The Mark Twain Library Art Show In Redding Celebrates 50 Years

REDDING, CT — The Mark Twain Library Art Show — and the official start to Redding's holiday season — will kick off next week.

The show will hang on panels throughout the library’s rotunda as well as on its walls amid the stacks of books from Saturday, Dec. 3 through Sunday, Dec. 11, and the library will remain open to the public throughout. All works are for sale and will be available for viewing and purchasing both in person and in a "virtual gallery" — details at the library website.

The first show back in 1972 featured the work of 80 local artists. A half-century later, Art Show Chair Sandra Lugar told Patch that more artists, mostly from Connecticut and Vermont, have submitted their work than ever before.

That doesn't mean this year's show is bigger, only better.

"It's a juried art show," Logan explained. "So if anything wasn't really up to the quality that we would expect, they don't get into the art show."

The library retains a 35 percent commission on the sales. All proceeds from the Friday evening silent auction, which features electronic bidding on artwork donated by many of the artists, go directly to support the library.

Fundraisers such as the annual art show are critically important to the Mark Twain Library. That's by design, according to Logan.

"Mark Twain founded that library with the express intent that it never become a municipal library, because I'm assuming at the time his books were being banned by municipalities, and he didn't want that, so the library was founded," Logan said. "It gets some support from the town, but it's primarily funded through our fundraisers and money from the community."

This year’s Jurors of Selection were two local artists. Painters Pamela Reese and Kathy Anderson have each shown their artwork in the show for many years and together they have been in charge of putting up the public display, deciding where to hang each of the pieces. The Juror of Awards, who decided which of the 100-plus works merit 1st, 2nd and 3rd place prizes, was award-winning Connecticut painter Peter Seltzer.

Returning this year are the Joel Barlow Chamber Singers, who will perform at the closing ceremony. Public singing was frowned upon the last couple of years, but the COVID Grinch was sent packing in time for the show's Golden Anniversary.

"Fifty years is a testament to the herculean efforts of the volunteers who make this show possible," Lugar said. "Even with the challenges of a pandemic, the Art Show has prevailed."

To highlight the occasion, the library has also scheduled a number of art-themed programs throughout the month of December, including "Watercolor Wonders Workshop: Artistic Cookies" on Dec. 6 at 6:00 p.m. and "Gleam, Gossip & Gold: Love and Loss in American Art" on Dec. 8 at 7:30 p.m.

The Library Gallery is open to the public:

Saturday, Dec. 3: 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
Sunday, Dec. 4: 1 p.m. - 5 p.m.
Monday, Dec. 5: 10 a.m. - 8 p.m.
Tuesday, Dec. 6: 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Wednesday, Dec. 7: 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Thursday, Dec. 8: 10 a.m. - 8 p.m.
Friday, Dec. 9: 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Saturday, Dec. 10: 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Sunday, Dec. 11: 1 p.m. - 5 p.m. (Closing Reception 3-5 p.m.)

The Mark Twain Library is located at 439 Redding Road, Redding.