Exhibition Opening Reception: Winkie Kelsey | A Benefit Exhibition for AVA

AVA Gallery and Art Center is pleased to present: Winkie Kelsey | A Benefit Exhibition for AVA: A Collection of Paintings and Early Stone Sculpture.

The exhibition will be on view from July 25 – September 20, 2025, with an opening reception on Friday, July 25, from 5 to 7 pm.

Winkie Kelsey, a resident of Fairlee, VT, and Hanover, NH, is an artist, educator, and benefactor whose contributions to AVA have been significant. All proceeds from the sale of her work will be donated to AVA. Kelsey has exhibited widely across the United States and has participated in numerous group and solo shows at AVA. As a long-time and influential former AVA faculty member, she spent many years working with a dedicated group of stone carving students known as “the Uncommon Chiselers,” helping them discover the “spirit within each stone.” Kelsey’s love for the natural world is evident in both her two and three-dimensional pieces, which showcase a strong spiritual motif throughout. She writes, “The significant influences I have received for my art, along the dusty left road, have come from two extraordinary teachers. Leonard Baskin at Smith College was my mentor and disciplinarian. Paul Sample, under whom I pursued graduate studies at Dartmouth College, provided the encouragement I needed to advance my career and ongoing studies. Most recently, the writings and kindnesses of both Elie Wiesel and Henri Nouwen have supplied me with subject matter for the rest of my life.”

Please join us in celebrating the vibrant artistic career of Winkie Kelsey on Friday, July 25, 5-7 pm, in the Linda Roesch Visual Arts Gallery at AVA. Exhibitions and related events are always free and open to the public!