It might not have been obvious to most, but the Amenia Free Library has been living on borrowed land throughout its 76-year history. Built in 1938 as a Works Progress Administration (WPA) project under President Franklin D. Roosevelt, the land the library was erected on was under a 99-year lease with the United Presbyterian Church in Amenia. Library Board President Alan Gamble said the library and the church have been talking for several years to see if the library could purchase the land. It was around last May that an agreement was reached, though finalizing the deal was not a simple task.“When it comes to purchasing church property it’s not so simple,” Gamble said. “First we negotiated a price, that was approved by the local United Presbyterian Church. Then it was approved by the Presbytery. Then it was approved by the New York State Supreme Court. To transfer church-owned land to another organization, even if though nonprofit, that process itself took 10 months. It’s a very formal affair.”The library bought the land for $50,000. Now that it owns the site on which the library building sits it has one thing on its mind — expansion — which was an unrealistic goal when it had to lease the land from the church.“The trustees believed it wouldn’t be fair to anyone to consider expansion or major improvements to the building [otherwise],” Gamble said. “Finally, after many years, we came to a meeting of the minds. What I’m proudest of is it was all done with private funds that were donated. None of the funds used for the purchase were public funds in any way. Now we own all the land extending a few feet from DeLango’s Garage to the library parcel; it’s pretty exciting to know we now have the ability to plan for the future.”“I’m so excited,” said Library Director Miriam Devine. “I’m overwhelmed. Finally, and I’ve been here 24 years, this has come to pass and I’m very happy about the whole procedure that we finally own the land that the library is on. We badly needed it if we have future plans to expand.”The newly purchased parcel is 132 feet deep and 74 feet wide; the total library lot now clocks in at 132 feet deep and 126 feet wide.“What this allows us to do is develop a plan for the possible expansion of the library,” said Gamble, “to provide the sort of services identified by our patrons … and people in the community whose judgement we trust … as being necessary.”In August 2012 the library board hosted community-based focus groups to give their input on ways to improve the library. The number one suggestion, from professionals to parents to seniors, was to somehow add more space.“Everybody seemed to say space, space, space,” said Gamble of the 40 who participated in the focus groups. “The second thing we heard was about programming, for which we need more space.”In fact one of the library’s more popular programs, its preschool story hours, has to be held at Beth David Synagogue across the street from the library, because there’s just no room in the library building itself.“They’ve been kind enough to let us use that because we don’t have the space for kids’ activities,” said Gamble. “You can imagine what it would be like to have finger painting or baking, or things that little kids like to do, there.”The Amenia Free Library is small. Immediately upon entering one stumbles upon the main desk and check-out area. There are book shelves and computers to the right, more books, a children’s corner and some additional technology to the left. It’s all squeezed into 880 square feet of space. A standard three-bedroom house might have roughly 1,800 square feet of space, said Gamble, like his home. What he would like to see is the library expand to perhaps 2,400 square feet — enough to be comfortable and offer additional services to its patrons.“The town deserves it,” he said. “That’s really what it is. We see what Millerton has to offer, and the size of the facility in Dover, or the Millbrook Library. Go over to Sharon, even. Yet it’s pretty amazing, when you think of our numbers last year.”In 2013, the Amenia Free Library’s total circulation was 16,038; it brought in 428 new books while 4,032 books were borrowed from other libraries in the Mid-Hudson Library System. More than 1,600 books from Amenia were sent to other libraries in the system. “We still have volumes that are in demand that other libraries can’t fulfill, so we’re very proud of that,” said Gamble, adding there were 10,864 log-ins to the library website last year. Those are numbers the library board is hoping to build upon. “We’re excited, and buying this property really allows us to know our future is out there. We’re not going to have any starts and stops; we’re not looking for land from the Odd Fellows. We really thought this was essential for the long-term success of the library.”“We love it here,” added Devine. “We’re right in the center of town and people can walk here, or bike here, it’s so essential for the town. We’ve waited a long time for this. Our main focus was to expand, to make the library larger, and that’s in the works now.”To contact the Amenia Free Library call 845-373-8273 or go to www.amenialibrary.org.
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Roy Wildlife Management Area, Sharon CT
Quiet back roads, hidden woodland trails and rolling fields are just part of what makes autumn so brilliant. Golden, amber and crimson leaves blanket the communities we call home, turning even the most familiar places into something special.
