For a century, the Kent Art Association has been a beacon for the visual arts here in the Litchfield hills. Located on South Main Street in the town of Kent, it offers both artists and art enthusiasts opportunities to show and experience the work our regional talent has to offer through monthly shows.
The Kent Art Association was founded in 1923 by nine well established artists who were drawn to Kent for its rustic and pastoral beauty: Rex Brasher, Elliot Clark, Floyd Clymer, Willard Dryden Paddock, F. Luis Mora, George Lawrence Nelson, Spencer Nichols, Robert Nisbet and Frederick Waugh. Of these colleagues, Robert Nisbet and George Lawrence Nelson were the driving force behind establishing the association, with Nisbet serving as president for the first 20 years, and Nelson as vice-president and treasurer.
Prior to 1956, the KAA had held exhibitions in various community venues in town. In that year, the old Kent Inn, which stood in the center of town, was acquired and razed by the Gulf Oil Company but not before Nelson was able to remove a two story section of it to its present day location. Over the years, generous donations from the association’s patrons supported a renovation of the interior into its present day galleries and meeting space.
KAA is thrilled to be celebrating their 100 year anniversary this year.
