Art for Everyone

By Virginia Coleman-Prisco

Trends come and go, but art endures. When Botelle School needed some upgrades in the 1990s, Norfolk community members decided to work together on a project that would benefit all of Norfolk, not just Botelle students. And so they created the Norfolk Community Art Space.

According to former PTO member Turi Rostad, Botelle’s PTO, knowing that the existing art room need to be renovated, realized that if they moved the art room to the ground floor of the school, and gave it its own entrance and restroom, the area could also be used as a community art space outside of school hours. Another former PTO member, Suzanne Hinman, who took part in the original fund-raisers for the project, added that Norfolk “thrives on art.”

The PTO hosted fund-raisers to support the renovations, and soon an accessible space came into being. The art room was equipped with a range of equipment and supplies, including a pottery wheel, a kiln, oil paints and a printing press. Open studio sessions were hosted in the evenings. Over time, however, they stopped. According to Hinman, there was a “lack of interest, and it was definitely hard to get volunteers to run it.”

Now Shana Bazelmans, the Botelle art teacher and also a teaching artist with the American Mural Project in Winsted, wants to bring back the Norfolk Community Art Space. She’s starting with a soft reopening. On the Saturday mornings of May 21 and June 18, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., she will host open studio sessions. The original spaceis conveniently located on the ground floor of Botelle across from the athletic fields. Participants can either bring their own supplies or use what is available the art room. The room can comfortably hold 16 adults with three feet of social distancing between them.

Bazelmans will be present to help artists set up or to advise on techniques. The space is ideal for emerging or existing artists who need a space to work and want to interact with other artists on ideas. With Covid regulations finally becoming more relaxed, Bazelmans believes that “now is the perfect time to renew the community art space.”

If the two Saturday morning sessions are a success, Bazelmans wants to try different kinds of sessions, such as directed programming or inviting guest artists. Her goal is to provide a space that fosters collaboration and creativity for artists of all kinds, both amateurs and professionals.

For now, Bazelmans isn’t actively fund-raising or applying for grants, but she’s gauging the needs of the program as she gets feedback from the first two sessions. For updates on sessions, programs and fund-raising, follow the project on Facebook at Norfolk Community Art Space.