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In April, the Fairfield Art Association (FAA) hosted their first Frumpy Tea Party, where members wore their best Bargain Box frocks and tasted tea and crumpets on mismatched china. Earlier this year, local wine connoisseur Patrick Kessel gave a wine tasting and talk in conjunction with the January exhibit by artist John Schirmer. And in June, FAA will bring us their annual Garden Tour, featuring some of Fairfield's most floriferous yards.
If eccentric tea parties, wine tastings, and citywide garden tours don't fit your idea of a community arts organization, think again.
"Our goal of this association is to bring art to as many people in the community as possible in as many ways as possible," says FAA president Diane Bolte-Silverman.
Beginning 34 years ago, the organization has thrived by offering a variety of visual arts and by reaching out to people who love all sorts of art forms. This reach is what makes the Fairfield Art Association a real gem. But having lost their home in the old Carnegie Library building a few years ago when Indian Hills Community College moved in, they are living the life of a gypsy, temporarily camping at different venues around town--banks, restaurants, shops, and homes. Their dream is to have a Fairfield Civic Center where they will have their own gallery and workspace.
In their diverse world of art, they sponsor a wide range of annual special events, as well as monthly exhibits. Their special events calendar runs from October through August, and their exhibits generally run from September through May.
Their most popular annual event is the Holiday Art Fair, held at the end of November. Traditionally, the fair includes a wildly successful Sweet Shop filled with members' baked goods. For the past three Christmases the Holiday Art Fair has been held at lst National Bank.
Another annual exhibit, the Young Artists show, usually held in December, showcases work made by students in Fairfield's community schools. "For me as an art educator, it is always gratifying to see a cross section of student production," says Mark Shafer, a Fairfield High School art teacher.
The annual Membership Show, held this year May 12-26 at the First National Bank, is the yearly exhibit reserved exclusively for members.
Another popular event is the Annual Garden Tour. This June the Art Association will hold it 13th tour, during which you can visit the most beautiful gardens in Fairfield and surrounding areas. Newsletter editor Dorothy Bell is the gardener who picks at least five gardens to visit.
And a very special annual event is held to nourish the next generation of artists. Every summer FAA sponsors a week-long art class for children in grades 1-5, taught by professional artists. This year the class will be held in early August and organizers are currently exploring the idea of "old time art": visiting the Bonnifield cabin west of the reservoir, creating paper quilts, and making soap. Call the Association if you have any ideas for Art Camp 2000.
In between the special annual events and monthly exhibits, classes and workshops are scheduled periodically. Cooking classes are being planned.
On top of all this, the Association has raised funds and commissioned artworks to beautify our fair city. In the square, a life-sized bronze sculpture, William Coop and Friend by Christopher Bennett, sits on a bench. Walk around the corner to 112 South Court and find Christopher Bennett and Dale Divoky's Leapfrog on the Carnegie building lawn. Walk west a few blocks to the Rec Center and you will find on the east wall of the indoor pool a beautiful fabric mural by Jody Kantor, Imagine a Water Journey. And for the Senior Center, Mark Shafer created a pencil drawing of the square entitled Sesquicentennial, which members of the Association and high school students transformed into a mural.
With over three decades of nurturing creativity in Fairfield, FAA continues to shine, its many facets creating a perfect gem.
