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04/11/2018 08:30 AMImagine if every person took their talent and shared it as a way to better the community. That’s the spirit that moved Kate Mercer to create her artwork depicting Guilford’s Green, with proceeds from the first printing benefiting non-profit Women & Family Life Center (WFLC).
“As an artist, I enjoy creating,” says Kate, who moved to Guilford two years ago and loves spending time on and around the green with her grandchildren.
“Not too long after I arrived in Guilford, I began working on my rendition of the green. I loved watching and participating in activities on the green,” says Kate. “It is an important part of Guilford. It provides a much-needed place for celebrations of all kinds while simultaneously offering a place of quiet solitude.”
A photographer of 30 years based in Mystic, Kate used her artist’s eye to capture snapshots of activities on the green—kids playing, families strolling, cyclists passing through, people stopping to chat. Over time, she placed them on her rendition of the green’s open space. She dotted the piece with some familiar objects found on the green, such as sidewalks, monuments, park benches, lamp posts, and trees. Kate surrounded the site with colorful outlines of artwork describing Guilford’s downtown buildings around the green. The final product translates into a whimsical, wonderful bird’s eye view of Guilford’s Town Green.
The final poster was created over much time, by carefully adapting photos into illustrations that fall into layers that finally developed into the overall display. It’s one of those pieces that invites the viewer to linger and take in even the tiniest, items added by Kate. The poster wasn’t developed as an exact replica nor as historical document, but instead as one resident’s artful homage to a place so many Guilford residents and visitors love.
As she began to share details of what she was working on with people in the community, the idea of putting her art to greater use emerged.
“When I realized how much enthusiasm people had about the poster, I realized I had an opportunity to make a contribution to the families in Guilford,” says Kate.
While she wasn’t sure how to go about putting the idea into practice, she did know that WFLC, based in Guilford, is an organization that’s there to support families. When Kate contacted WFLC, the rest of the pieces fell in place.
“Thanks to Carol Baugh, a volunteer at Women & Family Life, and one of the founders, Shirley Girioni, the poster became a fundraiser for Women & Family Life,” says Kate.
With the help of Baugh and Girioni, and a generous contribution from the Michael and Howard Brown families, the first printing of the subtly colored poster, on fine stock and suitable for framing, is now ready to be introduced to the community.
On Friday, April 27, one of the iconic shops depicted in the poster, Breakwater Books at 81 Whitfield Street, will host a cocktail reception at the bookstore to introduce Kate and copies of the first printings of the piece, aptly named Guilford’s Green, for purchase, with all proceeds going to support WFLC. The reception will run from 6 to 7:30 p.m. (RSVP at Breakwater Books or by calling 203-453-4141).
Inspired by the distance her artwork has traveled—from concept to creation to community-building—Kate is already working with Guilford Food Bank on another idea, a Guilford-centric coloring book, with proceeds to benefit Guilford Food Bank.
“If an artist can find a way to help others while doing what they love, they are blessed because within the artist there is a need to create and a great joy in doing so but an even greater joy in giving,” Kate says.