Category: Past Events

A recap of all the fun events held by the Ashford Arts Council.

A Summer’s Palette June 28th, 2025

Art Sale
Plein Air
Painting
Food
Beverages

Held at Westford Hill Distillers

Browse through the gardens of this historic property, and talk to more than 30 local artists about their work.

You will find fiber art, basketry, authors, jewelry, pottery, photography, soaps and skin care, paintings, pointillism, wood working, weaving, quilling felting and more!

Enjoy a craft cocktail from Westford Hill Distillers, enjoy a snack or lunch
and even paint en plein air, if you’d like. Children’s activities are available, so bring the whole family. However, while we love pets, please leave them home.

June 28th, 10am-4pm, Rain date is June 29th.

Westford Hill Distillers is located at 196 Chatey Rd, Ashford, CT 06278-1007
Click for map.

Below is a list of attending artists and local venues:

1. Kathleen Mittan
2. Marilyn MaKuch
3. Suzy Staubach
4. Joan Archand
5. Joan Blade Johnson
6. Tom Barker
7. Mike Metsak
8. Kathy Dean
9. Alison Ciarlante
10. Pollinator Pathways
11. John Boiano
12. Jason Hilley
13. Mark Drobney
14. Linda Davidson
15. Jay Bartholomew
16. Xiaohong Song
17. Ashford Historical Society
18. Sharon Punty
19. Jen Stone
20. Charles McCaughtry
21. Lauren Merlo
22. Gretchen Geromin		23. Dan Rackliffe
24. Kathy Weigold
25. Elizabeth Budington
26. Anna Harding
27. Steve Gerling
28. Dan Merlo
29. Joe Burger
30-31. Ashford Area Arts Council
32. Plein Air Painting
33. Artists for Asheville
Gallery Artists:
Christine Acebo
Debra Aldo
Nancy Bunnell
Dot Drobney
Deb Gag
Frank Krasicki
Bonnie Massey
Stacey Palmer
Chris Pavliscsak
Venue:
Westford Hill Distillers

Helping Artists after Hurricane Helene

Michael Hughey is a WNC native, creative artisan, calligrapher, illustrator, instructor, & author, living in Tolland, CT since June 2020. We reached out to him to help us with ways to give back to artists struggling to recover from Hurricane Helene.
“Thank you for asking and for thinking of the craftsmen, artists, and flood-ravaged folks of western NC (WNC)! These folks are pulling together and helping their neighbors, but the task is to recover from the largest destruction ever seen in WNC, surpassing even the catastrophic floods of 1916!
It may help New Englanders to understand the scope of destruction by comparing WNC to New England: the area of WNC is roughly equivalent to VT, NH, MA, CT, & RI combined.”

Here are a few organizations helping that I recommend:
• Craft Emergency Relief Fund (CERF+)
•Support Hope Mill Inc Hurricane Relief
Helicopter Supply Drops in WNC; based in Charlotte with operations out of Hickory Regional Airport: airdrops to areas otherwise unreachable in remote WNC mountains, cut off by flooded rivers, washed out roads, or landslides.
• Donations, equipment, or questions: email: helenedonations@buncombecounty.org Asheville is the county seat of Buncombe County where some of the worst flooding and wind destruction has occurred. It is 50 miles from N to S and 22 miles from Wto E, 660 sq. miles.
• Manna Food Bank : Perhaps the best & largest food bank in the area with many partners throughout WNC. Their main operation on the Swannanoa River was flooded out, but they are back up and operating – all their people survived! Really good people doing very good work!!
• Other agencies can be found on the Blue Ridge Public Radio’s website

Member’s Fun Night!

This year our yearly get-together will be at the Westford Hill Distillery!
  • All members and spouses are welcome.
  • Potential new members are also welcome. Come have some fun with your local artist neighbors!
  • Please bring a piece of your art to display, with easels for wall art. There will be a table for sculptures to be displayed.
  • Bring pot luck snacks and cash bar.

Get together is Free:
Friday, September 13, 6-8 pm.
Westford Hill Distillery, 196 Chatey Rd in Ashford.

