CORNWALL — A first in-depth look at a plan for security at Cornwall Consolidated School (CCS) came by way of a public forum Jan. 29. About 20 people attended the meeting in the CCS gathering room.It included details of planned changes and improvements to the building and to procedures, and offered assurances of continued analysis and adjustments as may be needed. A most important aspect here is the philosophical approach. The school is truly viewed as and used as a community building. Striking a balance between keeping children safe and keeping the facility welcoming is considered worth the effort in a place that prides itself on its small-town feel and old-fashioned way of life.Timing is a concern. The only real worry that has been expressed publicly here is that security be updated quickly.State Police Sergeant Bob Janco, assigned to Troop B in North Canaan, has been consulting with schools and has taken on the role of liaison. He said some districts are waiting on anticipated state mandates for security before investing effort and money. Cornwall Principal Michael Croft reiterated his statements at last month’s school board meeting, when he said more was being done than was obvious.“We have figured out what we need and want, and started the process. Every school is different and we all are going to have to do very specific things to meet those different needs,” Croft said. Learning to respondImproving security is as much about learning to deal with a threat as it is keeping a threat out. After the Dec. 14 school shooting in Newtown, Cornwall, like many schools, sought professional consultation and a closer “working” arrangement with the fire department, State Police, town government and others. The school has a safety committee comprised of the principal, secretary, school nurse and head custodian. A camera and buzz-in system had already been installed at the main entrance two years ago, with monitors in the main office and board clerk’s office. Additional cameras and monitors are now planned.Other changes that have been made or will be soon include new interior door locks that can be activated quickly; a new main office configuration for ease of movement in coordinating an emergency response; panic buttons that will alert police and close fire doors; improved in-building communication; break-resistant film on windows; and improved first-responder access.The staff is being trained to think flexibly in any emergency, rather than trying to fit a prescribed protocol to a situation. “The shootings in Newtown affect our thinking, but the next one is not going to be like the last one,” Croft said. “The fact is, we have had only one crisis in the school in the last two years, and it was a fire.”New and tightened practices include all exterior doors locked during the day, with custodians making regular checks; identification cards for staff and visitors; and parent volunteers on campus during arrival, recess and dismissal as “eyes and ears.” High school studentsOne security concern is the high school students who have a bus route layover at CCS. Croft said that if they come into the building, it is usually to visit a former teacher, but that needs to change simply because it is academically disruptive. While members of the public and Sgt. Janco agreed there is little threat from former CCS students who want to stay connected with the school, their movements should be limited during the 20 minutes they are on campus. Non-Cornwall students, who might be heading to a friend’s house or a job, will need to have identification.Croft had met with HVRHS students a few days prior to the forum.“I told them they are welcome here, but that people are generally worried. They had not thought of themselves as a perceived threat, and we don’t want to give them the idea we are burdened with them. I gave them parameters for their after-school time here.”Daily visits from policeThe forum offered a look at how the State Police approach school security.Earlier that day, a ranking trooper had come to the school for a tour and a chance to get to know the building and staff. This has been happening all over the state. While there, they approach it as a positive experience, putting a smile on their face for the children they encounter. Patrol troopers are also stopping in at schools every day.At CCS, the reaction has been a good one, according to Croft, who has met seven troopers he had not seen before. Troopers tend to be figures the children trust, he said, and seeing them in their school does not spark any sort of fear.Cornwall resident and volunteer fireman Pat Elias questioned Janco on potential police response delays, given that road troopers cover three towns.“In an emergency, all boundaries disappear,” Janco said. “One of the reasons troopers take their cruisers home is that they are always on duty. And when they are in them, they have to monitor the radio. Just like in Newtown, off-duty troopers, resident troopers from other towns and DEEP conservation officers will respond.”DEEP is the state Department of Energy and Environmental Conservation; the agency has its own police force.Delay is a positive when it comes to reducing a threat. Janco said that in most scenarios, being able to keep a suspicious person outside as long as possible, to give police time to respond, is key.“We need to think about what we can do to create barriers, but keep the building welcoming to the community,” Janco said, stressing that, “Sandy Hook was an extremely rare situation at an elementary school. You are much more likely to have a fire or an angry parent confronting a teacher or the principal.”Dangers closer to homeThat said, Croft noted restraining orders and custody cases are reported to him by the courts, and that there is a process for parents and others to bring domestic issues to his attention.“A not-well-publicized fact is that a communication to me could be anonymous, but I can’t guarantee I wouldn’t act on it, if I felt intervention was needed.”Student mental health was already being addressed, and will continue to be closely watched, particularly through the Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) program and resources such as the school counselor, Housatonic Youth Service Bureau and Region One Pupil Services.Debated at the forum was how identifiable parent volunteers should be. Janco said at a school like CCS, strangers will stand out. Parents and Emergency Management Director Nevton Dunn advocated for upping the deterrence factor by making it obvious there are lots of people watching. “Those are also the people emergency responders know they can approach to help out in an emergency,” Dunn said.Parents asked about the after-school program, located in the visible and easily accessible gathering room near the main entrance to the school.Croft said that while the main concern is for securing the building during the school day, measures he cannot disclose have been implemented for after-school hours. The resident state trooper program was discussed, and Janco assured the public that such a trooper would be an additional trooper, not one taken off patrol. However, the town would pay a large percentage of costs. He suggested that residents contact their legislators and advocate for more troopers. Retired troopers are being hired in other schools, one parent noted.“I just don’t know if we’re at that place for elementary schools,” Janco said.“We have discussed the possibility,” Croft said. “We decided not to prioritize it at this point.”
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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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