Westerly Gallery Makes Room for Peace This September

What does peace look like when 50-plus artists get a say?

This September, the Artists’ Cooperative Gallery of Westerly (ACGOW) answers that question with “Making Peace,” a month-long exhibition inviting members to interpret peace through everything from oils and watercolors to sculpture, fiber art, photography, jewelry, fused glass, and mixed media.

The theme arrives just in time for the United Nations’ International Day of Peace on September 21, but it also has deep local roots. Westerly and neighboring Pawcatuck have long been recognized as an International City of Peace, making the gallery’s annual September focus feel especially at home here.

Visitors can do more than browse. Throughout the month, guests are invited to vote for their favorite peace-themed works in the West Wing Gallery, with prizes awarded to the 10 artists earning the most votes.

The exhibition kicks off during the gallery’s First Friday reception on September 4 from 5-8pm, when art lovers can meet participating artists while enjoying hors d’oeuvres and wine.

Two juried members take center stage in the main gallery. Stonington painter Lois Lawrence, who also serves as ACGOW president, works in traditional realism, turning familiar shorelines, figures, and scenes discovered through travel into quietly observant oil paintings. Fellow featured artist R. Douglass Rice heads in a brighter direction. After encountering Fauvist works at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, Rice returned home seeing Stonington Harbor differently. Boats, weathered buildings, and waterfront light now arrive on his canvases with bolder color and looser energy.

The community spirit continues in the UNITED in Arts Community Gallery, where artists from the Pawcatuck Neighborhood Center’s Tuesday Painting Group will show work in oil, acrylic, watercolor, pastel, cold wax, and more.

Feeling inspired? Artist Tammy Blais will also lead palette-knife oil painting classes on September 8 and 22, no experience required.

With art to admire, votes to cast, and plenty of color to soak up, September offers a timely excuse to wander into Westerly. Visit WesterlyArts.com for gallery hours, class details, and more information.