Teenagers enjoyed an ‘outdoor studio’ during last year’s Lymes Creative Arts programming. Photo submitted by Lymes Creative Arts.
LYME/OLD LYME — UPDATED 3/19: Lymes Creative Arts is offering mini grants of up to $1000 plus materials to instructors providing hands-on arts opportunities to Lyme and Old Lyme teens this summer
The organization is accepting Summer 2023 programming proposals that help teens consider hands-on artmaking as a way to enrich their lives and find fulfillment in artistic expression.
Proposals are due April 3, 2023. Programming must occur between June 20 and August 20, 2023. Full grant instructions and application forms are posted on the Lymes Creative Arts webpage.
Priority programs include:
● Visual Arts: Such as drawing, painting, sculpture, photography
● Craft making: Such as pottery, textile art, woodworking
● Literary Arts: Such as creative writing, journaling, poetry
● Performing Arts: Such as music, dance, songwriting, theater
With funding from the American Rescue Plan, programming must be affordable (either free of charge to the student or a small nominal fee), easy to participate in (materials provided, all skill levels), and take place in Old Lyme and Lyme so that transportation is not an issue.
Instructors are paid a stipend and materials for student participation are considered separately.
Lymes Creative Arts is prepared to help instructors find a suitable location for workshops and classes in Lyme/Old Lyme if needed. A review panel comprised of the three sponsoring organizations — Lymes’ Youth Service Bureau, Sustainable Lyme, and Sustainable Old Lyme — will evaluate the applications.
Important Dates
● Proposals Due: April 3, 2023
● Panel Review: April 4-April 17, 2023
● Programming Announced: April 17, 2023
● Program Window: June 20-August 20
● Evaluation Period: August-September 2023
Program Goals
● Low or no-cost programming so students of all socio-economic backgrounds can participate
● Programs provide students transformative ways to manage stress through artistic expression
● A selection of programs in a variety of media
● Offered at a variety of times and weeks during the summer
● Low-stress offerings among the mix
● Individual artistic expression is celebrated and not compared to others’ progress
● Programs offered by young adults when possible
● Beginners embraced and offered opportunities to feel confident
● Programs marketed to students directly as well as to parents
Editor’s Note: Lymes Creative Arts is a collaborative effort of Lymes’ Youth Service Bureau, Sustainable Lyme, and Sustainable Old Lyme offering affordable and accessible creative arts programming for middle school and high school residents of the two towns. The initiative, now in its third season, is designed to reduce barriers to participation such as access to program options, time availability, and financial hardship.
” Three Yellow Apples” in oil by Pat Shoemaker is a key work in the ‘Stillness: A Still Life‘ segment of the ‘Four Acts’ exhibition.
OLD LYME — The Lyme Art Association (LAA) welcomes guests to its historic galleries to view Four Acts, an exhibition showcasing the diversity of styles created by its talented member artists. Each juried show looks at the world through a different lens: Long & Lean, Abstracted, Off the Press and Stillness: A Still Life.
The exhibition opens Friday, March 10, and runs through April 27, 2023. Meet the artists and mingle with friends at the opening reception being held Sunday, March 12, from 2 to 4 p.m. All are welcome to this free event.
Long & Lean features artworks with a 2:1 or 3:1 minimum ratio. From long sweeping landscapes, to narrow vertical citiscapes, this exhibition contemplates how a picture’s shape affects its meaning.
Diane Brown’s ‘Tranquility #1’ in oil and cold wax is one of the signature paintings in the Abstracted section.
Abstracted focuses on non-representational and non-objective art. Juried by renowned painter Cary Smith, the exhibition explores the abstractions of life and the internal moments between artists and their materials.
Off the Press is all about printmaking, highlighting a variety of techniques and media in the print medium. The show is juried by printmaker Nomi Silverman, whose work is in the collections of numerous museums as well as others around the country and abroad, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the New York Public Library, and the William Benton Museum of Art.
Nina Ritson’s etching titled, “View from the Second Field”, is a lead work in the ‘Off the Press‘ segment.
Stillness: A Still Life is an ode to the artistic practice of making the ordinary extraordinary. For millennia, artists have practiced their skills by painting objects found around the home and giving those objects meaning. Juried by Providence-based painter and psychologist, Judy Vilmain, the exhibition is an introspection into the world of still life.
Editor’s Note: The LAA is a welcoming and thriving fine arts community founded in 1914 by the American Impressionists of Old Lyme. Located in an historic, skylit 1921 building with an acclaimed gallery and art education studio, LAA exhibits over 2,000 paintings and sculptures each year in up to 15 themed, juried shows. The LAA offers art instruction, enrichment programs, and other public programs to the community, supporting artists at every level of their journey while cultivating a love of fine art.
