Noah Webster Library Gallery
February 3 – March 28
Public Reception: Tuesday, February 11, 6:00-7:30pm
My Feelings Aren’t For Sale (but the art is) – Works by Jon Eastman
About the Exhibit
The series of collages Eastman presents here at the Noah Webster Library were done in 2020 during the height of the Covid pandemic, when emotions ran high and (most) people had some time to reflect. Each work, employing both color and monochromatic elements, illustrates a feeling or emotion experienced at the time, for better or worse.
If you look carefully, you’ll see prints culled from all sorts of things: Vintage film cans, medication caps, cassette tapes, Ethafoam and Lego’s to name a few. Curated by Joe Bun Keo.
About the Artist
Jon Eastman (b.1962) is a Bloomfield, CT based mixed media artist and has been exhibiting his evolving body of work for over 30 years. Professionally, he has worked in the Preparator department of the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of art for the past 25 years.
Over the course of his creative journey, Eastman has utilized photography, painting, printmaking, collage, box/found object constructions, ceramics and other forms of sculpture. His intentions, whatever the medium, are the same: to attempt to make magic from the mundane; to make sense out of the illogical; to explore the mystery that makes life poetic yet confounding; to cope with triumphs and heartaches in equal measure; to create work that gives himself and possibly others a thrill. He also makes clocks, which he calls his “little time machines” that loudly tick away, reminding you of your inevitable demise.
Influences include, in no particular order: Modernism, Abstract Expressionism, Russian Constructivism, Art Deco, Brutalist architecture, Stuart Davis, coffee, David Bowie, Gustave Stickley, Diane Arbus, Andy Warhol, David Lynch, Yoko Ono, Wee Gee, Norman Lewis, Man Ray, Bill Healy, the Munsters, Metropolis, Kurt Schwitters, the Beats, Anne Sexton, Joseph Cornell, Patti Smith, mid-century design, Robert Frank, Mahalia Jackson, Leon Theremin, chocolate, Chick Austin, Aluminum and the Chrysler Building.
April 1-29
Public Reception: Wednesday, April 23, 6:00-7:30pm
National Art Honor Society: Conard and Hall High Schools
About the Exhibit
The Conard and Hall chapters of the National Art Honor Society are pleased to present artwork by student members for the month of April 2025. The work is from students in grades 9-12 and represents their studio artwork from this year. Work ranges from drawing and painting to ceramics and sculpture, as well as digital art and photography.
The National Art Honor Society was established in 1978 by the National Art Education Association. The mission of NAHS is to help members attain their highest potential in all forms of art, and to raise awareness of art education throughout the school and community. Throughout the school year, students work on community service-based art projects. Current projects include murals, fundraisers for local charities, Empty Bowls, face painting at local events, and display curation.
Both schools are also working on an interdisciplinary event called “Sparks Fly!” which is a collaboration between the Visual Art Department and the Music Department from Conard and Hall. The event will take place on May 1 from 6-8 at Town Hall and will showcase the talents of our students through an open mic and artwork exhibition.
Interested in having your work displayed? Contact us at artcurator@westhartfordlibrary.org.
These exhibits are generously supported by the Thomas F. Kilfoil Memorial Bequest, West Hartford Library Foundation.