Wilton, CT – Artists of AmFab Studios will be showcased in Wilton Library's February art exhibition "Terrains of the Heart: Exploring Love, Memory, and the Geography of the Heart," opening on Friday, February 7 with a reception from 6 to 7:30 p.m. AmFab Studios, home to a diverse community of more than 40 area artists and creative businesses, is located in the historic American Fabrics Arts Building in Bridgeport. The dynamic environment of this vibrant arts hub fosters collaboration and inspiration. Each November, AmFab Studios opens its doors to the public for a two-day Open Studios event in conjunction with the Bridgeport Arts Trail, a highly anticipated event every year.

The artists from the group will be exhibiting their works in an array of styles, media choices, and subject matter. The artists are: Janine Brown (Westport), Eric Chiang (Westport), Linda Colletta (Redding), Judith Corrigan (Trumbull), Deborah Dutko (Fairfield), Mary Dwyer (Stratford), Holly Hawthorn (Bridgeport), Crystal Heiden (Milford), Richard Killeaney (Bridgeport), Joanie Landau (Fairfield), Emily Larned (Stratford), Claire McNamara (Milford), Thomas Mezzanotte (Fairfield), Brechin Morgan (Milford), Jay Petrow (Westport), Glorianna Restrepo (Norwalk), Kelly Rossetti (Westport), and Roxy Savage (Fairfield).

“We would like to extend a warm welcome the Artists of AmFab Studios, a talented group of local artists. We visited their recent Open Studios event and were impressed with the quality of artwork as well as the range of styles and mediums that we saw. We know everyone will appreciate this colorful and diverse exhibit showcasing their work with the theme “Terrains of the Heart,” said Petra Saldutti, Art Co-Chair of Wilton Library.

The Artists of AmFab Studios come from a range of backgrounds:

Janine Brown is a multidisciplinary artist based in Southern Connecticut and New York City. Her work is informed by her experience as a fashion designer from the Midwest and her experience in the domestic space as a female and mother. She draws on these experiences to question ideas and stereotypes of people, places, and things. Brown's solo shows include "Patterns and Pieces: Recipes of Home" at Silvermine Galleries (Connecticut); "The Wallflower Project" at Moorpark College Art Gallery (California) and Gallery 825 (California); as well as "Black, Gray and Orange" at the Westport Arts Center (Connecticut). Group exhibitions include "Stitching the Revolution: Quilts as Agents of Change" at the Mattatuck Museum (Waterbury, CT); "What if We Lose the Ground" at Accent Sisters (Jersey City, NJ);  “Liminal Forms” at The Invisible Dog (Brooklyn, NY); “Public|Private” and “New Artifacts” at the SVA Flatiron Gallery (New York City, NY); and “Tra 2 Mari” at the Museo Area Archeologica Arte Contemporanea (Cisternino, Italy -work in the permanent collection). She holds an MFA from the School of Visual Arts (NY), an MBA from New York University’s Stern School of Business, an AAS from the Fashion Institute of Technology, and a BFA from Iowa State University. Her studio is located in the American Fabrics Arts Building in Bridgeport, CT. www.janinebrownstudio.com, Instagram: @janinebrownstudio

Eric Chiang is a full time professional artist; his artwork has been exhibited in National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts and Art Revolution Taipei in Taiwan, Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth in Texas, Queens Museum, First Street Gallery, Governor’s Island in New York City, Blomfield Gallery in Boston, New Britain Museum of American Arts, Mattatuck Museum, MoCA Westport, Silvermine Guild Gallery, Housatonic Museum of Art, New Canaan Arts Center in Connecticut, and many public libraries & galleries in Connecticut, New York & Massachusetts.  In September 2016, he was given a Citation from the New York State Assembly for his outstanding artwork promoting humanity. In addition to creating art that explores the meaning of existence, showing his empathy of panhuman desperation, love, connections, and hope, he is very active in leading organizations connecting individual artists as well as artists and communities. EricChiangArt.com

