Each month, the library offers a new art exhibit for patrons to browse, in our hallway and on the east and west walls of our Meeting Room. Drop in any time during opening hours to see the work of artists in our community. If you are a local artist wishing to exhibit, please see the guidelines below:
This Month in the Gallery:
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Ruth Dwyer
Showing in the Hallway Gallery from November 1st, 2024 to November 30th, 2024.
Ruth Dwyer has been making art for as long as she can remember. Drawing and painting have been a form of expression throughout Ruth’s life and 37 year career as an art educator.
She received her BS in Art Education from Central Connecticut State University and her MALS from Wesleyan University. Ruth’s love of nature and landscape kept her busy as a focus for her graduate thesis as well as many years of plein air painting. Continuing her work as a part time educator, she takes every opportunity to weave her love of our natural world into all art processes.
Ruth’s current work is clearly expressing her love of animals! She began her exploration into this colorful and quirky style with a painting of her beloved kitty, Bean. From there, it was full steam ahead with one painting after another. Ruth brings a sense of humor and awkwardness to these lovable portraits. If there is one common thread tying them all together, it is the LOVE she feels for her furry and feathery subjects. Oh, and you might find an odd mechanical friend or two in this collection!
Her hope is that her quirky animal friends elicit a smile and a spark of joy to all.
Visit Ruth on instagram @makejoy365Â
Email: makejoy365@gmail.com
203-668-8686 -
Witness to History: Slavery in Guilford
Showing in the Meeting Room Gallery from November 1st, 2024 to November 30th, 2024.
Slavery was legal in Connecticut until 1848, but except for two gravestones and a few Witness Stones there is little visual evidence of its history here.
Tracy Tomaselli, whose family has a long history in Guilford, has spent many years researching yellowed, hard to read wills and town records gathering information about the men, women and children who were enslaved. She has documented some 136 people who were. Her findings are the focus of an exhibit in the library’s conference room.
On the room’s front wall to the left on entry a visitor will be able read the names of all the enslaved people here Tracy has found as well as those of some 35 others for whom there is evidence they were enslaved in Guilford but whose names are not known. On the back wall there will be a time line that puts slavery into a historical perspective and there will be extracts from wills and other documents.
There will also be several short profiles about specific people who were enslaved here. The exhibit is open to the public and will be on display throughout November. The exhibit is a collaboration of the Guilford Preservation Alliance’s Witness to History: Slavery in Guilford initiative and the Guilford Free Library.
Artist wishing to exhibit?
Artists interested in exhibiting their work are invited to submit a proposal. Prior to scheduling a show, we also ask exhibitors to sign a hold harmless and to submit some additional details about the exhibit so that we can post the information on our website. Priority will be given to local and Connecticut artists and we request that all exhibits be appropriate for family viewing.
Exhibitor checklist:
- Submit a proposal
- After a librarian confirms your exhibit date, complete and sign the hold harmless
- Upload a brief description of your exhibit and a representative photo. The hold harmless may be uploaded if you can scan the signed copy; otherwise you can drop it off at the reference desk in advance of your exhibit.