Current Show

JUROR’S SHOW STATEMENT:

It’s been a pleasure and honor being the juror for the GWAG Autumn Show. To each of the artists who submitted artwork, thank you. Every painting, photograph, piece of pottery, jewelry, and fleeced fabric art I viewed was uniquely wonderful and special. I congratulate those artists whose works were selected and aligned with my vision for this exhibition.

You may notice visual vignettes and color theming and as you’re meandering through the gallery, my design tendencies lean to­wards both neat and quirky. Both curating and setting up this show felt like walking a creative tightrope: balancing calm with turbulence, intense color alongside monochromatic tints; the imaginary with the nostalgic. I hope somewhere in this show there’s a spot that evokes an emotional response from you. As you walk through this gallery, I encourage you to take your time, to look closely at each piece and even ponder for a moment about what the artist may have thinking while they were creating it. This is real art made locally, how lucky for us to live in the midst of such talent.

Brian Schnetzer
JUROR, AUTUMN SHOW 2023

JUROR’S BIO:

Brian Schnetzer is the Creative Director and a co-founder of Aunt Sadie’s, a candle company founded in 1997 and located in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont. Amidst rolling hills and cradled by majestic mountains, Aunt Sadie’s staff of artisans hand pour over 300 styles of scented candles which they sell to retailers and online customers across the country. From 2000–2011 Aunt Sadie’s also owned an award winning gift store in Boston’s South End under the same name. The store’s concept was to create a memorable shopping experience: there was an 85 year old piano player on Saturdays and the merchandise was displayed in unconventional and surprising ways. Brian’s role was everything creative including company branding, candle packaging, marketing, gift show booths/showrooms, retail merchandise selection and store & window displays. In 2003 he also freelanced as a visual merchandise consultant for The Shop at Trinity Church in Boston and in 2017 he was hired by Hotel Saranac (A Hilton Curio Collection Hotel) to design the retail space for Academy & Main Gift Store and to curate, purchase and display all of the products.

Brian’s parents were accomplished artists who encouraged him to create and design things from an early age. He received his BFA in art and began pursuing his career path in advertising design back in 1977. For more than two decades as an Art/Creative Director for ad agencies, design studios, a publication, and a national corporation, he worked closely with artists, photographers, models and copywriters on multi-faceted marketing and ad campaigns, primarily in print.

Brian and his husband Steve Coombs moved to Brewster in 2017. When he’s not designing for Aunt Sadie’s virtually, you may find him baking bread, walking on the beach with Steve and their dog Harris, entertaining or spending time with friends.

[www.auntsadies.com]