Illustrator and St. Vincent de Paul Middletown Soup Kitchen Artist-in-Residence Abby Carter Connects the Community with Crossing the Street Art Show On October 6th
Middletown- St. Vincent de Paul Middletown (SVDM) in collaboration with the MAC650 gallery (Middletown Art Collective), the North End Action Team (NEAT) and Middletown NorthEnd Gallery Walk invite the public to the opening of artist/illustrator Abby Carter’s Crossing the Street: Portraits of People in the Community show on Thursday, October 6th, from 5-7 p.m. Both Carter’s expressive pencil portraits and her larger oil interpretations of Soup Kitchen guest “regulars” can be viewed at two spaces that night, simply by “Crossing the Street” from 617 Main St. to 650 Main Street.
Liberty Bank is sponsoring the production costs of the event. Refreshments will be provided by SVDM’s chef Jeremiah and music by local artists. Admission is free, but donations to SVDM would be welcome. Carter has dedicated a portion of any sales of work exhibited at MAC650 to SVDM.
“Crossing the Street” is meant to “break down barriers,” explained Lydia Brewster, Assistant Director for Community Services at St. Vincent de Paul Middletown. “All people are welcome in both spaces and can share in conversations about the art and the community it represents.”
Carter of Hadlyme is a renowned children’s book illustrator for publishers Hyperion and Holiday House. She’s been Artist-in-Residence at the soup kitchen since 2012, encouraging guests to draw anything they like using her large sketchpads and art supplies. “Some days there is a lot of participation. I think people who love to make art need the opportunity to produce work and enjoy having it seen.”
Carter has photographed and drawn over 230 portraits of soup kitchen guests all displayed as a permanent collection on the soup kitchen walls. Guests enjoy and reminisce over the portraits. “There’s a real sense of pride, of history. It immortalizes people in a good light,” Brewster explained. “We see them as celebrities in our space. Abby gives that to our community.”
