NEW GALLERIES IN LITCHFIELD: ONE SHARED GOAL
The old is being made new again in Litchfield with two venerable buildings being transformed into art galleries. Artur Matuszewski, owner and operator of amArtHouse at 1062 Bantam Road and Craig Connelly and Liz Donohue, owners of Alofft Gallery at 41 West Street, are collaborating to revitalize a previously quiet gallery scene.
Matuszewski said he wants to create enthusiasm and conversation around art. “It is important to me that my gallery is not only commercial,” he said. “It is a place to bring people together, talking about art. By collaborating with others (local galleries, artists and businesses) we will make Litchfield an arts destination, an arts hub.”
He said the events he plans are fun, enhanced by light jazz and drinks provided by the Litchfield Distillery.
An emigrant from Poland, Matuszewski has been in the United States since 1990. He attended the Fashion Institute of Technology, earning degrees in Fine Arts and Art Restoration/Conservation before opening his own studio in midtown Manhattan, working with interior designers, museums, auction houses and private clients. Later he expanded his business to Paris, France, from which he curates large art shows in Europe.
International success did not dim a private dream of having his own arts center with curated collections however. As with many urban dwellers, he developed a passion for Litchfield County. “I found a beautiful house in New Preston,” he recounted, “and slowly moved to the area.”
Then several years ago, that dream moved closer to reality when he found a “remarkable house and property for sale” in the perfect location. “The asking price was not reachable for me then,” he said, “but three years later, (the owner) was looking for someone to preserve the house. I am naturally an art restorer so it was important to me to bring it to its original condition. It took four years of renovation, doing a lot of the work myself since I wanted to preserve the integrity of the building. Without history, we are lost.”
Slowly, the colonial home, built in the 18th century, found a new life as a 21st-century contemporary art gallery, the epicenter for Matuszewski's wide range of artistic endeavors. His inaugural show featured Richard Pitts, a prominent artist of the post-war art movement in New York. “When I renovated the property, Richard said, ‘Artur, you have built a cathedral,’” Matuszewski reported. “He is my dear friend and mentor and one of the last abstract expressionists.”
AmMartHouse shows established, emerging and yet-to-be discovered creators of contemporary and modern art. Matuszewski continues to develop his stable of artists. “This is not an in-and-out gallery,” he said. “If I work with an artist, I am not letting go. I choose carefully and I am trying to bring diversity to the gallery. At some point, I will put together a group show so they can show together.”
“Now a miracle has happened,” Matuszewski said. “There has been a beautiful response to the gallery.” He has future plans for the surrounding property as well. “There are three acres in the back and I will develop a sculpture park with benches so people can pick up some coffee and spend some time with beautiful art.”
The gallery is open Thursday-Saturday, 11 AM-5 PM, and Sunday, noon- 4PM.
Matuszewski is joined in his effort to enhance the artistic community by Craig Connolly and Liz Donohue, who opened Alofft Gallery on West Main Street in June. “Craig is a wonderful friend of mine and also graduated from FIT,” observed Matuszewski.
"Artur is a great guy,” said Connolly. “We have become pretty good friends. The whole idea is to charge up the art community in Litchfield. He is in Bantam and has the benefit of space; I am in town and have the benefit of foot traffic. He has huge jump on me having been in business longer but we will have joint events in future.”
Like Matuszewski, Connolly is trying to bring a different esthetic to the Litchfield County art scene. “Right now, I have a pretty diverse mix of artists on a continuum from red-barns-and-pastures up to real high art,” he said. “I am trying to get closer to high art than traditional but you have to walk before you can run. My outlook is that I will bring things to Litchfield County that you might not expect to see. I want to be a destination gallery.”
His gallery seems to be hitting its mark. “We opened in June and July made me rethink my life’s decisions,” he quipped. “But August came and that changed. The people who are buying are almost all from out-of-state, some coming in right off the street. Only a couple (of clients) were local. They are buying very large pieces and have very high taste levels.”
Owning a gallery has been a long-time dream for the former strategic marketer. “We had talked about it over the past 10 years,” he said. “When the pandemic hit, there was a change. I didn’t want to go back to strategic marketing. I went to see a friend who has three galleries. He said, ‘Craig, what’s wrong?’ and I said, ‘I don’t want to do what I do.’ So we talked and when I walked out, I had $20,000 sculpture under my arm with orders to sell it and split the proceeds.”
Trained as an artist, Connolly had always surrounded himself with creative people and was able to tap into that resource when setting up his gallery. “That’s how I got my core group,” he said. “And then just being here in Litchfield there is so much talent.
“I have no regrets (about leaving my profession),” he continued. “I have two little ones—one age eight and the other four. I had already seen myself growing into someone I didn’t want to be—never home, always in a bad mood—so the timing was great.”
Setting the scene for his new venture is his building at 41 West Street. “We have transformed the building to something completely different than it was,” he reported. “We put in a big skylight and made the space modular. It lends itself to merchandising in areas that are cozier, catering to the art. We’re very proud of it and get a lot of good comments.”
Alofft is open Wednesday and Thursday and Saturday, 11 AM-5 PM; Friday, 11 AM-6 PM, and Sunday, noon-4 PM. It is available every day by appointment.
For additional information about amArtHouse, email: gallery@amarthouse.com; 212-696-1807. Information about Alofft can be found at Alofft.com or by contacting Connolly at: Craig@Alofft.com; 860-361-6389.
