New Britain herald., 1929-02-02
MW BRITAIN LAGS
 IN FIELD 0f ART
Ilstitlte Noot Ills Gallery
 Suitable for Exhibitions

Although there are many persons. particularly young people, in this city who are interested in art, New Britain Is singuiarly deficient in fa- cilities for art enjoyment. There are some rather good private galleries here but there is no public gallery worthy of the name, while the art classes in school form the only spe- cies of art education provided by the city.
 There is only one art gallery in New Britain. that being located a. the New Britain institute. The pie lures in it are excellent works of modern painters and the gallery IS heing slowly built up. but it is still almost in its stage of inception and contains only 21 canvasses. From time time the library also houses temporary exhibitions of paintings and sculptures. such as that of the Grand Central galleries which came to a close during the past week. These were specially selected works, many of them by the same men as those owned by the institute, and they offered almost a panoramic view Of American painting of the day. Yet the library has so little room for art exhibitions that it was necessary to remove it's own paint ings to make room for the show. and there was no opportunity to compare the various pictures by the same artists or observe any sort of trend.
 These exhibitions when brought here attract only modicum of at tention from the adult population of New Britain, but the children flock to them in great numbers, both under the guidance of their drawing instructors and of their own accord. Many of them come several times, and several earnest young men fairly haunt the exhibi- tions, making notes and sketches or the works they see and showing how much they appreciate the op- portunity to see the best type of painting. Miss Fannie J. Brown, who has charge of the museum and art gallery at the institute. gives all possible help to these enthusiasts. but there is no means provided by which they can receive instruction.
 There has been some agitation for an art school in this city, and the suggestion has leen made to Miss Brown that it would be possible to hold art classes in connection with the evening schools. A number of cities offer such instruction in this way, and it is believed that there are enough budding young artists and others interested in painting to make a course worth while here.
 At present art students are forced to obtain their instruction in other cittes-in Hartford or one of the larger metropolitan centers - at rather high cost, and if they find themselves unfitted for the work ol for other reasons are unable to con tinue they find they have put il lime at quite loss. A school 1T New Britain, its proponents say would offer an inexpensive entering wedge through which young stu dents might learn whether or moi they had enough artistic ability te go further.
 New Britain public schools now offer very good drawing and art aft tn ri 4 as we'll as to the making of pic. lures, but when the student has finished win these no higher school is available to him here. This more advanced instruction could be pro- vided by night classes. it is argued by those who favor the plan.
 They also state that there are many older people in New Britain who have sort of longing, semi understanding liking for art. It is said that this class would also profit from such instruction, for ever though they never did anything in art creation, they would be gathers in that they would have acquired a wider cultural viewpoint.
 No official action has ever been taken along these lines, and in the meantime the New Britain institute has to do its necessarily rather poor Lest in field which must remain subordinated to its library, and Miss Fannie Brown remains the guardian angel of aspiring young sketchers and painters.