Go Big
Juried Member Show
October 25 – November 22, 2025
The “Go Big” Show is a juried show of WAA’s current members, the requirement was to submit a work no smaller than 36” x 36” open to all media. There were over 240 submissions, all with a rich and diverse range of talent, of those, 35 artists were carefully chosen to represent the show. The Washington Art Association is proud to present the “Go Big” participating artists:
Carrol MacDonald, Peter Seltzer, Nathaniel Cardonsky, Souby Boski, Joan MacFarlane, Donald Bracken, Scott Bricher, Joanne Conant, Daniel Murray, Sandra Daignault, Ellen Oster, Becky Butler, Edward Muszala, Ann Quackenbos, Zemma Mastin White, Cornelia Kavanagh, Dita Carley, Peter Wiehl, Meo Velduizen, Catherine Natale, Jamie Fellner, Richard Kleinberg, Patricia Carrigan, Serena Johnson, Justin Perlman, Marc Russell, Victoria Kingsley, Cynthia B. Crier, Nancy Lasar, Robert De Matteo, Jack Rosenberg, Stacy Bogdonoff, Lisa Mahon, Susan Rood, and Hugh O’Donnell.
The Washington Art Association & Gallery is proud to present The Dames, an exhibition honoring artist and WAA supporter Norman Sunshine. The image Norman pursued was never just a surface portrait of an interesting woman, but one that revealed qualities reaching deeper into her psyche.
After an illness limited his ability to work at the easel, Norman turned to digital tools to explore portraiture in new ways. He photographed women he found compelling, sometimes over a meal, sometimes in his studio, and sometimes by chance. Then, he took each image on a long digital journey. With Photoshop, apps, and his mouse as brush, he painted, drew, erased, added, and transformed until he reached the image he had been seeking. The resulting portraits often revealed aspects of the sitter’s personality, sometimes even to her surprise.
The women of The Dames are remarkable in every sense: passionate about the arts, health, education, politics, family, and the not-for-profit world. They are advocates, each with a distinct style, energy, and presence that Norman found endlessly engaging. In 2015, this body of work was presented in a major exhibition at Florida’s Boca Raton Museum of Art.
OPENING RECEPTION:
September 20th, 2025, 4pm-6pm
Norman Sunshine The Dames
The Norman Sunshine Center
11 Green Hill Road
Washington Depot, CT 06794
on view by appointment
Norman Sunshine is an American painter and sculptor whose career spans more than seven decades. Trained at the University of Southern California, New York University, and the Art Center School in Los Angeles, Sunshine began his career as a fashion and advertising illustrator. His work is represented in the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and the Palm Springs Museum of Art, among others. He lives and works in Connecticut and Florida.
Animal Sutras
"I have for most of my life received remarkable teachings on how to be human from the animal spirits".
-Stephan Levine
This collection of bronze, ceramic and plaster sculpture reflects the state of connection that I have experienced with the animal world.
Jon studied art and animal behavior at Bucknell University. He received his Masters of Fine Art from Penn State University with additional figure study at the Lyme Academy in Lyme, Connecticut.
He has exhibited his work throughout the Northeast in galleries and museums and he has won numerous awards including a Connecticut Arts Foundation Award and a MacDowell Fellowship.
Jon has taught sculpture in various locations including the Washington Art Association and Saint-Gaudens National Historic site, where he was the artist in residence.
Exhibition Dates: September 20, 2025 - October 18, 2025
Artist Reception: Saturday, September 27, 4–6 PM
August 13 - September 13. 2025
The Washington Art Association is proud to present Wendell Minor & Thomas McKnight, on view from August 16 through September 13, 2025. This special exhibition brings together the work of two celebrated American artists whose careers span decades and whose images have touched millions of viewers worldwide.The exhibition will feature a wide range of work from each artist’s long and distinguished career, offering an intimate look at their creative evolution.
Wendell Minor began his career designing iconic book covers for literary greats including David McCullough, Pat Conroy, James A. Michener, Mary Higgins Clark, Larry McMurtry, and Fannie Flagg. He later transitioned to children’s literature, collaborating with authors such as Margaret Wise Brown, Buzz Aldrin, Jean Craighead George, and his wife, Florence. Minor’s achievements include serving as Artist Laureate of the Norman Rockwell Museum, past president of the Society of Illustrators, and in 2023, induction into the Society of Illustrators Hall of Fame. His work has been exhibited in prestigious institutions including the Art Institute of Chicago, the Library of Congress, the New Britain Museum of American Art, and The Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. His portrait of Truman for David McCullough's well-known biography is part of the permanent collection of the National Portrait Gallery.
