The art of living, at Habitat Home Show June 21

SALISBURY — A woman kneels in a pile of leaves, head thrown back as she brushes her hair. She is gracefully free of clothing, someone Gaugin might have painted on a South Sea island. She is beautiful, and weighs about 300 pounds.

The woman is a garden statue created by sculptor Ken Memoli in his Zephyr Studio in Lime Rock. On June 21, she will be moved, with some effort, across the street to Lime Rock Park, where she will be auctioned during the “Habitat Home Show: Exploring Creativity.�

Memoli will also be part of the event, one of seven artists demonstrating their particular talent. He told The Journal this week he was looking forward to not only helping a great organization — Habitat for Humanity — but attending what always promises to be a great social event.

Lynn Nania, co-chair of the show with Jane Pinckney and Anne Bowen, would have been thrilled to hear that. Of course, the goal is to raise as much as possible for local Habitat home-building projects.

“It’s so much nicer and we do so much better now that it is an established social event,� Nania said. “we want people to enjoy themselves. Showing their support is great, but why not have a good time doing it.�

The Northwest Connecticut chapter has  gotten into a highly effective routine for its annual fundraisers. There is, of course, the giant tag sale each summer. The second event is a wine-tasting every other year. The tricky part is figuring out what to do each year in between.

“The last one we did was the lighthouse auction in Falls Village,â€� Nania said. “We got such a  wonderful response from the artists and the people. We decided to do something along the same lines, and came up with the home show idea, because that’s what we do, build homes. We have so much great, local talent it wasn’t hard to put together quite a few different artists. Everything is something you can use in or around your home.â€�

It’s not a craft show — no clothing or jewelry — organizers stress every chance they get. Artists will each display a small selection of their work, but a portion of proceeds from any sale goes to Habitat.

“That’s fine with me. I don’t do craft shows,� Memoli said. “I’m there because it’s a great organization and what they do helps local people.�

Memoli donated a larger than life “dancing frogs� statue to last year’s wine-tasting. His work speaks for itself, but it should be noted he is inspired by, and maybe owes his talent to, his grandfather, Karl Lang. Memoli was 5 when Lang died, and doesn’t remember the man, but keeps his photo in his studio, proudly telling visitors he worked on Mount Rushmore.

Among the larger items in the live auction will be a playhouse built by Jeff Lloyd, now “touring� the region to promote the show. Local businesses donated materials and labor. Even transportation services are donated. It will spend the last week before the show in front of This & That from Habitat, the secondhand shop on Route 7 in North Canaan.

The organization is currently working on the third of a four-home project in Falls Village. In the meantime, they are looking for land — donations are welcome and tax-deductible — for future projects. They’d particularly like to build in towns they haven’t gotten to yet, such as North Canaan, Sharon and Norfolk.

“There is need in every town,� Nania said. “It’s been shown that all around the world, more than 80 percent of people recognize the Habitat name. It has a good track record and they trust it. They like that it’s local, but they support it because they know Habitat is making a difference, whether the need is at home or elsewhere.�

The Habitat Home Show will be held from 4 to 8 p.m. at Lime Rock Park, rain or shine, under tents. Additional artists scheduled for demonstrations are Joe Brennan, fly tying; Delores Coan, pottery; Karen Gerstel, weaving; Janet Lynn, spinning; Kaki Schafer-Reid, candle dipping and Karen Rossi, metal sculpture.

Guests should enter via the Route 112 entrance and are invited to bid on silent auction items while enjoying hors d’oeuvres from local eateries, Harney teas and wine.

A sneak peak at  some of the live auction items includes a aerial photograph by Sergei Fedorjaczenko, a weekend of bull riding lessons, a week’s stay at a Tuscany villa, a field of 300 daffodils and five hours of electrical labor.

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