New Town Art Gallery in Williamsburg Is Closing

"New Town Art  Gallery at Night" ©Mary Montague Sikes

It is sad to learn that New Town Art Gallery is closing on March 29. For almost six years, this lovely and spacious gallery has been open to the public and has served as a beautiful display and sales location for a number of visiting as well as resident artists.

From August to November 2014, I had the opportunity to be one of the visiting artists, and I loved it. When it was my turn to assist in the gallery, the resident artists were wonderful to me and very patient.The artists kept the space beautifully arranged and attractive for visitors. Often, a theatrical group would provide a "teaser" event at the gallery advertising a new production. The cast of "Cats" gave an exciting performance during my stay there.

"Cats" performance at New Town Art Gallery ©Mary Montague Sikes

 

The gallery manger, Anne Kushnick, issued this statement regarding the closure, "With our lease ending, we hope to explore new opportunities to show our work and to support the arts in our area. We have been blessed to have had this great experience and share it with all of you."

The location at 5140 Main Street is within walking distance for New Town residents and is close to the Barnes and Noble store. The popular Opus Nine restaurant is across the street from the gallery's main entrance.

A special celebration is planned for March 11 at the gallery. This is "to thank their patrons and the community for their support over the years," Kushnick says.

New Town will surely miss the presence of this very special artist group. Hopefully, they will find a wonderful new space to continue the gallery elsewhere in the area.

Talking on the Radio about Evening of the Dragonfly

  It was fun to be on the radio as the guest of Neal Steele, XTRA 99.1. We talked about the art show I painted for Farrah Ferand, the heroine of my book and how I should have signed her name to the work. I told Neal that I named her for Farrah Faucett because I liked her so much in the long-ago TV hit, "Charlie's Angels". You can hear the podcast of the broadcast if you click on the blue icon. 

Member Showcase: February 2016

Mary Montague Sikes

Author of

Evening of the Dragonfly

Tune in to XTRA 99.1FM to hear the Author interviewed by Neal Steele on CBW's Second Monday monthly broadcast, February 8th at about 8:05AM. If you missed the live broadcast, click the icon below.

About the Book

Threatening telephone calls and strange cars with dark-tinted windows plague artist/teacher Farrah Ferand. Recovering from the tragic loss of her mother, Farrah is trying to adapt to the life of a small-town art teacher when she encounters Dirk Lawrence, a mysterious stranger. Her attraction to him is immediate and electric until Farrah discovers Dirk is part of the Lawrence and Pendesky investment firm that led to her mother's downfall a few years earlier. Farrah's not too perfect dating relationship with Tom Douglas, the town favorite football coach, worsens. An unexpected encounter leads to dates with Dirk and his help with the construction of a dream art studio in her rented house. But trouble looms with Tom who believes he and Farrah are engaged, and the entire town appears to be drawn in. Haunting dreams and lost memories overwhelm Farrah as she creates paintings for a one-person art show. Will shadows of the past ruin all hope for Farrah and Dirk?

About the Author

Mary Montague Sikes grew up near the bloody Civil War battlefields of Central Virginia where thousands died. Those early years in a landscape where tears still flowed sparked her interest in the psychic and the paranormal that carries over into her writing today.

Sikes loves to travel, especially to the Caribbean and Jamaica where she discovered the legend of the White Witch of Rose Hall Great House that inspired her first novel, Hearts Across Forever. More psychic encounters in Sedona, Arizona led to her novel, Eagle Rising. Adventures in Antigua became the book, Secrets by the Sea. Then, an escapade in Trinidad developed into the story of Night Watch. Her love of "Indiana Jones" type quests took her to the Maya Ruins of Palenque and eventually directed her to write Jungle Jeopardy.

She has been told by readers that her novel, Daddy's Christmas Angel, set in a small fictitious American town, is the "best book I've ever read". The romance is a little like "Sleepless in Seattle" and has a happy ending.An artist before she was an author, Mary Montague Sikes has a scrapbook with drawings she made as a two-year-old. Like Farrah Ferand in Evening of the Dragonfly, she spends many hours each month in a painting studio built over her garage. When she isn't writing or painting, she enjoys travel to exotic destinations that might one day become part of her Passenger to Paradise book series.

Email the Author <-> Visit her Website <-> Buy the Book at A