Nothing can wreck your day like the Connecticut Siting Council (CSC), that overarching entity with authority to run gas pipelines and high-tension corridors through our backyards, site cell towers where they don’t belong and humble once-mighty ridgelines with huge broadcast towers. This council’s review is supposed to balance “public need” with “environmental compatibility,” but environment always seems to get short shrift, not to mention property values.Connecticut stands alone in having such an agency, which is funded solely by industry fees. Industries love our model and have tried, unsuccessfully, to get other states to adopt it. So what do the other 49 know that we don’t?Litchfield County has had two recent demonstrations of the arrogance of this agency. In Falls Village at an AT&T cell tower hearing Feb. 17, CSC Chairman Daniel Caruso drummed his fingers, networked with a nearby council attorney and cut off Starling Childs, president of The Berkshire-Litchfield Environmental Council (BLEC). Cornwall experienced similar behavior last year during a cell tower hearing when Elaine LaBella from the Housatonic Valley Association (HVA) tried to talk some sense to them. That episode prompted state legislators Rep. Roberta Willis (D-64) and Sen. Andrew Roraback (R-30) to request more civil behavior from the CSC, without much effect. In Falls Village, Childs’ brief statement was made during the public’s time to speak, and in theory he could have read the phone book aloud if he’d wanted. But the chairman repeatedly hurried him along for “relevancy.” For the record, I believe Childs’ remarks were all directed toward the application. Like LaBella in Cornwall, Childs was forced to edit on his feet but admirably held his ground, which won him a round of applause.The Berkshire-Litchfield Environmental Council was founded in 1970 by Star Childs’ father, Edward Childs, and a handful of like-minded environmentalists. The reason the group formed was to stop an electric utility “pond and release” project, which would have flooded all Wangum Valley in Falls Village. The utility intended to pump water to the top of Canaan Mountain, store it temporarily, then release it downhill through huge industrial turbines to generate electricity. This would have permanently altered the Northwest Corner and created a virtual wasteland for wildlife. The project would also have destroyed the watershed of Robbins Swamp, a unique calcareous wetland now known to be critical habitat for many endangered and special concern species. Robbins Swamp hosts flora and fauna not found anywhere else on earth. Environmentally speaking, it just doesn’t get more important.AT&T’s proposed 150-foot tower on Cobble Hill sits smack in the middle of Robbins Swamp. A less appropriate site is hard to imagine. Falls Village is virtually united against it, an accomplishment in itself. The tower will be visible for many miles, dominating an area surrounded by pristine ridgelines successfully protected by BLEC in the past. Childs tried to point out that in 1970, the threat was from water, but now is from radiofrequency radiation (RF) known to affect many species, especially in wetland areas where water is conductive. He tried to cite a just a few of hundreds of wildlife studies, but Caruso cut him off.Childs certainly has the chops to address the CSC. A geologist, licensed forester and lecturer at the Yale School of Forestry, he teaches graduate students how to inventory wildlife. As an environmental expert, he’s focused on how RF couples with living systems, especially migratory birds, throughout Litchfield County. He’s also the scion of Norfolk’s 6,000-plus-acre Great Mountain Forest, now in federal conservancy thanks to the civic-minded Childs family. When will the CSC stop rubber-stamping applications rather than approving 96 out of 100 cell towers? When will the CSC protect the environment and the public first? When will the CSC expand environmental review beyond mere width of an access road and the 100-by-100-foot footprint being leased? When will the CSC assume responsibility for damage after applications are approved, rather than advising property owners to hire attorneys? When will the governor appoint a more responsive chairman? And when — oh when — will the CSC recognize the solid expertise that exists in organizations like BLEC and HVA?The CSC resists all attempts at reform and has lost public trust. Perennial legislative tweaks, which never get beyond committee, aren’t enough anymore. It’s time lawmakers revoked the CSC’s enabling legislation and replace it with a public utility review board under the DEP, with legal town partnership, and at arms length from industry. Maybe then true public interest and environmental balance will be possible again. B. Blake Levitt of Warren is communications director for The Berkshire-Litchfield Environmental Council.
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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.
L. Tomaino
“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.
Provided
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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