Janice Adler, Set Designer

Exhibit: February 1 – 25, 2018
Artist’s Reception: February 1, 2018, 5-7 PM

Janice Branning Adler has been quietly working behind the scenes at the RFA Lakeside Theater for the past 6 years, designing sets for both the RFA and the Rangeley Lakes Regional School productions.  It was Erin Smith, the theater arts teacher at the school, who gave Ms. Adler her big break when she asked her to design the set for the 2008 DIVA Show at the former Club House (now Moose Alley.)  Adler created sets for four more DIVA performances at the Club House but took an hiatus when the venue changed to Saddleback Mountain. In 2012 Erin asked again, this time to design the student production of “Into the Woods.” It was Janice’s first show at the theater. She has done over 20 since then. That was the beginning of her passionate pursuit of public art – art that is temporary and fleeting – Theater ART!  She loves it.

“Why does an artist choose to do work that is so short lived, seen for a few days, for a few hours by a few hundred people and then gone? … well, I must be crazy… Or  maybe we must realize it is in the arts that we reveal ourselves most honestly; when process and learning are more important than fame and fortune.”

Her creations will be featured at the Lakeside Contemporary Art Gallery, in the lobby of the RFA Lakeside Theater, 2493 Main Street in Rangeley, with an Opening Reception on February 1, from 5-7 PM. The exhibit continues through Feb 25, and is open Mon-Fri, from 3-5 PM.

This February’s one-person show is a reverie of Adler’s artistic designs and a retrospective of her contributions to the RFA. With her fine arts and design education, she successfully operated her own interior design business before retiring to Rangeley. Soon after, she discovered the RFA and its dedicated community of artists, performers and volunteers. True to the hard-working spirit of the organization, she donates her time and resources, producing original environments that set the tone and frame the stage for the RFA’s live performances.

Adler’s exhibit will feature storyboards, set pieces, costumes, and her imagined creatures… a journey through her process that inspires outstanding theater.  Selected pieces will be raffled, with proceeds to benefit the RFA and the Rangeley Public Library.