Linda Colletta is an abstract artist who has been creating art in various mediums for over 30 years. At 19-years old, she got her start in New York City as a scenic artist painting backdrops for MTV and VH1. After 16 years in the industry, she left to dedicate herself to her painting practice. Her work has been shown internationally at The London Art Fair, Scope Miami Beach, LA Art Show, Market Art & Design Hamptons, Uprise Art, Burning Man, The Affordable Art Fair, and The Other Art Fair. Private collections include Principal Financial Group, Google NYC, Justin Bieber, Memorial Sloan Kettering, New York Presbyterian, 590 Madison and 277 Fifth NoMad. www.lindacolletta.com, Instagram: @lindacolletta

Judith Corrigan grew up in Saugerties, New York in the Hudson Valley. She attended Drew University as an Art Major and studied at the Art Students League of NYC. She taught Art History as an Adjunct Art instructor at Housatonic Community College. In 1998 she worked at the Maison des Artists, as well as at the Galerie Nouveau Aurore in Tourrettes, France. Her paintings have been shown in the Ulla Surland Gallery in Fairfield, the Silo in New Preston, Her Sister's Gallery in Litchfield, The Silvermine, The Rockefeller Gallery in NYC, The Station Gallery and the Gallery in the Courtyard in Katonah, NY and the York Square Cinema Gallery in New Haven CT. Instagram: @judithcorrigan_

Deborah Dutko has been an artist all her life and has worked as an illustrator and graphic designer for most of her working days. Now that she is "ReWired," she has gone back to her roots of painting and continuous exploration of other mediums, ceramics being one of them. Instagram: @ddutko

Mary Dwyer is a contemporary painter who lives and works in Connecticut. She has exhibited at numerous museums and galleries in the Tri-State area including Smack Mellon, Tiger Strikes Asteroid, Artport Kingston, ODETTA Gallery, in Connecticut The New Britain Museum of American Art, Ursa Gallery, Melannie Carr Gallery, ECOCA, Institute Library, Art Space New Haven. Also, in the UK a design show honoring Frank Lloyd Wright. Mary has been featured in Art New England Magazine March/April 2020.She earned her BFA at the Hartford Art School. She is a recipient of Connecticut Artist Fellowship Grant. Several of her paintings are in the collection of the New Britain Museum of American Art. marydwyerart.com, Instagram: @and_now_its_history

Holly Hawthorn knew that the direction of her life would include the pursuit of visual art when she won a poster contest for the Schenectady City Ballet. She was in the fourth grade. That recognition encouraged her to become the teen who decorated the bulletin boards, designed the prom theme (replete with tissue carnations) and all of the artistic pursuits of literary publications and theatrical productions in school. As a result of these opportunities life has led her to a myriad of occupations. Contracting and carpentry, house painting and wallpaper hanging, potter, set design and scenic artist but she thinks teaching children to tap into their creative selves was the most rewarding one. She was fortunate to study art at university level and traveled abroad to Greece and Italy to study as well. She is fortunate to maintain a studio in The American Fabrics Building in Bridgeport, Connecticut on the fourth floor. www.hollyhawthorn.com, Instagram: @imholly52

Crystal Heiden is an artist who works in a variety of media. She has a BFA from Maine College of Art in Sculpture and an MFA in Art Theory and Practice from Northwestern University. As someone who is constantly on the go and interested in a wide variety of things her artwork reflects that. Crystalheiden.com, Instagram: @heidenart

Richard Killeaney was raised in San Diego, California. He received his BA in studio art from Hobart College and an MFA in Textiles from the Rhode Island School of Design. He has taught textile design to students at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, The Art Institute of New York City, and The Rhode Island School of Design. His work has been exhibited in numerous gallery shows, most recently at the New Britain Museum of Art in 2014. He has been featured in Natural Home magazine (Jan/Feb 2007) and profiled for Patrick McMullan’s online magazine PMc. He currently lives in Bridgeport, CT where he runs Ocheltree Design, his own line of quilts, pillows, and home accessories. Instagram: @ocheltreedesign

Artist Joanie Landau was born and raised in New York. Early in her artistic career, she became fascinated with collagraphs, a rather obscure form of printmaking. Each of her pieces begins with original photography and usually multiple images are used to form a piece. She loves working with saturated color as well as starkly contrasting black and whites and very often does a study of the same piece in all its beautiful transformations. Like printmaking, the process possesses magical qualities. The digital art experience provides an outlet to be unceasingly creative, continually working and reworking pieces with the click of a mouse. Every new layer or filter creates endless possibilities, tapping into the unlocked potential that exists and providing the feeling that there are no barriers. Using direct communication from the streets as well as social media, Joanie Landau’s intention is to confront modern social commentary with a splash of sarcasm and humor. Influenced by artists Mel Bochner, Barbara Kruger and Andy Warhol, she is in a constant state of exploration. www.joanielandaudesigns.com, Instagram: @joanielandaudesigns

