Norfolk Artists & Friends annual exhibit returns

Norfolk Artists & Friends founder Ruthann Olsson.
Jennifer Almquist
Norfolk Artists & Friends founder Ruthann Olsson.
For the past 17 years, a community of artists have shown a visual feast of their paintings, sculpture, jewelry, photography, and decorative arts in an annual exhibition in Norfolk.
Following tradition, more than thirty members of Norfolk Artists & Friends (NAF), a membership organization of professional artists, will be showing their artwork this summer in a group exhibit at the Art Barn Gallery on the Battell Stoeckel Estate in Norfolk from Aug. 1 to 4. The show is sponsored by the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival – Yale School of Music, to which 15% of the sales is donated.
The NAF exhibit will run concurrently with the ninth annual Weekend in Norfolk, the town’s three-day summer festival from Aug. 2 to 4.
Ruthann Olsson, Norfolk-based interior designer and artist who founded NAF (inspired by her friend Patricia Miller) in October of 2007, expressed gratitude for the generosity of the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival for its sponsorship of NAF. “We are truly blessed to have the Art Barn Gallery to show our work. This year we have 33 artists showing, among them four new members. The show will cover the disciplines of sculpture, drawing and painting, printmaking, photography, and fine jewelry.” Cyd and John Emmons will professionally install the work.
The Art Barn Gallery on the Battell Stoeckel Estate in Norfolk, the site of the 17th Annual Norfolk Artists & Friends Art Exhibit. Jennifer Almquist
Norfolk has a long, illustrious history of attracting fine artists, and generous patrons of the arts that supported them. One such early patron, Robbins Battell (1810-1895) shared his collection of works by Hudson River painters, such as Frederic Church, Thomas Cole, and George Inness with the people of Norfolk. The paintings were hung in the music room and library of Whitehouse, a landmark historic building. In 1898, Norfolk luminaries Carl Stoeckel and Ellen Battell Stoeckel hosted the president of the National Academy of Design, Frederick Dielman, at their Norfolk home. In 1928, a family friend Louis Comfort Tiffany oversaw the installation of five Tiffany stained glass windows in the Battell Chapel in Norfolk, commissioned by Ellen Battell Stoeckel.
Norfolk contemporary artist Tom Hlas said recently, “I’ve exhibited with the Norfolk Artists & Friends ever since we moved to Norfolk in 2012. It’s a great group of artists that covers a wide range of mediums and styles. The annual art exhibit is always one of my art highlights of the year. Plus, it’s great to see and talk with collectors and buyers who attend the show every year. I definitely look forward to this year’s show. Each year the exhibit looks better and better!”
The stated mission of NAF is to “bring together a community of Norfolk-area artists to network, gain a reputation in the community and beyond, provide opportunities to market their work, and enhance conditions for making a sustainable income.”
Babs Perkins, a photographer who lives in Norfolk, will be showing her work in the August show. “I always look forward to participating in the Norfolk Artists & Friends show each year. Ruthann [Olsson] had a vision and here we are years later still going strong. Thanks to the range of artists and mediums, it’s always an interesting and diverse exhibition. A few years ago, we decided to have the show professionally hung, and wow, is it ever worth it. I think we (as artists) are fortunate to have such a fantastic opportunity right here in Norfolk. And getting to use the beautiful gallery space in The Eldridge Barn (aka The Art Barn) on The Battell Stoeckel Estate is a big plus. It’s also an incredible way for folks both in town and from the wider area to see the art being created here.”
NAF founder Olsson shared her view that “Artists are positive creators, adding strength and beauty to our universe. These creative bursts of the spirit offer an endless tribute to our humanity.”
Jim Jasper works as a graphic designer from his home in Norfolk. He is also a fine artist whose past work includes illustrations of each chapter of Melville’s Moby Dick. He enjoys his connection with NAF. “It is a great way to forge bonds with other artists, many of whom have been showing with the group for years. The show has become a summer ritual in the town.”
Artwork by Norfolk artist Tom Hlas.Provided
August 1 – 4, 2024
At the Art Barn Gallery on the Battell Stoeckel Estate.
Special sneak preview, Thursday, Aug. 1, from 5 to 7 p.m.
Gala Reception, Friday, Aug. 2, from 5 to 7:30 p.m.
Hours of exhibition: Saturday, Aug. 3, 12 p.m. – 5 pm Sunday, August 4, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Follow signs on the Stoeckel Estate to the Gallery from Routes 44 & 272 in Norfolk, Connecticut.
Long-term town employees were recognized at the Town Board meeting on Thursday, June 12. Honorees pictured with Town Supervisor Leo Blackman, were Judy Carlson, Office Manager at the Town Garage, center, for her 35 years of service to the town and Megan Chamberlin, current Highway Superintendent, for 20 years.
AMENIA — Acknowledging the many years of service accumulated by town employees, the Town Board paused to honor that service at its meeting on Thursday, June 12.
“Thank you for making a difference,” said Town Supervisor Leo Blackman in recognizing Judy Carlson, Office Manager at the town garage, for her 35 years of service.
“Megan’s job is not an easy one,” Blackman said, honoring Megan Chamberlin, current Highway Superintendent who has served the town for 20 years.
Also among those honored was Town Clerk Dawn Marie Klingner for 20 years of service as Court Clerk.
