OPEN SHow Opportunity for VWS Members

Great news! Guy Rossi at the Cortina Inn in Rutland (where we had our spring meeting) has offered to host aVWS open (unjuried) show in conjunction with the Killington Vermont Wine Fest. On Sunday , July 16 there will be a brunch and champagne tasting event at the Inn which will also serve as the opening of our show. One of our members, Anne McFarren, is the show co-ordinator for the Inn, and is willing to hang this show for us. This is a wonderful opportunity - there is plenty of room to accommodate entries. (Lack of space in most public places has been the main reason we haven’t been able to have an open show recently.)

So, here are the details:

1. Bring 1-3 original paintings (not prints) to the Cortina Inn anytime during the week of July 1-9. The Inn is open 24 hours a day. Paintings can be left at the main desk. Ask for Greg, the desk manager, but if he is not there, someone else will accommodate you. BE SURE TO SIGN IN on the sign-up sheet, listing your name, contact information, price and size of your work. This information also needs to be on the back of your painting. If you have a short (1 page) resume, bring that too. The Inn has a secure storage space for paintings. Ann will hang the show on July 10.
2. Volunteers: Very important. Anne will be taking down as many paintings as she necessary to accommodate our show. This could be potentially, 50-100 paintings to take down and put up. We need several EXPERIENCED volunteers to help hang this show. Experienced means someone who has done this a few times and has an idea how to work efficiently. It doesn’t mean you have to be an expert- just used to doing things like, possibly, climbing on ladders, removing hooks or putting up new hooks, centering a painting on the hanger…things like that. It could also be just hauling paintings to and from storage.
3. If a painting is sold, the Inn only takes 20%, and they handle the sale. Checks will go out the month following a sale. This is very generous. Most galleries take about 40%.
4. Duration of the show: July 10-August 4. Pick-up will be on Aug. 5+6.
5. Framing: High quality wood or metal with proper wire and eyelets . No saw-tooth or single loop hangers. Your painting will not go up if it is poorly framed.
6. Mats- neutral or colors are OK (!)
7. Directions to the Cortina Inn: Please look up their web site here: http://www.cortinainn.com/

Many thanks to Anne McFarren and Guy Rossi at the Cortina for this exciting offer.

Don’t forget we also have a wonderful opportunity on Saturday July 15 in Woodstock, Vt. for a painting workshop with Sean Callahan. We are still working out the details.

There will be a few more details about the Cortina Inn open show also, such as the time of the brunch, etc. - I will post them as soon as I know more about them.

AND…yet ANOTHER OPORTUNITY:

This just came in from Bob Sydorowich:

Dear Cindy, The town of Andover is sponsoring an art fair/sale on the 12th of August and in doing so they have invited the Chester Art Guild and it’s members to participate in the fair with the idea that the Chester Art Guild would contact other Vermont artists to participate and exhibit at this art fair/sale.

Being an Andover resident and a member of the Chester Art Guild and a struggling watercolorist, the Andover Project Committee recruited me to help out with the fair. So now I’m asking for your help.

The following describes the fair:

The town of Andover is Located between the Towns of Chester, Weston and Ludlow with a population of approximately 500 people. The town has no post office, no fire department, no police department nothing commercial (except for the lumber mill) - but what it does have is a great bucolic/pastoral setting. The fair will take place outside on the grounds that surround Andover Town Hall which was built in 1863. The inside of the town hall will be used for on going painting demonstrations.

The fair date will be August, 12 2006 - 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM Rain or Shine

Each exhibiting artist will be given a 10 x10 foot space (minimum) - there will be no charge for this space . The only charge for participating will be a 10% commission on any sales made at the fair. The Chester Art guild will collect this commission to cover expenses.

Contact person ( for information and registration) - Robert Sydorowich, sydwich@sover.net . Cutoff date for registration is July 15.

Cindy Crawford
VWS president 2006