Emily Larned has been publishing as a socially engaged art practice since 1993, when as a teenager she made her first zine. She is co-founder of Impractical Labor in Service of the Speculative Arts (ILSSA, est. 2008), a union for reflective creative practice, which explores the immaterial working conditions of impractical laborers through participatory projects, publications, and exhibitions. Through her imprint Alder & Frankia (est. 2016), she publishes new collaborations as well as anthologies and reissues from feminist archives. Emily's artist books, zines, & publications are collected by over 70 institutions internationally, including the Tate, the Brooklyn Museum, the V&A, & the Smithsonian, & are exhibited around the world. Her work has received design accolades from the AIGA, the CADC, and the Type Directors Club. She graduated from Yale School of Art with an MFA in Graphic Design and is currently a tenured Associate Professor of Art in Graphic Design at the University of Connecticut, Storrs. emilylarned.com, instagram @emilylarned

Claire McNamara is a 25-year-old painter and cartoonist from Milford, Connecticut. Raised in Connecticut, Claire developed a passion for the arts early on, ultimately studying Advertising and Public Relations with a minor in studio art at Sacred Heart University. Her work style blends expressive, bold strokes with the spontaneous energy of graffiti and street art. claire444.com, Instagram, TikTok, X: @claire.444

Thomas Mezzanotte has been exploring the potentials of the photographic medium for over 35 years. Educated at the University of Bridgeport, he became the director of the University’s Carlson Gallery in the 1980’s. As a Connecticut Commission of the Arts Master Teaching Artist, he conducts workshops at schools across Connecticut and at universities across the country. His work has been exhibited at many galleries and museums around the United States including NY University, the Santa Fe College of Art , The Elizabeth Leach Gallery in Portland, Oregon, George Eastman House, the John Stevenson Gallery in Chelsea, NY and at the William Benton Museum in Storrs, CT. Mr. Mezzanotte has received numerous grants and awards including three individual artist grants from the state of CT and a Director Choice Award from the Edward S. Moore Foundation. He was a resident artist at the The Weir Farm in 2001, the McColl Center in Charlotte, North Carolina in 2005 and held the Dayton Artist Residency at Connecticut College in New London, Connecticut in 2007-2008. thomasmezzanotte.com, Instagram:     @mezzanotteobscura

Brechin Morgan was born at the edge of the ocean in 1947. He left high school at 16 to participate in the bohemian atmosphere of Greenwich Village. He has hitch-hiked cross country twice. He rode freight trains in the southwest. He crewed on charter boats in the Caribbean. He attended Silvermine College of Art in New Canaan. He co-named Sono. He started the Sono Art Festival. He owned Morgan Sign Company in Sono. He sailed single-handed around the world in a 27 foot sailboat. He helped found and secure the AmFab artist community in Bridgeport. He helped found the Open Studios Art Trail. He was Artist in residence at Mystic Seaport Museum for two Summers. He is not dead yet. brechinmorgan.com, Instagram: @brecmorgan.  

