“06880” culture correspondent Robin Moyer Chung writes:
An Artists Collective of Westport opening is a hidden gem.
It’s a swinging party in the Lucille Lortel Barn at the Westport Country Playhouse.
It includes piano music by Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee Mark Naftalin, an impressive spread of snacks and wine, and an enthusiastic crowd of creative types, skewing older, who simply love being there.
Plus art, of course.
Each pop-up show features artists, vetted by their peers, who have 8 to 10 feet of space to show their work.
There’s no thematic or curatorial mandate. The mediums vary, so the art satisfies many proclivities.
As for mine, Lynne Arovas’s mod podge works made me stop and stare.
She paints on paper, cuts it into squares and stacks them with acrylic, then pieces them together into reckless, beautiful quilts.
Award-winning artist Arovas says, “Energy in order is one way I describe my work. Arranging expressive designs of nervous energy in a contained, structured way.”
She carried a Ziploc baggie of her tiles to show curious attendees about her medium, a neat idea.
“Crocus” (Lynne Arovas)
After speaking with Arovas, a friend suggested I peer over my shoulder. I found myself staring at the manspread of a full-frontal nude. Surprising, yes, but not unwelcome. I mean, he’s really fit and it’s a striking portrait… Thank you for “Wendel,” Virginia Zimmermann!
I love the juxtaposition between him and Arovas’ work. Go, Artists Collective!
“Wendel” (Virginia Zimmermann)
Next, I got a kick out of Dolores R. Santoliquido’s whimsical fishes, with angsty expressions and catchy titles like “Wait for Me!” and “You’re Goin’ the Wrong Way.” Fish — they’re just like people.
I was struck by the exuberance of Julie Leff’s “Thanksgiving” — a dazzling bouquet of flowers against a technicolor background, a single peony at center beginning to wilt. As well, her charming “Sisters in the Rain,” with 2 girls’ colorful rain slickers and “I’m just happy to be here” expressions. She paints for herself, she says, offering people a glimpse into her world.
“Thanksgiving” (Julie Leff)
Award-winning Kat Evans is a master of abstract and color. Look closer and you see the detail — the dots, the layers of paint — that give them depth and movement. Evans knows what the fashion world is finally realizing: the visual power of “clashing” colors.
“Color Awakenings” (Kat Evans)
“The Nest Project” by Jeanine Esposito reminded me of Japanese kintsugi, the art of repairing broken dishes with gold dust and glue to make the fractures visible, celebrating the beauty of imperfection and evolution.
Esposito embellishes abandoned bird nests to “highlight our innate capacity to adapt and redesign the very structures that hold us.”
She takes an object once crucial for birds to raise their babies that has become useless. Then, like kintsugi, Esposito re-creates it, signifying life’s relentless chapters of decline and renewal.
Which is appropriate for fall, and feels important in today’s political climate.
“Inspired” (Jeanine Esposito)
(The Artists Collective of Westport pop-up show is open this weekend — Saturday and Sunday, 12 to 4 p.m., Lucille Lortel Barn at Westport Country Playhouse. An artists’ talk is set for Sunday at 4 p.m. Click here for more information.)
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