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02/16/2022 07:30 AMWhether through the Clinton Art Society, her time teaching in Westbrook, helping with theater productions, or displaying her own work, it’s fair to say that Liz Egan is all about the arts.
Take a visit to Clinton’s Town Hall Green Room between now and April and you may notice artwork decorating the walls. The art is part of the Clinton Art Society (CAS) members exhibition—a chance for the members to show off their own works. Recently, Liz was selected as the winner of the exhibition for her work Harkness Park.
For Liz, the win wasn’t even something on her radar a few months ago.
“I wasn’t even planning on entering. I had a lot going on,” Liz says during a recent interview with the Harbor News.
Liz explains that some personal life struggles had been keeping her busy but a friend gently urged her to enter the contest and, lo and behold, she won.
“To win this award as an artist is really great. It gave me the motivation to get back into painting again,” says Liz.
The painting depicts a red house on a tree-lined street with shadows crisscrossing the road. Making the win even more special, the winners were selected by acclaimed painter and teacher Jack Montmeat, whom Liz has long admired.
“To win this award from an artist I really respect has been great,” says Liz.
The CAS is a collection of artists who are dedicated to growing arts in the area.
“The mission it serves is to support exhibits, art education, and community partnerships,” Liz explains.
Liz has been involved with the CAS since around 2012 but had been exhibiting with the group for years. In 2015, Liz was elected president and held the position for several years before stepping down last summer.
“It’s a good thing I stepped down before the exhibit. It would look real funny if I was president and won,” Liz says with a laugh.
During her time as president of the CAS, Liz says she worked hard at modernizing the society.
“It was the perfect marriage of my skills as a teacher, artist, and as an administrator,” Liz says.
For example the society didn’t even have a website.
“I put everything on the computer and I put all the mechanisms in place so that the society can run smoothly,” says Liz.
Another part of her CAS work of which Liz is proud is the work the organization did in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We were saying, ‘How can we fulfill our mission even through a pandemic?’” Liz remembers.
Within two weeks, the CAS had all its members on Zoom and was able to hold exhibits virtually to stay connected.
A Start in the Arts
Liz’s love of art began when she was a young girl growing up on Long Island. Liz had a rare disorder that gave her seizures and as a result had to take monthly trips to the hospital to get it checked out. To reward her for going through this, her mother would take her to get pizza and visit a museum after the appointments.
“From the first time I went in a museum, I said, ‘That’s what I want to be and I never want to be anything else,’” says Liz.
After college, Liz fulfilled that dream as she began a lengthy career working in fields connected to the arts.
As an administrator she worked “kind of as an event planner really” for theater companies and radio stations as well as colleges.
“It was always kind of a roller coaster though,” says Liz.
Eventually, Liz became a middle school arts teacher in Westbrook, a position she really enjoyed.
“The best teachers are good at teaching because they love it,” says Liz.
She was recognized by the Connecticut Art Educators Association as Mentor/Teacher of the Year in 2010, an honor Liz calls “amazing.” Liz says he was proud to get an arts club up and running that attracted numerous students.
Liz retired in 2018 after 14 years at the school.
“It was great, and retirement has been great, too,” says Liz.
Asked her favorite part about making or teaching art Liz responds, “My favorite part is the discovery.”
“I like trying different mediums. I can’t say I’m a watercolorist or I’m a painter and that’s it; I just can’t do that,” Liz says. “The hardest part, then, is to keep focused! Sometimes I have too much I want to do.”
Liz grew up in Long Island but has called Clinton home since 2004. She met her husband Paul “The Bike Guy” Egan after she began teaching in Westbrook and says the two have shared several new hobbies together. When not working on art, Liz says she likes to bike, hike, and spend time outdoors–all hobbies she says Paul helped introduce her to, plus one hobby that Liz says everyone in her family grew up appreciating: golf.
“I’ve said before the perfect day consist of painting, golf, and charity work. But I’m not sure about the order,” she adds with a laugh.
As for her favorite thing about Clinton, Liz says, “I love being able to go almost anywhere and know somebody. Everything is like a family.”