Norfolk Artists & Friends annual exhibit returns

Norfolk Artists & Friends founder Ruthann Olsson.

Jennifer Almquist

Norfolk Artists & Friends annual exhibit returns

For the past 17 years, a community of artists have shown a visual feast of their paintings, sculpture, jewelry, photography, and decorative arts in an annual exhibition in Norfolk.

Following tradition, more than thirty members of Norfolk Artists & Friends (NAF), a membership organization of professional artists, will be showing their artwork this summer in a group exhibit at the Art Barn Gallery on the Battell Stoeckel Estate in Norfolk from Aug. 1 to 4. The show is sponsored by the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival – Yale School of Music, to which 15% of the sales is donated.

The NAF exhibit will run concurrently with the ninth annual Weekend in Norfolk, the town’s three-day summer festival from Aug. 2 to 4.

Ruthann Olsson, Norfolk-based interior designer and artist who founded NAF (inspired by her friend Patricia Miller) in October of 2007, expressed gratitude for the generosity of the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival for its sponsorship of NAF. “We are truly blessed to have the Art Barn Gallery to show our work. This year we have 33 artists showing, among them four new members. The show will cover the disciplines of sculpture, drawing and painting, printmaking, photography, and fine jewelry.” Cyd and John Emmons will professionally install the work.

The Art Barn Gallery on the Battell Stoeckel Estate in Norfolk, the site of the 17th Annual Norfolk Artists & Friends Art Exhibit. Jennifer Almquist

Norfolk has a long, illustrious history of attracting fine artists, and generous patrons of the arts that supported them. One such early patron, Robbins Battell (1810-1895) shared his collection of works by Hudson River painters, such as Frederic Church, Thomas Cole, and George Inness with the people of Norfolk. The paintings were hung in the music room and library of Whitehouse, a landmark historic building. In 1898, Norfolk luminaries Carl Stoeckel and Ellen Battell Stoeckel hosted the president of the National Academy of Design, Frederick Dielman, at their Norfolk home. In 1928, a family friend Louis Comfort Tiffany oversaw the installation of five Tiffany stained glass windows in the Battell Chapel in Norfolk, commissioned by Ellen Battell Stoeckel.

Norfolk contemporary artist Tom Hlas said recently, “I’ve exhibited with the Norfolk Artists & Friends ever since we moved to Norfolk in 2012. It’s a great group of artists that covers a wide range of mediums and styles. The annual art exhibit is always one of my art highlights of the year. Plus, it’s great to see and talk with collectors and buyers who attend the show every year. I definitely look forward to this year’s show. Each year the exhibit looks better and better!”

The stated mission of NAF is to “bring together a community of Norfolk-area artists to network, gain a reputation in the community and beyond, provide opportunities to market their work, and enhance conditions for making a sustainable income.”

Babs Perkins, a photographer who lives in Norfolk, will be showing her work in the August show. “I always look forward to participating in the Norfolk Artists & Friends show each year. Ruthann [Olsson] had a vision and here we are years later still going strong. Thanks to the range of artists and mediums, it’s always an interesting and diverse exhibition. A few years ago, we decided to have the show professionally hung, and wow, is it ever worth it. I think we (as artists) are fortunate to have such a fantastic opportunity right here in Norfolk. And getting to use the beautiful gallery space in The Eldridge Barn (aka The Art Barn) on The Battell Stoeckel Estate is a big plus. It’s also an incredible way for folks both in town and from the wider area to see the art being created here.”

NAF founder Olsson shared her view that “Artists are positive creators, adding strength and beauty to our universe. These creative bursts of the spirit offer an endless tribute to our humanity.”

Jim Jasper works as a graphic designer from his home in Norfolk. He is also a fine artist whose past work includes illustrations of each chapter of Melville’s Moby Dick. He enjoys his connection with NAF. “It is a great way to forge bonds with other artists, many of whom have been showing with the group for years. The show has become a summer ritual in the town.”

Artwork by Norfolk artist Tom Hlas.Provided

Norfolk Artists & Friends 17th Annual Art Exhibition

August 1 – 4, 2024

At the Art Barn Gallery on the Battell Stoeckel Estate.

Special sneak preview, Thursday, Aug. 1, from 5 to 7 p.m.

Gala Reception, Friday, Aug. 2, from 5 to 7:30 p.m.

Hours of exhibition: Saturday, Aug. 3, 12 p.m. – 5 pm Sunday, August 4, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Follow signs on the Stoeckel Estate to the Gallery from Routes 44 & 272 in Norfolk, Connecticut.

www.norfolkart.org

Latest News

Selectmen suspend town clerk’s salary during absence

North Canaan Town Hall

Photo by Riley Klein

NORTH CANAAN — “If you’re not coming to work, why would you get paid?”

Selectman Craig Whiting asked his fellow selectmen this pointed question during a special meeting of the Board on March 12 discussing Town Clerk Jean Jacquier, who has been absent from work for more than a month. She was not present at the meeting.

Keep ReadingShow less
Patton Oswalt brings comic relief to The Mahaiwe Theater Saturday, March 22

Patton Oswalt

Photo by Sam Jones

Comedian and actor Patton Oswalt is well known for his standup routine as well as his roles in film and television. Oswalt made his acting debut in the Seinfeld episode, “The Couch” and has appeared in “Parks and Rec,” “Reno 911,” “Modern Family,” and “A.P. Bio.” He has done voice-over work for movies including “Ratatouille,” and had his own Netflix special. “Patton Oswalt: Talking for Clapping.”

Oswalt will present his unique brand of humor in a show titled “Effervescent” at the Mahaiwe Theater in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, on Saturday, March 22. With sardonic style, he makes keen observations about American culture and gives biting critiques of the current administration.

Keep ReadingShow less
Jesse Ofgang and Kevin Elam bring Celtic thunder to the Library Annex on a stormy evening

Kevin Elam, left, and Jesse Ofgang, right, entertained guests at the NorthEast-Millerton Library Annex on March 5 with an array of Irish and Scottish musical fare.

Krista A. Briggs

Acclaimed Irish flutist Desi Wilkinson advises musicians to “Play only tunes and songs you’re mad about … Emulate what you like and then do your thing.” It’s advice Jesse Ofgang and Kevin Elam have seemingly taken to heart as part of their “Prelude to St. Patrick’s Day” tour which landed at the NorthEast-Millerton Library Annex on March 5, where the Celtic-flavored duo found themselves playing to a nearly full house on a wet and windy Wednesday.

While neither Ofgang nor Elam is originally from Ireland, their musical souls are firmly connected to both the Emerald Isle and the Highlands. While Ofgang claims partial Irish heritage through his mother and believes his musical partner is not of Irish descent, Elam’s resumé is filled with accomplishments in Irish music. He took top prize in 2019 in men’s English singing at the Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann competition in Drogheda, Ireland and has medaled at both the All-Ireland Fleadh and CCE Mid-Atlantic Fleadh competitions. Despite his Irish roots, Ofgang’s musical focus is actually across the Irish Sea, where he earned a master’s degree in Scottish music and bagpipes. As a student, he performed with the 16-time world champion Shotts and Dykehead Caledonia Pipe Band.

Keep ReadingShow less