"Rust and Resolve" Art Exhibition

Rust and Resolve: The Last Days of Wilton’s Industrial North
Photographs of the Gilbert & Bennett Wire Mill, 1982–2007, by Elyse Shapiro and Bruce Ando

For more than 150 years, the Gilbert & Bennett Wire Mill in Georgetown shaped both industry and community in Wilton’s Industrial North. Wilton Library's October Art Exhibition, Rust and Resolve, uniquely blends fine art photography with the history of Wilton. Presenting over 40 photographs by local photographers Elyse Shapiro and Bruce Ando, they have successfully captured the mill in its final working years and in the quiet aftermath of its closure. In addition to hauntingly beautiful photos, there is a historical exhibit sourced from the G&B Wire Mill Collection (Town of Redding) and curated by Julie Hughes, PhD, archivist at the Wilton History Room in Wilton Library.

Shapiro, a former photojournalist and longtime photography teacher, and Ando, a Marine Corps combat photographer turned corporate and commercial photographer, document not only a vanishing workplace but also the values forged there—hard work, resilience, and community spirit. As today’s workforce shifts from industry to service and digital economies, these images ask: What do we carry forward, and what do we allow to fade?

Opening Reception on Friday, October 3 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. is free and open to the public. Exhibition runs through Friday, October 31. A majority of the works will be available for purchase with a portion of the proceeds benefiting the library.