Take a look at some of the snapshots that capture the best of autumn in our communities.
Sharon, CTBill Wakeley
Mill Pond, Sheffield MADeb Segalla-Watson
New Marlborough, MAWendy Miller
Peter Austin
Falls Village, CTPete Sanders
Tom Carley
Factory Pond, Lakeville CTBarbara Peck
Lime Rock Road, Lakeville CTKeary Hanan
Lime Rock Road, Lakeville CTJake Marcum
Housatonic River, Sharon, CTBill Wakeley
Norfolk, CTTom Carley
Reed Brook, Deans Ravine, Canaan CTBill Wakeley
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Textile designer Justine Valla sits in her father’s chair, which she painted, alongside her husband, illustrator and muralist Victor Valla, in their Atelier Valla studio.
“I was always drawing as a child,” Justine recalled. Victor dreamed of illustrating magazine covers like those of the “Saturday Evening Post.”
Victor studied design and illustration at Rochester Institute of Technology, then received a fellowship to study painting and printmaking at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaigne. He graduated in 1967. The following year, he received a grant from the Tiffany Foundation to study printmaking in Paris at Atelier 17, an experimental graphic arts workshop founded in 1927.
“What a great experience that was!” he recalled.
Returning home after the Paris uprisings of 1968, he discovered that the magazine covers he’d hoped to paint had largely given way to photography. His agent suggested trying record covers, which he pursued along with illustration and graphic design.
He also began teaching at Kean University in New Jersey.
“Kean had a wonderful graphic design and illustration department. I loved teaching Graphic Design, even though I never thought I would.”
He later taught at Syracuse University and Pennsylvania College of Art and Design.
In the late 1980s, he decided to stop teaching and concentrate on his own art. He moved to Falls Village, to a house on the corner of Minor and Prospect Streets.
“I used to call the studio ‘Minor Prospects Atelier,’” he said.
He continued working in illustration and graphic design, creating book covers for stories by H.P. Lovecraft and other authors, along with magazine covers, logos, advertising and murals.
Justine and Victor Valla in their studio with a painting of Victor’s,”Jonah and the Whale.” Robin Roraback
His local commissions include the green and gold Noble Horizons signage and wall murals for the Stockbridge Inn, the Spa at Norwich Inn, Orchards Hotel in Williamstown and the David M. Hunt Library’s children’s section.
Justine grew up in the Bronx and studied at the Fashion Institute of Technology. After graduating, she took on whatever work she could find, including designing toys and novelty items for Russ Berrie. But her true calling was textile design.
She moved to Los Angeles to pursue that calling, where she learned silkscreen printing from 1960s design icon Corita Kent.
“I was in her program at Immaculate Heart College. All fabric design at that time was silk screen. My first job in textile design was in L.A., creating wallpaper for Bob Mitchell Design.”
Justine returned to New York City, where the advent of computers required her to learn new design techniques. She enrolled at Parsons School of Design, studying Photoshop, Illustrator, Lectra U4ia and Kaledo.
Around this time, she met Victor online and moved to Falls Village.
A recruiter found her a job in Arkansas at Dillard’s, a department store chain operating in 30 states and known for its exclusive designer collections.
“They had the best equipment I’d ever seen,” she said.
She became a senior computer-aided design designer there, designing fabric and preparing purchased designs for production.
The Vallas left Falls Village for Little Rock.
“It was a big move,” she said. “It was a different culture, but Little Rock was very progressive.”
The originally planned to stay in Arkansas for five years but ended up remaining for nearly 10.
Then Justine was hit by a car. She suffered injuries to her leg and head and required four years of rehabilitation.
“I lost the ability to paint after the accident. I struggled to paint again.”
The Vallas returned to Connecticut, this time settling in Salisbury, where they’ve lived since 2013.
After leaving Dillard’s, Justine had planned to sell her work through Printsource in New York City, an international showcase for surface and textile design. But after the accident, she no longer had the mobility or energy to travel back and forth to the city.
Instead, she began selling her work locally at craft shows, including clothing, hand-printed tea towels and floorcloths.
She is currently working on selling her collection of textile designs.
In December, Justine will have a show of her tea-themed watercolors at the NorthEast-Millerton Library.
