5/19/2021
Mayhew donates portrait of Abraham Lincoln to Town Hall
Eileen Mayhew, left, and Brian Sullivan, police chief/acting town administrator, with Mayhew’s portrait of Abraham Lincoln. The portrait is a replica of the one stolen in 1994 from the City Hall in Norwich, Conn. (Breeze photo by Nicole Dotzenrod)
LINCOLN – Under cover of darkness, an unidentified suspect entered City Hall in Norwich, Conn., one evening in 1994, crudely cutting a portrait of Abraham Lincoln from its Victorian frame before making off into the night.
The frame sat empty across from the Norwich city manager’s office for more than a decade; a solemn reminder of the unsolved crime until 2011.
Connecticut native Melissa Barbieri had long been drawn to the ocean, a fascination reflected in her art. Over the course of two decades, her works tended to focus on elements of the sea.
Trips to the American Southwest, primarily to Arizona, opened up a new window for her and dramatically changed the type of pieces she created. She was captivated by the spirituality of the high desert.
She kept journals and sketches from her sojourns. In her studio back home, she began transcribing her notes using dip pen and India ink, which led to a whole new style and series of artworks.