Category Archives: Blog- News- Press

October is an Art-full month

Posted on by


Please Join us in-
OCT-8th @ 11-5pm METAL ART SHOW- Modern welding School 1842 State Street Schenectady NY
Events Galore- food, music, demos, Motorcycles and lots of art.
5th Annual, D.V. Awareness month
1- PurpleNight Lights™- residents are encouraged to purchase a purple light bulb and display it on their porch or in their window throughout Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Organizer Sandra Becker from the H.E.R. Shelter says the porch and window light bulbs are available in two sizes and for just a few dollars. The goal is to bring awareness and support to victims and survivors of domestic violence and to send a strong message that “Domestic Violence Has No Place in Our Community.”

2- the Shirts of Awareness
Hang a shirt at the 6 Ballard Road Art Studio Wilton, NY
In remembrance of someone or just to support awareness.
Anyone is welcome to bring a tee shirt to hang and write on.

3-B.J.S. ARTWORKS Show,
10-8 to 10-31-2011, – Opening reception is Saturday October 8, 4 – 6 pm
Meet the artists and enjoy the acoustic inspirational music by Pam Barker.
miChelle Vara is showing metal sculpture-
This body of work is called- “The Soul Perceptible”
Click on link-
https://picasaweb.google.com/michellevara09/MiChelleVaraSMetalSculptureOctober12011?authuser=0&feat=directlink

“My life nothing more than an investigation left in metal and paint”
The artist mission is to make the soul capable of being realized by the mind or through the senses. Visionary art encourages the development of our inner sight. To find the visionary realm we use our inner intuitive eyes. All inspiration originates here. The visionary embraces the spectrum of imagined space.
Poet William Blake called it “The Divine Imagination.”

In Loving Memory of my friend Dawn Bove Roberts, who lost her life in 2006.
Awareness is the only opportunity to stop this silent epidemic in all communities.
This epidemic is not gender specific so all are welcome to participate.

Sincerely , miChelle M. Vara

5th Annual- D.V. Awareness month

Posted on by
Please Join us in-
 1- PurpleNight Lights™- residents are encouraged to purchase a purple light bulb and display it on their porch or in their window throughout Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Organizer Sandra Becker from the H.E.R. Shelter says the porch and window light bulbs are available in two sizes and for just a few dollars. The goal is to bring awareness and support to victims and survivors of domestic violence and to send a strong message that “Domestic Violence Has No Place in Our Community.”

2- the Shirts of Awareness

Hang a shirt at the 6 Ballard Road Art Studio Wilton, NY
In remembrance of someone or just to support awareness.
Anyone is welcome to bring a tee shirt to hang and write on.

3-B.J.S. ARTWORKS Show,
10-8 to 10-31-2011, - Opening reception is Saturday October 8, 4 – 6 pm
    Meet the artists and enjoy the acoustic inspirational music by Pam Barker.
miChelle Vara .com is showing metal sculpture-
This body of work is called- “The Soul Perceptible”
“My life nothing more than an investigation left in metal and paint”
The artist mission is to make the soul capable of being realized by the mind or through the senses. Visionary art encourages the development of our inner sight. To find the visionary realm we use our inner intuitive eyes. All inspiration originates here. The visionary embraces the spectrum of imagined space.
I believe best known for this is artist Alex Gray.
Poet William Blake called it “The Divine Imagination.”

In Loving Memory of my friend Dawn Bove Roberts, who lost her life in 2007.

Awareness is the only opportunity to stop this silent epidemic in all communities.
This epidemic is not gender specific so all are welcome to participate.

Sincerely , miChelle M. Vara

http://ww.michellevara.com
Ballard Road Art Studio Gallery
Saratoga Sculpture Park
518-587-8706
Wilton NY 12831

The 911 event ceremony was overwhelming with energies

Posted on by

My words cannot begin to extend how the entire evolution of this process touched me in a way that has never happened before. The power of individuals joined through tragedy, all with personal stories, has forever changed me as a person.

 All I am left to say is THANK YOU for allowing me to be part in such a strong and unique community.  Thank you all for sharing.

http://ww.michellevara.com
Ballard Road Art Studio Gallery
Saratoga Sculpture Park
518-587-8706
Wilton NY 12831

9-11 sculpture outline, or the artist’s visual symbolization.

Posted on by
“As an artist it is invigorating to have been given such an eminent opportunity”…….

The sculpture piece I call “Respectful Remembrances” (50” X 57” h) is meant to reflect the unity of Americans’ in all walks of life, offering an uplifting sense of healing and forward progression, on the home front horizon, without forgetting the past.

 I have outlined in words, a highlight of my visual symbolization.

·       The I Beam

Is an actual piece from the World Trade Center events.
 You can see the sever duress the iron has been through by the bends that are in it.
It encapsulates immense spirit and energy.

