Check It Out!

     For the month of June, Canton Public Library’s display case will hold its first “Couples Collections,” featuring the collections of Ray and Dru McNeill.  The display will run from Friday, June 1 through Saturday, June 30.  On display will be hourglasses and alphabet books.
 
     Originally from West Hartford, Ray moved to Canton in 1968. He has been fascinated by hourglasses since he was a boy. Ray has acquired quite a few from various sources including antique shops, tag sales, catalogues, friends, and family.  He has one which is made from an old mill company spool; one that hung from a ship to keep it level as the movement of the sea caused it to rock; and another, his favorite, which is a plexiglass column with the hourglass itself set inside. Ray’s collection includes various materials and a variety of colored sands.
           
     Ray's wife, Dru, has been collecting alphabet books for a number of years. Perhaps her years as a teacher in Canton encouraged the idea for this type of book.  Her specialty alphabet books come from a number of sources, including catalogues and museums.
 
     Library hours are Monday-Thursday 10:00-8:00, Friday and Saturday 10:00-5:00.  Canton Public Library is at 40 Dyer Avenue, Canton.  For information:  (860) 693-5800 or www.cantonpubliclibrary.org

     For the month of April, visitors to Canton Public Library will be immersed in the nostalgia of childhood.  An exhibit titled “Real Toys” will cover the walls, fill the display case, and feature some programming for both adults and children.  The gallery exhibit opens on Monday, April 2 and runs through Friday, April 27 with an opening reception on Thursday, April 19 from 5:00-8:00 PM.

     “Real Toys” is a collaboration between Tina Parsadanov and Ron Todd.  The main part of the exhibit will be photos by Parsadanov and Todd of the well-loved, sometimes broken, scruffy toys, and the attachment that children feel towards them, sometimes desperately clutching them and refusing to leave them behind.

      “We will have some of the toys themselves, and we will also share stories of both children and adults who have or had favorite stuffed friends and even stories of how they came to lose them. People have come forward with offers to lend us stuffed toys that they have had as constant companions for more than four decades,” according to Todd.

     Stuffed friends become “real” to the people who love them.  They dry tears, they play without complaint, they are a soft friend to cuddle any time of day or night, and they are always there to love and care for. We create personalities for our stuffed friends and we love them forever. “We hope to remind adults of their fond memories or even sad memories of their favorite stuffed friends and how stuffed friends are something that all generations have in common,” said Todd.

     A program that is definitely for children, but not exclusively for children, is “A Special Story Time:  The Velveteen Rabbit,” with guest reader Ron Todd.  In the 1922 book by Margery Williams, a toy rabbit yearns to become “real” through a child’s love.  The story time will also feature a short, eight-minute film version of the book.  The special story time is for ages 4 and up.  Youngsters are encouraged to bring along their own beloved “real toys.”  REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED.

     Tina Parsadanov is a Connecticut-based photographer specializing in portraits, along with documentary images. She is the mother of two children and concentrates her art work on exploring childhood.  Ron Todd is a Professor of Art at Central Connecticut State University teaching photography, video and media. He often works in a collaborative environment producing installation art. 

     All of the programs associated with the exhibit “Real Toys” are free.  Registration is requested for the film and REQUIRED FOR THE STORY TIME.  Canton Public Library is at 40 Dyer Avenue, Canton.  For information:  (860) 693-5800 or www.cantonpubliclibrary.org

     For the month of December, Dona Dalton will be a delightful presence at Canton Public Library.  Her whimsical and spirited creations filled the display case in November, and in December a new display will be featured,  “Juxtapositions and Partnerships:  Birds and Animals.”  Many of the items in the display case will be available for sale, which is good to know for anyone contemplating holiday gifts.  The display is sponsored by the Maxwell Shepherd Memorial Arts Fund. 
 
     It’s hard to pin a label on Dalton’s work.  Is it a toy?  Is it art?  Is it a toy for children?  Or a toy for adults?  Is it an heirloom that should reside on a shelf out of the reach of tiny hands?  Or does it demand to be played with—now!  Or is it “all of the above?”
Dalton calls her creations “Toys as Sculpture” because they are not for “throwing around or into the toy box.”  She adds, “they encourage the imagination and relationship which I felt towards my playthings. My intention is to capture gesture, personality, and something of the spirit, especially as it exists in relationship. A Kingfisher at your workplace, or a cat in a boat can be the best of companions.”
           
