A variety of attractions for the community and beyond will be at Lyme Academy College of Fine Arts during this year’s Midsummer Festival beginning on Friday, July 25, continuing through Saturday, July 26. Festival goers will have a chance to meet a best-selling author, mingle at two stunning exhibits, watch a calligraphy demonstration, and discover a plethora of unique gifts and handcrafted jewelry, while listening to live music and tasting scrumptious food as they roam the College grounds.
The festivities begin on Friday evening, July 25, from 5 to 7 p.m., when two exhibitions help kick off the annual celebration. The first exhibition, “Bird’s Eye View, Photographs of the Natural World,” by Lyme Academy College’s former Board Chair, Diana Atwood Johnson, is on view in the Sill House Gallery and features photographs from both locally and further afield. Atwood Johnson, an accomplished nature photographer, conservationist and amateur naturalist with a particular love for birds and wildlife, will be in attendance at the reception and available to answer questions. She is also the publisher of the lavishly-illustrated book, “Swallow Tales,” a pictorial of the hundreds of thousands of swallows that gather over the lower Connecticut River in the early fall. Copies of her book will be for sale at the reception, along with photographs from the exhibition.
The second exhibition, “Selected Student Work,” is on display in the Chauncey Stillman Gallery and comprises the best work selected by faculty and created by students in all four years of the College’s Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) program. Most works from both exhibitions will be for sale. Wine and light refreshments will be served at both receptions. Admission is free. The Lyme Art Association, Florence Griswold Museum and Studio 80 + Sculpture Grounds will also be open during the same 5 to 7 p.m. time period, so come and enjoy an artistic, evening stroll down Lyme Street!
On Saturday, July 26 at 11 a.m., the College is proud to present Old Lyme’s very own New York Times best-selling author, Luanne Rice. Rice was recently honored with the 2014 Connecticut Governor’s Arts Award, a prestigious award from the state of Connecticut for excellence and lifetime achievement as a literary artist. Author of 31 best-selling novels, Rice will be discussing and signing her latest book, “The Lemon Orchard.” The novel, detailing an unexpected love story of two people from different worlds, has received enthusiastic reviews. Several of Rice’s books have been made into movies for network television and one, “Beach Girls,” became a mini-series on the Lifetime Network. Her work has also been featured in several off-Broadway theatre productions.
Also on Saturday, July 26, an eclectic array of vendors will be offering their unique and popular goods on College grounds from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Lisa Fatone, artist, jeweler and calligrapher, will be featuring her jewelry, a mixture of gemstones, pearls and vintage pieces, along with a 1 p.m. demonstration of her techniques of calligraphy and hand lettering for signs and written correspondence. For some of Patricia Spratt’s wonderful competitively priced fine linens, made from the most beautiful decorator quality prints, stop by her “Warehouse Sale.” Jan Ayer Cushing, owner of Fresh Ayer Gallery & Gifts in Old Lyme, will offer a selection of art, handmade jewelry and a variety of gift items that is sure to please. For the eco-friendly-minded, Nutmeg Naturals, a family-owned and –operated Connecticut business specializing in cold-processing soap-making will be on hand with their high-quality natural soaps, lotions, and other handmade and natural items. Artist Juliet Rutigliano will be showing her handmade sculptural pieces of eclectic jewelry, designed for the classically modern. For the readers in the crowd, the College’s Krieble Library will be offering competitively low-priced books, mostly art related with some high-quality beach reads added in. Rounding out the day’s offerings is the ever-popular Student Art Tag Sale, where all proceeds fund Lyme Academy College student trips and activities.
What’s a summer celebration without a hot buttery lobster roll? Sample yours from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. when LobsterCraft’s, ‘from boat to bun’ lobster rolls will be on sale, along with lobster bisque, lobster kielbasa, and more! Don’t forget to include a fresh summer salad along with other tasty bites and cool drinks from our College Café.
The live soundtrack for the day will be from a variety of bands with Youth Music Stage provided by Bring Our Music Back, Inc., with sounds that keep your toes tapping and hips swaying from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Want to know more about the College? Visit the College’s Information Table for materials on College gallery schedules and BFA, Post-Bac, Certificate, Pre-College & Continuing Education programs. Selected T-shirts and tote bags will be for sale too!
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