'Close to Home' Art Show to Benefit Five Farmington Nonprofits

A newly installed exhibition, Close to Home: Farmington Valley Landscapes by Kate Emery, runs through November 15 at the Farmington Main Library, located at 6 Monteith Drive in Farmington, Connecticut. The 32 original oil paintings on view, like all of Emery’s work, reflect her passions including giving back to community organizations on the front lines and behind the scenes, working to solve local and global problems. Purchasers of any painting will have the opportunity to direct half of the proceeds directly to one of five local non-profits: Farmington Land Trust, Friends of the Farmington Libraries, the Farmington Food Pantry, Hill-Stead Museum or the Farmington River Watershed Association.

Close to Home is on display in the Community Room and may be viewed during all library hours: Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. On Saturday, October 16, library visitors will have the chance to meet Emery and to savor free fall treats during an Artist’s Reception from 1 until 3 p.m. A limited edition set of note cards featuring four of the paintings in the show will also be available for sale. On the library lawn starting at 2 p.m., live music from the roaring ‘20s by the Modernistics Quintet will add to the festivities.

Emery is also launching her innovative Art Lending Library program during Close to Home’s run. Throughout the show, art lovers may submit a request to borrow any unsold painting at the conclusion of the exhibition. A donation of $25 or more to any of the featured Farmington-area nonprofits will allow borrowers to display a work in their home or office for 30 days. If, at the end of the lending term, they decide to keep a painting, the donation will be deducted from the sale price, and 50% of the proceeds will also go to support the good work of the selected charity.

Although Emery has been painting for more than 30 years, she has only recently made art her full-time career. As the founder of The Walker Group, a Farmington-based professional technology services social enterprise, and reSET, a Hartford-based nonprofit that seeks to advance the social enterprise sector in the state, she’s been an innovator and a role model for business people who want their organizations to make a difference: not just a profit.

Her work can also be seen online at KateEmery.com, as well as at Art Gallery at Mill in Unionville and the Connecticut Art Gallery in Thomaston. She accepts commissions for custom paintings of people, pets and beloved places.