Victor recently exhibited “The American West: A Pictural History” at the NorthEast-Millerton Library. The series, created in the early 1990s, was part of a commission from the Postal Commemorative Society for which he completed 100 paintings in two years.
He hopes to place the series in a museum and has created books from its images, complete with text. Over the years, he has designed many other books that are ready for publication, including “Looking In, Looking Out,” a cosmic view of the universe.
Reflecting on his career, Victor said, “It’s about doing what you love”.
Justine agreed.
To see, purchase or commission work, contact Justine at justinevalla@gmail.com or Victor at victorvalla@comcast.net, or call 860-596-4282.
Jane Herold’s beautifully simple dinnerware.
Cornwall ceramicist Jane Herold explained that there’s quite a lot of enthusiasm for Clay Way among the region’s ceramic artists.
“We all need work space, which is hard to find or afford in urban areas. The wood-fire crowd needs lots of wood and outdoor space. This area is great because it’s rural enough for us, but has a wonderfully enthusiastic and supportive population of pottery [patrons].”
While many of the artists are returning from previous years, the loose collection of unofficial organizers likes to keep the event manageable for the public, limiting the number of artists and studios each year. A direct drive from the southernmost point at Ann Heywood’s studio in Wingdale to Herold’s big barn in Cornwall is under 40 minutes. But if you want to catch it all, plan for a full day’s worth of art exploration along some of the most beautiful roads in New England.
Starting at its northernmost point, Herold’s studio will host Matin Malikzada of Afghanistan, whose polished, modern interpretations of traditional forms are instantly recognizable. They’ll be joined by wood-fired ceramicists Steve Johnson, with his raw, organic forms, and Harry Levenstein, whose works relate closely to Johnson’s while making even more direct references to nature.
Herold herself creates work that is both beautiful and utilitarian. Her prolific output of objects is intended to be used by everyday people as part of their daily lives.
Moving south is Todd Piker of Cornwall Bridge Pottery. Piker has been making pots in his giant wood-fired kiln since 1971. The kiln looks more like an ancient blast furnace than something designed to transform clay into ceramics, but over the years, he’s mastered its intricacies and produces an impressive amount of fine work.
A ceramic vase by Kathleen Heidemann.Provided
Piker will host Sanah Peterson, who works at Cornwall Bridge Pottery and draws inspiration from both her time with Piker and her time traveling the globe as a child. They’ll be joined by Stephanie Haines, whose vibrant, eye-catching work features underglaze illustrations of birds, fruit and the bounty of nature.
Further along in Warren, Jessica Dubin’s pieces will be on display at the studio of Christine Owen. Both artists seem to appreciate the chaos and unpredictable nature of clay but find ways to refine it all using their own unique methods.
Heading east to Washington, Conn., Will Talbot’s creates intricate work while allowing for the unpredictable nature of clay to play a role. His studio will house Tom Knox and his wide variety of textures and forms, as well as New York City-based Alex Lebedev, who lets music and the nature of improvisation guide his work.
There will be two studios participating in South Kent. Alison Palmner, whose page on the Clay Way website states she “strives to achieve a lighthearted meld of human forms, animals and the vessel.” Her studio will host Ben Eberle, who trained under the guidance of legendary potter Toshiko Takaezu; James Guggina, whose intricate work can appear both deliberate and whimsical; and Paula Shalan, who blends rough, unrefined surfaces with polished precision in individual pieces.
Joy Brown’s delightful ceramic sculptures.Provided
Nearby is Joy Brown, whose work have become a staple of the area, with her figurative sculptures dotting the Northwest Corner. Brown’s studio will also feature Bonnie Levine, who taps into the beauty of chaos and destruction in her work, and Brendan Moore, whose more utilitarian forms are perfect for everyday use.
Finally, the tour crosses the border into Wingdale, New York, where the studios of Drew Montgomery, Ann Heywood and Amy Brenner will host Jackie Sedlock, Lynn Behrendt,and Kathleen Heidemann.
Brenner creates some of the most colorful and vibrant pieces on the tour, while Behrendt’s work is among the most studied and precise. Heywood creates carefully considered, intuitive forms, while Heidemann moves from simple minimalism to intricate textures. Montgomery and Sedlock both find new ways of playing with traditional forms, producing delightfully distinctive pieces.
To learn more about the artists and download a map of participating studios, visit clayway.net
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