Noelle Carr in Festive Home Show at Ridgefield Guild of Artists

My paintings He Is Risen and Sing With Joy are on display at the Festive Home show at the Ridgefield Guild of Artists. Members of the guild were given 12 x 12" pre-stenciled canvases of birds or trees. Each artist then painted the canvases and donated them to the guild to be exhibited and sold at the Festive Home show as a guild fundraiser.

I painted the canvases to reflect the beauty of a bird at dawn, and of a bird singing. I felt that one was rising, and one was looking up toward Heaven, singing with joy. Please stop by and visit this show. It features handmade goods of all kinds, art, crafts, unique cards and gifts, and it is a holiday shopping experience filled with creative energy and different than anything else in the area. Festive Home runs from December 5 - 21 at the Ridgefield Guild of Artists.

Ridgefield at 300: A Celebratory Year in Pictures

Ridgefield Magazine has recently published a beautiful book titled Ridgefield at 300: A Celebratory Year in Pictures. The book documents Ridgefield's 300th Anniversary Celebration, and is a new part of our history. It really is a wonderful memento of a great year in the town of Ridgefield. I am very pleased that images of some of my paintings from the Flowers of Ridgefield show have been included in the book. Thank you Ridgefield Magazine for putting this book together!

The Gift of Art at Building Blocks Gallery

The Gift of Art opened at Building Blocks Art Supplies and Gallery on Sunday, November 23. The opening reception was well attended by artists, members of the Ridgefield Arts Council, and many other art lovers and friends. The show features 19 area artists, including me, my friends Tina Phillips, Robin Heit, and Amy Bock, and also Leo Ortiz, Janet Iffland, Michele RoFrano, Randy Carboni, Bobbi Eike Mullen, Michael Keropian, Janice Sweetwater, Daniel E. Kosh, Pam Ackley, Melody Best, Bill Moran, Annie Kosh, Mary Gates, Marie Lynch, and Tina Sturge. The show runs through December 28, 2008. Please stop by and view an interesting mix of work.

Noelle Carr at Cafe Svago

I'm having an exhibit at Cafe Svago, 408 Main Street in Ridgefield, from October 6 - November 2. Cafe Svago is a lovely cafe right in the heart of Ridgefield. Please stop by, check out some of my recent work, and enjoy a coffee and a nice stroll down Main Street.

Ridgefield Arts Council

I was recently appointed to the Ridgefield Arts Council, an organization that supports, promotes, and encourages community involvement in the arts. It is a great group of people with varied backgrounds in all areas of arts - graphics, dance, music, visual arts, and more. We have some interesting events planned for this year, including forums to share information with local arts organizations to better serve the community. Look for more info on these events in the coming months!

Connecticut Artists - New Blog

I was able to secure the name Connecticut Artists for a blog so I will be migrating area arts news and info over to that site. The link is to the right under My Blog List. Please visit for discussion on local arts and ideas on ways to support local artists.

The Noelle Carr blog will become a forum for my own art and news and updates on artist friends.
Thanks to everyone who has visited both sites!

Why Not? at Housatonic Museum of Art

Why Not? is a regional juried exhibition of women artists opening at the Housatonic Museum of Art at 900 Lafayette Ave in Bridgeport. The opening is Thursday, September 4 from 5-7 pm and the show will run through October 24.

From Housatonic website: "The question "Why Not?!" suggests freedom, boundary-stretching, new possibilities. To what established "No!" do women artists respond: "Why Not?!" The works in this show are the responses of women as they engage the question with personal, historical or universal issues."

I can't wait to see this show. This is a very exciting, yet tumultuous time for women. It is amazing in that a woman was almost the Democratic nominee for President, and a woman is the Republican Vice Presidential nominee. But their campaigns have garnered criticisms that would never be applied to their male counterparts. How many times did I hear snide remarks about Hillary Clinton's outfits? And there are actually people in the media commenting that perhaps Sarah Palin should not run for such a demanding office because if elected, how will she be able to be a good mother to her children? I think many of our past Presidents also had children, and they managed to do the job without ever being questioned about how they will juggle the needs of their career and their family.

We live in a great country that gives women choices. The choice to have children, the choice to pursue a career, the choice to do both, and the choice to take a completely different path. All choices, and all voices, are relevant and contribute to society as a whole. I hope this show presents voices from area women artists with diverse views and beliefs.

Ridgefield Art Openings, Sunday, September 7

There are two wonderful art openings this Sunday, September 7, right here in Ridgefield. The Enchanted Garden at 529 Ethan Allen Hwy (Rte 7) will host an exhibit of new work by Suzanne Benton called "Captivating History." The opening is Sunday at 3:00 pm. Suzanne is an internationally known artist and member of the Silvermine Guild of Artists in New Canaan. She has also contributed to local culture by participating in local arts events and continuing to show often in her hometown of Ridgefield.

Building Blocks Gallery at 49 Ethan Allen Hwy (Rte 7) will have an opening reception Sunday from 2:30 - 5:00 for Brendan Loughlin. Mr. Loughlin has been called "Connecticut's Modern Day Van Gogh" by Yankee Magazine. On Saturday, September 6, Mr. Loughlin will give a free art demonstration of his Pastac technique from 2-5, also at Building Blocks.

Both openings on Sunday are on Rte 7 very close to each other. Support local artists and arts organizations and visit them both!

Welcome to my blog

Welcome to my blog. I have started this to share thoughts on art and news on upcoming shows and events. This was a great summer with lots of arts events. I showed work at the first Ridgefield Art Walk on August 16 and it was a wonderful night in town. Over thirty artists participated with exhibits in stores along Main Street and Bailey Ave. Hundreds of people came to meet the artists. I hope this becomes an annual event for Ridgefield! My painting Harmony Gardens Peony at right was shown at the Art Walk.

The fall is always an exciting time for art with lots of shows coming up. I'll update regularly with info about interesting shows and news about artists and friends.