Tag Archives: Community Room

The art teachers of Amity High School and Bethany and Orange Middle Schools
have organized an exhibit of student artwork in the Community Room from
Saturday, February 3 to Thursday, April 4. Stop in any time during Library hours!

An artist reception will take place on Tuesday, March 5, from 3:30 – 5:30 PM.

During December and January, the Library Community Room will be displaying library memorabilia and historical items, with the Friends of the Library Bicentennial Quilt, created in 1976, taking center stage. Featuring local landmarks and nature imagery along with a variety of geometric patterns, the quilt is a real piece of Bethany history. And while you’re visiting, check out the historic WPA mural displayed across from the main desk upstairs as well!

The Library’s featured artist for November, Phoebe Barron, is one of 73 artists whose artworks are showcased in HMVC Gallery New York’s Vibrant Visions Virtual Group Exhibition, a digital art show running from November 1st to November 30th. You can visit the HMVC website to see her piece Maze displayed in a virtual art gallery along with the works of the other artists, or see it in person in the Library’s Community Room as part of her “Lines, Angles, and Reflections in Architecture” display!

Phoebe with another of her pieces, Reflected Tree

A reception will be held on November 4th, 2:00 – 4:00 PM for the local artist featured in our Arts@Clark! exhibit for October and November, Phoebe M. Barron.

Phoebe, a New Haven resident, will have a two-part photography exhibit:

· Lines, Angles, and Reflections in Architecture
· YES! In My Back Yard – A Much Closer Look

Phoebe is a self-taught photographer who is captivated by angles and reflections in contemporary architecture. As an avid gardener, she also looks at flowers with a very close eye, seeing fine details often not appreciated. She has exhibited her works at City-Wide Open Studios, private galleries, and salons in the Greater New Haven area. A faculty member at Neighborhood Music School for nearly 40 years, Phoebe is excited to show a different aspect of her creativity.

Robin McCahill Drop-In Talk & Art Workshop, September 16th. Drop-In Talk, 12:30-1:30 PM, Library Community Room: Robin McCahill will discuss her work and techniques in fiber arts. All are welcome! Art Workshop, 2:00-4:00 PM, Library Makerspace: Robin will teach participants how to create a simple felted wool rod puppet. For adults and children ages 10+. Space is limited; signups are required.

Local artist Robin McCahill will be hosting two events on September 16th! There will be a drop-in talk from 12:30 to 1:30 in the Community Room downstairs, where Robin’s art is currently on display; Robin will discuss both her work and fiber art techniques in general. This event is open to all and does not require signups.

Then there will be a workshop from 2:00 to 4:00 in the Makerspace area of the Children’s Room, where patrons will learn how to create their own simple felted wool puppet! Workshop participants must be at least 10 years old. Space is also limited and signups are required; you can either call the Library at 203-393-2103 or stop by the main desk to sign up.

Both events are free, and supplies for the workshop are provided. And remember, you don’t have to attend the drop-in talk if you are attending the workshop, or vice-versa!

Our Arts@Clark! exhibit for August and September will feature the works of local artist Robin McCahill. She will also be hosting a crafting workshop in mid-September, so keep an eye on our Event Calendar!

Robin is from Thomaston, Connecticut. She is a fiber and felting artist who enjoys exploring its two- and three-dimensional qualitiesHer work is inspired by nature, textures, colors, creatures, myths and legends, magic, science, and mechanics. She designs and builds props and puppets for performers, as well as performing herself and creating wearable art and home décor.

Robin has been Art Director for Cheshire Youth Theater for 5 seasons, directing kids in plays like Lion King Jr., Singing in the Rain, Moana, Matilda, and coming soon, Shrek Jr. the Musical! She also hosts workshops for both children and adults at Artsplace in Cheshire, as well as libraries, schools, colleges, museums, art centers, rehab centers, and at her studio. She is a bike-fitting specialist and owner of Intuit Bike Fit LLC, and is a licensed massage therapist.

A reception will be held on Saturday, April 10 with the local artists featured in our Arts@Clark! exhibit for June and July, Diane Chandler and Abbey Catalano.
 
Diane Chandler is an award-winning representational painter who resides in Wallingford, CT. After several years of focusing on portraits, she has been experimenting with other subjects; plants, trees, landscapes. She aspires to create arresting images that invoke a visceral reaction with viewers. 
 
Abbey Catalano just completed her junior year as a Ceramics major at Massachusetts College of Art and Design in Boston, MA. Her work has been featured in several juried exhibitions at MASS Art. This past year she attended a week-long workshop in clay at Haystack Mountain School of Crafts in Maine as well as the National Conference for the Education on Ceramic Arts in Ohio. A resident of Hamden and graduate of Hamden Hall Country Day School, Abbey has participated in Clark Memorial Library’s Annual Summer Outdoor Exhibits in Bethany, CT for the past two years.
 
Diane’s oil paintings are on display in the Community Room downstairs; Abbey’s ceramic sculptures are in the display cabinets just outside the Community Room. Come to the reception for a chance to not only see their creations, but talk with the artists themselves!

Arts@Clark! Presents:
James Vanderberg art exhibit continues through May!
Clark Memorial Library,

Have you seen the art exhibit in the Library’s Community Room? Throughout April and May, the exhibit features the work of local artist James Vanderberg. James moved to Bethany with his family in July of 2019 from Brooklyn, New York; he has taught Studio Art and Art History, and is currently the Educator for High School, University, and Community Engagement at the Yale Center for British Art. His art has also been featured in our past Annual Public Art Exhibits!

You can stop by any time during Library hours to visit the art exhibit. The Community Room is at the end of the right-hand hallway off of the Library’s side entrance.

A picture of James Vanderberg with some of his paintings.
Current members of the Book Club gathered in the Meeting Room.
Current members of the Book Club gathered in the Meeting Room.

Remember, the Bethany Book Club has started meeting again! Make sure to check the Library’s Calendar of Events or the Bethany Bulletin each month for the date of the next meeting and the title of the book to be discussed if you are interested in joining. All are welcome! This month’s meeting will be on Tuesday, March 21st, at 2:00 PM in the ground floor Meeting Room – the book under discussion will be The Forest Lover by Susan Vreeland. Copies of the book are available from the Library – stop in or call us at (203) 393-2103.

Bethany Book Club has returned! The Book Club will convene on the first-floor Meeting Room on Tuesday, January 17, at 2:00 PM. The book to be discussed at the first meeting is The Dutch House, by Anne Patchett. Please join organizer Cate Horton for light refreshments and lively discussion. Books for future meetings will also be considered. For copies of The Dutch House, please call the Library for availability.