Gallery Hours

Monday-Saturday 10-6, Sunday 12-5

Sunday, January 24, 2010

Mad Agnes: February 20, 7-10 pm

Mad Agnes is not one person, but three, and they're mad in only the most inventive way. Margo Hennebach, Adrienne Jones and Mark Saunders stir up elements of classical and folk, cross singer/songwriter poignancy with street-theatre smarts and infuse it all with courageous harmonies, complex counterpoint and rich storytelling in a powerful live performance. Their lyrics are intelligent, their delivery warm, and insightful. Not surprisingly, each has arrived at the trio from a long list of solo accomplishments.

The music of classically trained Hennebach has been described as “contemporary and timeless” by the Star Gazette, and “captivating” by Sing Out Magazine. A finalist in songwriting competitions, including Kerrville and Napa Valley, Margo has a BM in Piano from Oberlin Conservatory and a masters degree in Music Therapy from the Guildhall School of Music in London, and is Feldenkrais Practitioner. Jones is a self-taught fingerstyle & rhythm guitarist and bassist, a finalist in four national songwriting competitions, a member of Actors Equity Association, and a Reiki Practitioner. Of her CD release, Talking River, Dirty Linen magazine praised her “expressive ability to wrap meaning around a lyric with the simple rise or fall of a note.” Mad Agnes also features Hartford Conservatory graduate Saunders on vocals, acoustic, electric, National steel and bass guitars. His guitar work recalls the inventiveness of Richard Thompson, while providing "understated ballast with his voice and lead guitar--his delicate arpeggio picking...and fiery fills and runs,” says Acoustic Guitar magazine.



Date:
Saturday, February 20, 2010

Time:
7:00pm - 10:00pm

Location:
Pia Sjölin Design 110 Albany Turnpike Canton CT

Suggested Donation:
$10

Links:
Mad Agnes
Dana Pomfret

Friday, January 15, 2010

January Events

Pia's work goes on exhibit in Chicago this month . . . . . . . . .
Hop a plane or alert your friends and colleagues who live on the edge of Lake Michigan: On January 15, the Swedish American Museum in Chicago opens a temporary exhibit that features the glass and textile work of Pia Sjölin, founder of Pia Sjölin Design. The exhibit, called Swedish Cows: Slow Art, An Audiovisual Journey in Stillness, ruminates on the particular breed of photogenic cow native to Sweden. The exhibit uses glass, textile, photography, video, light, and sound to explore the history and culture of these cows, and it features artwork by Pia Sjölin and Patrik Gunnar Helin, internationally known photographer and filmmaker.

Items from Pia's cow collection, designed for this exhibit, make playful or subtle reference to the bovine creatures on blown and sandblasted glass and on a fabric hanging.

Recent visitors to Pia Sjölin Design may recall Patrik's large color photographs of cows in the mist that currently hang in the gallery. (Learn more about Patrik's Swedish cow documentary work on his Slow Art web site. Turn up the volume on your computer's speakers for the full effect.)

The exhibit in Chicago runs through March 14.

Special events that celebrate the opening of the exhibit include:

  • Opening reception, Friday, January 15, 6 pm to 8 pm
  • Gallery walkthrough with the artists, Saturday, January 16, 11 am
  • Start with Art, a morning break in the gallery with coffee and treats, Wednesday, January 20, 7:30 am to 10 am

At the Swedish American Museum, 5211 North Clark Street, Chicago, IL 60640, 773.728.8111.

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Special events at Pia Sjölin Design this month:

Fiber artist Jan Marek Raczkowski remains in residence. Frequently during the woolens season, you can find Jan knitting calmly at the counter and discussing informally his hand-spun and -dyed yarns and the hand-knitted garments made from them. The yarns and shawls, scarves, sweaters, and coats are the culmination of Jan's 25 years as a fiber artist. In either subtle or vibrant colorways, the yarns combine hues in unexpected ways.

Come in to see what Jan's working on now. Call the gallery to find out when Jan will be around if you'd like to chat with him about his work. If you would like to schedule individual knitting lessons while Jan is in residence, contact him directly at JanRaczkowski@comcast.net or 860.216.2165.

