NEWS: WINTER
2006
A LETTER FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
This year has been one of challenges
and rewards. In 2003 Creative Arts Workshop challenged itself
to push to new levels with a three-year strategic long-range plan.
We have completed two years of the strategic plan and we can definitely
say that the Workshop has met the challenge. One of the most obvious
successes was Cultural Passages, an exhibition of artwork
done people from a variety of different cultural backgrounds.
Over a two-year period, we made contacts within the various communities
to locate artists who were making art that reflected their cultural
past and their family history. We knew we would have a wonderful
exhibition but were not prepared for the moving experience of
Cultural Passages.
We continue to be pleased with the
success of the PACK (Parents And Communities for Kids) program.
Families who have never been to Audubon Street have come because
of the this innovative program, a Wallace Foundation initiative
sponsored by the Community Foundation of Greater New Haven and
the Graustein Foundation. We were very pleased when two parents
from the program were chosen to have their artwork in Cultural
Passages.
I thank all of you who have volunteered
your time and have supported Creative Arts through your donations.
The Workshop was begun by volunteers and continues to rely on
the valuable time people give. With the contributions of individuals
and businesses from the community, the Workshop is able to keep
its fees low, despite rising costs; offer programs to underserved
groups in the community; make available over $60,000 in tuition
assistance each year and push itself to present innovative programs
and exhibitions for the whole community.
As part of the strategic plan we made
some changes in our staff. We added the position of Program Director
to oversee new initiatives with the community and provide staff
liaison for the Workshop’s faculty. We took the position
of Director of Public Relations and Development and made it two
part-time positions. This division has proved to be very productive.
CAW’s efforts in both areas have increased in both quality
and quantity.
We have some initiatives this year
that should improve the way we present our courses and attract
new students. I look forward to seeing you around the Workshop.
Susan Smith
Executive Director
FOUR NEW FACES AT CAW
CAW is fortunate to have three interns and a graduate student
from the Yale School of Management assisting the staff this year.
We are grateful to them for their energy and enthusiasm, as well
as their many special skills. Please say hello when you see them
around the Workshop.
Cindy Chin is a graphic design
student who is helping with public relations and marketing, as
well as the Celebration and other activities at CAW. Coming from
New York City, New Haven has surprised her with its vibrant art
scene and friendly atmosphere.
Julia Hickey served
as CAW’s Yale President’s Public Service Fellow over
the summer, and she is continuing to assist with community programs
and other projects during the academic year. She is a junior majoring
in studio art at Yale University who hails from beautiful California.
However, she admits that the changing leaves and influence of
her colleagues at CAW just might be turning her into an East Coast
gal.
Mary McNealy is developing
new public relations and marketing strategies for the Workshop
as part of the Board Service program with the Yale School of Management.
She is a joint degree candidate with the School of Management
and the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, focusing
in marketing and strategy, with an interest in exploring their
applications to environmental management. Aside from her interests
in business and environment, she continues to pursue her passion
for photography, recently moving to digital during a trip to the
Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks. Mary holds a BA in
Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from Princeton University and
originally hails from sunny New Jersey.
Julia Smith is assisting
with PACK (Parents and Communities for Kids) and other programs
at CAW. She is a senior at Albertus Magnus College majoring in
art therapy. She was born and raised in Milford, CT and plans
to attend graduate school in art education.
FEATURED FACULTY
Connie Pfeiffer,
metalsmithing instructor, received her MFA from the Rochester
Institute of Technology where her focus was almost entirely on
metal working. From early on she enjoyed working with her hands
and found the tangible quality that metal offered very satisfying.
As her experience with the material evolved, she became intrigued
by the idea of this seemingly cold, hard material being so easily
manipulated and malleable, even delicate.
As a sculptor and installation artist, Connie continues to define
connections between nature and humanity. The common thread throughout
her work, involves exploring relationships to each other, the
earth and the environment. She accomplishes this through ambiguity
of material and form, transforming metal to roots and bones or
peeled tree bark and skin. Not to be overlooked is the role process
plays in making the work. The highly repetitive nature of hammering
piece after piece is an important aspect, providing a meditative
experience for reflection.
Connie has been teaching at CAW for more than six years and appreciates
the energized environment. As a teacher, she offers a non-stressful,
flexible and stimulating workspace to allow students to explore
and define their own needs based on individual interests. Group
demonstrations on various techniques are provided weekly and lots
of time is available for individual attention. Discussions pertaining
to anything from getting slides taken, to supplier information,
pricing finished work and exhibition opportunities are an integral
part of the class.
