Inaugural Exhibit Features Sonja Eustis Johnson

Artists’ Reception: May 27, 5-7 PM
The exhibit runs from May 27 – June 24

The RFA is hosting an Opening Reception for beloved local art teacher Sonja Eustis Johnson on Saturday, May 27 from 5-7 PM. This is the inaugural exhibit of the new Lakeside Contemporary Art Gallery.  The Exhibit will be open to the public from 9 AM-2 PM, Monday – Thursday, as well as when the theater is open for events, through June 24.

Ms. Johnson, a graduate of University of Southern Maine which included a one year exchange at the University of Hawaii at Hilo, has been providing art instruction at Rangeley Lakes Regional School for 25 years. During her career, she has received three Teacher of the Year nominations, four Disney Outstanding Teacher nominations, RIT Teacher Excellence Award, Maine College of Art Excellence in Education Award, as well as numerous fellowships, grants and commendations. These professional recognitions aside, however, she states that watching her students walk the stages of the Kennedy Center and Carnegie Hall to receive numerous Scholastic Awards are among her proudest moments as a teacher and mentor.

The body of work on display includes pieces Ms. Johnson produced for her Advanced Placement, Photography, and Painting and Drawing classes which embodied the concepts for instruction while encouraging a creative approach to problem solving and advancement of artistic voice. Selected student work will also be on display. The units chosen for this show include: an investigation into the opiate addiction in Maine; primitive art as seen in the delta blues movement; spring poetry as realized through black and white photography; self-portraiture with consideration to earth elements & self-reflection; and a gelatin mono-printing unit.

The students exhibiting work along with their teacher are: Haley Morrill, Eva Jacot-Descombes, Natasha Haley, Megan Keirstead, Vanessa Bisson, Natasha Cogley, Callahan Crosby, Amber Morrill, Makenzie Morton, Olivia Hall, Logan Abbott, Isobel Straub, Chloe Talbert, Leo Perez, Brooke Egan and Abby Waldeck.

The Lakeside Contemporary Art Gallery is located in the lobby of the RFA Lakeside Theater, 2493 Main St, Rangeley.