The Darien Historical Society is celebrating the opening of the 1827 Scofield barn in its new location, attached to the Bates-Scofield house, by calling on all artists who love barns to participate in Rural Remembrances: Barns in Our Landscape. On Saturday, October 24,2009, from 6 pm to 8:30 pm,we will hold a silent auction of barn paintings in all media as a fund-raiser to kick-off our new exhibition space, and as a celebration of the preservation of the Scofield barn itself. Three hundred prospective buyers will make paid reservations to participate in this gala evening auction of paintings by prominent local artists. The paintings in this juried show will be hung throughout the Historical Society’s new facility, which officially opens to the public in September.
This fund- raiser will enable us to go beyond the basic bricks and mortar of our building project and address other needs, including programs for adults and children, technology for research and communication, and exhibitions for the community.
Our hope is to inspire you to reflect on the rural origins of Darien by painting local barn landscapes for our silent auction. We welcome your work whether you paint realistic landscapes en plein air, folk scenes, or abstractions, and we encourage views of barns in all seasons. We want to celebrate barns, to show their strong visual qualities and to show that barns are worth saving, because they are one of the elements that make Darien a special place to live. To raise awareness, the Historical Society is currently compiling an inventory of local barns which we will make available on our website, historical.darien.org.
The commission structure for artists has two options:
1. A split of the final auction price 50-50 (50 % to the artist; 50% to the Historical Society).
2. A donation of the entire proceeds of the sale(s) of your paintings to the Historical Society.
Either way, we would be most grateful for your participation in Rural Remembrances: Barns in Our Landscape. If you are interested, please fill out the enclosed registration form and return it by September 16. Also enclosed is a more detailed information sheet, listing collection dates.
Please call the Historical Society with any questions at 655-9233 or info@darienhistorical.org. You can also contact our artist representatives, Britt Bair at britbair@aol.com or Lisa Thoren at thorenfamily@aol.com.
The Historical Society has complied a list of all the known barns in Darien.
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Darien Historical Society
Judy Groppa, Executive Director
Susan Bhirud, Education Coordinator
Ulla Kremer, Office Manager
Telephone: (203) 655-9233
E-mail: info@darienhistorical.org