Thomas McKnight’s luminous paintings draw from the many places and experiences that have shaped his life, from the sunlit vistas of Greece to the tranquil interiors of New England. A graduate of Wesleyan University, McKnight returned to painting after a transformative trip to Greece, leaving a corporate career to follow his passion. Known for his distinctive interior scenes and landscapes, McKnight gained national attention in the 1990s when the Clinton White House commissioned him to design its official Christmas card for three consecutive years. Now based in Litchfield, CT, McKnight works from a studio in his home, continuing to explore the rich subjects and techniques that have defined his career.
Join us in celebrating these two remarkable artists at our opening reception on Saturday, August 16, from 4–6 PM.
This event is free and open to the public.
Exhibition Dates: August 16 – September 13, 2025
July 12 - August 10, 2025
The Washington Art Association is pleased to present Material Language: Sculptural Ceramics, a vibrant group exhibition featuring the work of nine accomplished ceramic artists: Mary Lou Alberetti, Souby Boski, Jocelyn Braxton-Armstrong, Pamela Church, Mindy Horn, Elizabeth MacDonald, Donna Namnoum, John Rohlfing, and Eva St. John.
At the heart of this exhibition is a shared exploration of the expressive possibilities of clay. Each artist brings a distinct voice to the conversation, using surface, form, and material to craft works in their own "material language." Whether bold or meditative, these sculptures invite viewers into a tactile, contemplative space shaped by the slow, intentional rhythms of making. The show celebrates the rich diversity of contemporary ceramic practice, from refined porcelain pieces to structurally ambitious forms, revealing clay's remarkable versatility and depth.
Join us for the opening reception on Saturday, July 12, from 4:00 to 6:00 PM. Visitors will have the chance to meet the artists, experience their work firsthand, and enjoy a lively evening with art and conversation in Washington Depot.
The Artists
Mary Lou Alberetti
Mary Lou Alberetti is a studio artist and professor emerita at Southern Connecticut State University with an MFA degree from Arizona State University. Her works encompass ceramic reliefs and mixed media. She has a 40-year background in the arts and has worked with numerous art consultants and galleries. Her works are found in civic, private, and corporate collections, including HBO World Headquarters, NYC, and the Mint Museum of Art and Design, NC. Her work is found in Sculpting Clay by Leon Nigrosh, Sculptural Ceramics by Peter King, and www.guild.com.
Souby Boski
Souby Boski has been an Art teacher in the CT public schools and Adjunct Professor of Art at Naugatuck Valley Community College. Since 2004, she has been teaching painting classes and workshops at area art education venues in CT, MA, and FL.
She holds a BA in Art Education from Stetson University and a MALS in Art from Wesleyan University. She has studied painting with nationally recognized artists and teachers: Eric Aho, Ira Barkoff, Lois Dodd, and Ruth Miller.
Jocelyn Braxton-Armstrong
Jocelyn Braxton Armstrong's refined sculptures bridge fine art and craft. Formerly a Manhattan fashion stylist, her background informs her figurative focus. Since turning to ceramics in 2001, she has explored the female form and created striking porcelain wall sculptures, especially her evolving series of delicate wings.
She has received awards from Ceramics Monthly, American Style Magazine, The Aldrich Museum, and the Connecticut Commission on Culture and Tourism. Her work is widely exhibited and part of the Brooklyn Museum’s Feminist Art Base.
Armstrong holds a BFA from the Maryland Institute College of Art, teaches ceramics at Manhattanville College, and works from her studio in Bridgeport, CT.
Pamela Church
Pamela Church began her career in electrical engineering, later earning a Master’s in Spiritual Psychology in 2000 and shifting toward a more heart-centered path. While working in social services, she took her first pottery class in 2007 and quickly fell in love with clay. She left her job to apprentice with Squidge Davis in Maine and continued her studies at Haystack, Penland, and workshops in the U.S. and Japan.
She soon began teaching pottery and later brought her wheel into an Alzheimer’s center—an experience that revealed the deep joy and connection art can spark. Since then, she’s shared clay with residents in assisted and skilled nursing centers across Connecticut.
