Bob Manning and Sharon Kenney Biddle
Dates: Wednesday, September 1st through Thursday, September 30th
Location: Main Gallery
Website Link: http://www.catamountarts.org
With the coming of the fall season, many people’s thoughts turn to school and books, and artists are no exception. Two local artists and retired teachers, Bob Manning and Sharon Kenney Biddle, have turned those thoughts into exhibits that will be featured during September in the main gallery at Catamount Arts. “Miss Steinheimer’s Room” is an exhibit of paintings by Bob Manning that pays homage to one of his favorite elementary teachers. And “Myth, Book and Stone.” A multi-media presentation by Sharon Kenny Biddle, uses images connected with learning to envelop the viewer in the realm of the imagination.

Many artists have used themes and imagery from their early childhood and Bob Manning does so in his most recent work created for his portion of this exhibit. “I loved first grade in Miss Steinheimer’s room in the Washington Street School in Hartford, CT. She had large boxes of building blocks, those very smooth hardwood blocks you could place on one another and build castles or forts,” Manning said recently. “ She also had a large collection of alphabet blocks with letters and animals painted on each side. We kept a rug in our desk that we used to take a nap on the floor in the afternoon. I loved it all.” In Manning’s paintings and watercolors, memories of first grade have been grouped with other memories, especially those of WWII, each subjected to a process of stylization governed by a lifetime of image making. Bob Manning is a retired professor of Fine Arts, a fourteen-year member of Catamount Arts Board of Directors and, since 2001, a member of the Speaker’s Bureau of the Vermont Humanities Council. He lives in Ryegate with his wife, Libby Hillhouse. Biddle’s portion of the shared exhibit is a collection of pieces: drawings, paintings, and prints, hand-made books and felt stones. The artist uses a wide range of media in the works to illuminate myths from various cultures by creating Australian aboriginal-style dot painting, printed Aztec images, and depictions of Celtic heroes. Intrigued with the potential that hand-made books have for telling a story in shapes and textures as much as words, the artist will present books in diverse forms and materials. Some of Biddle’s recent work, which entails slowly building felt roving into the likeness of granite and schist, restates her long-time fascination with stones. As a special feature of the shared exhibit, these two artists and members of Catamount’s Board of Directors will hold a special Gallery Talk and discussion of their work at 3:00 p.m. Saturday, September 25, in the main gallery at Catamount Arts. The public is invited to attend the talk free of charge. Refreshments will be served. Both “Miss Steinheimer’s Room” and “Myth, Book and Stone” will be on view at Catamount from September 1 – 30. The gallery is open to the public free on charge from 1:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. Monday through Saturday and before and after each film screening. A special artists’ reception honoring both Manning and Biddle will be held at Catamount from 5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. Friday, September 10. The reception is free and open to the public. Refreshments will be served.

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