Madison Art Society – Summer 2020 Newsletter
While the World Changes Around Us, Art Remains A Constant
The year 2020 will certainly go down in history as a tumultuous year with many unexpected challenges and changes. We can find solace in knowing art as a constant, steadfast outlet for us as artists, to help us through these trying times. While we live through a global pandemic that has put the entire world on edge, art is a refuge as we paint our way through the “lockdown”. As if Coronavirus was not enough to endure, we have seen the bottom drop out of a strong economy. Simultaneously, our country has been re-awakened to racial injustice and is accelerating its efforts to ensure that all Americans are afforded equal opportunities to reach their full potential. While protesters have taken to the streets in grief and frustration, many artists have turned to their art to express their raw emotions about recent events. In the coming months and years, we can be certain that art will remain a constant in our ever-changing world.
Just as art is a constant in our lives, The Madison Art society has been a steady, reliable art community to thousands of artists for nearly fifty years.
Going forward, we plan to continue in that tradition: to educate, to encourage, and to inspire artists and art-lovers alike. Please take a look at what MAS has in store for the summer months.
- Membership and Dues- The deadline for payment of dues was January 31st, 2020 but we will accept dues until July 31st 2020, considering the financial difficulties that Covid-19 has caused. Please send in your check, made out to MAS to PO Box 1383, Madison, CT, 06443, or pay online at madisonartsocietyct.org, “membership” tab. Thank you to Jen Thompson for her impressive efforts in creating our new online payment feature. Our Elected Artist Show is scheduled for August 3rd and your dues must be current to exhibit in the show and to maintain your Elected Artist status. Please see our website Madisonartsocietyct.org where a list of Elected Artists is posted under the “Membership” tab.
- Social Media News- Our webmaster, Jen Thompson, has added new online features at madisonartsocietyct.org, so that MAS can continue to mount exhibitions during these “social distancing” times, in an online exhibition format, using online payments and submission of artwork for our upcoming show. MAS has a new intern, Chloe Thompson, who will create and maintain a MAS Instagram account, which we are thrilled about! During our online elected Member Show, our new intern will post daily paintings to drive people to our website to view our art and increase sales of art.
- MAS Elected Artist Show August 2020- The MAS board of directors is very excited to announce our first Online Art Exhibition. We hoped to mount a “live and in person” show back at the newly renovated E.C. Scranton Memorial Library in Madison, which has been our home base for decades. However, due to the ongoing closings with the Coronavirus, the library will not be operating under normal hours, resulting in no live show or reception. Our Exhibition Committee of Janine Robertson, Jim Durkin, Melissa Imossi, Mark Hough and Christine Drago, are working with Jen Thompson to launch this online show, with submissions and payment online! The virus has forced us to step up our technical proficiency and to increase our online presence. See the show details below.
Online exhibition only. Submissions will be made by uploading photo
images to the website, Jul 13 . st-July 31th. We will have detailed
instructions emailed soon.
Submit any media, 2 per member, the first $10, the second $5.
Your dues must be current to participate.
3 prizes will be awarded, chosen by a judge.
$250 1st prize, 2nd $100, 3rd prize $50.
Thank you to Jennifer Corcoran, Jen Thompson and Chloe Thompson,
who will oversee social media and traditional publicity in order to
promote our Elected Artist Show, inform the public of MAS’ exhibit, and
increase art sales.
- Plein Air- Our plein-air paint outs take place on Wednesdays from 9AM- 12PM throughout the summer months. Each week artists meet at a different location, often at historical gardens and landmark sites in our area. Thank you to Linda Marino, who has planned a full calendar which you can view at madisonartsocietyct.org, with dates, locations, directions, and rules for social distancing.
- Town Hall Artists- The next town Hall artists will be Cindy Taylor and Hilary Griffin. Thank you to Steve Pynn, our chair, who is in communication with the Madison Town Campus to see when it will be open to the public.
- Demos/ Critiques/Lectures– Thank you to Marianne Dietz, who has kept the MAS members entertained and educated with the online Zoom demos that she has organized with area artists. On June 5th, Alan James watercolor artist, presented a painting demo of the Amalfi Coast, which can be viewed on the MAS website. He was both engaging and informative and it was a very successful demo with over 60 participants tuning in to watch.
–Next Zoom lecture on Friday August 21st at 10AM by Dr. Courtney
S. Long, Acting Assistant Curator, Prints and Drawings at Yale Center
for British Art. The title of her talk is “An English Landscape Revealed:
John Constable and the Poetry of Paint.” Dr. Long will examine the life
and artistic practice of one of England’s most celebrated landscape
painters, John Constable (1776-1837). More details to follow.
- MAS 46th Annual Juried Show– Monday October 5th – Friday, October 30th live, if possible, but may have to be online.
Receiving & jurying: Saturday, October 3rd
Hanging: Sunday Oct. 4th
Reception: Thursday, October 8th,
Pick up: Saturday, October 31st,
As we are witnesses to constant change around us, please stay safe and keep painting! MAS is here to help get us all through these challenging times. Remember, join us for Wednesday plein air paint outs, tune in to our Zoom lecture, and exhibit your artwork in our upcoming online Elected Artist Show! You just may win an award! Art will get us through these unprecedented times!
Hilary Griffin
President, Madison Art Society
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