Author: Joey Ciaramitaro

Hi Joey, 

So many Greenbelt employees connected with Gloucester say you are THE news source on Cape Ann. We hope you can assist in publishing information about Greenbelt’s annual blockbuster – Art in the Barn, which will take place NEXT weekend, June 9-12. Details attached. Please let me know if you have any questions. Thanks much.

Mary Williamson

Director of Community Engagement

mew@ecga.org

GREENBELT PRESENTS 22nd ANNUAL ART IN THE BARN
Artisan Showcase and Sale June 10 – 12 to benefit Essex County Greenbelt
Essex, MA, May 26, 2011: Essex County Greenbelt, the region’s premier membersupported
land conservation organization will present the 22nd Annual Art in Barn artisan
showcase and sale, June 10-12, at its Cox Reservation Headquarters in Essex. For one
weekend every June, the barns and grounds at the Cox Reservation are transformed with
color and form as paintings in oil, acrylic and watercolor, monoprints, ceramics and pottery,
jewelry and sculpture in wood and iron decorate the surfaces and surroundings of this iconic property. Even the conference room within the LEED certified, “green” headquarters will be transformed into creative jewelry display space, inviting all to discover the work of over 150 participating local artisans.
Greenbelt welcomes the public to Art in the Barn to see and purchase the diverse work of
talented artists from throughout the region, inspired by the natural landscapes and light that have drawn artists to Cape Ann and Essex County for decades. In fact, it is not unusual to see painters set up, palette in hand, on the many Greenbelt public reservations throughout the region. Renowned regional landscape painter and teacher, David P. Curtis, who frequently uses the Cox Reservation as his instructional “studio” confirmed, “For any plein air artist to have nature as an inspiration is important, but this location in particular, provides compositions and designs, which are ever varied and inexhaustible, to any creative individual.”

“The Cox Reservation has been an inspirational painting location for many years for many
artists – especially its namesake, Allyn Cox and his father Kenyon, two of America’s most
famous mural artists,” Mr. Curtis added. “From rolling meadows and open vistas, to the
intimate scenes of wildflowers along old stone walls, the Greenbelt has offered artists,
photographers and nature lovers, a beautiful tranquility that acts as a safe haven from the
world’s distractions,” he continued. And you could say the Greenbelt offers the ambiance of
particular state of mind. As Plato said, ‘It is beauty I seek, not beautiful things.’
Given its long-running popularity, Art in the Barn draws artists in every medium, and at
every experience level and price point. The participating artists submit to a rigorous
application and jury process for admission. The event continues to draw strong audience,
with crowds often numbering 4,000 attendees over three days. “Art in the Barn offers the
public a marvelous opportunity to see and purchase the work of fine regional artists, while
supporting Greenbelt’s important land conservation work,” said Sheilagh Doerfler,
Greenbelt’s Operations Manager, who manages the Art in the Barn event. “It’s one of many ways Greenbelt can connect people to the land and landscapes we cherish here in Essex County, and one way we can take a small piece of its beauty home with us!”

Sidebar: The schedule for the Art in the Barn 2011 event is as follows:
Public Exhibit: Friday, June 10, 9:30 am to 4 pm;
Wine & Cheese Reception: Friday, June 10, 6 pm to 8:30 pm
Public Exhibit: Saturday, June 11, 9:30 am to 6 pm
Public Exhibit: Sunday, June 12, 10 am to 4 pm

Since 1961, Greenbelt has been working with local individuals, families, farmers and
communities to protect ecological areas, farmland and scenic vistas. Greenbelt has protected more than 14,000 acres of local land in the last fifty years and has had a direct role in 75% of all land conserved during most of the last decade. For more information about Greenbelt programs visit http://www.ecga.org or call 978-768-7241