s delicious soups, salad, corn bread, and brownie dessert. Six other members gatherings took place throughout the year, and all began with SCA’s famous pot-luck and time for socializing. And of course, the biggest social event of the year, is June’s Kick-Off Party at Weatherlow Farms. It was a fabulous event, with beautiful décor and fun music, great food, and the unforgettable addition of a drone group photo!
Serving Our Community
Our educational mission to connect artists and audiences and to offer educational opportunities that engage to public in appreciating art was in full swing his year. We strive to always be good partners with other arts groups in the region.
We cosponsored two films in the Westport Cultural Council’s Summer Film Series: In the Whale and The Power of Stone. The series, which takes place at Weatherlow Farms, is free, open to the public, and always a sellout.
We participated with ArtWeek SouthCoast and partnered with New Bedford’s Hatch Street Studios to offer free hands-on demonstrations of various types of artwork.
We developed and printed a Family Guide that engaged children who visited studios with their families during the Tour. The guide was distributed free and there was an award for the best one.
The Memorial Fund for Education, which was first created in memory of SCA member, Poole Barker, provides a grant to an emerging young artist age 16-20 in Bristol County, Massachusetts, or Newport County, Rhode Island. This year Fiona Marques received a $1,000 grant and a $500 Merit Award went to Jonathan Colombo.
Our biggest undertaking of the year was to bring Victoria Wyeth, the only grandchild of artist Andrew Wyeth, to Massachusetts for a slide presentation. The event, Andrew Wyeth: An Intimate Portrait of an American Icon, took place in the Harbor View Room on the top floor of the New Bedford Whaling Museum. In keeping with our desire to offer free and affordable art experiences, the rousing presentation was offered free to the public. The presentation was followed by a Q&A and refreshments.
Wow, quite the year!