‘Magic And Spirit’ Opens This Weekend At Mattatuck Museum

WATERBURY — The Mattatuck Museum will feature the work of three women – Lois Livingston McMillen, Imna Arroyo and Carey McDougall – in an exhibit “Magic and Spirit,” from December 17 through January 16. The brief exhibit will offer a glimpse into the worlds of three exciting and colorful artists who have lived or worked in Connecticut recently.

Lois Mivingston McMillen was at one time a Middlebury resident.

After attending Brillantmont School in Switzerland, she graduated from Chapel Hill-Chauncey Hall in Boston, studied fine arts at Boston University, theater at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, and then achieved a degree at Parsons School of Design in New York.

A passionate advocate for the vibrancy of art in life, and an outspoken critic of violence against women, Ms McMillen was also a model, an actress and an exceptionally creative free spirit whose artistic expression was exemplified in flamboyant dress and an oft-made statement about her art: “My imagination has no boundaries.”

Carey McDougall, currently an assistant professor of sculpture and coordinator of women’s studies at Kent State University (Stark campus), is a Woodbury native. She was also program coordinator at The Mattatuck Museum from 1991 to 1995.

Ms McDougall will be exhibiting a series of recent drawings which relate to the conjoined beings (twins, or other connections between self and other), through fantasy and children’s fairy tales.

Ms McDougall received her MFA and a certificate in women’s studies from the University of Connecticut, and an MALS from Wesleyan University.

Imna Arroyo was born in Guayama, Puerto Rico, and studied at La Escuela de Artes Plasticas del Instituto de Cultura in San Juan before coming to the United States to earn her BFA from Pratt Institute in Brooklyn and her MFA from Yale University. She has also studied printmaking techniques at the Tamarind Institute, New York University Printmaking Studio, and at the University of Guanajuato in Mexico.

There will be an opening reception on Friday, December 17, from 5:30 to 7:30 pm, featuring Caribbean music and food.

On Wednesday, December 29, Ms Arroyo and Ms McDougall will discuss their work in the galleries at 1 pm, and then at 7 they will lead a discussion about current issues affecting contemporary artists.

For information about this or other exhibitions and programs call 203-753-0381 or visit www.MattatuckMuseum.org. The museum is at 144 West Main Street, opposite Waterbury Green.