During July’s Gallery Walk (Friday, July 11) a new exhibit, featuring works by members of Brattleboro-West Arts, is arriving at the Strolling of the Heifers’ Gallery at the Garden, located at the Robert H. Gibson River Garden at 157 Main Street, Brattleboro.
Entertainment during the opening will be by the Bondville Boys, an edgy, eclectic bluegrass band that plays a huge assortment of music, including a ton of original tunes and everything from Flatt and Scruggs to Blondie.
The reception, with refreshments, is free and open to the public. It takes place during Gallery Walk, Friday evening, July 11 from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m., and thereafter will be on view weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m, Saturdays 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sundays 1:30 to 3:30 p.m., continuing through August. All of the works were inspired by local farms, including farms that participated in this year’s Farm Tour during Strolling of the Heifers Weekend. A parallel can be drawn between the farmers’ need to solve problems by innovating and the artists’ need to do the same to create a successful work. Several of the artists experimented with new techniques for this show.
The show is entitled “Farms in 7 Media,” a reflection of the varied media employed by the artists, which include fabric art, photography, ceramics, woodwork, painting, sculpture and printmaking.
All of the artwork is for sale, with proceeds being shared between the artists and Strolling of the Heifers. The Stroll’s share will be applied toward upcoming renovations and improvements to the River Garden building, which now serves at the Stroll’s headquarters and will be developed into a Farm/Food Information and Innovation Center.
Participating artists include: Kris McDermet (fabric art: rug hooking and braiding); Gene Parulis, photography; Walter Slowinski, painting, ceramics and wood construction; Janet Picard, painting; Naomi Lindenfeld, ceramics; Steve Lloyd, painting, drawing; Ron Karpius, painting/sculpture; Sharon Myers, collage.
The Bondville Boys, so named because “some of us are from Bondville, and some of us are boys,” consists of Jake Geppert (banjo, guitar and vocals), Tom Morris (guitar and banjo), Laura Molinelli (guitar and vocals), Dennis Fink (bass and vocals) and Ben Campbell (guitars, mandolin and vocals).
Popular throughout western New England since 1990, the Bondville Boys have shared stages with Del McCoury, the Nashville Bluegrass Band, Buddy Cage, and the Gibson Brothers, among others.
Recently seen in Brattleboro at the Expo following Strolling of the Heifers Parade, the group, currently has two live records with a new studio album coming out in the spring.
Pictured: Photograph by Gene Parulis, “Portrait of Two Cows, Robb Family Farm”
On the web: www.strollingoftheheifers.com, http://www.brattleboro-west-arts.com, www.bondvilleboys.com. For further information, call 802-246-0982.p
