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Art Guild
goes high tech
By Linda Lemmon
Town Crier Editor
Supporting local artists AND not having to wait for a gift order stuck on a container boat off the West coast just got much easier.
Northeastern CT Art Guild Inc., a coalition of local artists of all types founded in 1985, recently received a grant from the Putnam Area Foundation Inc. to set up an online members’ gallery — just in time for the holidays. The site will allow the guild members to “reach and inspire the community,” according to Guild President Elaine Turner.
She said: “Eight months ago, the Art Guild began the work of procuring funding, working with a web designer, and starting the process of growing a virtual gallery of our member artists. At the time our organization was recovering from a shutdown of most meetings, exhibits and programs due to the pandemic of 2020. Building the Online Gallery was a lengthy process requiring helping member artists create a biography, photograph their artwork, and build an individual page for each artist. We received 19 proposals and were able to accept each one with the funding we received.”
She added: “The Gallery has allowed us to virtually highlight our local artists while engaging the greater Northeastern CT community in appreciation for the arts. Shining the light on the work of the Art Guild has also increased our membership, expanded our educational programs, and increased our business and municipal partnerships through public art. We hope to expand the Gallery in 2022, adding additional members as funding allows.” The address is: artguildne.org.
The total budget for the online gallery is $5,000, Turner said, and includes: Web Design/Gallery Creation: $3,000; maintenance of Gallery: $1,200; and promotional/marketing of Gallery: $800. An additional $500 came from the Bear Hands Brewing Company/Mural.
She said: “Many of our gallery events require in-person meeting, hanging of art, and opening that exhibit to the public. All our inside meetings and events have been cancelled. Because of this situation our organization has focused on outdoor events, art installations, civic projects, and online events. Now that the season for outdoor events has come to an end, we will focus on online or virtual events. 2020 brought a new Website, Facebook, Instagram account, and critical community partnerships in support of the Arts. We plan to build on this work moving forward.”
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