Once upon a time there were 10 children’s chairs, from a story time long ago. They were kept in the attic until one day, 10 talented artists rescued them one by one. Now these 10 antique chairs have a new story to tell!
Ten talented local and not so local artists have painstakingly painted these charming children’s chairs for a silent auction and art exhibit to benefit the Groton Public Library Endowment Trust. The ten fabulously generous artists include Katharine Bell of Groton, Tim Chamberlain of Allston, Susan Marion of Groton, Erin Mullins of Groton, Martha Oldham of Groton, Jill Pottle of Lunenburg, Don Torgersen of Groton, Janice Toth of Dunstable, Virginia Fitzgerald of Natick and Sharon Wooding of Groton. Inspiration for the chairs is as varied as the artists themselves, from the twining oceanic forms of Martha Oldham’s chair, complete with a stuffed octopus reading a book that is covered by her delicate seaweed watercolors, to Katharine Bell’s delightful paean to her dog Bubbles.
People are welcome to view and place bids on the chairs in the Owen Smith Shuman Gallery of the Groton Public Library during library hours. They may also vote on their favorite chair and the artist with the most votes will win a gift certificate to a local restaurant. There is a reception and closing event on Thursday, April 8 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., during which final bids may be placed and the winning bids and most popular chair will be announced. There is also a display of artwork by the chair artists in the gallery.
This exhibit was made possible by the Groton Public Library Endowment Trust. Library hours are Tuesday and Thursday 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., Wednesday and Friday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturdays 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., and, until the end of April, Sundays from 1 to 5 p.m.. For more information, go to the library’s Web site at www.gpl.org of click on ‘Events and Activities’ and ‘Art Gallery’ or e-mail the curator, Deborah Santoro, at artem6@comcast.net.