Her ceramic work ranges from quiet and meditative to bold and whimsical, always grounded in exploration, love, and human connection
Mindy Horn
Mindy Horn is a ceramic artist and former paper conservator who worked in Connecticut and New York. Her ceramic work is held in both public and private collections. With a background rooted in conservation, her approach to clay is informed by the same meticulous attention to detail, technical knowledge, and deep respect for material that guided her work with paper.
Her interest in ceramics and paper conservation are closely connected—both involve fragile, responsive materials that transform over time and through touch. Porcelain and paper, in particular, carry a physical memory of their use, embodying a quiet record of care, history, and human interaction.
Elizabeth MacDonald
Elizabeth MacDonald, who lives in Bridgewater, Connecticut, has been the recipient of numerous awards and in 1999 received the Governor's Arts Award in visual arts. She has most recently shown her work at The Century Association in New York City, and has completed commissions for the chapel in New Milford Hospital and the Wilbur Cross High School in New Haven. Ms. MacDonald received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Chatham College, and she attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London.
Donna Namnoum
Donna Namnoum is a ceramist who creates sculptural vessels inspired by plants in which the parts are thrown on the pottery wheel and assembled.
Namnoum received a Masters Degree in Art Education and Ceramics at the Hartford Art School of the University of Hartford. She worked as an art teacher and administrator in Connecticut public schools for 35 years until her retirement.
Now a full-time artist, Donna maintains a home and studio in Canton, CT. She exhibits throughout New England and the United States, and her work has appeared in Art Scope and Sculpture Magazines, and numerous times in Ceramics Monthly Magazine.
John Rohlfing
John Rohlfing received his MFA from the New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University in 1982. He has earned international recognition, including Honorable Mentions at the Ceramic Biennial in Korea and the International Ceramics Competition in Japan, as well as an Emerging Talent Award from NCECA.
His work has been featured in solo exhibitions at the Garth Clark Gallery (New York and Los Angeles), Nancy Margolis Gallery (New York), and The Works Gallery (Philadelphia), and in group shows at institutions including the San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts, Racine Art Museum, and the Mint Museum of Craft and Design.
Rohlfing’s ceramics are held in numerous public collections, including the Smithsonian’s Renwick Gallery, Ichon World Ceramic Center (Korea), Taipei Fine Arts Museum (Taiwan), and the John Michael Kohler Arts Center. He has received artist fellowships from the Connecticut Commission on the Arts and New Haven’s One Percent for Art Program.
He is Professor Emeritus at Post University.
Eva St. John
Eva St. John discovered pottery at the University of California, Berkeley, studying with Peter Voulkos. Back in New York, she studied figurative sculpture at the National Academy of Design with Bruno Lucchesi, receiving the Helen Smith Prize for creativity.
She worked at the Clay Art Center in Port Chester before establishing her own studio and kiln in Morris, CT. A deepening interest in tradition led her to study RAKU firing with a master in Uzès, France—an experience that continues to shape her expressive, experimental work.
Eva has exhibited at the Hartford Atheneum, New Britain Museum of American Art, Slater Memorial Museum, and the Mattatuck Museum, among others. Her sculptures and architectural vessels, which she calls Calderas, are held in major American collections and private homes, including a large bronze recently placed in a private arboretum in Basel, Switzerland.
June 7 - July 6, 2025
This exhibition presents the work of 11 painters from across the United States (Misato Pang, Scott Seebart, Ben Frederick, Sam Kelly, Jacob Janes, Lindsay Mueller, Brittany Gilbert, Colleen Kelsey, Emily Zuch, Emily Manning-Mingle and Grace Colletta) all of whom have participated in the Four Pillars residency program—an initiative of the Mount Gretna School of Art in Mount Gretna, PA.
Each summer, four artists from across the United States are selected to gather for four weeks, living and working in the serene surroundings of Mount Gretna. In collaboration with students, faculty, and staff, the Four Pillars artists engage in a dynamic, summer painting program that fosters both artistic development and a sense of community.
25% of all sales from this exhibition will benefit the Mount Gretna School of Art, which also offers a six-week intensive program featuring professional art faculty from across the country, lectures and critiques from visiting artists, and art trips to New York and Philadelphia. Thanks to the generosity of its donors, the school is able to provide both full and partial scholarships to students based on financial need, ensuring access to this transformative educational experience.
