Akin Show opens to rave reviews

The Akin Free Library on Quaker Hill is a historic eclectic late Victorian stone building in the hamlet of Quaker Hill, town of Pawling, Dutchess County, New York, USA, listed in the National Register of Historic Places as a historic place of local significance since 1991. Bibiana Mattheis has just curated an exhibition of 49 artists that intends to creat a dialogue with the historic and anthropological collection that exists in the library/museum.
Exhibit Title: Meeting Past at the Akin Library and Museums – 49 contemporary artists find resonance between their work and the historic artifacts
Opening: Friday, September 14^th – 6:00 to 9:00 PM
Exhibit Dates and Times: Every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday through October 21 from 1PM to 4 PM
Location: 378 Old Quaker Hill Road in Pawling, NY 12564
Telephone: 845-855-5099
In 2011, the first “Meeting Past” exhibition featured sixteen artists at the Akin Library and Museums. The event drew an unprecedented 700 visitors to the Akin, making it one of the biggest fine-art exhibits in Pawling’s history. Once again, the Akin Library and Museums will host 49 contemporary artists to find resonance between their work and the historic artifacts and natural history objects. Participating artists from around the region, and the nation, will establish a connection with the important Pawling landmark and cultural site.
Curated by Bibiana Huang Matheis, a Pawling resident, the exhibit is focused directly on the special historical environment and content of the Akin Library and Museums. With the thematic “Meeting Past” the artists set out to either create artwork specifically to fit the place and subject, or they selected fitting artwork to harmonize with the environment, juxtaposing “new” to “old”. The effort was to combine art with the 19^th Century natural history objects, furnishings and books of the Akin building.
The artwork includes all types of fine-art media including: paintings, photography, sculpture, drawings, and mixed media construction – encompassing many styles and directions, from traditional to modern, from realistic to conceptual. Visitors will be encouraged to discover the artists’ creations interspersed throughout the permanent museum collection.
The exhibit is dedicated to Amanda Akin Stearns, sister of Albert J. Akin and Civil War nurse at the Armory Square Hospital, Washington, DC, from April 1863 to July 1864.
The Akin Library & Museum on Quaker Hill is a historic late Victorian stone building in the hamlet of Quaker Hill, listed in the National Registry of Historic Places. The Akin Library was a gift from the Quaker Albert J. Akin (1803–1903), founder of the Bank of Pawling and the Mizzentop Hotel on Quaker Hill. The building was designed by the architect John A. Wood. The library is located on the first floor of the building. The Historical Society Museum occupies the second floor. Its collections include objects pertaining to the local history. The lower floor of the building houses the Olive Gunnison Natural History Museum, which displays birds, rocks and minerals.
For details see: www.MeetingPast@blogspot.com. For more information contact:

Bibiana Huang Matheis 845-855-9345  bibianaphoto@gmail.com