Norfolk Artists and Friends (NAF) has a new leader, sculptor Jon Riedeman, and he wants “shake things up” to instill new energy in an organization he believes “is in a rut.”
NAF is a membership organization made up of professional artists living and working in the
Norfolk area. Its members produce a wide variety of visual arts including painting, sculpture, photography, jewelry and decorative arts.
For the past 19 years, NAF has put on a summer show in the Art Barn on the Battell Stoeckel estate. Riedeman believes that the format has started to stagnate—”same show, same artists, same space, same format.”
“Attendance at the exhibitions has been either flat or declining,” he said, “and the energy has not been as strong as it was in the past.” He wants to create more excitement about it this year by changing the format to invite 15 artists from the New Marlborough area to exhibit in a joint show called “Norfolk vs. New Marlborough.”
In addition to hosting the annual show, he further wants to expand the scope of NAF’s activities to setting up workshops, presenting guest speakers, creating pop-up shows, sponsoring trips to museums and galleries, and the like.
To build momentum Riedeman wants to undertake a vigorous and expanded promotional campaign advertising the organization’s new endeavors. At the Economic Development Commission’s Thursday night meeting, he asked for a grant, arguing that it would directly assist 30 Norfolk residents with their art careers while increasing the visibility of Norfolk’s strong artist community.
EDC members were enthusiastic about Riedeman’s plans to invigorate NAF and expand its activities. He was encouraged to develop a budget and come back to the May meeting.
“I love the idea of the helping you promote art,” said member Libby Borden. “It’s a huge identity for the town. It’s part of our heritage.”