Curated by Megan Marden, who participated in the Four Pillars program in 2019. The Washington Art Association extends gratitude to Chris Zaima, Melody Asbury, and David Hoffman for their assistance in designing and installing this exhibition.
The Artists
Sam Kelly (b. 1987) is an artist and educator, currently residing in Dayton, Ohio. He earned a BFA in Painting from Wright State University in Dayton and an MFA in Painting from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth in Dartmouth, Massachusetts. Sam has completed residencies at the Chautauqua School of Art in Chautauqua, New York, and Four Pillars in Mount Gretna, Pennsylvania. He has exhibited his work nationally and internationally, including the CICA Museum, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea; THE ROOM Contemporary Art Space, Venice, Italy; Surface Gallery, Nottingham, United Kingdom; and Blue Mountain Gallery, New York.
Brittany R. Gilbert is an artist exploring changes in the landscape through perceptual and sequential painting. She has an MFA from the University of North Carolina in Greensboro and a BA in Studio Arts from Union College in Schenectady, New York. Recent solo exhibitions include Francis Marion University in Florence, South Carolina, and Sandhills Community College in Pinehurst, North Carolina.
Ben Frederick is a painter based in Dayton, Ohio. He earned his MFA in Painting from Edinboro University in Pennsylvania and holds a BFA in Painting and Ceramics from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio.
Frederick’s work has been exhibited extensively across the United States, with recent solo exhibitions at Spectrum Fine Art in Seattle, Washington, and The Betty Gallery in Dayton, Ohio. He is represented by Spectrum Fine Art (Seattle) and Thomas Dean Fine Art (Atlanta, Georgia).
Misato Pang is a multidisciplinary artist whose work bridges personal narrative with broader cultural and political themes. Born in 1992 in Hong Kong to Japanese and Chinese parents, she relocated to the United States during her late adolescence. Pang earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Painting from Brooklyn College and later completed a Master of Fine Arts in Painting at the New York Studio School.
Scott Seebart received his BFA from the University of Minnesota, a Post Baccalaureate degree from the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and his MFA with a minor in Printmaking from the University of Iowa. He has studied painting at the University of Amsterdam, Netherlands and at the Scuola di Grafica in Venice, Italy. Seebart has taught at the University of Iowa, University of Missouri at Kansas City, The Kansas City Art Institute and the University of Central Missouri. Seebart has shown in group and solo exhibitions at the American Museum of Art in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Lo River Arts in Beacon, New York and the Leedy-Voulkos Art Center in Kansas City, Missouri and the Prince Street Gallery in New York City. He has been a visiting artist at the Mount Gretna School of Art, The International Center for the Arts in Montecastello di Vibio, Italy and Studio Nong in Nanning, China. He lives and works in Saint Paul, Minnesota at Case Edgerton Studios, a 1902 church renovated into an artist space and gallery. Seebart lives with his partner, artist Jessie Fisher, and their five cats.
Lindsay Mueller is a landscape painter whose practice considers interconnection, perceptual ambiguity, and decay through her tactile, layered paintings. Mueller grew up in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, and currently lives and works in Arlington, Virginia. She received a BFA in Painting and a BA in Psychology from Boston University, and she completed an MFA in Visual Arts at American University. She has exhibited in group shows at MoCA Arlington, Virginia, and the American University Museum in Washington, DC
In 2023 Mueller received the Bethesda Painting Young Artist award, and she is a recipient of the Carol Bird Ravenal Art Award for artistic research from American University. In the summer of 2024, she was published in I Like Your Work’s MFA Catalogue
Colleen has showcased her artwork both nationally and internationally, participating in group exhibitions at the Carnegie Mellon Museum of Art and the Cincinnati Contemporary Art Center. She earned an MFA in painting at American University and an M.Ed. at Wright State University.
Colleen has received support from individual artist grants and attended artist residencies, including the NES Residency in Skagastrond, Iceland; the Four Pillars Residency in Mount Gretna, PA; and A.I.R. in Paducah, Kentucky.