Stephen Rodriguez,
Head of the Pottery Department, first encountered clay and the
potters wheel in the summer of 1974 at a community college in
the suburbs of Los Angeles. He had no idea that enrolling in “Beginning
Ceramics” was going to completely change his life and the
direction of his studies. Two years prior, he had been traversing
the jungles of South Vietnam as an Army infantryman, having been
drafted out of college. After returning to continue his liberal
arts studies, the pottery class was the first thing since the
war that took his mind away from thoughts about that violent and
turbulent time.
Stephen’s work is greatly influenced
by art and artists throughout history, including the ancient pottery
of China, Japan, Korea, Greece, and other civilizations. His current
work is a continued exploration of forms – vases, large
jars, large bowls, basin bowls, bottles, platters, rough trays,
tea bowls and water jars for tea ceremonies. In addition to creating
pottery, he is interested in building gas pottery kilns. He finished
his 17th kiln in September 2005.
After teaching pottery throughout
New York and Connecticut for many years, Stephen has found his
classes at CAW to be the most rewarding. One of his joys is hearing
and watching his students share information and techniques with
each other during class. He describes his teaching style as “somewhat
demanding, hopefully informing, and steeped in tradition.”
He uses a prodding and probing approach to help students set and
realize their own goals in the studio.
BARBARA BOBROW SCHOLARSHIP FUND
The Thursday morning pottery class at CAW announces the founding
of a scholarship fund in memory of Barbara Bobrow that will benefit
an adult pottery student. Barbara was a beloved member of the
Thursday pottery class for nearly 10 consecutive years. After
a long and heroic battle with breast cancer, she died on January
15, 2005.
Barbara loved to work in porcelain
and drew upon her love of music, opera, art and literature for
inspiration. Her wit and playful spirit persisted throughout the
time we knew her. It was Barbara who gave everyone else the strength
and courage to deal with her death.
With a favorite quote from The Little
Prince, she left us saying “and in one of the stars I shall
be living, and in one of the stars I shall be laughing, and so
it shall be as if all the stars are laughing when you look at
the stars at night...."
The Thursday morning pottery class
requests that your donations for the Barbara Bobrow Scholarship
Fund be directed to CAW, Barbara Bobrow Scholarship Fund, 80 Audubon
Street, New Haven, CT 06510 or dropped off in person at the CAW
front desk.
37th ANNUAL CELEBRATION OF AMERICAN
CRAFTS
What are contemporary crafts and why are they important? CAW’s
37th Annual Celebration of American Crafts posits a spectacular
answer to this question. From November 5th until December 24th,
the Hilles Gallery will feature the creations of more than 400
diverse and finely skilled men and women from across America.
Featuring a brilliant array of ceramics,
blown glass, jewelry, fiber, wood furnishings, paper crafts, children’s
items, toys, and much more, the normally serene two-story Hilles
gallery is transformed into a bustling hub of holiday shopping.
At the Celebration, exquisite craft and fine art are accessible
to shoppers of every budget, drawing both casual holiday gift-seekers
and serious collectors from all over New England and the tri-state
area.
Although wide in scope, the show is
bound by a rigorous standard of quality and workmanship. Each
artist is carefully chosen by a group of dedicated volunteers
who spend an entire year planning for this highly anticipated
six-week event. In the resulting collection of work, aestheticism
and utility converge, blurring the distinction between fine art
and fine craft.
Take, for example, the precisely joined
and sculpted wood furniture by New Haven’s Marco Bogazzi.
Or New York artist Karen Chu, who blends inspiration from nature
and architecture into stunning scarves that are truly wearable
art. And don’t miss works by CAW’s own faculty and
board members, such as the delightful children’s clothing
created by Eva Scopino, Head of the Young People’s Department,
lamps by printmaker Liz Pagano and renowned potter Hayne Bayless,
and sculptural trees by Ann P. Lehman, Head of the Sculpture Department.
The Celebration is the Workshop’s
largest annual fundraiser, providing major support for CAW’s
community programming. The exhibition and sale is open daily 11-5,
Thursdays 11-8, Sundays 1-5 and December 24, 10-1.
The Celebration is made possible through
the efforts of a dedicated team of volunteers. We are grateful
to all who lend their time and energy in support of this event,
with special thanks to Celebration Chair Nancy Duble, Selection
Chair Joyce Greenfield, Inventory Chair Linda Briggs, Volunteer
Co-chairs Christine DeLoyer and Betty Reilly, Gallery Coordinator
Sandy Bartle, Display Coordinator Kate Paranteau, and Retail Coordinator
Lou Ann Bohman. We also thank sponsors Chamber Insurance Trust,
Arlene and Cheryl Szczarba, and the New Haven Register for their
generous support.
The Celebration could still use your
help as a volunteer. For information on how you can get involved,
please call us at 562-4927.
by Julia Hickey
Download past newsletters:
Fall Newsletter
2005
Summer
Newsletter 2005
Annual Newsletter 2004
Annual Newsletter 2003
Annual Newsletter 2002
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