Bridgeport, CT - Explore the endless possibilities of playing with color and design while creating a unique and one of a kind paper penny rug. The next Community Art Workshop for Adults, Paper Penny Rugs, is the focus of the Second Saturdays: Connect & Create Series. Save the date of Saturday, March 9 for a couple hours of fun and enjoyment, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Maggie Daly Arts Cooperative (MDAC) at 160 John Street, Bridgeport.
Adult artists of all abilities are welcome to experience these diverse workshops led by several Kennedy Center Expressive Arts Therapists and Facilitators and local artists. While there is typically not a fee to participate in these workshops, a $10 donation is recommended to defray costs.
Liz Alpert Fay will conduct the Paper Penny Rugs workshop. She has been a full time studio artist since graduating with a degree in Textile Design from the Program in Artisanry at Boston University in 1981. After graduation she spent seventeen years creating art quilts, exhibiting nationally and in Japan. Liz’s quilts can be found in both private and corporate collections, as well as in many publications.
In 1998 Liz became intrigued with the technique of traditional rug hooking, and since then has been creating colorful hand hooked rugs and large- scale contemporary hooked art installations. These award winning works continue to be purchased for private collections, and many have been selected for juried shows and invitational museum exhibitions.
Early in her career Liz earned the title of Master Teaching Artist through the State of Connecticut, and continues to gives classes in the textile arts.
The technique to create paper penny rugs involves using stencils to make simple shapes from beautiful colored and patterned papers. The shapes are then cut out, layered, and glued to create patterns. The history of penny rugs will be discussed, and examples of both contemporary and traditional pieces will be shown.
The Community Art Workshops have been organized by MDAC. Second Saturdays: Connect & Create was made possible through a grant awarded by the Horizon Foundation. A total of 10 sessions have been organized for this creative series, which successfully launched in September 2018 and will continue until June 2019. Several different art mediums and techniques will be taught.
The Kennedy Center’s MDAC program, which will mark its fifth anniversary later this year, is named in honor of the late Maggie Daly of Fairfield, a long-time supporter of the arts and The Kennedy Center.
MDAC Manager Katie Kelly noted, “To date, we have presented six workshops that have been enjoyed by budding artists of all ages from the surrounding communities. In fact, many of these sessions have been sold out, so we encourage participants to sign up early and in advance.” Visit http://www.mdac-kc.org/second-saturdays or call 203-690-1609 for more information.
Located in the Read’s Artspace building in downtown Bridgeport, MDAC provides unique programming that assists individuals with disabilities in creative exploration, self-discovery and expansive artistic growth through visual arts, music, dance, yoga and more.
This Day Support Option program is designed for artists with disabilities ready to participate in the arts both independently and collectively with peer artists and artists in the community.
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