Sit and Knit group starts January 16
Saturdays, 10 am to noon
Love to knit? Wish you had company as you complete your latest creation? Bring your work and join other knitters in the gallery to swap hints, techniques, yarns sources, stories, and encouragement.

Thursday morning yoga resumes January 21
Bring your own mat for
Gentle Yoga with Leslie Gordon, RYT
Thursdays 8:45 to 9:45 am
January 21, 28
February 4, 11, 18, 25
$10 per class, drop in. Suitable for all levels.
For more information: 860.693.9642 or YogaCenterCollinsville.com

Artist's reception in the Spotlight Gallery for Linn Bae, Friday, January 29, 5 pm to 7:30 pm
Meet painter Linn Bae and her oil paintings: vivid, deeply textured still lifes.
Educated in Seoul and Hartford, Hartford-based painter Linn Bae has been showing her memorable still lifes and self-portraits since the year 2000. This is her first exhibition in Canton.
The exhibit runs through Sunday, February 28.

In the gallery this month
XXL, a group show of larger-than-life works in many media by more than a dozen artists continues through the end of January. This show has been such a HUGE success that we've held it over, or at least the works that are not called for elsewhere. The works still in the exhibit include an oversized green apple from Gilmor Glass studio, compelling large-format abstract paintings by Zbigniew Grzyb, and Thomas Denton's king-size bed handcrafted in glowing wood and enlivened with a lyrical metal insert sculpted by John F. Mahoney.

For more information about exhibits or events, call 860.693.4454.

A preview of February special events
February 3
An evening talk and discussion on art and the spirit by ceramic artist Julie Palmer
February 7 and February 21
Pia demonstrates special painting techniques: wood graining on February 7 and glazing techniques on February 21.
February 12 to February 14
Art from the Heart trunk show
February 20
Musical performance by Mad Agnes
February 26
Opening reception for the emerging artists exhibit

Other news
Something fishy: Time to snag a fish
In preparation for an April 2010 exhibit and benefit auction of hand-decorated life-sized wooden fish, we have been distributing blank fish to professional and amateur artists and to sponsors who intend to commission artists and artisans to decorate the fish. Some of the fish have already assumed their new and unique identities, but we still have some fish available for people who would like to add one to the growing school. The returning fish will go on display starting in February, and the silent auction, to benefit the Farmington River Watershed Association, will begin April 1 and end April 16 at the group's fundraiser that takes place in the gallery. $10 deposit requested for each blank fish.

Color consultations by Pia Sjölin resume
Trouble choosing which color paint would flatter your existing tile floors? Old friends may recall that Pia had provided color consultations to clients preparing to redecorate or choose colors for commercial or professional interiors. Now that the new space approaches its first anniversary, things have calmed down enough that Pia can once again offer color consulting service, as well as faux finishes and mural painting. Call the showroom to arrange an appointment to discuss your project.

Call for work by young artists: submission deadline in mid-February
At the end of February 2010 we will exhibit a juried show of the work of emerging artists 25 years old and younger. The jury will consider the work in two age brackets: age 15 and under and ages 16 to 25. Artists who would like to participate may submit up to 3 works (in any medium) to the gallery from February 15 through February 17 between 10 am and 6 pm. Judging will take place shortly after the submission deadline. Every work submitted must be ready to hang or install (for example, we cannot accept for consideration unmatted drawings in a portfolio or rolled up in a tube). More detailed guidelines and applications will be available at the counter and by email in mid-January. Stop in to sign up to receive the guidelines by email.

About us
Pia Sjölin Design is equal parts showroom for Swedish textile and glass designer Pia Sjölin and gallery for the work of other outstanding artists and artisans of the area. A large open space with a lofty 22-foot ceiling, the gallery displays work in fiber, glass, ceramic, and wood, as well as paintings and works on paper.

Hours at the showroom & gallery this season
Monday-Tuesday-Wednesday 10 am to 6 pm
Thursday-Friday 10 am to 8 pm
Saturday 10 am to 6 pm
Sunday noon to 5 pm
Other hours by appointment

During special events, hours are extended till the end of the special event

Contact info
Pia Sjölin Design, llc
The Shoppes at Farmington Valley
110 Albany Turnpike (Rt. 44), Suite 209, Canton CT 06019
860.693.4454
e-mail: pia@pia-us.com
web: pia-us.com