Saturday, July 3, 2010

Meet the Artists

Robert H. Way, Watching (Pastured Cows)

This evening, the Cornish Colony Museum will host the inaugural event of the Cornish Colony Artists' Guild. The Artists' Guild continues the artistic tradition of the Cornish Colony by promoting artists, authors, performers, musicians and other creative individuals who are continuing the artistic spirit of the Colony.

This evening, five artists will be inducted into the Cornish Colony Artists' Guild: Jane R. Ashley, William B. Hoyt, Gary Milek, Lawrence J. Nowlan and Robert H. Way. Ms. Ashley, Mr. Hoyt, Mr. Milek and Mr. Nowlan are all exceptional local artists. Mr. Way is today active in North Carolina, and utilizes the distinctive technique of Cornish Colony artist Maxfield Parrish to create his paintings. The inspiration and influence of the Cornish Colony artists is evident in the works of all five of these talented artists, and it is a pleasure to welcome them into the Cornish Colony Artists' Guild as Founding Artist Members.

"Meet the Artists: The Cornish Colony Artists' Guild" will take place in the Cornish Colony Museum from 5:00pm to 7:00pm this evening (Saturday, July 3rd). A reception will accompany the viewing of the work of these artists and the presentation of the Guild certificates.

Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Tradition and Innovation

Summer is here, and the Cornish Colony Museum is open and celebrating the 125th anniversary of the founding of the Cornish Colony! Tradition and Innovation: 125 Years of the Arts in Cornish features works by Cornish Colony artists Maxfield Parrish, Everett Shinn, Marguerite and William Zorach, Frances Grimes, Paul Manship, Charles Platt, John White Alexander and Stephen Parrish, as well as works by current artists active in the area today, including Gary Milek, Robert Way, Jane Ashley, Lawrence Nowlan and Jim Schubert.

In 1885, lawyer Charles Beaman convinced sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens to summer in Cornish, New Hampshire. Though lured to the area by the promise of "Lincoln-shaped men" to model for his statue of Abraham Lincoln, Saint-Gaudens quickly fell in love with the landscape, the peaceful atmosphere, and the spirit of rural New England. Not only did Saint-Gaudens return the following summer, but he persuaded his many friends and colleagues to join him. 1885 was the unassuming beginning of one of America's most influential and inclusive art colonies.

Visit the museum this summer and learn more about the beginning of the Cornish Colony, its development into a community of creative individuals, and the distinctive art, poetry, research and progress which the Colony produced.

(pictured: Stephen Parrish, Summer Landscape)