     Dalton’s menagerie is made up of brightly painted wooden creatures, mostly animals, some real and some fanciful, often in unexpected combinations.  There are farm animals and wild animals; equines, felines, and canines; birds, frogs, snakes and fish; running, sniffing, slinking mice.  There are sets of creatures:  animals on an ark, animals on a farm, and a dinosaur den.  There is a smattering of humans, angels, and merpeople (maids and men).  Many of the creatures are on wheels.
Whatever we call them, they are a pleasure to look at, to hold, and to play with, and they are an unlikely blend of the primitive and the sophisticated.
 
      In a third-floor studio, Dalton handcuts her creations on a bandsaw, then sands and paints free hand.  “Each one has its own personality and uniqueness and is signed,” she said.  “Color, gesture, pattern and attitude are qualities I try to incorporate in the smallest to the largest piece.”
 
      Dalton, a Philadelphia artist who has been crafting her toys for more than 30 years, sees herself as “a painter who uses a three-dimensional canvas.”  She has a BA in sculpture from the Philadelphia College of Art, and has studied advanced drawing at the University of Pennsylvania, where she also immersed herself in Egyptian art.  Her creations are sold in galleries and museum shops throughout the country.  She has lectured widely and has been featured in the Philadelphia Inquirer, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and in American Craft  magazine.

      Library hours are Monday-Thursday 10:00-8:00, Friday and Saturday 10:00-5:00, and, beginning Sunday, November 6, 1:00-4:00 PM.   For information:  (860) 693-5800 or www.cantonpubliclibrary.org

In the display case for the month of June, step back into the Canton Public Library’s Technical Services Department for a look at what goes on “behind the scenes” at the library.
 
Anyone who has seen the office of Sarah McCusker, Head of Technical Services, knows that she has decorated with geeky posters, pictures of her son Ian the Library Baby, and lots of crazy toys — but her office is also full of many thick cataloging manuals, tech books, and library publications.  Using these resources, she orders new materials for the library, assigns call numbers to items, makes sure the computer records in the library catalog are complete and accurate, and updates the library website.
 
Technical Services Assistant Annie Barrett processes new books, DVDs, and CDs to get them ready for library patrons to borrow — all items need barcodes, protective covers, and a variety of identification stickers.   Many DVDs and CDs need to be removed from their original packaging and given new, library-appropriate cases.  
 
There is also a constant flow of materials needing repair.  Annie and Sarah repair book spines, re-cover books, replace broken cases, tape torn pages, clean and repair dirty and scratched discs...and a whole host of other things to ensure that people can
continue to enjoy our library materials.
 
Take a look at some of the tools of the trade in the display case!

    In honor of Youth Art Month in March, Canton Public Library will display the artwork of the talented artists in every level of the school system.  The art will fill the main gallery, the Children’s Room, and the display case of Canton Public Library from March 1 to March 31.  A reception for the show will take place on Wednesday, March 16 from 6:30 – 8:00 PM.

    The exhibit will feature more than 100 pieces from students in kindergarten through grade 12 and will include a variety of media, from three-dimensional ceramic and sculptural pieces to two-dimensional work including watercolor, colored pencil and more.

    The schools represented in the show are Cherry Brook Primary School, grades K-3, with art teachers Kezia Hearn and Ellen Raposo; Canton Intermediate School, grades 4-6, with art teacher Deb Beaudoin; Canton Middle School, grades 7-8, with art teacher Linda Klusek; and Canton High School, grades 9-12, with art teachers Renee Hughes and Roselyn Marino.

    Youth Art Month celebrates its fortieth anniversary this month.  Created originally as Children's Art Month in 1961 by The Crayon, Water Color & Craft Institute (now the Art & Creative Materials Institute) in cooperation with the National Art Education Association, it was expanded in 1969 to include secondary school students and, hence, became Youth Art Month. Many schools and communities have planned projects and events to emphasize the value of participating in art for all children. 

