Event to benefit Music Shed Restoration Fund

By Karen Linden
Norfolk Artists & Friends will host an opening reception on August 8 for their Sixth Annual Art Show in the Gallery of the Ellen Battell Stoeckel Estate. The public is invited to come from 5 until 7:30 p.m. to enjoy food and wine and view the artwork of the diverse group of sculptors, photographers, designers, painters and printers.

The artists will be available to discuss their work throughout the show. The exhibit is sponsored by the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival, and individual artists will donate 25 percent of their sales to the Music Shed Restoration Fund. This fund supports the restoration of the original cupola design to the new Shed roof.

Ellen Battell Stoeckel supported the arts both with concerts in the Music Shed and an incredible collection of painting and sculpture in Whitehouse on her estate. She left her collection and estate in trust for summer music and art. The Music Shed is the home of the concert series presented by the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival. The Art Barn, once a carriage house and stable, serves as an educational and exhibit space. It houses the print facility, student and faculty art studios as well as a gallery. This year marks the 65th anniversary of the Yale Norfolk Summer School of Art.

Norfolk Artists & Friends was organized in 2007 with an informal gathering of local artists who wished to form a supportive and community-oriented group to encourage artistic expression.

The art show will continue on Saturday, August 9 from noon to 5 p.m., and Sunday, August 10 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Parking is available directly adjacent to the Art Barn in the picturesque estate. Twenty-four artists will participate in the show and sale this year, including Adela Hubers, Peter Coffeen, Susan Dorazio, Madeline Falk, Bruce Frisch, Tom Hlas, Anita Holmes, Wayne Jenkins, Laura Lasker Karen Linden, Janet Marks, Michaela Murphy, Fay O’Meara, Turi Rostad, Ronald Sloan, Babs Perkins, Bill Gridley, and Joseph Stannard. Harvey Kimmelman may exhibit examples of frescoes created in Italy. Nina Ritson will be bringing examples of various printing techniques, focusing on intaglio, etching and mezzotint. Susan Rood will exhibit block print collages. John Thew will bring examples of his drop-forged weathervanes. Handmade paper constructions will also be a new highlight. Come visit, view and evaluate!

For more information, visit the web site at www.norfolkart.org, or contact Ruthann Olsson at 860-542-5070.