Art At The Mansion
Art, Lockwood Mathews Mansion, tonight.
From a press release:
Meet us at the Mansion!
Loft Artists at the Lockwood-Mathews Mansion Museum
295 West Avenue, NORWALK CT
203-838-9799Join us for the
OPENING RECEPTION: Thursday, June 11, 6-8pmExhibit Dates: June 11 – September 9, 2009
Go to “Loft Artists Association ” for details.Included in the exhibit will be paintings and drawings by artists from Stamford, Greenwich, Norwalk, Wilton, Fairfield and Bridgeport. Among the exhibitors are: Pamela Riley Abear, Nikki Bates, Elaine Best, Shirley Binin, Angela Burns, Francine Funke, Alan Judelson, Renee Kahn, Clair Koch, Judith Lambertson, Cate Leach, Mary Louise Long, Susan McCaslin, Lina Morielli, Wendi Ohlson, Jane Petruska, Tina Rohrer, Alissa Siegal, Dana Scinto, Maura Shapiro, Liz Squillace, Kevin Thomas, Margaret Tsirantonakis, & Diane Weeks.
LOFT ARTISTS EXHIBIT AT LOCKWOOD-MATHEWS MANSION MUSEUM!
In an effort to acquire a broader audience, the Lockwood Mathews Mansion
Museum in Norwalk, CT has reached out to the members of the Loft Artists
Association, a community of artists located in a former warehouse at 845 Canal
Street in the South End of Stamford. For the past two years, the museum has
offered one of the high-ceilinged reception rooms on the ground floor of the 62-
room Victorian-style mansion to serve as an art gallery open to the public.
Gail Ingis- Claus, the Lockwood’s Interior Designer and Art Committee Chair, is
excited by the upcoming collaboration between Stamford’s Loft Artists and the
Lockwood Museum. “For the Mansion, these art shows have provided much
more than just art exhibited in the Billiards Room. It means more exposure, more
members, more of society realizing they have a remarkable piece of architectural
living history right here in the middle of Connecticut. The Loft Artist Association
will bring us opportunities for a wakeup call to our public enmasse. I am looking
forward to having the Association exhibiting the work of their artists and welcome
their guests to come and enjoy the art and the Mansion” , she says.
The contrast between the bare bones industrial building at 845 Canal St that
currently houses the Loft Artists and the rooms presently set aside at the for
exhibits at the Lockwood Mathews Mansion could not be more dramatic. With
parquet floors, elaborate woodwork and painted ceilings, the mansion represents
mid-19th century elegance at its highest, and provides a striking contrast to the
twenty-first century art work shown by the Loft Artists on the gallery’s walls.
Included in the exhibit will be paintings and drawings by artists from Stamford,
Greenwich, Norwalk, Wilton, Fairfield and Bridgeport. Among the exhibitors are:
Pamela Riley Abear, Nikki Bates, Elaine Best, Shirley Binin, Angela Burns,
Francine Funke, Alan Judelson, Renee Kahn, Clair Koch, Judith Lambertson,
Cate Leach, Mary Louise Long, Susan McCaslin, Lina Morielli, Wendi Ohlson,
Jane Petruska, Tina Rohrer, Alissa Siegal, Dana Scinto, Maura Shapiro, Liz
Squillace, Kevin Thomas, Margaret Tsirantonakis, & Diane Weeks.
The Lockwood’s Civil War era 63 room mansion was originally designed to
feature artwork, especially in its giant rotunda which currently contains modern
replicas of paintings by great artists primarily of the Late Hudson River School.
Built by Norwalk native Le Grand Lockwood, the mansion is one of the finest and
most elaborate of its kind, predating the Newport, R.I. “cottages” such as
Chateau Sur Mer and The Breakers. It was one of the first of its kind to be built
with indoor plumbing, a heating system and a bowling alley. Sold in 1876 to
Charles Mathews, the mansion began a downward spiral that eventually led to
it’s being used as a storage facility for the City of Norwalk and narrowly escaping
demolition in the 1960s. Rescued by determined preservationists, it has served
as an historic public attraction ever since. The public is invited to view the work of
the Loft Artists as part of the Mansion’s tours that take place Wednesday through
Sunday, hourly from noon to 3 p.m. All work will be for sale with 30 percent of
sales donated to the mansion.
For those who have already toured the Mansion and are solely interested in the
art exhibit, hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. Full tours are
$10 for adults, $8 for seniors and children, and young adults aged 8-21. Children
under 8 are admitted free. For an exhibit only viewing, the museum asks for a
donation.
The Lockwood Mathews Mansion Museum is located at 295 West Avenue,
adjacent to Exit 14 of the New England Thruway (I95). For more information
regarding the exhibit, contact the museum at 203/838-9799.
Museum docents will be available at the opening reception, Thursday, June
11 from 6-8 p.m. to provide free tours of the building. The Read’s Jazz Trio
(a three piece band), will be performing at the opening as well.
The Loft Artists Association, a non–profit organization, has resided in the
south end of Stamford for over 30 years. They are dedicated to sharing the
power of art with the community in which they work.