    Stop by the library and be prepared to be impressed.  Students and parents will have a bigger exhibit space than the refrigerator, and library patrons will be treated to the lively, colorful, and creative work of our schoolchildren.

            If we google “Lewis S. Mills,” we’re faced with an endless string of references to Lewis S. Mills Regional High School in Burlington.  How many people know anything about the man after whom the school was named?  And even those who do know that he was one of Connecticut’s early and important educators may not know that he also made significant contributions to the field of photography.  For the months of January and February, Canton Public Library hopes to change all of that in an exhibit titled “Lewis S. Mills, Photographer.” 
 
            Lewis Sprague Mills was born on September 5, 1874 into one of Canton’s oldest families.  His lineage can be traced back to the man who gave Canton its name, Ephraim Mills.  Lewis was raised on the Mills homestead on Barbourtown Road, the eldest son of Archibald Mills and Mary Loomis Mills.
 
            Archibald, who served in the Civil War, was a farmer and a harsh taskmaster as a father.  To say that he was parsimonious would be an understatement.  “Little Lewis,” as his father referred to him in his diary, was lame from the age of three, but his father put him to work in the tobacco field at the age of seven.  Lewis began attending school in April 1881, when he was five years old, and was allowed by his father to attend until he was 14, at which time his father took him out of school and made him a full-time farmhand.  He was not allowed by his father to enter Collinsville High School until he was 18.  His mother, who had always supported Lewis’s desire to attend school, was able, on her deathbed, to extract a promise from Archibald that Lewis be able to finish high school.  For his entire high school career, he was required to return home at lunch to his farm chores and to work after school until 7 PM. 
 
            Although a harsh taskmaster, Archibald makes note in his diary of a number of important milestones in Lewis’s life.  He had his first “store haircut” in 1893.  He was “united” with the (Canton Center) Congregational Church in 1895.  He read Greek with Birdsey Case in 1896.  He had a poem published in 1897.  And Lewis took pictures of haying in 1901, got a $50.00 camera (8”x10”) in 1901, and took pictures of tobacco in 1901.  And in 1902, Archibald built Lewis a photography studio in the house.
 
            Photography became a lifelong interest of Lewis.  He photographed local scenes when he lived in Canton, and, when he moved to other Connecticut towns to teach and later to supervise schools and educators, he continued to photograph  schools and students.  When he went off to New York City to attend Columbia University for his bachelors and masters degrees, he was able to use photography to help support himself.  As a photographer in Connecticut, he is known for capturing as many as 500 pictures of the one-room schoolhouses that once dotted the state before advances in transportation  made it possible for towns to build “union” and “consolidated” schools.
 
            After a long and distinguished career as an educator, including the writing of The Story of Connecticut for use as a textbook in schools, he retired to a second career, as editor, writer, and photographer for The Lure of the Litchfield Hills, a magazine which contains invaluable historical resources for anyone interested in local lore and which has become highly sought by collectors.
 
            “Lewis S. Mills, Photographer,” Canton Public Library’s exhibit, will feature photographs of one-room schoolhouses in Canton and surrounding towns in the Farmington Valley, including Avon, Barkhamsted, Burlington, Farmington, Harwinton, and New Hartford.  The photographs of Canton’s one-room schoolhouses will be accompanied by text selections from Larry Carlton’s lecture “Canton’s District Schools.”  The exhibit will also feature photographs of local bridges and rural, agricultural scenes such as photographs of the Mills tobacco operation.  Many of the photographs are from the “Mills Collection” at the Connecticut State Library and from the Canton Historical Museum.
 
            As a record of Connecticut education in the early 1900s, the photographs of the one-room schoolhouses, both exterior and interior, and the group shots of students are fascinating and telling.  We are very fortunate to have them as a record of the experience of schooling at that time. 
 
With an eye to the future, Canton Public Library will, along with the Mills photographs, feature a corollary photographic exhibit of Canton schools in 2010.  The photographs of Canton education in 2010 are the contribution of Canton Girl Scout Troop 61245, a group of 10 girls ages 15-16, who have been together since kindergarten.  Their leaders are  Elizabeth Nardi and Sandy Yost.  This photographic record of Canton schools as they exist in 2010 will, after the exhibit, reside in the library’s local history room.  Decades from now, when people look back on history in the early 2000’s, their photographs will help tell the story.
 
