The O-town Scene

Art on the Run Weekend festival’s exhibits and displays bring crowds each year to Treadwell Every year, something special happens in the otherwise bucolic hamlet of Treadwell. One weekend a year, 600 to 800 people flock to the community with a total population fewer than 350. What is the cause of this sudden influx of attention? None other than what local artist Joseph Kurkajec describes as an art show that “could be shown anywhere in America.” The Stagecoach Run Art Festival. The free self-guided shows will take place from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, July 2, and Sunday, July 3, at several venues in the community. The weekend-long festival is in its 16th year after Kurkajec and local artist Jane Carr came together to create an opportunity for local artists to showcase their work, as well as a chance for art lovers to view and purchase one-of-a-kind works. Along with his artistic skill and a special eye for sculpture, Kurkajec brings a world of travel into his displays. He has taught workshops throughout Europe, Asia and Africa, and has called Paris his winter home for the past 25 years — experiences Kurkajec said have made him a better artist. “I’m 72 now, but I’m just beginning,” Kurkajec said. “You don’t retire, just get better.” Jane Carr has taken a similar road in her art. She was there in the days when the festival featured barely a dozen artists and a handful of guest artists. But the seeds had been planted. Over the next 16 years, more and more art- ists came to Treadwell, and even more guest artists came to the festival that was rapidly gaining a wide reputation. Carr shared a story of a time she was at an art exhibit in New York City, and when asked where she lived, she was shocked that not only did the person know where Treadwell was, but also knew of the Stagecoach Run and the respect that Treadwell had gained. Her art philosophy is also expressed in her choice to use egg tempera. One of the oldest forms of painting, it pos- sesses one quality that Carr values above all: durability. “Art is permanent, art endures,” Carr said. “I don’t want to be remembered, I want art to be remembered.” Marie Cummings moved to Treadwell in 2005, unaware of the thriving art community there. Specializing in experi- mental water media, Cummings embraced the community and her fellow artists. According to Cummings, up to 500 people came through her house during last year’s festival, and she predicts even more this year. “It’s getting pretty big,” Cummings said. “It’s got good energy.” Like Carr, Gail Bunting uses egg tempera, but for dif- ferent reasons. To create the “luminous quality” found in nature, Bunting believes only egg tempera is able to imitate the effect. A former dairy farmer, Bunting shifted her focus to painting 14 years ago, and while she will not be found milking cows at the crack of dawn, her art exemplifies the nature-based life she lives. All of her works, includ- ing 16 original and 24 repro- ductions, focus on wildlife and nature. “Nature is where my heart has always been,” Bunting said. The Bright Hill Literary Center will open the Stagecoach Run this year with a display of Depression-era Works Progress Administration art. The art was commissioned as a part of the Works Progress Administration, or W.P.A., and led to the creation of more than 200,000 beautiful works of art. The collection includes works from Louis Ferstadt, Stuyve- sant Van Veen, Ethel Cutler and Elias Newman. Following the festival, the work will be a part of an online auction benefiting the center. While their media and inspirations may vary, all the 45 artists taking part in the Stagecoach Run this year have one goal in mind: to show that there is world-class art close to home. Spanning 22 venues from Meredith to Franklin and artists visiting from as far away as Ohio, it’s the message Kurkajec has been saying ever since he came to Treadwell: that the art here “qualifies with the best.” W.P.A. artwork will be on display at the Bright Hill Center’s Word & Image Gal- lery during Treadwell’s Stagecoach Run Art Festival July 2 and 3, including pieces by Stuyvesant Van Veen (above), Ruth Fortel (left) and Elias Newman (below). Contributed photos The Stagecoach Run Art Festival is from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Satur- day, July 2, and Sunday, July 3, in Treadwell and its environs. • Each participating gallery, studio and venue is marked by a yellow numbered sign that corresponds to a map on the festival brochure. • Brochures are available at Barlow’s Store on Main Street in Treadwell and at each venue. — Jacob Pucci June 30, 2011 O-Town Scene 19

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