Members show opens Saturday March 25

KENT >> The Kent Art Association (KAA) now in its 94th year will open the 2017 season with the first of its two Member’s Shows on Saturday, March 25 with a reception and awards presentation.

This show is limited to the members of the Kent Art Association and will have a large selection of art in various media submitted by the artist members. This year photography is included as part of the judged exhibit and one Award of Excellence will be given to a photographer.

Judges for this show are Mike Sposs and Julie Hopkins. Sposs graduated with a BFA from Edinburgh College at Penn State and an MFA from SUNY in New Paltz N.Y. He works mainly in oils but occasionally dabbles in watercolors and pen and ink. His preferred subject is landscapes. He is the recipient of numerous awards and is a member of the KAA.

Hopkins lives in Ridgefield and her preferred medium is pastels. She focuses on painting pastel landscapes of local scenes. She is the recipient of numerous awards and exhibits her pastels in shows throughout New England.

The KAA Members show is open from 1-5 p.m., Thursday to Sunday March 25 to April 16. The opening reception and awards presentation is on March 25 from 2-4 p.m. The KAA gallery is located at 21 South Main Street, Kent.

The artwork is for sale and the KAA retains a portion of each sale to support its functions throughout the year. The show will feature representational and non-representational art in a variety of mediums, sculpture and photography. For more information about the show, information on how to become a member and information on upcoming shows call 860927-3989 or go www.kentart.org

The gallery is open Thursday through Sunday from 1-5 p.m. The association has over 300 members, most but not all are artists. Davia Fink, a former KAA Executive Director, said “Our membership includes not only working artists but also many nonprofit organizations, businesses and private individuals who are ‘supporters’ of the arts.”

The next show is a special Retrospective Exhibit: “Barbara Goodspeed: A Celebration of a Life in Art.” The exhibit will feature a selection of works in oil and watercolor by the late Sherman resident and artist, Barbara Goodspeed, who during the 1980’s & 90’s served six terms as KAA President. This show opens with a gala reception on April 23 and runs through May 14.