Category: G. Laurence Nelson

Seven Hearths Revealed Sponsors and Paint Out

Posted on by Logan Wheeler

Seven Hearths Revealed Sponsors and Paint Out

The Kent Historical Society invites all to Seven Hearths Revealed, an evening celebrating our beloved 18th century home and museum, April 21, 2018. We are grateful to our Underwriters, Sponsors and Friends who’ve helped support this fundraiser.

Attendees will tour Seven Hearths, view George Laurence Nelson’s artwork and and enjoy wine, and hors d’oeuvres, as well as celebrate spring with fellow KHS supporters, history buffs and friends.

Deborah Chabrian, KHS Trustee and well-known watercolorist, is again organizing a “Paint Out” with a group of local artists to create beautiful artwork that will be auctioned off, with proceeds going to the George Laurence Nelson Scholarship Fund. This is the second year for the painting fundraiser, and Chabrian said that the artists all enjoyed the camaraderie of painting together in the historic Seven Hearths. Invited artists are creating paintings this year inspired by the interior rooms of the unique house museum. The resulting works of art will be offered in a silent auction during the party.

“We want to draw attention to GLN’s light-filled studio here at Seven Heaths, to bring life and art back into the house,” she said.

The party will provide an opportunity to discover more about the house’s rich legacy. Trustee Jeffrey Morgan continues to remove paint layers, particularly in the South Parlor, adding to the Society’s knowledge of what the interiors looked like through the years. The stairs (c. 1940), which previously gave access from the Fur Trading Post to the attic, have been removed to allow for better appreciation and understanding of this recently discovered historical gem. A new stair has been reconstructed in the original location from period materials and hand wrought nails. It is located at the top of the stairs from what was originally the general store and was later used by George Laurence Nelson as his painting studio. Several wonderful examples of Nelson’s interior watercolors will be on display throughout the house.

The fundraising party will provide needed operating funds for the Society. Attendees will have the opportunity to see the ongoing changes that have been happening at the 1751 house museum and celebrate the fascinating history of the building.

Tickets available online.

2017 Summer Art Enrichment: another success!

Posted on by Logan Wheeler

2017 Summer Art Enrichment: another success!

The Society enjoyed another successful Summer Art Enrichment program educating youngsters in June and July with a variety of professional artists as instructors.

The organizers expanded the program to a full four weeks this year and several new instructors contributed their talents, including Sam Alford, an illustrator and animation artist, Albert Coffill, retired Kent Center School art teacher, and Gabriella Martinez, an art student at the Hartford Art School.  We also welcomed back Andy Richards, who is the head of the Visual Arts Department at The Gunnery school.

Some comments from parents: “The instructor was great and the projects were so creative.” “She enjoyed the group creation of comics. The creative interaction was fun for her.” “She enjoyed the chance to immerse herself in painting.”

There were a total of six different weekly sessions of instruction and 53 participants were involved. Many of the sessions also got a tour of the Seven Hearths Museum thanks to Curator Marge Smith.

At the end of each week, there was an art show presenting each child’s work and parents, grandparents and friends enjoyed seeing all the work on display.

“We continue to be awed by the high quality of art instruction that the Summer Art Enrichment students are receiving through this program,” said Melissa Roth Cherniske, one of the trustees that helped organize the program. 

“It was so nice to see the Art Barn buzzing with artistic activity. We started this to pay homage to George Laurence Nelson. I’m sure that he and Helen would be so happy and proud to see the program we have developed ” said trustee Lynn Mellis Worthington, one of the volunteers who helped organize the program.

The Society is thrilled to have the Art Barn in use to allow children to develop their artistic skills.  George Laurence Nelson gave art lessons in various forms over the years and so we believe our art instruction continues his legacy.

For a full description of the sessions, go here.

Interested in Summer Art Enrichment in 2018? Contact the Society’s organizers.

Images from the 2017 sessions:

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2018 Paint Out raises funds for GLN scholarship

Posted on by Logan Wheeler

2018 Paint Out raises funds for GLN scholarship

Six local artists contributed paintings they created during a Paint Out April 12-13 in the Seven Hearths Museum. The artistic works will be auctioned during a silent auction April 21 during the Seven Hearths Revealed cocktail party in the historic house museum. Proceeds from the auction are helping fund the George Laurence Nelson Scholarship.

Here is a video of the Paint Out in progress.

The organizer of the Paint Out was Trustee Deborah Chabrian, who is also co-chairing the party.

The six artists who participated are Chabrian, Ed Martinez, Bob Lenz, Susan Grisell, Richard Stalter and Mike Everett. They all created interior views in keeping with the theme of the party.