Poetry Workshop Begins 2/5/24

Tony Paticchio will be hosting six new ZOOM
poetry workshop sessions beginning February 5th.
The sessions meet bi-weekly from 6:00-8:00 PM
Eastern Time, generally on Monday evenings.
There are a few openings (2-3) if anyone is interested
in joining. They spend the first hour reading
and discussing a selection of poems, usually from
contemporary and near contemporary poets. During the second hour they
workshop their own poetry and short prose pieces. You do not need to
be a writer to participate. They are looking for participants who have an
interest in poetry and would like to read and discuss poems together with
a group (and if so inclined share their own work with the group).
Contact Tony  if you are interested or have questions. They are a wide-ranging group, having several members who join them from as far away as the West Coast.

Pen Turning Workshop – 2/24/24

Back by Popular demand!
The Central Connecticut Woodturners Club and the
Ashford Area Arts Council will have another pen
turning event on Saturday Feb. 24 from 10 to 2 at
Knowlton Hall. Absolutely no woodturning experience
necessary…and the event is FREE!

Open to all ages: any kids must be at least 10 years old to participate. There will be plenty of skilled woodturners there to guide you in creating a beautiful pen! No reservations needed, just come between 10am – 2pm.

A Summer Palette, June 24, 2023

Ashford Area Arts Council (AAAC) and Westford Hill Distillers (WHD) are eagerly planning for another successful A Summer’s Palette!  Join us in showcasing our talented artisans on the Saturday, June 24th RAIN OR SHINE from 10:00am – 4:00pm.

The Quiet Corner of CT is home to many talented, and nationally recognized, artisans and authors. 
The idyllic setting of Westford Hill Distillers is rich in colors, views and history and provides for a picture-perfect day for all.  It’s a day to relax and breathe in the natural beauty of the Chatey’s property while supporting 30+ local artists.  In addition, the day will offer:

  • – Plein air painting – bring your own chair & easel & capture this beautiful setting on canvas! 
  • – A Summer’s Palette signature cocktail created by Westford Hill Distillers, plus other craft spirit beverages.
  • – Meet the distiller, Louis Chatey, and learn about 25 years of Westford Hill Distillers and this historic property.
  • – Sweet Lil Details baked goods https://www.sweetlildetailsllc.com/
  • – Live music
  • – Poetry readings by local poets  
  • – Kids activities (incl. a plein air table w/supplies)
  • – Pollinator Pathways and Garden Club table
Suzy Staubach, Potter and Author – suzy@willowtreepottery.us
Dan Merlo, Wood turner – dlm3817@gmail.com
Steve Gerling, wood carver, colored pencil, watercolor artist –segerling@snet.net
Dan Rackliffe, potter – DanRackliffePottery@gmail.com
Jane Rackliffe, glass artist – janerackliffe@gmail.com
Kathy Weigold, hand woven fabrics – www.swiftwaters.org
Gretchen Geromin/Lauren Merlo, decorative wood – Art at Thistle Run
Joseph Burger, watercolor – joseph-burger.pixels.com
Michael Metsak, goat’s milk soap and lotions – Hy-Hopefarm.com
Joan Blade Johnson, fabric artist – www.jbjfiberart.com
Mark Drobney, wood and laser cutouts
Anna Harding, stained glass – Annas Infinity Art on Etsy
Sue Muldoon, woven baskets – www.reduxforyou.com
Debora Aldo, mosaic artist – www.pietreduredesign.com
Marylin MaKuch, Metal Jewelry – Artist Open Studio page
T-Shirts with a Purpose, artist designed shirts – Facebook Page
Here’s the PDF of the artists, schedule and event layout:

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Come for the art, the setting, the spirits, the food, the music, the camaraderie & fun… Whatever your inspiration, we welcome you!  

Although we adore pets, we ask that you do not bring them to this event. Thank you!

More than 25 artists will be exhibiting and selling their artwork, plus enjoy live music, observe or participate in plein air painting. Woodturning and woodcarving, pottery, authors, fiber art, fairy houses, hand-made soaps, basketry, mosaics, musical instruments, photography, weaving, and more.

Desserts by Sweet “Lil Details, plus craft cocktails available for purchase.  All this fun is taking place on the grounds at Westford Hill Distillers, New England’s first craft distiller.  Westford Hill Distillers is located on a 200-acre property that has been under the stewardship of the Chatey family since 1919. Enjoy the mature gardens, learn about craft distillation. Live music includes performances by Ashford’s Babcock Cornet Band, the longest-performing cornet band in the country. This is what a day in June should be–bring along your friends, enjoy art, hear great music and drink in an authentic New England experience in Connecticut’s Quiet Corner.  

