From January 17th to 20th, James Barron Art, a local Kent gallery, participated in the Outsider Art Fair in Manhattan, which exhibited the artwork of several Italian and American artists. The term ‘outsider’ refers to artists who are self-taught and not a part of the artistic establishment; this term was first coined by English art critic Roger Cardinal in 1972.

The artists being exhibited by James Barron Art are Sidival Fila, Elisabetta Zangrandi, Vera Girivi, Janet Sobel, Ashley Shapiro, and Jayne County. James Barron, the founder of the gallery, states in the press release, “perhaps there is no greater pleasure for an art dealer than to present work by artists who have never been seen before.”

Mr. Barron also indicated his passion for characterizing the deviation between trained and untrained artists. He states, “one of the goals of our gallery is to break down the distinction between trained and untrained artists and to examine the correlation between Italian and American art. Our exhibition accomplishes both of these goals.”

If you are interested in checking out the gallery, James Barron Art is located in the town of Kent, on James Barron Art, 4 Fulling Lane, Kent, CT 06757.

Additionally, Eckert Fine Art Gallery, located at Kent Barns, presented Looking Back from October 13th to December 16th, 2018. Jane Coat Eckert, the director of the gallery, displayed the artwork of Robert Rauschenberg, James Rosenquist, Christo, John Chamberlain, Roy Lichtenstein, Boaz Vaadia, Don Gummer and Eric Forstmann.

As the Kent School community is a considerable presence in town, such art exhibits are great opportunities for those who are interested in learning more. For students, faculty, and alumni who are fond of art, more information will be provided in advance so that our community can more fully participate in the art available around us.