Catskilled Crafters ‘Taking Flight’ Opens at Pine Hill Community Center

By Robert Brune

PINE HILL — Once a year, the group of Catskilled Crafters kick off their themed project in January, meeting once a month for the purposes of skill sharing and building a cohesive art community. While many in upstate New York tend to hibernate through the winter months, these dedicated artists met up at the Pine Hill Community Center exchanging materials, learning new techniques, and leaning on each other through mutual support through this past winter.

Gail Freund, one of the primary organizers of this group explains, “People make suggestions for the theme of the art project, back in October or November. There’s a four-person steering committee that reviews the suggestions for a theme. We come up with two themes from the meeting, and we send it to every crafter who’s participated since 2017 and we vote.” The ‘Taking Flight’ topic was my favorite over coats of arms, this year. Freund admits she doesn’t often get to do themes that she favors through the years, but she was very happy with this year’s project. Freund explains, “I’m not very good at sewing, but Wendy and Mary were wonderful, making time to help me.”

This past Saturday, twenty-three uniquely crafted kites went on display at the Pine Hill Community Center. Some of the kites would be able to be flown, but others not likely. This art project is an expression of personal subjectivity, inviting the community to connect with the individual crafters through their take on creative kite making. Each participant was invited to create their piece out of any material they chose. The only stipulation was that the design must incorporate at least one flying element, real or imagined.

Brett Rollins, the PHCC art curator for the past three years said, “This was a different experience for me because I usually see the art before we hang it. For this exhibition, I didn’t see any of the work until the day prior to hanging it.” Rollins did a smashing job of delegating great spacing and creating flow of the individual narratives of kites which seemed to be fun for the artists and viewers.

Wendy Brackman, one of the crafters participating, has a special gift for livening up an event. She crafted clever kite themed hats, adding to the taking flight atmosphere, handing them out at the opening reception.

If you were unable to attend the opening reception this past weekend, here is what you can expect: A Dragonfly That Eats Butterflies, a Purple Dream, Broccoli Robins, a Box Kite, a Raven and a Pink Moon, an Airline That Lets Birds Fly Free, a Spiral Moth, and a Thunderbird!

For more information on this event and others, see www.pinehillcommunitycenter.org