TORRINGTON — The front steps of City Hall were filled with people waving colorful campaign signs in support of Democratic candidates for U.S. Congress in the 5th District Tuesday evening, April 10.Inside, at 7 p.m., the candidates faced off in a debate. Outside, one of those on the steps was Lucas Bejarano, a student at the Kent School in Kent who resides in New York City but was learning about the nuts and bolts of American politics by working on the campaign for Dan Roberti.“One of my teachers told us about the opportunity, and it’s been really interesting to be able to see how a campaign works,” Bejarano said.The three candidates who participated were Connecticut Speaker of the House Chris Donovan of Meriden; Cheshire Town Council member and state legislator Elizabeth Esty; and social activist Dan Roberti of Kent. The room was just about full, with an audience of around 100 people, including both Democrats and journalists. There were six questioners on the panel: Judge Anne C. Dranginis; Amy Calabrese; Attorney Mitchell Fishman; Stephen Michna; Lawrence Sweeny and Philip Simonin. The event was hosted by Torrington, Litchfield, Harwinton, Goshen, Morris, Warren and Woodbury Democratic Town Committees and moderated by Scott Bates, National Security Expert for WNPR and president of the Center for National Policy. State Rep. Roberta Willis of Salisbury (D-64) spoke to the crowd of supporters, thanking them for all the hard work they had done to get U.S. Rep. Chris Murphy elected to the 5th District seat since he first won it in 2006. Murphy is now running for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Sen. Joseph Lieberman. While the three candidates agreed on many issues, including same sex marriage, contraception availability for women, supporting a Buy American policy and decriminalizing marijuana, each had a different set of reasons supporting their positions. Each evoked family members who had inspired them to serve in the public realm.For Esty, it was strong women who were feisty activists, her mother and grandmother. She also noted it was her 15-year-old daughter who encouraged her to run for office to make a difference in their town and the state.For Donovan, it was his immigrant grandfather, whom he described as a carpenter, who worked hard and took care of his family through manual labor.For Roberti, it was his mother, who had been ill with cancer for five years, as well as his great-uncle Jim who was a pharmacist at Petricone’s in Torrington during the flood of 1955, going back to the store to retrieve necessary medications and having to be evacuated in so doing. Esty and Roberti stressed that they are not career politicians, while Donovan touted his achievements in legislation in the state House of Representatives, including increasing the state minimum wage and reforming campaign finance laws. When asked during a so-called Lightning Round what book had the most important impact on their political development, Roberti cited Harper Lee’s “To Kill a Mockingbird,” Esty her Constitutional Law textbook in law school, and Donovan John Steinbeck’s “The Grapes of Wrath.” When questioned about whether they would all sign a pledge to avoid all negative campaigning, which had originally been discussed at a Southbury meeting, the candidates revealed a major line of disagreement. Esty said she would sign no pledges, saying she trusts voters to be able to judge the candidates and that contrast among the candidates should be fine in a campaign.“Contrast is fine, but not character assassination,” she said. “We should all be, and I am, proud to defend our records.”Donovan supported taking the pledge against negative campaigning, saying the public is looking for positive interaction among candidates.Roberti said he supported the pledge as well and would take it, but called Donovan to task for posting on his campaign’s website a video of Esty “out of context” speaking about being unwilling to take the pledge when it was discussed in Southbury. That was wrong and amounted to negative campaigning, Roberti said. The discussion went on to other topics from there, curtailed by the timed debating style of the discussion. After the debate a representative for Donovan, Gabe Rosenberg, expressed disappointment that Roberti “twisted the video comment for a cheap campaign hit.” Rosenberg said the video was not taken out of context, but rather that Donovan posted the entire clip of the comment by Esty, without any editing at all. To see the video, go to www.donovanforcongress.com/acampaignyoudeserve. Winsted Democrat Michael J. Renzullo, who is running for the 63rd District seat for state representative, was in the audience at the debate, and commented after the event that there are three good Democratic candidates running for the 5th District seat.“I’m supporting Chris [Donovan] since I’ve known him the longest, but all the candidates are well-spoken, confident and knowledgeable about the issues.” Any of them would serve the state well, he said.
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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.
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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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