School of Art Annual Faculty Exhibition

The Silvermine Arts Center is proud to announce its 2015 Moffly Media Best of the Gold Coast Award for Best Art Classes for the fourth year in a row and Best Art Gallery for the fifth year. Silvermine’s distinguished faculty members are the reason for Silvermine’s Best Art Classes Award, and their annual exhibition opening August 20th showcases their best work. Every style and discipline will be on display in Sara Victoria Hall.

The opening reception on Thursday, August 20th, from 6:30 – 8:30pm, is free and open to the public. The exhibition will run through September 5th.

The School of Art, founded in 1924, has consistently drawn faculty members who are known locally, regionally or nationally for mastery of their arts. The current faculty, many of whom are Silvermine Guild members, teach a wide array of approaches to painting, drawing, ceramics, photography, sculpture, mixed media, and printmaking.  Master craftsman in jewelry, silversmithing and metalwork round out the offerings, and a new woodworking center will open in the fall. Their work is a feast for the senses, and the annual exhibition is a great introduction to the many disciplines and styles at the Silvermine School of Art.

For an in-depth look at courses available this fall at Silvermine, the community is invited to the Fall Annual Open Studios, Sunday, September 13 from 2-4 pm.  Many faculty members will be on hand to talk with prospective students and to offer demonstrations and hands-on activities.  Students can register for classes, workshops, and mini-courses during the Open Studios.  Private tutorials, team building, and group workshops are also offered.  The variety of options at the Silvermine School of Art make it easy to fit hands-on art instruction into a busy schedule.

New courses include Chinese Brush Painting with Henry Chen-Schaab; Textured Bowls on the Potter’s Wheel with Jon Puzzuoli; and Wendy Shalen’s 3-day Drawing Workshop that begins in the drawing study room at the Met and continues in the Silvermine studios. Marta Kot will beguile kids with classes on New England autumn flowers and Haunted Clay Houses.  Need to restart your creativity?  Try the one-day Big Brush Workshop, one-day wheel-throwing with Wendy Hower, or a wire-working class that explores wire weaving or wire knitting with artist Joy Raskin.

Registration for the fall semester begins August 12th and is then ongoing, and students can register on the day of the Open Studios.  Visit www.silvermineart.org for more information.

Silvermine Arts Center is one of the oldest artist communities in the United States. Its five­acre campus in New Canaan, Connecticut, consists of a nationally renowned artist guild, an award-­winning school of art offering classes for all ages, an arts and fine crafts shop, and a gallery offering over twenty contemporary and historic exhibitions annually. Silvermine is a non-­profit organization that also offers an educational outreach program, Art Partners, and hosts lectures, performances, film screenings, and special events.

Gallery Hours: Silvermine Galleries are open Wednesday through Saturday, 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, call (203) 966-­9700 ext. 20 or visit the website: www.silvermineart.org.

Image:  Wood Stork Dorie Petrochko