Category Archives: Arts

‘Amphora’ Retrospective at Lyme Academy Celebrates 40 Years of Work by Old Lyme Artist Pat Smith

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Pat Smith artwork and journals on display at Lyme Academy of Fine Arts. Photo by Caryn B. Davis.

OLD LYME — The Lyme Academy of Fine Arts presents Amphora, a retrospective survey of four decades of work of the Old Lyme-based artist Patricia Smith (b.1942).

Amphora is both a celebration of the earth and the earliest crafts it bore, and a deeply personal tribute to Smith’s enduring muse. The exhibition will be on view in the Academy’s Sill House Gallery from Aug. 28, through Sept. 18, 2022.

Spanning a wide range of media, this exhibition takes as its signature piece the iconic pottery vessel that defined the ancient world, and represents Smith’s initial calling and primal connection to her creative vocation.

Raised in Manchester, England, Smith found her way to the Greek archaeological site of Knossos at the age of 20. It was there that she fell in love with the art of pottery, and began what would become a lifelong journey into the arts.

In the early 1980s, Smith was initiated into her true material — porcelain — from a fellow potter and collaborator. Together they explored deeply the possibilities of the material, including mold-making and slip-casting with liquid clay, and developed complex high-fire celadon and ash glazes. It was this transformative moment that revolutionized Smith’s conception of ceramics.

Pat Smith Artwork – Porcelain and Paper. Photo by Caryn B. Davis

After relocating to a Soho loft in New York City, and with a studio of her own, Smith’s creativity with porcelain seemed to know no bounds. Black and white elemental pieces gave way to a new series of nerikomi works, which featured (natural) white porcelain streaked with blue veins.

Smith also began producing hand-built bowls, made by overlapping paper-thin strips of porcelain to form an open, woven form. Their raw, torn edges evoke a primal, organic quality that is wholly reflective of Smith’s profound and resonant approach.

In the 1980s and ’90s, Smith was actively working and showing throughout the United States. She taught ceramics at Parsons School of Design for a brief period before leaving her years of teaching to focus on her own work.

She began experimenting with new techniques, such as watercolor and cyanotype, and her porcelain work began to incorporate the expressiveness of these other mediums. Smith continued to work in clay, however, allowing each of the materials she explored to intertwine, engage, and mutually inform.

The artist Pat Smith n her garden in Old Lyme, Conn.

In the late 1990s, Smith left New York with her husband to settle in Connecticut, where she established a new studio, in addition to spending several months of the year at their home in Paris.

These months in Paris without a kiln inspired her to invent new ways of working without clay, leading to another breakthrough, which was the use of paper as a substitute for porcelain. In this way, Smith began to work the paper to produce similar forms and effects that she had achieved in porcelain.

Eventually paper and porcelain were used almost interchangeably, combined with other elements such as thread, cloth, wood or stone, making the two pure white materials contained the essence of the work.

“Making art is a journey, a weaving of recurring themes and inspirations, unraveling layers of the self and illuminating an inner tapestry of memories and images” says Smith. “My own journey has led me from England to France and finally here to Old Lyme.”

Pat Smith’s studio in Old Lyme. Photo by Caryn B. Davis.

Smith adds, “I am so grateful to Lyme Academy for giving me this precious opportunity to share my art.”

Although Smith’s art over the years has clearly extended beyond the making of clay vessels, she maintains that she is fundamentally a potter at heart. The amphora that the 20-year-old carried home from Knossos remains with her today, continuing to serve as the symbolic container of her original passion and now, with this exhibition, the representation of her life’s work.

Editor’s Note: ‘Amphora, A Pat Smith Retrospective’ is on view in Lyme Academy’s Sill House Gallery Aug. 28, through Sept. 18, 2022, Wednesday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Forty percent of the proceeds from the sale of artwork from the exhibition will be contributed to Lyme Academy of Fine Arts. 

Lyme Art Association Hosts Two New Shows, ‘Point of View’ & ‘True Blue’

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One of the signature works in ‘Point of View’ is ‘Good Night’ (above) in oil by Elected Artist Christopher Zhang. The show is currently on view at the Lyme Art Association.OLD LYME — On Friday, Aug. 19, from 5 to 7 p.m., Lyme Art Association (LAA) will host an Opening Reception for two new shows, which opened Aug. 12. All are welcome.

The first is Point of View, the 101st Annual Elected Artists Show, which showcases the ‘best of the best’ in representational art from LAA’s Elected Artists.

These are the Association’s most accomplished artists and also torch-bearers for the American representational tradition. They follow directly in the footsteps of the original Lyme Art Colony artists, who hung their tonalist and impressionist works on the walls of the local library back in 1901.

‘To the Summit’ in oil by Blanche Serban is featured in the ‘True Blue’ show on view at the LAA.

