Thursday, December 4, 2014

The Buttonwood Tree Honors Sari A. Rosenbaum

Sari A. Rosenbaum was a woman who gave to her community in quiet, unpretentious, yet powerful and energetic ways. She helped create the Fund for Women and Girls at the Community Foundation of Middlesex County (CFMC) and in 2011 the Community Foundation's Board of Directors renamed the fund – Sari A. Rosenbaum Fund for Women & Girls - honoring the foresight and leadership of one of its founding members.

It was this Fund that awarded a grant to The Buttonwood Tree / North End Arts Rising, Inc. (NEAR) for a program for Emerging Female Artists earlier this year. In March, The Buttonwood Tree (TBT) offers women an opportunity to show their work in recognition of International Women's Day, March 8th. A collective show, often just one or two pieces was all that was necessary for an artist to be considered. Having offered this opportunity for several years, TBT found a need to financially and experientially support the "Emerging Artists" who applied, and the grant from the Sari A. Rosenbaum Fund for Women and Girls allowed TBT to do just that. TBT paired experienced artists with women who needed guidance, and offered financial support to finish or create artworks which could then be sold or added to their portfolios. It was a rewarding and learning experience for the women involved, and several pairings are still working together to this day.

To complete the cycle of giving and honor the woman who did so much for our community, Sari A. Rosenbaum, TBT commissioned one of the Emerging Artists to paint a portrait of Sari. This portrait was given to The Community Foundation on Tuesday, December 2, 2014 by the Board of Directors of NEAR. It was a meaningful time for the artist who heard first-hand stories of the woman she spent over 60 hours painting. Having only two small photos and written articles to get to know her subject, the artist relied on Sari's spirit which she called upon in creating the portrait. In the photo are members of the Fund, Thayer Talbot of the CFMC and the artist, Maria Louise Brower.
To read more about Sari A. Rosenbaum, visit the Community Foundation's website: Visit the Community Foundation's website


 The Buttonwood Tree will be accepting applications for the March 2015 Women's Art Exhibit starting in January. www.buttonwood.org

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