Admission is free with contributions appreciated. Gallery hours are Wednesday through Sunday, 10 to 5 p.m. or by appointment.
For more information on exhibits, purchase of art, art classes, or becoming a member, visit www.lymeartassociation.org or call (860) 434-7802.
LYME-OLD LYME — Five Lyme-Old Lyme High School students were recognized at this year’s Connecticut Scholastic Art Awards.
Senior Abby Patana deserves special recognition for receiving a Gold Key for her portfolio, Enveloped in Gold. She also earned a scholarship offer from the University of Hartford Art School worth $116,000 over four years, and her portfolio will go on to be juried at the national level.
‘Burnt Up’ by Lea Wilson.
Senior Lea Wilson won a Silver Key in Printmaking and Honorable Mentions in both Portfolio and Comic Art, while Senior Kennedy McCormick earned two Honorable Mentions in Printmaking.
‘Dramatic Reading’ by Grace Phaneuf.
In the competitive Drawing and Illustration category Junior Grace Phaneuf and Sophomore Aven Kellert both also won Honorable Mentions.
Self-portrait by Aven Kellert.
Jurying was competitive, with only seven percent of juried work accepted for this year’s show.
Wendy Bury is the new Managing Director of Lyme Academy.
OLD LYME — The Lyme Academy of Fine Arts Board of Trustees has announced the appointment of Wendy Bury as Managing Director. Bury will begin transitioning to her new role on March 1, and will be fully integrated into the Academy’s administration by June.
In her new role as Managing Director, Bury will be responsible for overseeing the daily operations of the Academy, as well as for strategic planning initiatives, community outreach, and institutional development, as the Academy approaches the 50th anniversary of its founding.
She will work in partnership with Co-Artistic Directors Jordan Sokol and Amaya Gurpide, who will continue to lead the artistic direction of the Academy, and with the Board of Trustees.
Michael Thomas Duffy, chair of Lyme Academy’s Board, expressed his enthusiasm for Bury’s appointment: “We conducted a thorough search and reviewed the credentials of dozens of outstanding candidates.”
He continued, “I think one of Wendy’s references said it best when they told us that, ‘In Connecticut, there are few people who are as capable as Wendy. She can develop an innovative vision, a road map, engage partners, and put her shoulder to the wheel to make it happen.’”
Co-Artistic Director Sokol echoes Duffy’s sentiments: “I’m thrilled to welcome Wendy to the Lyme Academy. Her experience and proven leadership make her the perfect partner to carry its mission forward, and to ensure its sustainability.”
Bury arrives at a time of tremendous growth for the Lyme Academy, as it pursues its mission of providing a world-class education to representational artists. Sokol and Gurpide, both internationally-recognized artists and art educators, have attracted numerous full-time students from around the globe to the Academy’s Core Program since their arrival in January 2021. They have also created successful Continuing Education and Studio Immersion programs, added a sculpture program, led by premier American sculptor Chad Fisher, and have developed a robust schedule of lectures and workshops for students and the community.
Bury’s own professional accomplishments are many, and speak to a similar commitment to dynamic growth and advancement. As a life-long advocate for the arts, she has acted as a highly visible leader and consultant for small and large nonprofit arts and cultural businesses, multi-agency collaborative projects, and economic development agencies and chambers, as well as for nonprofit startups in the arts and cultural sector.
In 2014, Bury was named founding Executive Director of the newly formed Southeastern Connecticut Cultural Coalition, now 600-partner organizations strong and serving all of Eastern Connecticut. Bury has also served as a liaison for municipalities and government agencies, an advisor on nonprofit economic impact studies and reports, and she has been appointed to the boards of numerous Connecticut-based organizations.
Of her new position at the Lyme Academy, Bury comments, “I have had the opportunity to get to know Lyme Academy over the past several years and understand well the challenges it has faced during a time of change. With the renewed commitment to its original mission, passionate Board of Directors, supportive community, and a phenomenal artistic team, I look forward to being a part of the leadership that will help the Academy reach its full potential and, as its mission states, ‘empower a new generation of artists and enrich the cultural life of the community.’”
After earning a B.A. from Colgate University in Hamilton, New York, Bury received her M.A. in Art History from Cleveland’s Case Western Reserve University. Early internships with the New York Transit Museum and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s (MTA) Arts for Transit program inspired a life-long passion for public arts projects and services. Her career has subsequently featured several prominent leadership positions in Connecticut, including in policy, economic, corporate, and community development.
