By Fay O’Meara

The Battell Arts Foundation, successor to Battell Stoeckel Associates, Inc. is one of three local arts organizations that have been selected to be the beneficiaries of CHAIRish THE ARTS, a region-wide public art event sponsored by the Northwest Connecticut Arts Council. CHAIRish the ARTS involves a tour of over 100 chairs created by northwest Connecticut artists, which can be seen throughout the twenty four towns of the Council’s service area. The tour, which began on August 8 and will continue through October 12, will culminate in an auction of the chairs on Saturday, October 17 at Mohawk Mountain Ski Lodge in Cornwall, CT. The proceeds from the auction will be will be shared between the Arts Council and three organizations that provide scholarships to study the visual, performing and literary arts. The three beneficiary organizations are the After School Arts Program, The Arts Fund for Region One and Norfolk’s own Battell Arts Foundation. Norfolk artists include Botelle School students led by art teacher Susan Rood, Chris Hanley and her art students, Peter Ketchum, Shirley Metcalf, Fay O’Meara, Eileen DaSilva, Bridgette Rallo and Turi Rostad.  Norfolk, chairs can be viewed at the library, Infinity Hall and the Corner Store, where maps to all of the chair display sites are available. The public is invited to embark on a “Tour de Chair” to view the project’s various artworks. Display sites are also indicated on the event’s website, chairishthearts.org.