Exhibition Highlights Creation of WCSUs New Arts Building

Stills excerpted from "Over five days in August, 2011" © Catherine Vanaria

Connecticut Photographics' co-owner Catherine Vanaria, who is also a professor of photography at Western Connecticut State University, has a video piece in the exhibition "Groundbreaking: Looking Forward" at the university.  Her time-lapse video is comprised of stills taken at intervals during the demolition of the former Roberts Avenue School located on the downtown campus.

The collection of works by WCSU students, alumni and faculty, will be on display from noon to 4 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays from Thursday, Oct. 20, through Thursday, Dec. 1, in the Higgins Gallery in Room 101 of the Higgins Hall Annex on the university's Midtown campus, 181 White St. in Danbury. There will be an opening reception from 5 to 7 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 20. The exhibition and reception will be free and open to the public.

The official groundbreaking ceremony took place on Monday, October 17, and included the participation of WCSU's fine and performing arts departments, Connecticut's Governor Dannel Malloy, Mayor Mark Boughton, former governor and local resident M. Jodi Rell, and other honored guests and attendees. For more information about the building project: WCSU Visual and Performing Arts Center

Danbury Museum and Historical Society Fundraiser Calendar featuring the photographs of Catherine Vanaria

The Danbury Museum and Historical Society has created a 2012 calendar featuring the artful photographs of women's hats from their exhibit "Magnificent Millinery: Three Centuries of Women's Hats in Danbury" by Catherine Vanaria of Connecticut Photographics and Still River Editions. The calendar was created with the support of Western Connecticut State University in Danbury, CT, where Vanaria is an adjunct professor of photography.

It has become increasingly important to receive private funding for local historical societies as towns slash budgets. Danbury has important collections from the hatting trade, the Danbury Fair, the settling of Danbury, and those related to Marian Anderson and Charles Ives.  Proceeds from the calendar will help preserve Danbury's past and educate its residents and visitors.

The calendar may be preordered by mail using this pdf form (link to pdf).

The exhibit "Magnificent Millinery: Three Centuries of Women's Hats in Danbury" will be up until October 15, so if you haven't seen it, stop by the historical society the next time you are downtown. Danbury Museum and Historical Society is located at 43 Main St., Danbury, CT.

Three Photographers: Mark Savoia, Catherine Vanaria and Lys Guillorn at City Wide Open Studios New Haven: Sept. 25-26.

Stacy © Catherine Vanaria

The three of us at Connecticut Photographics/Still River Editions will be sharing a gallery space at City Wide Open Studios New Haven this weekend.
Sat. 9/25 12-5pm and Sun. 9/26 from 12-5 pm
Three Photographers from Still River Editions: Mark Savoia, Catherine Vanaria, and Lys Guillorn at Erector Square, 315 Peck St. New Haven, CT Building 2, 3d Floor, Unit 1

There is an opening reception Friday night from 5-8 at Artspace New Haven in which Mark and I will have one piece each, but the bulk of the show is during the weekend at Erector Square. I'll be going to the opening.

Other folks we know are participating include: Keith Johnson, Phyllis Crowley, Tom Peterson, and kHyal™ and Karl Heine from DesignerGrill, Joan Fitzsimmons, Valerie Richardson (WPKN DJ), and Lisa Nichols. We're sharing a space with painter Zachary Keeting.

We'll be bringing traditional and digital prints of our own work. I chose to work a bit bigger than I have been lately, and had Mark print some 20"x36" carbon pigment inkjet prints of black and white film double exposures. Mark is bringing black and white carbon prints that recently were exhibited at NESOP that show off his sense of humor and eye for irony. He might also have a 13-foot-long triptych in the works. Cathy is bringing some of her intimate portraits made with the 8"x10" camera currently residing about 12 feet away from me, like a lone dancer in the middle of the lab.

It's free, so if you feel like having a New Haven day trip to see some interesting art of all varieties and qualities, please come over and say hello. We're looking forward to meeting our fellow artists and jumping in the fray.

Be well,
Lys

A view of our space before the start on Saturday

Catherine Vanaria exhibiting at Images 2010 29th annual photo exhibition

Our very own Catherine Vanaria has been accepted into the 2010 Images 29th Annual Photo Exhibition. Held at Guilford Arts Center in Guilford, CT. This is the 4th time she has been picked for this prestigious show. She will be exhibiting two of her current series of large format black and white portraits. Opening reception and awards ceremonies takes place February 7th, 3-5pm.

