Gala Opening Saturday Afternoon—

Newtown Sculptor Has Opened A Contemporary Fine Arts Gallery

SOUTHBURY — Award-winning sculptor James Travers of Newtown announces the opening of Travers’ Red Mill Gallery.

A gala opening reception will be held at the gallery, which is on Route 172 in the South Britain section of Southbury, on Saturday, October 22, from 3 to 6 pm. Shown with Mr Travers’ welded steel sculptures will be paintings by Inga-Britta Mills of Roxbury, Judith Corrigan of Trumbull, Gus Moran and Samantha Heilweil of Fairfield, and Vivien Bergenthal of Scarsdale, N.Y.

The 2,400-square foot second floor of a 130-plus year-old manufacturing building caught Mr Travers’ eye several months before he ventured towards the idea of the gallery. The space had been unoccupied for ten years.

After 30 gallons of paint, 150 razor blades to clean the 24 large windows and 2,000 man-hours later, the gallery was habitable for man and art.  

Travers’ Red Mill Gallery joins many other grass roots galleries in upper Fairfield and Litchfield Counties that offer fine original artwork at affordable prices avoiding the high operating costs and resulting high prices of many traditional galleries.

“Art does not achieve its destiny until it gets out into the world,” says Mr Travers. 

Avoiding conceptual and “décor” art, each piece for the gallery is chosen with two questions in mind: “Would I want to live with this” and “What does this do for me?”

In keeping with Mr Travers’ wishes to eradicate the fallacy that only very wealthy folks can afford original artwork, the gallery presents accessible quality original art by accomplished and award- winning artists to people of ordinary means. 

The gallery is open by appointment only, although this weekend’s gala will be open to the public. Call 364-1326 or the gallery, at 262-8005, for more information.