"We the Artists" Art and Artists Catalog, August 15, 2021
The Firnew Farm Artists’ Circle exhibition at James Madison’s Montpelier will be open August 29 - September 30 in the Grand Salon in the Visitors Center. Sunday, August 29 the Reception will be open to the public from 4:00 - 7:00. At 5:30 the artists will be introduced and available to talk about their work. The extraordinary experience of creating this work on the grounds of Montpelier during the pandemic is the power of place. We will also be open Constitution Day September 17. Formed in 2003 the Circle found its home in the rural landscape that is the Piedmont. Even then, they had their muse, the land. At Montpelier, their muse was Montpelier’s whole history. The 45 artists from over 9 counties in Virginia and 2 states, California and Florida, work in varied mediums: watercolor, acrylic, oil, photography, mixed media, pottery, jewelry making and fiber arts. Art Critique is the core of the group experience. They took that to Montpelier. When the pandemic precluded the artists from working together in the Firnew Studio, a new door opened in the summer of 2020. Roy Young, President of James Madison’s Montpelier, invited the Firnew artists to create Plein Air Art at Montpelier. Typical of this group, they did not limit themselves to plein air. The photographers turned to tintypes, assemblages and the mixed media artists turned to weavings and basketry. Here they confronted not only a new landscape but the real story of Montpelier. They faced the restored home of James Madison behind the reassembled homes of the enslaved persons.
In the artists’ own words, they share their experience the best.
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