Farmhouse Restaurant on South Main Street is hosting its first exhibition of art since opening in December.

"Art With A Heart: Sharing is Caring," the latest collection curated by Newtown resident Rosemary Rau, features paintings by Jeanne Eleck, Adele Moros, and Roberta Shea, and photographs by Bill Glass. The exhibition opened on May 9, and will remain on view through the end of this month.

In the spirit of sharing, the restaurant's partners and Ms Rau have worked to create an exhibition that is both pleasing for those who visit Farmhouse and one that will encourage guests to quietly care for others.

Partial proceeds from the sale of each artwork, as well as donations from Farmhouse customers, will benefit FAITH Food Pantry and the Salvation Army Food Pantry at Newtown Social Services.

Beginning May 12, guests of the restaurant are encouraged to bring with them a nonperishable donation. For those who offer donations during dinner, which is served Tuesday through Sunday, $5 will be taken off the bill, per table, Farmhouse Manager Michele Hanson said this week.

A location for financial donations will also be set up, with all donations to be divided between the two organizations.

The idea for the show came about after Ms Rau approached Ms Hanson, one of the restaurant's owners, to discuss an idea Ms Rau had. The women are now working on a plan to feed some of Newtown's residents for Thanksgiving. As plans for that November event began taking shape, a mention that the town's food pantries currently need donations stuck with the women. The result was the benefit exhibition now on view.

Ms Rau, Ms Hanson, and business partners Michael McGetrick and Winnie Togonon (who is also the restaurant's chef) were joined by FAITH Food Pantry President Lee Paulsen and Newtown Social Services Director Ann LoBosco on May 8 to discuss the show and its efforts.

"This is really important for me," Ms Rau said. "What we're here for on this planet is to help each other. These shows are always meant to help others. They're not to make money for me."

Ms Rau has curated exhibitions in and around Newtown in recent years that have raised awareness of and funds for Embrace Hope, a Sandy Hook-based equine therapy program; Newtown Woman's Club; The Newtown Fund; and a previous effort that helped the town's food pantries.

"I'm very proud to be doing this," Ms Rau said.

Michele Hanson said she and her partners had long talked about giving back to the community. "Art With A Heart: Sharing is Caring" gives them that opportunity.

"Winnie had said, even before we opened, that it's important to give back to your community," she said Monday morning. "We've wanted to do this since we've opened. It's been about helping those who have helped us. It's been part of our vision from the beginning."

The partners, she said, "are united in this mission. We really care about each other, and we care about our customers."

Chef Togonon agreed, saying, "It's not always about making money. It's about helping other people."

During the conversation, Chef Togonon mentioned that he had been looking in recent months for a local place to donate soup from his kitchen. In recent years he has shared his homemade soup with a shelter in Danbury, he said.

Ms LoBosco and Ms Paulsen were both thrilled to hear that.

"We can accept soup from a restaurant, due to its Health Department stamp," Ms LoBosco said. Pantries cannot accept items from private kitchens, she explained.

"Our clients are so happy and appreciative, especially for fresh foods," Ms Paulsen added.

So both pantries will begin receiving fresh soup from Farmhouse, which changes its soup selections every few days.

'Sharing Is Caring' Artists

Newtown resident Jeanne Eleck has been focusing much of her energy recently on oil paintings depicting horses. She has been particularly inspired, she told The Newtown Bee in March, by ancient cave art in Lascaux, France, where artists would use the charcoaled end of a stick to draw animals on rocks.

Ms Moros, of Bethel, is a multimedia artist whose work varies from miniatures to murals, portraits, still life, and landscapes.

Ms Shea is a Newtown resident and artist who paints landscapes inspired by Newtown's hills and her recollections of summers in Madison, Conn., and Monhegan Island, Maine. "Loosely constructed and expressive, my paintings are more emotive than narrative," she offered in a statement for the new exhibition.

Mr Glass, also of Newtown, is relatively new to the public art arena. His first exhibition was earlier this year, when he and Ms Eleck had their works presented in "Art With A Heart: Nature's Glory ~ Equine Splendor" at Avancé Day Spa. His photographs, primary created with his iPhone, are dramatic landscapes and florals filled with natural color.

The collection on view at Farmhouse work very well within the rustic setting of the restaurant. Hanging within walls built with rough, reclaimed wood and surrounding comfortable, rustic tables and seating, many of the paintings feature animals one expects to find at a farm. Paintings of roosters and pigs share space with dogs and horses, while landscape paintings and photographs add depth to the collection.

All of the works are original, according to the show's curator.

"We have approximately two dozen works on view," Ms Rau said. A "generous" portion of the proceeds from the sale of each work will be donated to the food pantries, she said.

Food Pantry Wish Lists

Ann LoBosco and Lee Paulsen mentioned some of the items their respective pantries are in need of.

The Salvation Army Food Pantry would appreciate donations of canned fruit, cereal, and hash.

FAITH Food Pantry would be helped with donations of soup and tuna,

Both are in need of canned stew, cereal, jelly, peanut butter, rice, personal hygiene items, and cleaning supplies.

Ms Hanson said the public is "absolutely" welcome to stop in just to view the art.

Farmhouse Restaurant is within Village Square, at 43 South Main Street, Newtown. The restaurant is open Tuesday and Wednesday from 3 to 10 pm; Thursday, 11:30 am to 10 pm; Friday and Saturday, 11:30 am to 11 pm; and Sunday, 11:30 am to 8 pm. For additional information call 203-491-2840 or visit farmhouserestaurantCT.com.

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