The second exhibition is True Blue. Considered beneficial to the mind and body, the color blue elicits a sense of tranquility and healing. The LAA challenged its Associated Artists to submit work where blue is the predominant or most significant color in their piece.  This ode to blue will be both pleasing and intriguing for visitors.

Both shows are on view through Sept. 22, 2022 and sponsored by Chelsea Groton Bank. Admission is free with donations appreciated.

The gallery is open at 90 Lyme St. in Old Lyme from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Wednesday through Sunday, and by appointment.  The Lyme Art Association is located in the Old Lyme Historic District in a building designed by Lyme Colony artist and architect, Charles Adams Platt.

The LAA was founded 1914 by the American Impressionists and continues the tradition of exhibiting and selling representational artwork by its members and invited artists, as well as offering art instruction and lectures to the community.

For more information on exhibits, purchase of art, art classes, or becoming a member, visit www.lymeartassociation.org or call 860-434-7802.

Exhibition of Art by Lyme Academy Students Opens Today at Niantic Gallery With Reception

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The signature work of the 2022 Lyme Academy Student Exhibition is this portrait study titled, ‘Katie’ by AnneMarie Johnson.

NIANTIC/OLD LYME — Niantic Bay Gallery of Fine Art is hosting an exhibit of work by Lyme Academy of Fine Arts students, featuring academic drawings from current students and a painting by instructor Edmond Rochat.

An opening reception for the exhibition will be held tomorrow, Saturday, Aug. 13, from 5 to 7 p.m. All are welcome and there is no fee for admission.

This is a special opportunity to view and purchase the work of students.

The opening reception in downtown Niantic will feature an evening of both fine art and refreshments.

The Niantic Bay Gallery of Fine Art is located behind the Arthur Murray Dance Center at 291 Main St Unit C in Niantic, Conn.

Old Lyme’s Florence Griswold Museum Director Beaulieu Leaving to Become President/CEO of Cincinnati’s Taft Museum of Art

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Florence Griswold Museum Director Rebekah Beaulieu is leaving to take up a position as President/CEO of the Taft Museum of Art  in Cincinnati, Ohio.

CINCINNATI, OHIO/OLD LYME, CONN.—The Taft Museum of Art’s board of directors has announced the selection of Rebekah (Becky) Beaulieu as the museum’s next Louise Taft Semple President and CEO.

Beaulieu is currently the director of the Florence Griswold Museum, an American Alliance of Museums accredited National Historic Landmark, house museum, and modern exhibition space dedicated to American art, history, and landscape in Old Lyme, Conn.

Since Beaulieu’s appointment in 2018, she has made substantive changes in the depth of programming and connection to the community.

Beaulieu also serves as an accreditation commissioner for the American Alliance of Museums, as the vice president of the New England Museum Association, and as the treasurer of the American Association for State and Local History.

Beaulieu’s work has received recognition as the author of Financial Fundamentals for Historic House Museums (Rowman & Littlefield, 2017) and Endowment Essentials for Museums (Rowman & Littlefield, 2022).

Raised in Milwaukee, Beaulieu holds a PhD from Boston University in American and New England Studies with her dissertation Historic House Museums and America’s Urban Midwest offering underrepresented scholarship in the field.

Beaulieu also holds a masters in Art History and Museum Studies from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, a masters in Arts Administration from Columbia University and a bachelors in American Studies from The George Washington University.

In addition to her current roles, she has also held positions at the Bowdoin College Museum of Art (Brunswick, Maine), the Milwaukee County Historical Society (Milwaukee, Wis.), and Lookingglass Theatre Company (Chicago, Ill.)

The current Florence Griswold Museum Director Rebekah (Becky) Beaulieu will take up the position of President/CEO of the Taft Art Museum in Cincinnati, Ohio (pictured above) starting Sept. 19, 2022. Photo by Ryan Kurtz.

“We are delighted to welcome Becky as the next President and CEO of the Taft, and excited to have her and her husband Patrick become part of our vibrant community in Cincinnati,” says Jill T. McGruder, board of director’s vice chair. “Becky will bring her impressive skills in community engagement, staff support and financial management to the museum at an important moment in its history, having recently celebrated our bicentennial and preservation of our landmark home.”

This appointment marks a critical era for the Taft, whose world-renowned collection and regional legacy make it an important national treasure. Beaulieu will build upon the organization’s community-centered engagement and excitement following the museum’s Bicentennial Infrastructure Project, sparking a renewed creative energy around the unique cultural gem.

“I am absolutely thrilled to be joining the Taft Museum of Art and look forward to collaborating with its visionary board of directors and exceptional staff to steward the museum into its exciting next chapter as a beacon of 21st century preservation and engagement. It is a true honor to be selected to lead an institution that is renowned for its commitment to excellence, and to join the dynamic arts community of Cincinnati,” says Beaulieu.

Beaulieu will officially join the museum as Louise Taft Semple President and CEO on Sept. 19, 2022.

The board-appointed selection committee conducted a nationwide search, retaining executive search consultants Museum Search & Reference, LLC.