Maureen Moore, Court Clerk, was also honored in absentia for her 20 years of town service.
In anticipation of the celebration of the 250th anniversary of the start of the American Revolution in 2026, new historic markers are appearing at each of the local cemeteries where Revolutionary War veterans are buried. Unveiling the new marker at Amenia Union Cemetery on Saturday, June 21, were left to right, Town Historian Betsy Strauss, Jim Middlebrook representing the regional chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution, and Gail Seymour, President of the Union Cemetery Association.
AMENIA — One by one, new historic markers are appearing at local cemeteries where Revolutionary War dead are buried. On Saturday, June 21, community members gathered to see a new marker unveiled at Amenia Union Cemetery on Leedsville Road.
A tent provided welcome shade for the attendees and refreshments as about 30 residents gathered for the unveiling and to share stories of local history with one another.
As with the first historic market installation at the Old Amenia Burying Ground, held in April, Amenia Union Cemetery graves of Revolutionary War veterans had been marked with American flags in advance.
Jim Middlebrook, representing the Columbia Mid-Hudson chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution, attended along with other members of his chapter. Speaking before the unveiling, Middlebrook said that the historic marker project had begun in August 2024, and included a detailed process to certify the names on the graves.
Middlebrook described the work of the William C. Pomeroy Foundation of Syracuse whose mission is to promote “pride of place” by providing grants in support of installing historic markers and plaques nationwide to honor patriots for their service. Active now in seven or eight states, Middlebrook said, the foundation will soon add Connecticut and Massachusetts to the list.
The new Amenia Union marker honors “at least five veterans of the American Revolution interred between 1787 and 1810,” although Town Historian Betsy Strauss lists six veterans buried in the cemetery. The sixth, Gerhard Winegar, whose burial had been in 1781 could not fully satisfy the certification standards.
Strauss provided the following listing of six names:
Col. Colbe Chamberlain, 1739-1796
Capt. William Chamberlain, 1745-1810
Lieut. Samuel Snyder, 1712-1808
Gerhard Winegar, 1750-1781
Ensign Henry Winegar, 1723-1787
Capt. William Young, 1747-1806
Bee Bee the clown, face painters and a community wide scavenger hunt are among the activities planned for the Millerton Street Fair in Downtown Millerton on Saturday, June 28.
MILLERTON — The Millerton News, in partnership with the North East Community Center (NECC) and the Millerton Business Alliance, is hosting its first Street Fair on Saturday in a celebration of the town.
Rain or shine from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m, the fair will bring together local nonprofits and businesses, with live music, entertainment, kids’ activities, local eats, and family fun in Veterans Park, in front of the Millerton Inn, and beyond.
“The Millerton Street Fair will celebrate everything we love about this community — its spirit, its dedication to service and its creative energy,” said James Clark, publisher and CEO of The Millerton News.
Local nonprofits will showcase their work and impact, including Climate Smart Millerton, Eddie Collins Memorial Park, North East Historical Society, Townscape, Tri-Corner FEED, Village of Millerton, and the Webutuck Elementary School.Participating businesses include Bes, Little Red Bird Studio, NBT, The Elephant’s Tusk, and many more.Local retail and dining establishments will be open with special promotions. NECC’s Farmer’s Market will run during the event.
Among the planned festivities are live music from John Stey and the Resilience Brass Band, performances from Bee Bee the Clown, face painting by students from Webutuck High School, and a community-wide scavenger hunt for kids.Other kids’ activities include egg and spoon races, and a “touch-a-truck” open house at the firehouse.The Irondale Schoolhouse will be hosting a special exhibit, and the North East-Millerton Library will be offering signups for the Summer Reading Program, a science show from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m., lawn games, and a cookie cook-off.
For more information, go to millertonnews.com/street-fair.
The Nine Partners Road Quaker Meetinghouse, built in 1780, will be the site of two summer lectures sponsored by the Millbrook Historical Society.
MILLBROOK — Long in the planning, the Millbrook Historical Society has announced that it is sponsoring two lectures in observance of the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution. Both lectures relating to Quaker history are to be held in the historic Quaker Meeting House on Nine Partners Road.
For the first talk, scheduled for Sunday, June 29, at 2 p.m., the historical society has invited Sarah Gronningsater, Professor of History at the University of Pennsylvania, to talk on “Quakers, Anti-slavery, and the American Revolution.” The topic will explore the role that New York’s Quakers, especially in the Hudson Valley, played in the rise of the anti-slavery movement that followed the American Revolution.
The second talk, scheduled for Sunday, July 27, at 2 p.m., invites Carl Lounsbury of the College of William and Mary and Colonial Williamsburg to speak on the architecture of the Nine Partners Meetinghouse. His talk is titled, “Nine Partners Meetinghouse Plan: A New Form in the Hudson Valley.” Expert in early American architecture, Lounsbury’s talk will compare Nine Partners with other later houses of worship in New York and New England.
Both lecture events will be held at the 1780 brick Nine Partners Quaker Meetinghouse in Millbrook. An earlier meetinghouse on the site had burned. The building has remained largely unchanged since the 18th century.
Given the age of the structure, handicapped access is limited and there are no rest room facilities.
Visitors should enter through the cemetery gate entrance.
The lectures are free and open to all, supported by a grant from the county and offered as part of Dutchess County’s participation in the nation’s 250th anniversary commemoration.