Norwalk Museum Announces New Exhibition On 'Evolving Icons'

NORWALK, CT — The Lockwood-Mathews Mansion Museum announced this week a new exhibition on evolving icons set to open in the fall.

According to a news release provided by LMMM, the museum will present "The Evolving Icon" in collaboration with The Connecticut Society of Portrait Artists.

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The group exhibition will open to the public Oct. 7 at 12 p.m. and run through Jan. 3.

The exhibition viewing will be included with the purchase of a guided house tour on the museum's website, according to LMMM.

An exclusive preview will be featured at the mansion's Red Carpet Gala on Oct 3, and an artists' reception will be held Oct. 8 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., according to LMMM.

The following artists are included in the exhibition, according to LMMM: Don Arsenault, Gigi Barrett, Linda Champanier, Michel Delafontaine, Katy Despot, Cary Gersh, Jeanine Jackson, Arlene Markoya Lawrence, Ana Paula Martins, Deborah Howland-Murray, Sharon Rubinstein, Nancy Stember, Elizabeth Thomas, Connie van Rhyn, Cindy Wagner, ShawnaLee Waterbury-Kwashnak and Robert Francis Whelan.

According to LMMM, the art exhibit was juried by Laurel Stern Boeck, a classically trained artist with an award-winning career in both portraits and landscapes.

The release noted Boeck began her studies at the Art Students League of New York, earned a BFA from the School of Visual Arts and further honed her skills at the John Murray Atelier before completing her MFA at the New York Academy of Art.

"Through her authentic approach and attention to fine detail, she captures the likeness and essence of her subjects," the release reads.

LMMM also noted her work can be seen in private collections, boardrooms, universities, supreme courts and Washington institutions.

"While portraiture has long served as a mirror of identity, 'The Evolving Icon' challenged the Connecticut Society of Portrait Artists to look beyond traditional boundaries and explore how the concept has evolved from the past to the present," Boeck said in a news release. "The selected portraits stand out as beautifully executed, bold, and imaginative."

The exhibition will focus on hand-rendered portraiture, spanning traditional realism, classical approaches, contemporary interpretations and experimental, conceptual work, according to LMMM.

Gail Ingis, LMMM trustee and art committee chair, will curate this exploration, according to LMMM.

"We are thrilled to collaborate with The Connecticut Society of Portrait Artists," Ingis said in a news release. "Portraits in this exhibition have reimagined historical figures through a contemporary lens, captured present-day individuals who define our lives and culture, or envisioned future icons that reflect emerging values, struggles, or hopes."