Bellows Falls artists market themselves and their town, pandemic or not

Nearly 10 years ago a group of artists gathered at The Flat Iron Cafe in Bellows Falls, VT, intent on increasing the number of red dots that appear on the map of the annual statewide Memorial Day Open Studio Weekend tour sponsored by the Vermont Crafts Council.

Blue swirl bowl with frog lid, by Chris Sherwin

The strategy was to create a cluster of red dots on the map in Bellows Falls to entice visitors to the town for Open Studio weekend. So the artists went to work to create a month-long series of events leading up to Open Studio Weekend to celebrate the arts in Bellows Falls. Special events included art-related movies at the Opera House, live music at “Stage 33”, a political event called “The Resistance” located at 33 Bridge Street, along with a series of exhibits around the village at several locations: The Flat Iron Cafe, Project Space 9 Gallery (Rockingham Arts & Museum Project) and the Canal Street Gallery. The cluster of red dots on the state tour map grew to represent individual artists, restaurants and arts centers.

The group known as the Koffee Klatch, and has been gaining momentum, despite and because of the pandemic.

The arrival of COVID 19 and the subsequent shut down interrupted not only the group’s plans for last year’s May Art Month in Bellows Falls, but the camaraderie that the group had come to depend on from their monthly meetings waned. Many work other jobs to pay the bills. Some lost their jobs or hours were cut.

The Caw, by Jeanette Staley

Soon however it became clear that the Koffee Klatch provided vital connection and support for the artists. Monthly meetings resumed and became more valuable, even urgent–a necessity for morale if nothing else, and so continued on Zoom. Attention shifted from the red dots on a map once a year, to “how to survive as an artist in a village in Vermont during a pandemic”– a heavy lift.

“As artists, studio work provides space and catharsis for processing the societal effects the pandemic has exposed, and subsequent losses, but also is serves to reimagine what is possible,” says, Jeanette Staley, a member of the group.

It became evident that the pandemic induced micro-experiences for the artists, which parallel what the arts generally provide to society. According to Staley, “the arts are a portal for a transitioning and renewing culture. It is, at once, a language that explains incremental movement or tsunami-like changes and a window to explore the experiences of others. Ideally, it provides a path toward empathy and understanding.”

Thunder Head, by Charles Norris-Brown

Objectively, the arts or creatives in general employ around 9% of Vermont’s population and contribute up to a billion dollars annually to its economy. It is arguable which of these is most important, but undeniable that both are fundamentally essential to a healthy village, no matter the size.

Currently the group has turned attention to building an online presence. In addition to the artists’ individual websites, pages, and profiles, they’ve created an “Art in Bellows Falls” collective Facebook page and an Instagram hashtag. The Koffee Klatch group manages these accounts, and other local artists are invited to post images of studio work, upcoming events, links to artists and their related websites. Guests can find interesting places to visit, eat and stay, and shoppers can find beautiful, unique handmade gifts by Vermont artists.

Once the pandemic is under control, the group intends to renew some of their original marketing plans. “The success of the individual artists and the group are interwoven; they are interdependent, and both necessary for growth and stability in any vibrant community,” adds Staley.