Middletown, NY (OCLT): Several museum quality artists in Warwick opened their studios during the holiday season for tours, demonstrations and the sale of unique holiday gifts, and donated a portion of their proceeds- $2,375 in all – to the Orange County Land Trust for their work preserving Orange County’s natural areas and working farmland.
Warwick collage artist Laura Breitman raffled one of her original works of art- a Hudson Valley scene valued at $3,000- during her fall/winter studio show with all proceeds donated to the Land Trust. Laura’s fabric collages comprise thousands of pieces of fabric that create astonishingly realistic photo-like images. Her work has been exhibited nationally and internationally and is part of the permanent collections of several museums and corporations. Glass artist Gary Genetti and jeweler Mena Messina held “Open Studio for Open Space” at their Walling Road studio with glass blowing demonstrations and unique gift items for sale, including hand blown glass ornaments and handmade jewelry, with a portion of the proceeds benefitting the Land Trust. As Amity residents, Gary and Mena live near farmland and natural areas protected with conservation easements held by the Land Trust, as well as the Roy Preserve, a public access nature preserve along the Pochuck Creek. In addition, Warwick artist, furniture maker and architectural consultant Daniel Mack held a 2-day exhibit in December called “Spirit into Matter” with visiting luminary artists at his village studio.
“We are so fortunate to have such an active arts community and so appreciative of their support for land preservation,” said Jim Delaune, executive director of the Orange County Land Trust. “Their donation will go a long way towards helping protect our natural and agricultural heritage.”
The Orange County Land Trust is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the preservation of Orange County’s natural areas, scenic vistas and working farmland. For more information, and for volunteer opportunities and ways of giving, please visit the website www.oclt.org.
For more information about the participating Warwick artists, please visit www.laurabreitman.com, www.genettiglass.com, www.amityartists.com/messina and www.danielmack.com.
