The Silvermine Effect: A Century of Creative Community celebrates more than one hundred years of artistic innovation, education, and cultural impact. The exhibition will be on view in the Lightburn Gallery at New Canaan Library from September 15, 2025, through March 23, 2026.
The Silvermine Effect traces this remarkable story through the work of Guild artists past and present, archival photographs that capture Silvermine’s rich history, and artwork by instructors, students, and outreach participants that reflects its dynamic present. Visitors will encounter a vibrant narrative of creativity — one that demonstrates how Silvermine has shaped lives for generations and continues to expand access to the arts today.
Silvermine’s story began in 1908, when sculptor Solon Borglum — brother of Gutzon Borglum of Mount Rushmore fame — settled in a wooded section of New Canaan known as Silvermine. Borglum opened his barn as a studio and gathering place, founding what became known as the Knockers Club, where artists would gather to critique each other’s work with candor and camaraderie. This vibrant circle of painters, writers, musicians, and actors laid the groundwork for one of the most enduring and dynamic art communities in the country.
In 1922, the Silvermine Guild of Artists was formally established. It quickly gained national recognition for its high standards and progressive spirit. By 1924, the founding artists had opened the Silvermine School of Art, creating a place to teach and pass on the values of artistic experimentation and collaboration.
Over the next century, Silvermine became a magnet for talent. Luminaries such as Milton Avery, Helen Frankenthaler, and Jacques Lipchitz exhibited here, Merce Cunningham and Alvin Ailey taught dance at the school, and the New York Philharmonic performed on the grounds. Others, like John Vassos, known for his groundbreaking work in industrial design, and Gabor Peterdi, an acclaimed printmaker, helped define the creative energy that flowed through Silvermine’s studios and galleries.
Today, Silvermine continues to honor its founding ideals: to nurture artists, foster education, and make art accessible to all. The legacy of those early pioneers lives on in every class, exhibition, and program — and in the enduring “Silvermine Effect” that has shaped the cultural landscape of Connecticut and beyond.
To learn more about Silvermine and inquire about works in the exhibition, please go to: https://www.silvermineart.org/online-exhibition/newcanaanlibrary/