October at the Guild

Dear Members,

Our fall season has kicked off in its usual grand style with our 32nd Annual Juried Show juried by Amy Smith Stewart. Chaired by the incomparable and super organized Mary Louise O'Connell, all the components of the very complex, the Juried Show went off without a hitch. Thank you to both co-chairs -- Mary Louise and Debra Browne. Congratulations goes out to everyone in the show including -- Best-in-Show artist M.G. Martin for her winning collage Pink & Tan. (Award winners listed below.) The Juried Show runs through October 31st and we encourage everyone to come out and take a look.

The Juried Show was designed by Debra Browne and installed with the assistance of the gallery committee headed up by board members Kim Hanna and Cindi Mullins. New this season, and in an effort to offer more opportunity to our members interested in exhibition design/install, our gallery committee will designate a lead designer for each show and the committee will assist in hanging the work. Credit to everyone involved will be given on signage right by the reception desk with each show. Check it out and let us know if you would like to join the team.
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Our galleries are looking really good this fall with several big improvements. Foremost is the new sleek reception desk that greets all of our visitors and provides a much more efficient work space for gallery coordinator, Joan Isaac. The new gift gallery also sports a window that was uncovered in the renovation and shiny new floorboards that were re-varnished. In the third gallery, the formerly dark brown ceiling had a face lift with several coats of white paint, which has served to lift the ceiling and reflect light. Our antiquated track lighting system remains high on our wish list to replace and efforts to write grants and raise money to do so are on-going. Our upstairs gallery continues to provide another venue for our member artists to show. Booked through 2010, we will be opening up the schedule for 2011 in November. This gallery is a wonderful learning experience for emerging artists to experience the ins/outs of mounting their own show with the guidance of experienced Guild personnel.

The fall school season is also kicking off this month. Board Member Mary Harold has put together some great course offerings for both children and adults--please see our website www.rgoa.org for more details. The highly successful ARTalk series co-sponsored with the Ridgefield Library starts up with artist David Dunlop's talk on November 1 from 2-4pm. Weather permitting the Guild will also have a booth on October 17 at the Fall in Love with Ridgefield event on Ridgfield's Main Street staffed by board members and teachers with more information on the upcoming year.

Looking ahead, the Guild is preparing for the 5th Annual Festive Home exhibit. This holiday show will run an extra two weeks this year opening on November 20th with a Preview Party and running through December 20. We are excited to showcase five very talented decorators who will design festive tabletops that will add a lot of excitement to the show. Festive Home also provides a great opportunity to get involved with the Guild--if you have an hour or two to volunteer, we greatly appreciate any help to make this financially important show successful.

Here's to the generous creative spirit--cheers,

Rachel Volpone
President

Juried Show Award Winners

Best in Show: M.G. Martin -- Pink & Tan ...
Collage
First Prize: Martha Nicholson -- Triptych ... Ink
Second prize: Lisa Dorne -- East Harlem, NY/MT. Zion ... Acrylic

Third prize: Margaret Sawyer -- American Mysteries Series: White Dress Mystery ... Photograph

Juried Show Awards For Excellence
(in alphabetical order)

Larry Blizard: Men ... Graphite
Elaine Conner: Bodhisattua Guanyin ... Watercolor
Mary Louise O'Connell: Daniel ... Oil