Free Pen Turning Workshop

The Central Connecticut Woodturners will be holding a free Pen Turning Event on Saturday February 4th, 2023, from 10-2:00 at Knowlton Memorial Hall/Babcock Library, 25 Pompey Hollow Road, Ashford, CT.  Mark your Calendars and bring a friend : The club supplies all materials, and will guide you in turning your own pen, which will be yours to keep! 

There will be a sign-up sheet when you come in.

You do not need to be an Arts Council member to participate. A wood carver will also be present to enjoy. 

Local members of the CCW club Joanne Mann and Dan Merlo of Eastford CT will be leading this event. Kindly offered to us by Dan Merlo, an Arts Council Member.

Winter Poetry Workshop

Tony Paticchio, Ashford’s Poet Laureate, will be hosting a Winter 2023 Poetry Reading and Writing Workshop via Zoom on the following six Wednesday evenings from 6:30-8:30 PM:

  • January 25th
  • February 8th
  • February 22nd
  • March 8th
  • March 22nd
  • April 5th

The workshop is open to both writing and non-writing participants.

Sessions will begin with close readings and discussions of several selected poems, and readings and discussion of poems and short prose pieces composed by workshop participants. There will generally be a theme for each session’s readings,
Writing participants may choose to follow the session theme, but are free to submit one to two. No prior experience reading or writing poetry is required.
PLEASE EMAIL Tony Paticcihi  IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS
ABOUT THE WORKSHOP AND IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO PARTICIPATE,
SPECIFYING WHETHER YOU WISH TO PARTICIPATE AS A WRITER AND
READER, OR SOLELY AS A READER.

Fall 2022 Poetry Workshop

Tony Paticchio, Ashford’s Poet Laureate, will be hosting a Fall 2022 Poetry Reading and Writing Workshop for up to ten participants via Zoom on the following six Wednesday evenings from 6:30-8:40 PM:  October 5, 19, November 2, 16, 30, and December 14.

Sessions will begin with close readings and discussions of several selected poems, focusing for the most part (though not exclusively) on free verse by 20th and 21st Century poets, followed by readings and discussion of poems and short prose pieces composed by workshop participants.  We will generally have a theme for each session’s readings, and will consider and discuss not just the sense and meaning of the selected poems, but also how the poems are constructed, including, among other things, how word choice, meter, sound, tone, repetition, metaphor, line length, and speaker voice contribute to our experience of reading the poems. 

Writing participants may choose to follow the session theme, but are free to submit one to two pages of any new or revised work at each session. No prior experience reading or writing poetry is required. I will provide to all workshop participants a selected reading list of resources, as well as a glossary of terms we will want to be familiar with and use as we consider and discuss poems.

Participants:  This workshop is open to writing participants who are willing to share and workshop their own poems, as well as to those who are interested in reading and discussing poetry, but don’t now have work of their own to share.  Please indicate your preference when you contact me. 

PLEASE CONTACT TONY AT IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS ABOUT THE WORKSHOP AND IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO PARTICIPATE, SPECIFYING WHETHER YOU WISH TO PARTICIPATE AS A WRITER AND READER, OR SOLELY AS A READER.    

Upcoming Events September-November

September

*AAC Annual Member appreciation meeting is at Knowlton Memorial Hall September 21st at 7:00 in place of our usual second Wednesday meeting. Please mark your calendar! The Babcock Band will perform and Pulitzer Prize winner (Political Cartoonist for Insider), Josh Adams will be our keynote speaker. There will be a short business meeting to talk about new positions for 2023.

October

*If you became a member before June of 2022, it will  be time to renew your membership in October. As it becomes closer we will be sending out registration forms.

*Our workshop program is returning beginning in October. We’ll keep you posted.

 *New event: AAC Members Show at the Vanilla Bean Gallery. We already have a list of 13 members who have responded. We will be hanging the show at the end of September. Date and time to follow. Let me know if you want your art to be included on the walls there.

November:

*Deb will reach out to former vendors of the annual Holiday Artists Market early in August before opening spaces to others. It will be held two days (Nov. 19 and 20 from 10 – 4:00 at Knowlton Memorial Hall) which is designed for social separation with half the vendors each day as we did last year. Like last year, each artist will enjoy extra space for their displays. You might need to renew your membership in October. The spaces will be $30