 ·       The arched rusted piece of Angel Iron –

On 9/11 the scene of countless people walking orderly across the Brooklyn Bridge towards safety, left a mark in my mind’s eye.

 The events as they happened in real time. 
The rise and fall. 
The bending of Strength but still holding.
The metal piece was from a fire escape removed from building in Glens Falls NY.

 ·       ¾ inch Round down post-

This piece intentionally bent, wavy and rusted showing inconstant information coming from the ground level. 

The Questions that remain un-answered about the disaster.

·       The small Off Shoot of ¼” Flat stock-

“fractional pieces”- of stories,  ideas,  thoughts,  energy.

Made as a support in the supporting of each other, human being to human being.
The holding up or up lifting.
Rising.
Each small part played is important to the big picture.

 ·       The circle –

The circle is of inexhaustible implications.

Unity, all encompassing, beginning, end, strength, connection.
The sun and moon, work, human culture, concept of all-inclusive.
All the forces (medical, fire, rescue, military, etc,) that work together so hard in collective efforts.
Polished metal is the representation of the light and opportunities.

In closing-
The remembrance of life lost, given and shared, the innocents of a nation changed and our troops on the front, even now, are also meant to be implied in the over all of this piece.

 In overwhelming gratitude,

miChelle M. Vara

http://ww.michellevara.com
Ballard Road Art Studio Gallery
Saratoga Sculpture Park
518-587-8706
Wilton NY 12831

Sept. 11 Monument Sculpture to be ready in Time

Posted on by

Post Star 8/27/2011

Wilton Sept. 11 monument to be ready in time for anniversary

Read more: http://poststar.com/news/local/wilton-sept-monument-to-be-ready-in-time-for-anniversary/article_b3e45b74-d02b-11e0-82aa-001cc4c002e0.html#ixzz1WF7BhkTG

WILTON — When officials with the Wilton Fire Department received a long-awaited piece of the former World Trade Center, they weren’t exactly sure what to do with it.

So they took it to an artist.

Michelle Vara, a sculptor in the town for 25 years, went to work on the twisted section of a steel I-beam the department had requested roughly four years ago.

“They said, ‘Use your judgment. Make it a sentence. Make it a statement,’” Vara said.

The sculpture – and the metals she added to it, each with its own meaning – will be displayed at the firehouse on Ballard Road in time for the coming 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks.

It’s smaller and less controversial than the towering metal sculpture Saratoga Springs officials recently backed away from displaying in front of City Hall.

Vara, who operates 6 Ballard Road Art Studio Gallery, said her piece has a different feel. She said it’s one of “positive retrospect,” and that she was drawn to the unity she saw after the Sept. 11 attacks.

“Some really awesome things came out of an awful event,” she said. “The camaraderie of human existence is mind-blowing – how people took care of their neighbors.”

While most of the metal in the sculpture was deliberately rusted by Vara, one piece was not: a piece she bent into a circle. It stands out with a silver shine in the sculpture.

“The circle represents unity, how everyone came together and how people worked together – people from all walks of the Earth,” she said.

One of the legs is wavy and inconsistent with the others, which she said represents the questions that remain unanswered about the disaster.

Firefighter Ray Bailey, who requested the piece of metal years ago when he was the department’s president, got a glimpse of it for the first time Friday.

“I think it’s wonderful,” he said. “I think it’s very expressive, and I think she did a good job conveying the energy and the emotion.”

He said it was a meaningful coincidence that, after waiting years to find out if the department would receive the metal – and then a few more to actually get it – it arrived just months before the 10th anniversary of the attacks.

When it’s put on display, the department plans to incorporate a multimedia showing of a decade-old project called “Through the Eyes of a Child,” Bailey said. It consists of letters written by young children of firefighters in the department reflecting on the attacks shortly after they happened.

Many of the children who wrote those letters, Bailey said, are now firefighters.

Posted in Local on Friday, August 26, 2011

http://ww.michellevara.com
Ballard Road Art Studio Gallery
Saratoga Sculpture Park
518-587-8706
Wilton NY 12831

Times Union- 9-11 Sculpture

Posted on by

Respectful RemembrancesSculpture for 9-11

August 30,
2011 at 7:20 pm by Dennis
Yusko

http://blog.timesunion.com/saratogaseen/respectful-remembrances/10393/

Artist
Michelle M. Vara has created a commemorative sculpture with steel from the
World Trade Center that will be permanently displayed inside the Wilton Fire
Department starting Sept. 11, the tenth anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist
attacks.

Vara, of
Wilton, is completing the piece at her Ballard Road Art Studio. She calls the 50”
by 57” sculpture “Respectful Remembrances.” It seeks to unite and uplift, while
honoring the past. Firefighter Ray Baily acquired the metal, and brought it to
Vara.

“As an
artist, it is invigorating to have been given such an eminent opportunity,” she
said. “You can see the sever duress the iron has been through by the bends that
are in it. It encapsulates immense spirit and energy.”