More information is available here about the George Laurence Nelson Scholarship.

 

Three grants awarded to support art and archives preservation area

Posted on by Logan Wheeler

Three grants awarded to support art and archives preservation area

The Kent Historical Society reported last fall that it was working to plan for the future collections and storage needs and we are fortunate that we’ve had three different granting institutions support our efforts. We will have over $26,000 in grants to assist in our efforts to create the Art and Archives Storage Area in Tallman House and provide climate-controlled storage for the extension art collection of George Laurence Nelson’s artwork, as well as the Society’s archives collection.

The Society has been awarded $4,000 from the Northwest Connecticut Community Foundation from the Edwin M. Stone and Edith H. Stone Fund, $5,000 for Historic Preservation from the national Daughters of the American Revolution, and $17,394 from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). The IMLS grant is the Society’s first federal grant ever received.

The Nelson art was previously stored in the Seven Hearths Museum. Seven Hearths is not climate controlled, and although the oil paintings have tolerated the far less than ideal conditions fairly well, the works on paper have not. The renovation will include building storage bins of inert material that will safely house the wide variety of paintings that the Society owns, including oil, watercolors as well as lithographs. There will also be a dehumidifier installed.

Our grant applications were supported by a report from Richard L. Kerschner, Conservation Consultant on Museum Environments, who aided the Society’s plan to renovate the lowest level of Tallman House for collections storage. After thoroughly inspecting both Seven Hearths and Tallman House in October 2015, Kerschner quickly came to the conclusion that the tight, dry basement in Tallman offered the best place, for both structural and financial reasons.

The archives are also being moved from the main floor of Tallman to the new space downstairs to satisfy other strategic planning goals and protect the paper documents.

Moving the art collection will allow the Society to proceed with the evolving interpretation of the fur trading area in Seven Hearths. This area was previously used for storing the Nelson artwork.

The environmentally upgraded Art and Archives Area will provide the safest storage space possible on the society’s property. This move will help prevent further deterioration and damage to the artwork as well as increase the Society’s storage space.

The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) grant to KHS was one of 206 museum projects awarded that totaled $21 million. The museums were selected from a pool of 548 applications to the highly competitive Museums for America grant program.

 

Sunday Summer Series: July 20th, Aug 17th & Sept 21st

Posted on by Logan Wheeler

Legend of Molly Fisher Rock draws interest

The various legends of Molly Fisher Rock were explored in May through a lecture and hike to the actual location. Those attending a talk in Town Hall May 15 learned that there are various theories of why there are markings on the large rock and what they might mean. A hike in cooperation with the Kent Land Trust drew a crowd over over 40 people May 21 and participants hike up the hill to a ridge, where the rock is located.

Now covered with quite a bit of moss and lichen, the markings are getting harder and harder to see, but Chris Harrington and KHS Trustee Roger Gonzales were able to spot them and point them out to everyone. Gonzales explained that the rock has been certified as Celtic site and he told the story of folk singer, U. Utah Phillips, who visited the area and pointed out the eye of Horus on another rock. It is a natural formation of quartz that creates a human eye.

“We were climbing up and he said, ‘you never told me anything about the circle,’ “ Gonzales said. “He said, ‘You’re standing right in the middle of it.’ “

There were a number of stones is a big clearing, he explained. Gonzales also pointed out how the Molly Fisher Rock aligns with another rock during the Summer Soltice.

During the Sunday Series lecture, Alicia North of Cornwall and Chris Harrington of Kent shared stories about growing up on the property and being taken to the rock by their grandfather. The legend is published by the Bulls Bridge Inn on their web site.
South Kent School teacher Pat Bonis finished up the talk by sharing how he likes to take his students to the rock and share the mysteries about it, because they are fascinated by the stories. The area was formed by glaciers but he said it is quite unusual to have such large rocks at the top of a ridge.

George Laurence Nelson Art Scholarship 2016 Awarded

Posted on by Logan Wheeler

George Laurence Nelson Art Scholarship Awarded to Chris Moore

In honor of noted American artist George Laurence Nelson, one of the founders of the Kent Art Association, the Kent Historical Society offers a scholarship of $1,000 to any graduating high school senior or college student from Kent intending to further their education in studio art or art history. 