For the months of January and February, the library’s display case will also be devoted to Lewis S. Mills.  Patrons will be able to see Mills’s photographic equipment,  including his cameras, glass slide negatives, and dark-room equipment, which provide a snapshot of late 19^th and early 20^th century photography. <

The Town of Canton Volunteer Fire & EMS Department is partnering with Dish ‘n Dat of The Shoppes at Farmington Valley to present “Fire Prevention Month” in the display case of Canton Public Library for the month of October.

For the months of September and October, Canton Public Library’s Gallery features the paintings of Jim Laurino in a show titled “All Seasons:  The New England Landscape.”  Jim’s works, in both oil and acrylic, depict local scenes at various seasons.
 
Jim, who began painting in his teens, later studied painting and color theory at the University of Connecticut at Storrs.  He had an early interest in painting marine subjects.  His style of painting, which has been called “coarse and vibrant,” has been honed in select workshops and independent study.  He prefers working on site, plein air, often completing the painting in the studio.  The paintings are typically displayed in rustic frames which he constructs from scrap wood and other recycled materials.
 
Of his paintings, Jim says:  “Textured paint is typically worked into my landscapes, and I enjoy the dimensions and color folds that the resulting uneven surfaces offer.   Not surprisingly, my work can best be categorized as representational and impressionistic.”  He most often chooses subjects which offer “multiple, subtle focal points,” allowing the viewer to “bounce around the subject areas of an otherwise mundane scene.”           
 
Jim is an associate artist member of the Lyme Art Association and a member of the West Hartford Art League. His award-winning landscapes have been juried into numerous regional exhibitions.

For the month of September, Canton Public Library’s display case will feature a collection of pitchers.  The collection belongs to the library’s head of circulation, Katie Bunn.
 
Pitchers can be squat or tall, plain or decorative, utilitarian or sophisticated.  They can be made of glass, ceramic, metal, or plastic, to name a few materials.  We use them to hold cream, water, flowers, iced tea, sangria. 
 
In the case of Katie Bunn’s collection, the 50 or so pitchers were inherited from her grandmother, Glennis Maguire of Maine.  “I’m not a collector,” said Katie.  “She was. She collected not only pitchers but also antique kitchen gadgets.”  The pitchers in her grandmother’s collection are all ceramic and are decorative.  “She didn’t use them.  She displayed them.”  And displayed they will be when the collection fills the Canton Public Library display case in September.

When it comes to talent, the northwestern corner of Connecticut is rich with more than its share of artists, musicians, writers, and actors.  One such is Robert Andrew Parker, whose art will appear in Canton Public Library’s Gallery for the months of May and June in a show titled “Robert Andrew Parker:  Letters and Pictures.”     

Robert Andrew Parker, who turns 83 in May, is an artist, illustrator, and printmaker who happens also to be a musician, a sculptor, and a writer.  He has illustrated upwards of 90 children’s books.  His illustrations have appeared in most major publications, including The New Yorker, The New York Times, Esquire, Fortune, Sports Illustrated, Village Voice, and Playboy, to name a few.  His drawings and paintings have accompanied the work of Marianne Moore, William Faulkner, Seamus Heaney, Randall Jarrell, W. H. Auden, Vladimir Nabokov, Franz Kafka, and Joseph Heller.  The library show features the Parker illustrations which have appeared in both magazines and books.  It also includes four of his delightful alphabet series, in which he selects an image to illustrate each letter of the alphabet, including W. H. Auden’s “Airman’s Alphabet” and illustrations for a Spanish alphabet.

Canton Public Library’s Gallery exhibit of Parker’s work complements the show being held at the Gallery on the Green titled “Travels with Bob:  The Art of Robert Andrew Parker” from April 23 through May 23.  In addition, Canton Public Library’s display case features Parker’s illustrations which have graced  children’s books.

If you enjoy children’s books and if you read books to young children, chances are you’ve enjoyed the illustrations of Connecticut artist and illustrator Robert Andrew Parker.  His children’s books will be featured in the display case at Canton Public Library for the months of April and May.

