Gallery Talks at AIR

Sarah Z. Short

Behind the Scenes with Sarah Z. Short

Art Talk and a Collage experience

Friday, October 25, 5-6pm

Free Event
$5 if you want to collage

Learn how small pieces can inspire larger works and the benefits of working with limited materials. Enjoy an opportunity to try your hand at a mini vintage magazine collage. Sarah will bring along all the materials you'll need.
Light refreshments will be available.

Please register in advance.

An Artist’s Approach to Curating and Hanging an Exhibition

Friday September 27, 5.30 – 30pm

AIR Studio Gallery invites you to join us for an engaging gallery talk with Annie Wildey,.

 Whether you're an art enthusiast, collector, or simply curious, this talk offers tips and approaches that might inspire how you display art in your own home or in your next exhibition. Discover the thought, creativity, and care that go into making an exhibition truly shine!

"I’ll be sharing our approach to curating and hanging a salon-style show from an artist’s perspective," said Wildey, who co-owns AIR Studio Gallery with photographer Michael Fanelli. This talk offers attendees the chance to go behind the scenes and learn about the process of selecting and arranging artwork to create a cohesive and impactful exhibition.

Light refreshments will be available. Afterward, enjoy a delicious dinner at one of Westerly's many eateries!

Th event is free, please register as space is limited: 

“Guided by a set of criteria and composition principles, intuition leads the way in a playful journey of experimentation and exploration until everything feels just right,”
— Annie WIldey

A Brush With Girard

Wednesday, June 26th, 2-3pm

Spend an afternoon in discussion with artist/educator Theresa Girard.

Theresa will share with us her trip through life as an artist and thriving in the modern art world. She will also share insights on her organic move from realism to abstraction. There will be plenty of time for Q & A.

Light refreshments will be available.

Conversations with Artists

Sunday February 25, 4-5pm

An afternoon of creative conversation with artists Shari Weschler and Elizabeth Lind. Facilitated by artist Meredith LeBlanc, the artists will share insights about their creative process and inspiration behind their work in our current show Myths & Realities. 

Dan Welden - Artist Talk and private documentary screening 

Sunday August 20th, Th United Theatre


Tickets are $10 (fees support the United Theatre).

We are excited to partner with the United theatre for this event! Join us for an artist talk and a “Private Preview Screening” of the documentary film, “LASTING IMPRESSIONS”, an hour long intimate journey through the life & work of world-renowned painter/printmaker, innovator and teacher, Dan Welden. Told in chapters as art unfolds through the thoughts and observations of his friends & colleagues including Kiki Smith, Eric Fischl, Alice Aycock, Helen A. Harrison among others. This film conveys the essence of the artist and also explores inspirations and motivations that drive the act of creativity.

Filmed on location in Sag Harbor and The Catskills with support from Freudenberg Arts and Inspiration Plus Foundation the production revolves around the artist’s creativity and innovative thinking.

WATCH A TRAILER


Carol Scavotto - Human Kinship, Sensuality and Empathy in Art​

Friday August 11, 7pm, AiR Studio Gallery

An evening in conversation with Carol Scavotto where she talks about her creative process, and how human kinship, sensuality and empathy influence her work.
 
Carol is a visual and performing artist based in Rhode Island. Her decades-long artistic practice has included sculpture, painting, needlework, fine jewelry design, and performance pieces.  Her work is both highly autobiographical and deeply relatable.
 
Carol's narrative paintings blend the traditional Asian art of silk painting with silk embroidery and gold leaf. These captivating artworks evolve around a strong contemporary female protagonist, occupying compelling and playful vignettes. Through a sensual female voice, the protagonist embraces her sexuality and sensuality, exuding confidence in her self-worth and societal value. Carol’s process begins with an initial drawing on paper, which is transferred onto silk. A carefully curated color palette is established through a staining process, infusing the scene with depth and dimension. As silk thread embroidery is meticulously added, the figures take on distinct shapes, evolving with individual character and personality. These delicate fine art pieces stimulate and entice, presenting an invitation for the viewer to celebrate the feminine without objectification.

Shari Weschler - A daily journal practice to nurture your creativity

Sunday May 21th, AiR Studio Gallery

Join us for our first Artist Talk this summer with Shari Weschler (Sumo Bunni). Shari will talk about her studio practice, influences, and how her 365 daily drawing journal nurtures her creativity and helps process emotions. She'll bring several of her journals for us to see in the flesh! Here's a peek of what's in store.

Figurative and expressive, Shari Weschler ‘s autobiographical paintings are from her ongoing ‘Bunni’ series. Cynical and humorous story tellers of human circumstances and a complex psyche. Channeled through cute soft figures, they are fast, fierce, shape shifting intelligent creatures. They emerge into existence as intuitively and fearlessly, as the color palette she uses, and can disappear on a whim, wiped away and painted over, perhaps multiple times until what’s revealed feels raw but resolved. Breaking through the veils of paint, the viewer can catch a glimpse of a narrative, but can’t be sure exactly what is seen or why. What can be guaranteed is a visceral response.