Directions to Guilford Art Center's Mill Gallery : I-95 to Exit 58 Guilford, go north on Route 77 for 200 yards. Turn right into the center. The gallery is the yellow building. The exhibition will be shown February 8th through February 27th, 12-4pm daily.

Mark

Still River Editions' owners in photo exhibition

Mark Savoia and Cathy Vanaria have both been chosen to exhibit photographs at the 30th Annual Juried Photography Exhibition at The Carriage Barn Arts Center in New Canaan, CT, February 7 through March 7th. Cathy will be showing one of her recent portraits and Mark will be featuring one of his digital paper negative nature photographs. Also in the exhibit are clients Karen Neems, Pamela Zaremba and Paul Berger. There will be an opening reception on Sunday, February 7th, 4-6pm. The Carriage Barn Arts Center is historic barn located on the grounds of a former estate now known as Waveny Park.

Catherine Vanaria Featured in Faculty Exhibition at WCSU, Danbury, CT

"Stacy" © C.A. Vanaria

Catherine Vanaria will be exhibiting two black and white photographs from her series of portraits taken with her 8x10 film camera at the Western Connecticut State University Faculty Art Show. The exhibition takes place at Higgins Hall Gallery, 181 White St., Danbury, CT from November 17 to December 10. The reception will be on the 17th of November from 5-7 pm.

Cathy's use of the 8x10 camera is a counterbalance to the digital approach, which often tempts us to overshoot and underthink. The images themselves are formal and yet extremely intimate; little space stands between the camera's lens (therefore the viewer) and the subject. The narrow area of focus is usually around one eye, and the most arresting visual element is the subject's gaze. The two prints included in the faculty show are of former photography students.

Lys

Catherine Vanaria at the opening party

C.A. Vanaria exhibiting with Connecticut Women Artists at the Jorgensen Center in Storrs, CT

"Stacey" © C.A. Vanaria

My friend/mentor/owner of Connecticut Photographics Catherine Vanaria will be included in the Connecticut Women Artists' 80th Annual Open Juried Exhibition from June 20-July 25.

Cathy's entry, shown above, is from her recent black and white portrait series captured using an 8x10 film camera. The behemoth 8x10 has built-in mojo, and it invites a deliberateness that is rarely present in making a digital photograph. There's an unbelievable degree of intimacy when you are that close to the camera/that close to the subject.

There will be a reception and awards ceremony on Saturday, June 20 from 2-4 pm. The exhibit is located at the Jorgensen Center for the Performing Arts, 2132 Hillside Road, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut 06269-3104

In addition, Cathy is now posting her portfolios to blogs accessible here or by clicking on her name above.

Keep lookin',

Lys

It's Opening Season

Now that Spring is truly, truly about to arrive (I hope) in spirit rather than in name only, I can make it to more gallery shows and openings. I'm looking forward to scoping out nooks and crannies in the Connecticut and New York arts scenes that I haven't previously explored.

To that end, I'd like to encourage anyone for whom we do printing (both digital and traditional) to send announcements my way lysbeth[at]ctphoto.com, and I will do my best to post information on the blog. If I pop out to an opening, let me know if it's ok if I put a small pic on the site.

In the news here, the co-owners of Connecticut Photographics and Still River Editions, Catherine Vanaria and Mark Savoia, have both been accepted into the 2d Annual Camera Works Juried Exhibition (Juror: Nat Trotman) at the Ridgefield Guild of Artists. Catherine's piece is a 20x24 print from her recent 8x10 camera portrait series. Mark's piece is a stylized landscape. Both are black and white.

2d Annual Camera Works

April 26-May 22
Opening Reception Sunday, April 26 3-5 pm
34 Halpin Lane, Ridgefield, CT

Today looking for links, I re-remembered that a friend of mine co-authors a blog called Connecticut Art Scene, and thought I'd share that with you as well. It's a good way to keep track of the many things going on outside of my immediate local area, but still driveable. I'll post more things like that as I come across them.

Also, a few days ago I finally had a chance to visit the Gallery on Main St. in Bethel, CT. I had been hibernating for so long, I hadn't realized it was there until very recently. It shows an interesting mix of local/regional and national artists (including Barbara Morgan and Pete Turner), and both color and black and white work. I enjoyed talking with the co-owner Rory Pszenitzki, and suggest stopping in to look around.

Thanks for reading ~ Lys