Robert Andrew Parker’s illustrated children’s books range widely from science and history to biography and mythology, from explorers to musicians, from geography to astronomy.  The display complements a gallery show of the artist’s work at Canton’s Gallery on the Green from April 23 through May 23.  The display also precedes a larger show in the library gallery for the months of May and June which will feature Parker’s illustration of the works of such literary greats as W. H. Auden, Marianne Moore, Vladimir Nabokov, William Faulkner, and Joseph Heller.

The Gallery at Canton Public Library features the watercolors and assemblages of Gary Kollberg for the months of March and April.  The show opens on Monday, March 1 and continues through Friday, April 30.

    Through both vocation and avocation, Gary Kollberg has followed an artistic bent.  He has studied at the Art Institute of Chicago and the Parsons School of Design. He developed a career in graphic design, culminating in the formation of Kollberg/Johnson Associates in 1980 in New York City.  Prior to his retirement in 2001, his firm received numerous awards in multiple product categories.  As an artist, he was first a watercolorist, a medium he has been perfecting for more than 50 years.  His subjects tend to be drawn from nature and the outdoors, with landscapes featuring woodland scenes and rustic buildings.

    Following 9/11, his focus changed, however.  When the Twin Towers were hit, Gary and his wife were living in Weehawken, N.J., in a house on a cliff overlooking the Hudson River, with a panoramic view from the Intrepid Museum to the Trade Center.  Watching the buildings collapse affected him deeply.  The event “crystallized people’s support for their country,” said Kollberg, and led him artistically in a new direction.  He began creating assemblages, or dimensional collages, featuring patriotic memorabilia and Americana.  The pieces are red, white, and blue and an occasional splash of gold, and feature the icons of American patriotism:  flags, eagles, Uncle Sam, the Liberty Bell, the Statue of Liberty, the nation’s Capitol, the Presidents, and the Stars andStripes.

“I have found that the assemblages appeal especially to members of the military, whose job it is to secure our safety and freedom,” said Kollberg.  “One of my objectives is to show my appreciation for those individuals who made the ultimate sacrifice.”

    Kollberg grew up in Illinois.  His art has been exhibited in numerous venues in New Jersey and New York.  His work is represented in many private collections in the U.S.  He moved to Connecticut in 2004 and now resides in the Farmington Valley.

In honor of Youth Art Month in March, Canton Public Library will display the artwork of the talented artists in every level of the school system.  The art will fill the Children’s Room and the display case of Canton Public Library from March 1 to March 31.

The exhibit will feature approximately 100 pieces from students in kindergarten through grade 12 and will include a variety of media, from three-dimensional ceramic and sculptural pieces to two-dimensional work including watercolor, colored pencil and more.

Deborah Beaudoin, the art teacher at Canton Intermediate School who is organizing the show, said, "This is a wonderful opportunity for the Canton community to see the fabulous work that our students create within our schools.  The YAM Art Exhibit also demonstrates the sequential growth of our students as they excel through the grades.  We are fortunate to be in a town where the arts are valued and supported."

The schools represented in the show are Cherry Brook Primary School, grades K-3, with art teachers Kezia Hearn and Ellen Raposo; Canton Intermediate School, grades 4-6, with art teacher Deb Beaudoin; Canton Middle School, grades 7-8, with art teacher Linda Klusek; and Canton High School, grades 9-12, with art teachers Renee Hughes and Roselyn Marino.

Ms. Beaudoin added, "Canton Public Schools have a strong art curriculum in line with both the State and National Visual Arts Standards.  Students are exposed to a variety of media, techniques, artists and art movements."

Stop by the Children’s Room and be prepared to be impressed.  Students and parents will have a bigger exhibit space than the refrigerator, and library patrons will be treated to the lively, colorful, and creative work of our schoolchildren.

For the month of December, Canton Public Library’s display case features the work of a number of local artists whose items will be available for “creative holiday shopping.”  The display is “back by popular demand,” said Nancy Donoghue, who oversees the library’s display case.

The artists and artwork on display include:  Betsy Gardiner’s pottery, Jon Eastman’s glass jewelry, Chris London’s clay sculpture and jewelry, and Pamela Huntington’s artwork and “re-purposed” books.

