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Local Artist Program Welcomes Stella Ehrich to the Bennington Museum
The Bennington Museum is now open after being closed for the month of January for repairs, cleaning, and a general freshening up! Following the opening of the Student Art Show on February 1, the museum welcomes the next artist in the Local Artist Program. Stella Ehrich, born in New Orleans, but now a Bennington resident, will be exhibiting at the museum from February 3 to March 17.
Ehrich’s paintings in this exhibit were inspired by what she calls her “kitchen epiphany”. On a typically gray, dreary, Vermont winter day, Ehrich was struck by the vibrant colors and shades right inside her kitchen. She says that the strongest influence on her work was the time she spent in Italy. There she studied with Signorina Nerina Simi in Florence whose instruction included working in charcoal, pastels and oils from life. This experience showed Ehrich the value of painting from life and the richness of discovery it could bring an artist.
Stella Ehrich’s art education is extensive with a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Memphis College of Art, seven years studying in atelier study with a master Italian painter, and a Masters of Fine Arts from Bennington College. She has exhibited in solo and group exhibitions all over the United States. Ehrich has taught classes at Bennington College, Brookhaven College, Community College of Vermont, Lyme Academy College of Art, Williams College, as well as Plein-Air Painting Workshops in Tuscany.
You can view the exhibition with regular admission to the museum. Or better yet buy a membership! It’s a bargain, with free admission to the museum and discounts on many events and the shop. The Bennington Museum is located at 75 Main St. (Route 9) one mile west of the intersection of Routes 7 and 9 in downtown Bennington, Vermont. Open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. closed Wednesdays. For more information, visit the website at www.benningtonmuseum.org.