Artists Live is a visual arts program sponsored by the State of Connecticut’s Office of the Arts and WindhamARTS. Kathleen Zimmerman and the Mansfield Downtown Partnership were awarded a Regional Arts Grant for this program, which consists of ten month-long exhibits along with one artist discussion per month. Artists Live is located at 23 Royce Circle in Storrs Connecticut Monday – Friday 8am – 5pm and Saturday 10am – 4pm. Exhibitions will start in March through December except for August. Artwork will be on view starting the first Friday of each month until the final Friday, when an artist discussion will be held at 5pm followed by a reception at 6 pm. Artists Live is open and free to the public.
Gigi Horr Liverant is the first of a series of ten artists who will participate. Gigi’s work is experiential and inspired by the familiar and inconsequential moments and places in life. Her goal is to bear witness to the fervor that lurks within the commonplace. Rendering in paint or pastels, she juxtaposes color combinations into an intentionally designed framework to create an image that exposes the lush sensations encountered. The artwork bears both the impact of the visual impression and the sentiment of the moment. Much like a composer uses musical notes to convey an emotion, light and color are her vocabulary. Imbedded into the imagery is her personal history and likewise she encourages the viewer to find their connection to the image through their own experiences.
This project is relevant because Storrs Center in Mansfield and the regional professional level artists are valuable assets that are being underutilized. Our goal is to promote and enhance the visual arts in Storrs Center in Mansfield so artists and the community can come together to help support the talent that resides in Connecticut and to gain a better understanding of the what it takes to be a professional artist today.
Our project will affect the artists by connecting them to their community and the community by exposing it to what kind of work is currently being created by Connecticut’s professional artists. The artists will gain a better understanding of how their community looks at art and what makes someone want to become a patron of the arts. The community will gain a better appreciation of what it is to be an artist in today’s world and what it is like to live a creative life.
This project is meant to begin the process of creating an artistic community in the area so Connecticut artists and the community do not have to look elsewhere for exhibition opportunities and high quality regional artwork. It is a way to connect the community with current culture in an up close and personal way. This would benefit both the artists and the community by providing a place to interact and eventually bring in more talent and commercial business to the “Quiet Corner” as a reputation as an art-friendly community is developed.