The artwork may be purchased directly from the artists.  Library hours are Monday-Thursday 10:00-8:00, Friday and Saturday 10:00-5:00, and Sunday 1:00-4:00.   For information:  (860) 693-5800.

For the month of December, Canton Public Library’s Gallery will host a one-woman show by a local artist, Martha H. Fortmann.  The show is titled “Watercolor Works.”

Martha Fortmann grew up in Highland Park, Illinois, and moved to Connecticut in 1970.  She began to paint in 1994 and has studied at the West Hartford Art League, the Farmington Valley Art Center, and the Hudson River Valley Art Workshop.  She has attended numerous Elderhostel watercolor workshops throughout New England and California, and recently returned from a ten-day trip to France, where she studied with watercolorist Jane Riles of San Diego.  Fortmann’s work has been exhibited in a number of local shows and galleries.

Canton Public Library is at 40 Dyer Avenue.  Library hours are Monday-Thursday 10:00-8:00, Friday and Saturday 10:00-5:00, and Sunday 1:00-4:00.  For information:  (860) 693-5800.

For the month of September, the display case at Canton Public Library will feature “Sea Glass” by Lauren Curran, including jewelry and other small creations.  The display went up on Tuesday, September 1 and will remain up through Wednesday, September 30.

The display may be viewed at any time during regular library hours.  For more information, call the library at 860-693-5800.

For the months of September and October, Canton Public Library’s Gallery features the photographs of Wendy Rosenberg in a show titled “Backyard Images.”

Wendy Rosenberg is a self-taught photographer who happens also to be a Connecticut-certified Master Gardener.  By combining these two disciplines, she has created an exhibit of natural images taken directly from her own backyard.  From a horticultural perspective, she has transformed her backyard into a peaceful yet bustling natural habitat with plants, flowers, and water features that attract many species of birds, insects, and other creatures.  From a photographic perspective, she has captured many unusual and rarely seen activities of the wildlife right outside her door.

All of Ms Rosenberg’s photographs are true-to-life and never digitally or computer enhanced.  She uses a Nikon digital SLR for all of her photographs.

The exhibit may be viewed during regular library hours.  For more information, call the library at 860-693-5800.

For the months of July and August, Canton Public Library’s Gallery brings the outdoors inside with the botanical photography of EJ Grubbs.

At the tender age of 15, Grubbs completed the Hartford Ad Start Program and went on to become the youngest staffer at an advertising agency called Flaming Thing.  He earned a degree in Commercial Art and Advertising from the University of New Haven.  He has won awards from the Hartford Ad Club and the Connecticut Art Director Club.

His photographic style features nature in bold and colorful display.  Says Grubb, “I like to think that strong colors and shapes are part of a good composition, whether it’s creating and designing marketing materials or capturing an image through photography.”

For the months of May and June, Canton Public Library’s Gallery features the paintings and photographs of Thomas Rickis in a show titled “Since March
31st . . .”  The exhibit explores the theme:  “Do my photographs look like paintings, or do my paintings look like photographs?” 

Following a career in the insurance industry, Thomas Rickis retired to devote himself full-time to a career as an artist.  His earliest passion was painting, and he has worked in oils, acrylics, and watercolors.  More recently he has added photography.  Currently as a painter he favors watercolors and has begun experimenting with watercolor/collagraph (a form of intaglio print making).  He has also begun working with watercolor collage and oil collage as a way to move from a traditional two-dimensional form into a three dimensional one.

The subject of his paintings is most often traditional landscapes, such as barns set in snow scenes, and still lifes.  He has lately begun to expand into contemporary abstracts and impressionist landscapes.  His works tend to be clean and spare since, as Rickis says, “I do not like to overload my paintings with excessive details since my objective is to present the viewer with just enough content to capture a mood or emotion.”

As an artist who both paints and photographs, Rickis finds himself asking, “Do my photographs look like paintings, or do my paintings look like photographs?”  Although he originally used a photograph as a precursor to a painting, he now creates photographs in their own right.  He finds that photography has “opened up my eyes and mind to additional artistic expressions.”

