ASHFORD AREA ARTS COUNCIL

Vanilla Bean Art Show, September 2025
2025-09-01 - 2025-09-30 | vanilla bean, 450 Deerfield Rd, pomfret, 06259, United States
Our members will exhibit in September at the Vanilla Bean Café in Pomfret. The month-long show presents an opportunity to shop ahead for the holiday season. Plan on a treasure for yourself or a beautiful gift to give.

Holiday Artist Market - Nov. 15th-16th, 2025
2025-11-15 10:00 - 2025-11-16 16:00 (America/New_York) | Knowlton Memorial Hall, 25 Pompey Hollow RD, Ashford, 06278, United States
The very popular Ashford Area Arts Council’s “Holiday Artist Market” event will be in its 9th year, with more than 20 local artisans both days. With joyful with upbeat acoustic music on the stage, enjoy a holiday shopping experience and see what our ample community of artists and craftsmen has been creating. So much variety and all of it inspired, well-made, beautiful, and unique. Shop local & support our arts community.

Pen Turning Workshop, Feb. 7, 2026
2026-02-07 10:00 - 14:00 | Knowlton Memorial Hall, 25 Pompey Hollow RD, Ashford, 06278, United States
Woodturning with Central Connecticut Woodturners
Kayla and Bailey
February 7th 10am to 2 pm. 25 Pompey Hollow Road, Ashford CT. Learn about the art of woodturning. Members from Central Connecticut Woodturners will help guide you with turning your own beautiful wooden pen. This is a FREE event for ages 10 and up. Donations are welcome.

Come to Knowlton Hall February 7th to sign up on the list.
You will be given an approximate time when you will turn your pen.
This is first come/first serve.
Everything you need will be provided. This is a FREE event

With guidance, you will turn your own pen. Connecticut Woodcarvers Club will be joining us displaying many carved items and demonstrating wood carving.

Art Opening February 28- Steve Gerling
2026-02-28 18:00 - 20:00 | Silver Circle Gallery, 134 Main Street, Putnam, CT
NEW EXHIBIT OPENING 2/28/26, 6-8PM WITH ARTIST STEVE GERLING
Show runs 2/726-3/29/26.

Steve Gerling has been irresistibly drawn to nature for as long as he can remember. A walk across his yard is never just a walk—it’s an opportunity to notice a leaf uncurling in spring, a bumblebee burrowing into a blossom, or morning light settling into mist. While he appreciates the spectacular, Gerling is most deeply inspired by the ordinary—the quiet, everyday moments of nature that we often move past without seeing.

His paintings invite viewers to pause and recognize the subtle beauty woven into familiar landscapes: a small brook glimpsed from a roadside bridge, the color of shadows dissolving into the woods at dusk. These are not grand gestures, but intimate observations, rendered with sensitivity and care. For Gerling, the enjoyment of the everyday is richer and more meaningful than the heroic, and if his work encourages someone to notice something they’ve overlooked for years, he considers it a success.

Gerling’s artistic path began in relief woodcarving and fine woodworking, where functional objects became frames for his nature-based imagery. He later spent nearly two decades as a LEGO Master Designer before returning fully to his own studio practice. Today, working primarily in watercolor along with drawing and other media, he continues to explore the quiet rhythms of the natural world—celebrating the beauty that surrounds us every day, once we slow down enough to see it.

Based in Ashford, Connecticut, Gerling lives and works alongside his wife Martha, sharing their studio space with an ever-changing cast of dogs and cats.

Last Day - Call to Artists for A Summer's Palette
2026-05-16
Last Day to enter for our A Summer’s Palette show.

Bus Trip - Normal Rockwell Museum June 18
2026-06-18 08:30 - 16:00 | Knowlton Memorial Hall, 25 Pompey Hollow RD, Ashford, 06278, United States
The AAAC, with support from Windham Arts Org, will have another fun bus trip – this time to the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge Ma., Thursday June 18
-$75 covers bus and admission per person.
-Leave Knowlton Hall 8:30 am, return 4 pm
– Checks only, in advance, made out to Windham Arts, with AAAC BUS trip” in memo line.
-please mail checks to Steve Gerling, 240 Westford Hill Rd, Ashford, Ct. 06278
-all reservations must be RECEIVED BY FRIDAY JUNE 5!
Please note: you will get confirmation of receipt of reservation (INCLUDE EMAIL!) but checks will not be deposited until the bus is filled. If we cannot fill a minimum number of seats the trip will be cancelled and checks returned.

A Summer's Palette Art Show June 27, 2026, Rain date 6/28
2026-06-27 10:00 - 16:00 | Westford Hills Distillers, 196 Chatey Rd, Ashford, CT, 06278, United States
A SUMMERS’ PALETTE is the Ashford Area Arts Council’s annual art and craft show on the grounds of the Westford Hill Distillers in Ashford CT. The show is a well attended event, and has become a yearly destination for guests, many travelling in excess of 50 miles to enjoy it. This year we are increasing the number of vendors and greatly expanding our advertising and marketing efforts with the expectation of becoming a 2-day show in 2027.
Browse through the gardens of this historic property, and talk to more than 30 local artists about their work. Try your hand at painting en plein air or talk with local gardeners about pollinators and plants. A kid’s activity table will be on hand, so bring the family (no pets, please).
Enjoy a craft cocktail from Westford Hill Distillers while you enjoy a snack or lunch while browsing the grounds.
Event is free; donations to the Ashford Area Arts Council are welcome. More info and see a slideshow of participating artists.

Group Show at the Vanilla Bean 7/28-8/24 2026
2026-07-28 - 2026-08-24 | vanilla bean, 450 Deerfield Rd, pomfret, 06259, United States
Our 5th annual AAAC members show at the Vanilla Bean Café 2926!
We’ll be bringing 2-4 of our art pieces to hang starting at around 2:00 on July 28th and then taking down same time ish on August 24th.

The Vanilla Bean has both indoor and outdoor breakfast and lunch dining.
450 Deerfield Rd, Pomfret, CT
(860) 928-1562
click for hours and directions
