Date: Fri 07-Mar-1997

Publication: Bee

Author: SHANNO

Quick Words:

enjoy-Larry-Newquist-SCAN

Full Text:

SCAN To Replace Two Awards In Honor Of Founder

BY SHANNON HICKS

The Society of Creative Arts of Newtown will replace two of its annual awards

with awards named in honor of its founder, Laurence Newquist, Sr, it was

announced last week.

Barbara Madden, president of the Newtown-based artists' and art lovers'

association, made the announcement prior to the group's February 26 meeting at

Newtown Meeting House. Mr Newquist founded the association, one of the most

active art groups in the area, nearly three decades ago. He died last month at

his home.

"In his honor, we are going to establish a scholarship which will be called

the Laurence W. Newquist Sr SCAN Scholarship Award, to be awarded annually to

high school students at Newtown High School," Mrs Madden said in addressing

the meeting.

"Another thing we are going to do as a group, we're adding to the Spring Show

awards," she said. Earlier this week, Mrs Madden elaborated on the awards

announcement.

"We give a scholarship to a senior at Newtown High School each year, and

that's what the new scholarship award will be. This will replace the SCAN

Award.

"The second award is to be given annually at our juried spring show, and it

probably will replace the Best in Show. This one will be called the Larry

Newquist Award, because that's how he was known to the people in the group,"

Mrs Madden said. The monetary amounts for each award have not yet been

established.

According to Mrs Madden, while she suggested the idea of creating memorial

awards in their founder's name to the art association's board of directors, it

was something many members of the board had already been contemplating.

"It was not a hard thing to pass through the board," she said. "They were all

receptive to the idea."

Ruth Newquist, Mr Newquist's wife, was very happy with the announcement of the

awards.

"I think it's wonderful," Mrs Newquist said this week. "It preserves his name,

and he had put in so many hours - even up to recently he was doing the

newsletter, all kinds of things."

Ruth and Larry Newquist had been married 42 years. Both were always practicing

artists.

Mrs Newquist said the moment the couple moved to Newtown, it was Mr Newquist's

brainstorm to form an artists' group. The Newquists moved to Connecticut in

the 1960s, when Larry Newquist took an instructor's position at Famous Artist

School in Westport. He subsequently taught at Fairfield University and the

Paeir College of Art.

The Society of Creative Artists of Newtown - SCAN - was formed to promote the

arts in Newtown and the surrounding area. Members come from across the state,

with a few from New York state. The group has over 200 registered members

today.

Mr Newquist, who was permanently named founder-director of the board, attended

all of the association's meetings. While control of the association was not

important to him, he enjoyed remaining closely involved with the project. Mrs

Newquist said her husband was very happy with what his association had become.

"It was his dream, that's true," she said. "And it's grown. Having the

[Newtown] Meeting House [where meetings and demonstrations are presented] is

so good for us, too."

In addition to meetings and demonstrations the second Wednesday evening and

the fourth Wednesday afternoon of the month, SCAN presents a number of art

shows every year. It also offers art courses for all levels of artists.

The first Larry Newquist Award will be presented at this year's spring show,

which will be at the Newtown Meeting House in May.

"He was very encouraging to people working in art," Mrs Madden said. "He was

very congenial, never seemed to get angry at anybody. He was always up, his

attitude was very good, and he certainly loved the group. SCAN was very

important to him.

"The scholarship was very important, too," continued the association's

president. "He wanted to encourage people who were young and going into art.

He wanted to help them along."

Mrs Newquist agreed.

"He always had so many ideas, he always kept talking about them," Mrs Newquist

said. Many of the people who knew him will remember Mr Newquist not only for

his creativity and friendly aura, but also for his unceasing loyalty to fellow

artists.

"I think that's why they decided to name the scholarship after him... He was

always ready to help, always encouraging people to bring their portfolios over

for him to look at," Mrs Newquist said.

"He would explain how to get into an art school, or how to put their portfolio

together, regardless of age."