All ‘Wanderings’ lead to Norwich Arts Center

April 21, 2023 5:00 pm • Last Updated: April 21, 2023 5:21 pm

By Rick Koster
Day Arts/Features writer

r.koster@theday.com

Carol Dunn’s “Keeper of the Light” from “Wanderings” (submitted)

"Paris Tuileries," by Susan Masse, from “Wanderings” (submitted)

Yujuan Patnode’s “Winter” on the cover of “Wanderings” (submitted)

There’s a reason art museum gift shops are positioned so visitors see or pass through them on the way out of the building.

Most of these organizations are nonprofits — where every little bit of cash helps. As such, it makes sense to position souvenirs strategically, AFTER tourists have soaked up the experience. Then, inspired, they’ll want to memorialize the occasion by purchasing that Edna St. Vincent Millay wall calendar or that “Jackson Pollock Painted This Shirt And You Thought These Were Condiment Stains” hoodie.

In that spirit, there’s a new commemorative item available inside the gallery at the Norwich Arts Center. It’s a handsome coffee table-style paperback book called “Wanderings — Works by Norwich Arts Center Artists,” and it features photographs of a variety of works by different NAC members. Some of the proceeds from sales of the book, which was celebrated with an on-site publication party April 7, benefit the Norwich Arts Center.

The collection was assembled and spearheaded by NAC member Glenn Allen Cheney and his New London Librarium, a separate press based in Hanover that has published dozens of works of fiction, non-fiction, poetry, drama, art and translations. Members were involved throughout the process.

One of the art collections in the New London Librarium catalog is “Mother Goose and Other Rhymes,” a fundraising book for Baltic’s Sayles School featuring drawings of titular works by students. Cheney thought a similar idea could benefit the NAC — particularly given the entity’s large pool of available talent. Plus, he thought, it would focus attention of the center and its artists and might in fact bring members together in a fashion that hadn’t theretofore randomly happened.

Start to finish

“I brought the idea up to the board and they said, ‘OK, do it,’” Cheney says. He’s sitting inside the Norwich Arts Center gallery on a cloudy weekday afternoon. On the walls are works from member Virginia Chase’s “Highlights and Stories” exhibit, and a long table bisecting the room contains — yes — a variety of art and gifts available for purchase by member artists.

Cheney says “Wanderings” was a fairly simple start-to-finish effort. Once the board discussed details of and then approved the project, Cheney reached out to members asking if they wanted to be involved and, if so, to submit artwork for inclusion. Given that they’re all artists, there was no competition or selection process; if a member wanted to be included, he or she was.

“We all loved Glenn’s idea. The artists were thrilled,” says Carol Dunn, NAC Artists' Co-op President and contributor of four altered photographs in the book. “In fact, as word spread about the book, we had to halt production at least twice in order to add more folks to the collection.”

In spite of those welcome interruptions, the process went smoothly and quickly.

“From those original (solicitation) emails to holding a printed copy in my hands was probably a month,” Cheney says. “It made sense for New London Librarium to publish the book. Going outside only adds layers to the process, and going with another publisher would’ve added at least a year. Plus, I don’t do it for my personal profit because at New London Librarium” — he laughs — “there IS no profit.”

A colorful variety

The 8½-inch-square publication, in full color on a thick stock, is lovely. The front cover painting is “Winter” by member artist Yujuan Patnode and the back is member artist Rita Dawley’s “The Good Old Days.” Inside are nearly 100 images by 25 NAC members — including mosaics, photographs, paintings, drawings, mixed media, terra cotta and an array of blended techniques.

Artists featured in “Wanderings” are Debora Aldo, Glynis J. Blanker, Virginia Chase, Glenn Alan Cheney, Karen Coombs, Rita Dawley, Mark Dixon, Michael Dubenetsky, Carol Dunn., Blaney Harris, Sandra Jeknavorian, Susan Scott Kenney, Melody Knight Leary, Gerlinde Lehner, Mary Ann Lewis, Gabe Lipman, Susan Masse, Lori Neumann, Marianne Nicholas, Susan Parish, Mark Patnode, Yujuan Patnode, Lori Rembetski, Lisa Shasha, Gretchen van der Lyke and Gabrielle Zane.

Cheney penned the book’s introduction, and there’s also a complete section with statements from the contributors.

“It was a pretty fun experience putting it together,” says Cheney, who, in addition to a career as a writer including frequent contributions to The Day’s weeklies publications, started painting five years ago. A few of his pieces are in the book. “I didn’t know a lot of the members or what their work was like, so I’d open an email and go, ‘Whoa! This is nice stuff!’”

He flips through a copy of “Wanderings” and smiles. “I look at it and it’s easy to see there’s a lot of really well-done work in here. It’s pretty gratifying to be part of it.”

A finished product

“I really like how the book turned out,” says Lori Rembetski, four of whose terra cotta pieces are included in “Wanderings.” “I became an associate member at NAC last September, and being invited to be part of the project seemed like a great opportunity to not only support the organization but get my name and work out there. So far, becoming a member of the NAC is one of the best decisions I’ve made.”

The evening of the publication party was an occasion when many of the artists met for the first time, and when a lot of books were sold.

“Everyone is really happy about the quality of the book,” Dunn says, “and most of the artists bought additional copies to give to family members. Lots of us went around asking the other artists to sign our copies.”

Two copies of the book, which is dedicated to Thom and Dee Keaney, longtime NAC supporters and activists, contain signatures from all the artists. One will be auctioned off and the other is being given to Thom Keaney. His wife passed away in 2021.

And Cheney’s original hope that the book would bring NAC artists together came to pass.

“There are many of us in the NAC, and we’re not familiar with everyone’s work,” says Patnode, who, in addition to the piece selected for the front cover, contributed four watercolor pieces inside. She’s also married to fellow NAC artist and contributor Mark Patnode. “I was surprised to find there are so many works with different styles. It was very helpful and interesting for us to get to know each other.”

“We had a great crowd. We had the wine and cheese, of course, and most of the crowd was the artists themselves, with friends and family,” Cheney says. “We sold all the books, so I ordered 20 more. So far, that’s maybe a hundred copies, so not bad.”

Mark Patnode adds that the “Wanderings” serves as a sort of symbolic emergence from the lockdowns and social distancing of COVID. “This publication and distribution venture allows an opportunity to appreciate the ever-special camaraderie and sense of purpose that NAC artists share,” he says. “It also helps get that presence further into our gallery association and into the community of southeastern Connecticut and beyond.”

Cheney says the early success of “Wanderings” is certainly encouraging on a variety of levels. “We’re thinking of doing something similar each year,” he says. “It benefits not just the NAC and its members, but it’s something nice for visitors, too.”