06/12/2000

Finding Hidden Treasure

For its 43rd year, the state's largest, juried, outdoor, museum-quality, fine American craft show will take to the Historic Guilford Green, Thursday through Saturday, July 13-15, 2000. EXPO 2000, a major fundraiser for the Guilford Handcraft Center, a prominent nonprofit organization supporting excellence in the arts through education and outreach, will host more than 160 artists from throughout the U.S. The artists, who represent the finest in their media, will exhibit in ceramics, wood, basketry, fiber, jewelry, glass, metal, and more.

For the first time, in a collaborative effort between the Guilford Handcraft Center and Historic Guilford, free walking tours of historic and architecturally significant buildings surrounding the Historic Green will be held daily. Craft demonstrations, a student/faculty exhibition, entertainment and catered food, round out this family event. Opening ceremonies, including state dignitaries and the Governor's Foot Guard, are set for noon Thursday. EXPO 2000 hours are noon until 9 p.m., Thursday though Saturday.

The Guilford Handcraft Center recently received the Excellence In Tourism Award from the Connecticut River Valley & Shoreline Tourism Bureau, for this extraordinary event, its school, its gallery, and its shop of American craft and fine art.

The Historic Guilford Green is best reached from I-95, Exit 58, and follow the signs south. Admission is $5 Adults, $4 Seniors, and free to members and children under 12.

Short biographies of the participating artists follow:

• Sharon Hosley, Clay, Branford, CT. Sharon, an award-winning potter with 25 years of experience, started in functional porcelain throwing. She soon developed an interest in design and color on terra cotta and has since chosen to perfect her abilities in that area. Inspired by early people of Mexico and South America, her terra cotta pieces are decorated with brightly colored images from past and present. The glaze is applied in three coats and the surface background is always carved away to achieve a raised design effect. Some of the pieces are adorned with sculpted animals in natural action stances to form vessel lids, handles or feet. Sharon began collaborative work with Gary Rechhia, painter/sculptor, in 1990. The two have been recognized for their work throughout New York and Connecticut. A new clay look, developed since Sharon's bout with cancer, is called the Garden Theme with dragonflies, moths, grasshoppers and water sculpture. They have won several awards for their work together. Sharon owns the studio "The Pottere" in Branford. (Sharon Hosley, Clay, Non-Functional, Branford, CT, 203-481-3666.)
  
  
• Robert Gasperetti, Wood (Furniture Maker), Danby, Vermont. Bob's interest in woodworking began at a very early age. He grew up on Long Island, where his father would teach him woodworking on weekends. He pursued his love of wood by enrolling in the Industrial Arts & Design program at Oswego State College of New York. Upon graduation, he moved to Vermont, where his handmade furniture supplemented his high school teaching salary. Most of Bob's work is inspired by Shaker, Mission and Arts & Crafts furniture. He believes that simple, functional furniture crafted with quality materials, integrity and pride will yield a timeless piece that will be passed down through the generations. All of his pieces are made from hardwoods, with cherry, walnut and figured maples being the woods of choice. Traditional joinery is a major component -- mortise & tenon, dovetails, sliding dovetails -- joinery that hasn't changed since the 19th Century. No two pieces are alike. Stories about Bob's work have been widely published. He's been featured in shows at the Bennington and Shelburne Museums and on the Lynette Jenning's TV Show. His work recently captured the Award of Excellence at the 36th Annual Stratton Arts Festival, and is on display throughout New England. (Robert Gasperetti, Wood Functional (Furniture Maker), Danby, Vermont, 802-293-5195.)
  
  
• Mary Kesler, Thomas Davin, & Bjorn and Lori Axelson, DKA Design, Exeter, Rhode Island. These artists of unique backgrounds came together in a collaborative venture, called DKA Design, in 1999. Kesler and Davin began a woodworking shop in 1981, specializing in contemporary wood accessories. Thomas had studied furniture design at Cal State University at Northridge and Mary holds a B.S. in nutrition from the University of California at Davis. The Axelsons founded a business called Melodious in 1990, where they combined woodworking and painting, and specialized in children's music boxes. Bjorn holds a law degree from Stockholm University. Lori received a BA from the University of Rhode Island and attended the Brooklyn Museum Art School. Together, the four are "exploring the natural beauty of wood." The goal of the new company, DKA Design, is to design and produce objects that are simple elegant and functional. (Mary Kesler, DKA Design, Wood Functional, 401-295-7515.)
  
  
• Peter and Susan MacDougall, Pottery, Round Pond, Maine. The hand-built, wheel-thrown porcelain pottery of Peter and Susan MacDougall is inspired by the folk art vessels of Japan and Korea, as well as the bronze of China. Yet the MacDougall's surface treatment is eclectic, based upon African, Southwest Indian and Asian surface decoration. The results are unique and stunning. The MacDougall's work , heavily influenced by old Chinese Celedon porcelain, tends to be abstract and fanciful rather than geometric and calculating. Dark Korean gray-greens and mottled ash glazes are paired with Japanese geometric patterns, with references to fans, water and mountain characters. Peter's work is exhibited in the Downey Museum of Art in Los Angeles, as well as in private collections and universities in the United States and Europe. The couple's work was recently exhibited at the Smithsonian Institution Craft Show. (Peter and Sharon MacDougall, Blueledge Studio and Gallery, Round Pond, Maine, 207-529-5501)
  