Editor’s Notes: i) The press release above was issued Aug. 1, 2022 by the Taft Museum of Art.
ii) Tucked away in downtown Cincinnati, Ohio, the Taft Museum of Art is a living landmark where art and history are everywhere you look. Built around 1820 as a private home for several of Cincinnati’s most prominent citizens, the Taft Museum of Art is now one of the finest small art museums in America and holds National Historic Landmark status for its historic house and Duncanson murals. For more information, visit taftmuseum.org.

All-New Art Store Opens at Lyme Academy Today; Offers Art Supplies, Gifts, Collectibles

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A view of the eclectic interior of ‘de Gerenday’s Fine Art Materials and Curiosities’ at Lyme Academy of Fine Arts. All photos by Caryn B. Davis.

OLD LYME — The Lyme Academy of Fine Arts has announced the opening of de Gerenday’s Fine Art Materials and Curiosities, a new shop on the Academy’s campus in Old Lyme that offers a variety of art supplies and giftable objects from around the globe.

The official opening of the store will take place during Old Lyme’s Midsummer Festival on Saturday, July 30, with a ribbon-cutting at 10 a.m. All are welcome to join the celebration. The store will then be open all day through 5 p.m.

During the Festival, the Academy will feature an art show and sale by Lyme Academy alumni along with art demonstrations, live musical performances, food, drinks and more. 

Modeled after the most famous and storied art stores in Paris and London, such as Sennelier and L. Cornelissen, this destination shop is as photogenic as it is substantial.

Almost every type and color of paint imaginable is on offer at the newly-opened store inside Lyme Academy of Fine Arts.

Artists will find a vast array of the finest quality oil, acrylic and watercolor paints, brushes of all sizes, fine linen papers, canvas on rolls, and sculpting tools, all chosen by the professional artists, who comprise the faculty of the Lyme Academy.

In addition to supplies for artists, a unique collection of “curiosities” adds a sense of old-world charm and sophistication to the store. These include an extensive number of new and rare art books, taxidermy, architectural salvage, tapestries, and one-of-a-kind decorative items for the home.

The Academy’s Executive Director, Mora Rowe, utilized her background in fashion and design to develop her vision for the interior display and carefully curated items for the unique store.

A highlight of the store is the collection of plaster casts of classical European figurative sculptures (see above) available for purchase. These casts were sourced from notable collections in Italy and France and are used for both teaching and study by faculty and students attending the Academy.

Visitors to the store will find a variety of items for artists and non-artists ranging in price from $5 upwards. Consigned pieces of art, Italian leather journals, candles and jewelry are also for sale in the store.

Furthering a commitment to local artisans, Hardenco, a boutique denim manufacturer located in New Hartford, Conn. was commissioned to produce high quality, Lyme Academy logo-decorated artist aprons and zippered bags for the shop.  

“It is part of our mission to create a store at which both artists and people, who appreciate art, can shop,” says Rowe, adding, “Our goal was to include some items that would be artistic in nature, allowing for their use by either artists for still life paintings or individuals and interior designers sourcing products for unique home décor.”

Rowe notes, “Additionally, we have ensured that there is something for everyone who visits the store. Whether you are a local artist in need of a new canvas, or a community member looking for a gift, de Gerenday’s will be top of your list as a place to shop, while also supporting the Academy.”   

Special orders, drop-shipping, online shopping and gift certificates are available.

“In keeping with the Lyme Academy’s pursuit of excellence in arts education, we feel it is important that the materials and tools we offer reflect our values,” says Co-Artistic Director Jordan Sokol.

He explains, “We spent many months hand-selecting each brand to ensure the quality of every product. We are thrilled to have the convenience of the store right here at the Academy as many of the artists attending classes and workshops are often in the studio for up to 12 hours a day.”

Sokol notes, “You won’t find many of these products in art supply chains or on Amazon.”

Fine art brands sourced for the store include Michael Harding, Old Holland, Rublev, Artefex, Raymar, Holbein, Winsor & Newton, Chelsea Classical Studio, Silver Brush, Trekell, Robert Simon, Isabey, Raphael, New Wave, Strathmore, Fabriano, Arches, Stonehenge, Staedtler, Derwent, Sennelier, Apollon, Centurion and more. 

The shop’s name honors Laci de Gerenday, the husband of the Academy’s founder, Elisabeth Gordon Chandler, who was himself a successful sculptor and administrator at Lyme Academy.

The opening of this art store marks one of many planned ventures by the new staff, faculty, and board of the Academy to welcome the Old Lyme community to the campus, support the town’s thriving local art scene, and re-establish Lyme Academy as a premier destination site for artists and art enthusiasts from all over the world.

Editor’s Notes: i) de Gerenday’s is accessible by the South Campus entrance located at 84 Lyme Street in Old Lyme, Conn. and is currently open to the public Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

ii) 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. Learn more by visiting www.lymeacademy.edu.