The 2016 scholarship has been awarded to Christopher Moore, who is a student at Emmanuel College, where he is studying art history and art criticism. As a graduate of Kent Center School and summer intern working with the Society’s Nelson art collection, Moore’s longstanding interest in George Laurence Nelson’s artwork and its reception made him a natural choice for the scholarship. A letter of recommendation from Dr. Anna Knaap, one of his professors at Emmanuel, praised his writing ability and his ability to see deeper into subtle aspects of various works of art. “In his paper on the Crucifixion by the late Gothic painter Duccio, he picked up on more subtle elements, such as the gray toned coloring of Christ’s body that would have appealed to the viewer’s emotions and the varied responses of the figures witnessing the scene.  In these papers, Christopher demonstrated both his writing skills and ability to observe sophisticated and seemingly inconspicuous details in works of art.  In short, he digs deeper than his peers. In sum, Christopher has demonstrated very strong academic, communication, and leadership skills in his first year at Emmanuel College.  He is a fine art historian, a talented writer, and a valuable teacher to his peers.  I therefore strongly recommend him for the George Laurence Nelson Art Scholarship.”

The Kent Historical Society is located at Seven Hearths, which was the home of George Laurence Nelson and has a permanent display of his original art works.  This home, at 4 Studio Hill Road, is a reminder that Kent has a rich and diversified historical past.  In supporting young artistic talent we hope to keep this tradition ongoing.

George Laurence Nelson Art Scholarship 2018

Posted on by Logan Wheeler

ART SCHOLARSHIP IN KENT FOR DESERVING
STUDIO ART OR ART HISTORY STUDENT

In honor of noted American artist George Laurence Nelson, one of the founders of the Kent Art Association, the Kent Historical Society is offering a very special scholarship of $1,000 to a deserving student intending to further his or her education in studio art or art history.

The George Laurence Nelson Art Scholarship will be awarded to a graduating senior or college student who is a graduate of Kent Center School, or whose family resides in any of the Region One towns (Canaan, Cornwall, Falls Village, Kent, Salisbury and Sharon). The application must be postmarked or received by the Society by May 1, 2018.

Applications have been supplied to the guidance offices of most high schools in the immediate area. Please click HERE for a copy of the application form.

The Kent Historical Society is located at Seven Hearths, which was the home of George Laurence Nelson and has a permanent display of his original art works. This home, at 4 Studio Hill Road, is a reminder that Kent has a rich and diversified historical past. In supporting young artistic talent we hope to keep this tradition ongoing.

For further information or to request an application for the George Laurence Nelson scholarship contact:

e-mail: scholarship@kenthistoricalsociety.org                                             

Tel: 860-927-4587

Kent Historical Society, PO Box 651, Kent, CT, 06757 (Please reference: Art Scholarship)

George Laurence Nelson Scholarship

Posted on by Logan Wheeler

 

In honor of noted American artist George Laurence Nelson, one of the founders of the Kent Art Association, the Kent Historical Society is offering a very special scholarship of $1,000 to any graduating high school senior intending to further their education in studio art or art history.

The George Laurence Nelson Art Scholarship will be awarded to a graduating senior or college student, who is a graduate of Kent Center School or whose family resides in one of the towns of Region 1 (Canaan, Cornwall, Falls Village, Kent, Salisbury and Sharon). The application must be received by the Society by May 1, 2015.

Applications have been supplied to the guidance offices of most high schools in the immediate area.  Please click GLN Scholarship 2015 for the application.

The Kent Historical Society is located at Seven Hearths, which was the home of George Laurence Nelson and has a permanent display of his original art works. This home, at 4 Studio Hill Road, is a reminder that Kent has a rich and diversified historical past. In supporting young artistic talent we hope to keep this tradition ongoing.

For further information or to request an application for the George Laurence Nelson scholarship contact: e-mail: scholarship@kenthistoricalsociety.org

Tel: 860-927-4587
Kent Historical Society, PO Box 651, Kent, CT, 06757
Please reference: Art Scholarship

Works by GLN and his mother featured

Posted on by Christopher Williams

 Works by GLN and his mother featured

 

A rare exhibit of paintings by George Laurence Nelson alongside the artwork of his mother, Alice Kerr-Nelson Hirschberg, will be featured at the Kent Memorial Library through Aug. 30. The artwork is on loan from the Kent Historical Society.



C.Y. Turner and William Merritt Chase considered her to be “America’s greatest woman artist.”



George Laurence Nelson, one of the founders of the Litchfield Hills Art Colony and the Kent Art Association, bought a home in Kent in 1919, and moved out from New York City in the 1930s to live full time at “Seven Hearths” until his death 1978. Nelson was known for painting portraits, especially those of society notables in New York City.



The Kent Memorial Library is located at 32 N. Main St., Kent. For more information, see www.kentmemoriallibrary.org.