  
• Bob McNally, Wood (Instruments), Rockaway, New Jersey. Bob McNally has been creating unique wood instruments, including guitars, banjos and dulcimers, since 1973. His inspired and unorthodox designs have brought him notoriety throughout the music industry. A former engineer with a degree in plastics engineering, Bob turned to instrument making following a company layoff. He's never looked back. Self-taught in music and instrument making, Bob designed the Backpacker Guitar (subsequently patented), and later licensed one of his unique designs to C.F. Martin Company, the world's leading guitar maker. In 1994, a McNally Instruments guitar was the first to ride the space shuttle into orbit. Bob has recorded five albums of music, playing instruments of his own design and construction, and exhibits his work throughout the United States. (Bob McNally, Rockaway, N.J., 973-983-9153.)
  
  
• Colby and Jane Smith, Metal, Swansea, Massachusetts. What began as an evening high school foundry course in 1976, has evolved into a studio craft of original door knockers. The success of the scallop motif quickly led to other unusual designs inspired mostly by nature. The Smith's door knockers are distinguished by multiple casting methods, various metal alloys, finishes and patines, mechanical and welded assembly, and sharp texture and detail only hand tools and finishing can produce. (Colby and Jane Smith, Metal Functional, Swansea, Massachusetts, 508-675-5775.)
  
  
• Mona and Alex Szabados, Jewelry, Mokelumne, California. Thin layers of enamel, 24-karat gold, and pure silver foil fired side-by-side and overlapped is just one of the ways Mona begins to create their exquisite jewelry . The faces alone have about 30 layers of transparent, opaque and opalescent enamel with ceramic pigments added to the final firings to strengthen features. Once a piece has been fired 20 to 30 times, Alex begins the delicate metalsmithing that encases their enamels in brilliant gold settings. Many of the enamels depict woodland creatures and often a delicately wrought female. The two have won numerous awards in major regional fine arts shows throughout the U.S. Their pieces are showcased in private and museum collections throughout the U.S. and Europe, including The Enamelist Society Museum in 1994 and in The White House Collection in 1993. (Mona & Alex Szabados, Mokelumne, California, 209-286-1396.)
  
  
• Thomas Throop, Wood (Furniture Designer & Maker), South Norwalk, CT. In his own words, Thomas Throop, "learned the traditions of fine craftsmanship and the skillful use of hand tools; the importance of starting with material that is square and true; how to maintain a razor-sharp edge that yields a perfect shaving; and how to create joinery that has the structural virtue to stand the test of time." Thomas understands wood as a living thing -- one that changes with the seasons and climate. His work is simple and visually strong, yet still has an airy and open quality. He often combines rare woods such as burls, curls and flecks with more common grain patterns. He sometimes incorporates contrasting materials such as slate or granite into his designs. A graduate of Connecticut College and the John Makepiece School for Craftsmen in England, he has received numerous awards. He has appeared in the collections of the Creative Arts Workshop Gallery; White House Christmas Ornament Collection; Sansar Gallery in Washington, D. C.; Fiell Gallery of London, England; in many corporate collections and in private collections in the U.S. and U.K. (Thomas Throop, Furniture Designer and Maker, South Norwalk, CT, 203-838-5071.)
  
  
• Jeffrey Weiss, Fiber (Clothing), Westport, CT. Jeffrey thinks that making coats is probably in his genes. His grandfather was a tailor for the Hapsburg Emperor Franz Josef, and later became a coat manufacturer in the U.S. Although he retired when Jeffrey was quite young, he still had a chance to watch his grandfather's craftsmanship. His father is a fine artist working primarily in watercolors, and now a standby artist for his son. In high school and college, he got involved with painting that eventually led to a number of art exhibitions in New York, including one with his father. Some hand painted tee-shirts for a friend, and later a shirt for the New York City Marathon, led to his wearable art. His coats often use plays on texture and on varied fabrics and range from colorful to black & white. Jeffrey takes great pleasure in: "creating just-right folds that are stiffened with various interfacings, using linen and luxurious silk linings to create an ideal crisp softness, custom fitting my clients and treating them to the best craftsmanship that can envelop a piece of wearable art." (Jeffrey Weiss, Fabric Wearable, Westport, CT, 203-222-0870.)
  
  
• Erica Zap, Jewelry, Newport, Rhode Island. Erica has been surrounded by art and craft all of her life. Her parents owned an international handcraft shop that sold works collected from extensive travels around the world. Her early exposure to exotic art and culture has greatly influenced her designs. After graduating with a BFA in gold and silversmithing from S.U.N.Y. New Palz, New York, Erica began designing. Her goal is to design a contemporary look which "exposes beauty in the simplicity of form." Her jewelry reflects the integration of past and present cultures, using metals, stones, textures, shapes and color to create her pieces. (Erica Zap, Jewelry, Newport, Rhode Island, 401-846-6999.)

For further information contact Barbara Puffer, 203-457-0231 or Jennifer Aniskovich, 453-5947.

SNET is one of the sponsors of this event.

Please send questions or comments to bbruno@snet.net.

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