Rickis has exhibited widely in galleries, corporation headquarters, retail businesses, and educational facilities in Connecticut, and his paintings and photographs are in private collections throughout the United States.  He is currently a member of the Connecticut Watercolor Society, Canton Artists’ Guild, West Hartford Art League, Lyme Art Association, and Simsbury Camera Club.  He attended the University of Connecticut, the Hartford Art School at the University of Hartford, and Central Connecticut State University.  He has lived in the Farmington Valley for more than three decades.
   
Library patrons are invited to see for themselves whether Thomas Rickis’ photographs look like paintings or whether his paintings look like photographs.  Canton Public Library hours are Monday-Thursday 10:00-8:00, Friday and Saturday 10:00-5:00.  For information:  (860) 693-5800.
 

The Canton Land Conservation Trust will be featured in the display case at Canton Public Library for the month of May.  The focus of this year’s display will be the Trailblazers program, a family adventure group that hikes once a month from October to April.

Trailblazer hikes usually take place on a Sunday at one of the Canton Land Trust’s many hiking trails.  Each hike has a theme or is centered around an activity such as orienteering, night hiking under a full moon, a scavenger hunt, or a hayride.

“We hope that the hikes increase the enjoyment of our town’s open spaces and help families explore the trails and properties of the Canton Land Trust,” said Canton Land Trust member Mary Ellen Mullins.  “We also want to encourage families to respect nature and woodland creatures through observation and education.  Getting kids involved at an early age helps promote appreciation of the outdoors that we hope will continue for a lifetime.”
  
The purpose of the Canton Land Conservation Trust is “to conserve the natural resources of the Town of Canton—water, woodlands and open spaces; its plant and animal life; and its unique, scenic, natural, and historic sites.”  A long-term goal of the Land Trust is to acquire attractive tracts of open land throughout the town so that the Canton of the future will retain as much as possible of its present natural charm. 

The Land Trust has constructed and maintains fourteen hiking trails on Land Trust properties.  The group has published a guide to most of the trails; the 3-ring binder guide is available for purchase or may be borrowed from the library.  Land Trust volunteers plant, care for, and sell Christmas trees annually.

Chartered in 1972, the Land Trust has acquired parcels of land representing the preservation of 1800 acres within Canton.  The Land Trust’s land has been acquired through land donation, land purchase, and conservation easement.  Most of the Land Trust properties, including but not limited to those with trails, are open for “passive recreation and nature appreciation.” Trust encourages the use of the trails for hiking, cross-country skiing, and nature appreciation. The Land Trust currently maintains five hiking trails. Work is being done to create two more trails on other properties.

Canton Public Library is at 40 Dyer Avenue, Canton.  Library hours are Monday-Thursday 10:00-8:00, Friday and Saturday 10:00-5:00.  For information:  (860) 693-5800.

In honor of Youth Art Month in March, Canton Public Library will display the artwork of the talented artists in every level of the school system.  The art will fill the Children’s Room of Canton Public Library from March 3rd to April 15th.  An opening reception will be held on Wednesday, March 11 from 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM.  Light refreshments will be served.

The exhibit will feature approximately 100 pieces from students in kindergarten through grade 12 and will include a variety of media, from three-dimensional ceramic and sculptural pieces to two-dimensional work including watercolor, colored pencil and more.

Deborah Beaudoin, the art teacher at Canton Intermediate School who is organizing the show, said, "This is a wonderful opportunity for the Canton community to see the fabulous work that our students create within our schools.  The YAM Art Exhibit also demonstrates the sequential growth of our students as they excel through the grades.  We are fortunate to be in a town where the arts are valued and supported."

The schools represented in the show are Cherry Brook Primary School, grades K-3, with art teachers Kezia Hearn and Ellen Raposo; Canton Intermediate School, grades 4-6, with art teacher Deb Beaudoin; Canton Middle School, grades 7-8, with art teacher Linda Klusek; and Canton High School, grades 9-12, with art teachers Renee Hughes and Roselyn Marino.

Ms Beaudoin added, "Canton Public Schools have a strong art curriculum in line with both the State and National Visual Arts Standards.  Students are exposed to a variety of media, techniques, artists and art movements."

Stop by the Children’s Room and be prepared to be impressed.  Students and parents will have a bigger exhibit space than the refrigerator, and library patrons will be treated to the lively, colorful, and creative work of our schoolchildren.