Since 2014, Bury has served as the founding Executive Director of the Southeastern Connecticut Cultural Coalition, an independent nonprofit organization and part of a statewide network of Designated Regional Service Organizations to support the Connecticut Office of the Arts in the Department of Economic and Community Development.
The Coalition’s mission is to improve the economy, vitality, and quality of life in Eastern Connecticut by supporting its cultural and creative communities. Currently, it provides programs and services to, and advocates for, more than 600 partners, including museums, performing arts organizations, artists, historical societies, economic development agencies, tribal and military entities, municipalities, and creative businesses.
Prior to this role, Bury was the founding Executive Director of La Grua Center, a nationally-recognized arts and cultural center in Stonington, Connecticut. Bury currently serves as Corporator of Chelsea Groton Bank, a Trustee of the Chamber of Commerce of Eastern Connecticut, and a board member of both Southeastern CT Enterprise Region (seCTer) and Chelsea Groton Foundation.
Between 2015 and 2021, Bury served on the Board of Directors of the CT Arts Alliance and was Co-Chair of its Policy & Issues Committee. Bury also served as a Co-Chair of Governor Lamont’s and Lieutenant Governor Bysiewicz’s Transition Arts, Culture, and Tourism Policy Committee upon their election in November 2018.
Bury has lived in Stonington, Conn. for 28 years and has three children.
Editor’s Notes: i) The mission of the Lyme Academy of Fine Arts is to teach the foundational skills of drawing, painting, and sculpture in the figurative tradition. By its commitment to training students in these skills and an engagement with contemporary discourse, the Academy will empower a new generation of artists. Through its programs, the Academy is committed to enriching the cultural life of the community.
ii) This article is based on a press release issued Feb. 1 byLyme Academy of Fine Arts.
LYME/OLD LYME — It is always interesting in early January of one year to crunch the numbers and see which stories drew the highest number of readers in the previous year. This year was no exception — there were some predictable winners like the announcement of the Old Lyme 2021 Citizen of the Year and the unexpected (and unsuccessful, as far as we know) auction of the Old Lyme Shopping Center.
There were several pandemic-related articles such as the opening of applications for ARPA grants in Old Lyme and a dramatic increase in the number of Connecticut towns in the Red Zone in April. The decision by the First Congregational Church of Old Lyme to hold its White Elephant Sale after a two-year Covid-enforced hiatus was greeted enthusiastically by many readers as was news that Lyme-Old Lyme Schools had dropped their COVID mask-mandate.
Controversial issues always prompt a rise in readers and predictably the whole business about the then-insuperable obstacles facing Old Lyme’s Open Space Commissions’ efforts to acquire two parcels of the Ames property fell into that category. Similarly, people wanted to read all about the appointment of a new face to the OL Economic Development Commission against both the recommendation of its chair and over an incumbent. The still-ongoing saga of the Tantummaheag access dispute made the list as did the subject of armed guards in Lyme-Old Lyme Schools.
Sad news also invariably attracts increased readership and so the announcement of the passing of our beloved food writer Lee White is on our list as is the unanticipated departure of the then-director of the Florence Griswold Museum.
There were surprisingly few politically-related stories in our Top 15 for 2022, even though it was a feisty election year. The one that did make the list related to a well-known Old Lyme resident being the major funder of a new Republican PAC in the state.
We knew Maureen Haseley-Jones’s gardening columns were popular, but it was a slight surprise that February’s — of all months — crept into our Top 15. Congratulations , Maureen!
But the biggest surprise of all was the most-read story of the year, which, against all odds, was the second and final segment of a two-part-story about the history of tobacco in Connecticut!
It is a particularly topical article for today — Martin Luther King, Jr. Day — because (and who knew?), MLK worked in the summers of both 1944 and 1947 on a tobacco farm in Simsbury to earn money for tuition. He wrote to his father that, “there was no discrimination at all,” north of Washington DC, adding that up North, “We go to any place we want to and sit anywhere we want to.”
King wrote in his autobiography, “It was a bitter feeling going back to segregation after those summers in Connecticut.”
Corey Kilgannon wrote in the New York Times that the dream of equality that MLK first glimpsed in Simsbury helped reshape his world view, adding, “It was during those summers that King began his path to becoming a minister.”
Congratulations to our very own Tom Gotowka on being the author of our most-read article in 2022!
We have a feeling the article was picked up by some research entities, which may have increased its readership numbers, but that takes nothing away from the simple fact that it recorded more readers than any other article in the whole of 2022!
The complete list of our Top 15 most-read articles for 2022 in descending order is as follows:
