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