Jacob Janes is a painter and cofounder of Janes and Pang Atelier in St. Louis. He is a lifelong wrestler, a returned Peace Corps Volunteer, and a mediocre skateboarder. Prior to earning his MFA from Marywood University, he also studied studio art at Lindenwood University and the Mount Gretna School of Art. His paintings are poetic portraits; playful, simplistic depictions of familiar subjects that are both primal and carefully composed.
His work has recently been included in exhibitions at Kiyoe Gallery Arishma, Niseko, Hokkaido, Japan, The Luminary in St. Louis, Missouri, and Lancaster Galleries in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Emily Zuch earned her MFA from the New York Studio School and her BFA from the Maryland Institute College of Art. Her work has been shown in solo and two-person exhibitions at Union Gallery (Staten Island), The Empty Circle (Brooklyn), Die BOX (Leipzig, Germany), and Liman Gallery (Palm Beach). She received a Fulbright grant in 2014 to study painting and printmaking in Germany and the Hohenberg Travel Award from the New York Studio School in 2011. Zuch has participated in residencies at Yaddo, Jentel, and the Vermont Studio Center.
Emily Manning-Mingle is a multi-disciplinary artist and educator. Emily was born in Manhattan and grew up in the suburbs of New York City. She attended Boston University's School of Visual Arts, completing a BFA in Painting (2009), an MFA in Studio Teaching (2010), and an MFA in Painting (2022).
Recently, her work has been exhibited at Abigail Ogilvy (Boston, MA), Katzman Contemporary (Dover, NH), and Morgan Lehman (NYC). She has received several awards, including an Ox-Bow School of Art and Artists' Residency Merit Scholarship, a 2024 Blanche E. Colman Award, and a 2025 Artist of the Year award from the Cambridge Art Association.
Grace Colletta received her MFA in Painting from Boston University in 2015 and her BA in Art Practice from the University of California, Berkeley in 2013. Her work has recently been featured in exhibitions at Gallery Mariposa and Gallery Also in Los Angeles, California, as well as Gross McCleaf Gallery in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Her work is held in the collections of the Inside-Out Art Museum in Beijing, China, and the Howard Gotlieb Archival Research Center at Boston University.
May 3 - June 1
Opening Reception: Saturday, May 3, 4-6 pm
Joanne Conant
Elizabeth MacDonald
Ronnie Maddalena
Kathleen Love Mooney
Karen Simmons
Wendy Walker
One week a year, six local artists get together and paint at Onadune, a sprawling family house in Rhode Island. A giant porch, surrounded on three sides by the Atlantic, serves as their studio. The painters met fifteen years ago at the Washington Art Association, in Ira Barkoff’s class, and have continued sharing their work and ideas ever since.
While the artists have very different styles, interpretations, and backgrounds in the arts, the artwork created at Onadune shares a singular flavor of salt air and light. This special place has given the artists the rare opportunity to paint from dawn to dusk, follow their instincts while supported by each other, and has cemented the bond forged at the Washington Art Association.
The exhibit brings the viewer to Onadune and shows how six different artists have used
the same place for inspiration and personal artistic growth.The artists:
Joanne Conant
A jeweler and recognized enamellist, Joanne brought her talent to seascapes fifteen years ago and never looked back. A resident of Newtown and a former teacher at Brookfield Craft center, she is well known for her cloisonné enamels and jewelry and brings much of that sensibility to her paintings.
Elizabeth MacDonald
After Elizabeth worked as an actor in Seattle, she moved to her Bridgewater residence and started her journey with clay. She is known for her vessels, large scale mosaics, sculptures, and paintings on clay. Her time at Onadune has expanded her paintings on slate as well as canvas.
Ronnie Maddalena
A graphic designer living in Warren, Ronnie contributes her graphics skills to many important corporate and local causes, including The Farmer’sTable. Ronnie creates brilliant and exuberant still lifes, both found and arranged.
Kathleen Love Mooney
A resident of West Cornwall, Kathleen started her career as a fashion designer in NYC designing clothing on silk that she hand-painted. Her focus is painting landscapes; she continues to paint everything she sees.
Karen Simmons
Was an architect in NYC, and in France, and joined WAA when she moved to Woodbury, CT. Her paintings, landscapes and still-lifes, reflect both her architectural and European background.
Wendy Walker
Has previously worked as both an illustrator and a scenic artist /designer in NYC. When she moved to Roxbury Ct, she started painting “a little smaller” and paints landscapes and subjects that inspire her emotionally.