8/30/11 Times Union Pg1

  The Wilton Fire Department wanted a piece
that everyone could touch and connect with. Vara incorporated an arched, rusted
piece of Angel iron – representing the escape from Manhattan on the Brooklyn
Bridge, the bending, but not breaking, of strength; a ¾-inch round down post,
intentionally bent, wavy and rusted; a small offshoot of ¼” flat stock; and the
circle – representing inexhaustible implications, unity, and all the forces
-medical, fire, rescue, military – that worked collectively.

“The
remembrance of life lost, given and shared, the innocents of a nation changed
and our troops on the front, even now, are also meant to be implied in the
overall of this piece,” the artist said.

Saratogian News- 911 Memorial Sculpture

Posted on by
Twin Towers metal into Sculpture

911- metal sculpture "Respectful Remembrance"

“As an artist it is invigorating to
have been given such an eminent opportunity”…….

The sculpture piece I call “Respectful Remembrances” is
meant to reflect the unity of Americans’ in all walks of life, offering an
uplifting sense of healing and forward progression, on the home front horizon,
without forgetting the past.

911 Metal Sculpture

Twin Towers metal made into sculpture

Twin Towers metal made into sculpture911- metal sculpture "Respectful Remembrance"

The remembrance of life lost, given and shared, the innocents of a nation changed and our troops on the front, even now, are also meant to be implied in the over all of this piece.

In overwhelming gratitude, to Ray Baily For his trust……

miChelle M. Vara

911 metal sculpture

Posted on by

“As an artist it is invigorating to have been given such an eminent opportunity”…….

The sculpture piece I call “Respectful Remembrances” is meant to reflect the unity of Americans’ in all walks of life, offering an uplifting sense of healing and forward progression, on the home front horizon, without forgetting the past.

 The remembrance of life lost, given and shared, the innocents of a nation changed and our troops on the front, even now, are also meant to be implied in the over all of this piece.

 In overwhelming gratitude, to Rick Bailey for his trust.

 miChelle M. Vara
http://ww.michellevara.com
Ballard Road Art Studio Gallery
Saratoga Sculpture Park
518-587-8706
Wilton NY 12831

SARATOGIAN NEWS -World Trade Center steel used

Posted on by

World Trade Center steel used in
9/11 sculpture commissioned for Wilton Firehouse

By PAUL POST

ppost@saratogian.com

TEXT-

http://www.saratogian.com/articles/2011/08/27/news/doc4e59ac3b94549264710185.txt?viewmode=fullstory

VIDEO-

http://www.saratogian.com/video/?va_id=2794965&pl_id=21344&ref=synd

 Artist miChelle M. Vara stands next
to the 9/11 sculpture she crafted. It will be placed outside the Wilton
Firehouse. (PAUL POST/ppost@saratogian.com)

WILTON — A piece of steel beam from the World Trade Center is featured in a
9/11 memorial sculpture that will soon go on permanent display at the Wilton
Firehouse on Ballard Road.

Former Wilton Fire Department President Ray Bailey applied to receive a World
Trade Center artifact about 2-1/2 years ago.

To his surprise, earlier this summer it showed up in a box on his doorstep.

Then he contacted local artist miChelle M. Vara to use the piece in a sculpture
that pays tribute to the events of Sept. 11, 2001, and those who lost their
lives.

Vara specializes in iron, metal and steel work at her Ballard Road art studio,
near the corner of Route 50 and Ballard Road.

Her completed work is full of symbolism.

“It’s small, but powerful,” she said. “I was completely thrilled to get this
opportunity.”

Two of the sculpture’s three legs are made from a piece of bent steel.

Vara said the piece represents the orderly, yet bizarre scene of countless
people walking home across Brooklyn Bridge on Sept. 11, 2001, after it was
closed to vehicles.

“That just captivated me and left a mark in my mind,” she said.

The bend in the piece symbolizes the dramatic change in history and people’s
idealism that occurred that day. The main piece of World Trade Center steel,
about 2 feet along, is partially bent, too.

Another leg of the sculpture is a wavy piece of steel that represents the
uncertainty about exactly what transpired.

“Nobody really knows the whole story,” Vara said. “There are a lot of different
takes on what happened.”

One leg has a small offshoot because “everybody had a different story, an idea
to share,” she said. “There’s all these fractional pieces.”

Vara force-rusted the sculpture’s legs to give them the same color as the World
Trade Center beam.

The one completely clean element is a circular piece that symbolizes the
clarity of purpose and American unity that was evident, not only on 9/11, but
in the weeks and months that followed.

“People from all walks of life joined hands to do a task,” she said. “We came
together as a country. It was the first time in New York City’s history that
neighbors were helping each other, sharing, pulling in one direction. People
came from all over the country to help.

The sculpture will be moved to the fire station. Details for a dedication
ceremony are still being worked out and will be announced soon, Bailey said.