Jay Petrow had always liked to create art as a kid growing up in New York. But he never really considered having a career as a fine artist because it seemed incredibly difficult to support oneself as an artist. In school he was torn between the analytical and technical aspects of mathematics and the natural sciences while also feeding his creativity with painting, drawing and printmaking. After double majoring in painting and biology at Middlebury College in Vermont and UC Santa Barbara, he pursued a career in editorial art direction in NYC, working for major publications such as Time, Sports Illustrated and BusinessWeek. In 2007 he left the publishing world, started PetrowGardens Landscape Design and began designing landscapes and meadow gardens in lower Fairfield County in Connecticut. Many years ago he and his wife had a son who was born with special needs. William changed their lives. The demands of caring for him and the stress of trying to help him navigate his world created a wellspring of emotions within Jay. Finally, after many years of not creating any of his own art, he needed a creative outlet for his emotions. He chose to paint in an abstract expressionist style in order to better connect with his feelings. Painting became his expressive form and subject matter was not as important as the actual process of painting. Today, painting abstract works and designing meadow gardens inform each other through a similar creative process. He uses color and texture and composition in his garden designs to bring the visitor into a space and lead them around that space. In his abstract work he uses his intuitive processes to create canvases layered with color and texture to create depth and movement on a two dimensional plane that leads the viewer through that space. In his work there is great satisfaction derived from the physical act of applying paint to the canvas much as many of the ‘action’ painters from the earlier movement of abstract expressionism. To artists such as Jackson Pollock, Franz Kline,, Willem de Kooning, and Joan Mitchell, the act of painting was more important to them than the subject matter, When he can engage physically with the paint and the surface of the canvas, and he is able to open up a direct line of communication between his emotional state and the act of painting, the results are inevitably successful for him. Staying true to himself in the painting process is essential to his development and ultimate success in his work. He thinks this is true of most artists, regardless of their medium or style of work.  jaypetrowfineart.com, Instagram: @jay.petrow.abstract.art

Glorianna Restrepo is a self-taught multidisciplinary artist whose work is marked by an eclectic and eccentric style. Combining a passion for gouache and colored pencils, Restrepo creates expressive pieces that delve into her own fears, exploring themes of vulnerability and emotional complexity. The subjects she is drawn to often stem from subconscious anxieties—motifs such as horses, birds, dogs, and butterflies—transforming these personal fears into captivating art. Though her formal education focused on film and photography, Restrepo has always been deeply connected to creating as an outlet for self-expression. As a Colombian artist, she finds inspiration in the rich cultural heritage of her roots, particularly the works of renowned Colombian artist Fernando Botero. Her work reflects a fusion of influences, from Latin American art to her own unique perspective on the human experience. Restrepo’s art invites viewers to confront the things we often avoid and find beauty in the unexpected. Through her creative process, she pushes boundaries, allowing vulnerability to become a powerful source of connection and reflection. Instagram: @gloriannadoes

Kelly Rossetti is a contemporary abstract and figurative painter working out of her studio in Bridgeport, CT. While primarily self-taught, she studied classical oil painting at a small Atelier in NYC where she credits getting her foundation and love of the figure. Kelly works in both acrylic and oil and often utilizes an array of mixed media to achieve depth, texture and marks. www.kellyrossetti.com, Instagram: @kellylrossetti

Roxy Savage, also known as Roxanne Faber Savage, is an interdisciplinary artist from Boston, Massachusetts, who now resides and works in Connecticut and New York City. Her artwork focuses on themes of female identity and domestic space. She utilizes various media, including installation, analog and digital processes, foods, and interactive sculpture. Savage's art investigates female archetypes and stereotypes through text, objects, experiences, and elements of pop culture. Making art and teaching are integral to her creative process. Roxy is an accomplished, award-winning artist whose works are part of private and corporate collections. She has exhibited in solo and group shows across the United States and internationally. Roxy earned her MFA in Art Practice in 2020, receiving the AP Thesis Award from the School of Visual Arts in New York City. Her educational background includes a BFA from Pratt Institute and an MS Ed. from Queens College, where she studied on full fellowship. Savage has participated in artist residencies and international projects, including Cha-North, Pine Plains, NY, Mass MoCA, North Adams, MA; The Atlantic Center For The Arts, New Smyrna Beach, FL; Weir Farm Art Center, Wilton, CT; Taller Di Grafica, Havana Cuba; Castello di Potentino, Toscana, Italy. As an educator, Savage is a Master Teaching Artist with Arts For Learning Connecticut, HOT Schools, CT.

Dates: February 3 - March 6.

Opening Reception: Friday, February 7, 2025 from 6 to 7:30 p.m.

Hours:

Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.;
Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.;
Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and
Sunday, 1 to 5 p.m.
The library will be closed on Monday, February 17 in observance of Presidents’ Day.

Location: Wilton Library, 137 Old Ridgefield Road, Wilton, CT 06897

For more than 129 years, Wilton Library has served as the cultural and intellectual center of Wilton with the mission to inform, enrich, connect, and inspire our community. The library is located at 137 Old Ridgefield Road in the heart of Wilton Center.

For more information, visit www.wiltonlibrary.org or call 203-762-3950.