The Farmington Valley Arts Center's May Day Celebration offers visitors the opportunity to sample all this Avon, Conecticut-based arts organization offers including top-notch gallery exhibitions, on-site artists' studios, a retail shop featuring one-of-a-kind gifts and an inspiring line-up of art classes for all ages and abilities.
On Saturday, May 5, during an Open Studios event from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., visitors can meet more than a dozen artists who work on-site, including Patricia Cousins (Studio 8B), who was selected as 2011's winter term Artist in Residence. Cousins works with encaustics, a process that involves fusing layers of pigmented wax with flame or a heat gun. Creative professionals can tour available studios and learn about opportunities to join this thriving community of artists.
Adults can also unleash their creativity on Saturday, May 5, at a choice of three, two-hour Experience Zentangle workshops scheduled to begin at 9 a.m., 11:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. Invented by Rick Roberts and Maria Thomas, Zentangle is an intuitive pen and ink art form described as meditation through doodling. A certified instructor will teach both professional artists and curious beginners how to create beautiful abstract images on paper tiles from repetitive patterns. The cost of the workshop is $30 including all materials. Pre-register by calling 860-678-1867. On-site registration is also available if space allows.
The May Day Celebration is also an ideal time to see "Connections," a juried contemporary art show in the FVAC's Fisher Gallery, as well as to shop for finely crafted Mother's Day, graduation, wedding and teacher recognition gifts in the FVAC's Visitors' Gallery. Retail sales support this non-profit cultural center, which provides arts-related programs and opportunities for thousands in Connecticut each year.
