NEWFANE-Crowell Art Gallery at Moore Free Library, 23 West St., will feature "Spring!," a show by members of the Brattleboro-West Arts group from Saturday, May 2 to Saturday, May 30.
A reception will be held Saturday, May 16 from 1 to 3 p.m.
The Brattleboro-West Arts member artists include Beth Aten, Maisie Crowther, Kay Curtis, John Dorsey, Cyndi Ferrante, Lesley Heathcote, Naomi Lindenfeld, Steve Lloyd, Heidi Mario, Kris McDermet, Greg Moschetti, Sharon Myers, Gene Parulis, Jack Pombriant, Carol Violanda, and Jen Wiechers.
The exhibit will display a variety of artwork such as paintings of oil, acrylic, watercolor, encaustic, ceramics, alcohol inks and pastels, fiber arts, and more.
"Spring!" is a time to celebrate new beginnings as we wake from the deep sleep of winter and our landscape is transformed by the return of the song birds and emergence of new growth all around us," says Jen Wiechers, co-chair of the group's exhibition committee.
Artists collaborate
Members of Brattleboro West-Arts, which has been around since 2009, largely live and/or work in West Brattleboro.
They individually organize group shows, take on apprentices, and some teach. "We also just really try to be in the community with our art and speaking about art [...] supporting each other," Wiechers says.
Brattleboro-West Arts also has a permanent exhibit in the Brooks House atrium.
Co-Chair for the Exhibition Committee Cyndi Ferrante discusses the range of the group's program, which include painting, works that incorporate nature, ribbon, string, and more - "anything that we could put together to make, as in the garden or in the yard. So we'll just be creative with nature and develop an art project and collaborate [on] pieces," she says.
Brushes to bonds
The group also meets monthly to support one another and be a part of a community through potlucks and other events.
Ferrante explains that they are a support group: "It's basically a way for us to share work and talk about [...] what we're seeing and what we vision, and if anybody has any advice," she says. "That's a big thing about us."
"It's really community and its support, and a lot of artists work by themselves, so it's the time to come together, [whether it's] support, or just connection, or bouncing ideas off each other, or just being in that beautiful creative process together," Wiechers says.
Ferrante describes Brattleboro-West Arts as "a very strong community of people."
"I think we all just really care about how we work and how we do things," she says. "And so for me, it's the support and and just the friendships that I've developed, and the strong community that we have, which is really important to me."
Weichers appreciates the "incredible support and friendship."
"It goes beyond just the artistic support," she says. "It's just been very valuable in my own artistic journey to keep going."
The Crowell Art Gallery is located within the Moore Free Library at 23 West St. in Newfane. Hours are Tuesday and Wednesday from 1 to 5 p.m., Thursday from 1 to 6 p.m., Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. To learn more about Brattleboro-West Arts, visit brattleboro-west-arts.com.
This Arts item by Alyssa Grosso was written for The Commons.