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. 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...
Brattleboro penthouse reflects a couple’s love of African and Cuban cultures
By Joyce Marcel Couples love to tell the story of how they met, but Curtiss Reed, Jr. and Cathryn Griffith have a love story that has three origins, not just one. The first was in Aix-en-Provence, France, in 1986, when the two attended the same degree program at the same time — but somehow never met. “I was a widow with a 12-year-old daughter,” Griffith said, laughing at the memory. “He said he would not have been interested in me.”...
Sunny forecast for Dutton’s Berry Farm
By Karen J. Irvine One of the most significant food trends to emerge over the last two decades has been the increased demand for locally grown food products. Whether to insure quality, or to reduce carbon footprints, or simply to enjoy the freshest items available, consumers increasingly have been turning to small, local farms for staples like produce, breads, meat, eggs and dairy. And the ongoing coronavirus pandemic has only...
A Vermont community helps asylum seekers one family at a time
By Elaine Clift “They are not European immigrants celebrated at Ellis Island, but they are our continent’s immigrants, here, now. I don’t have a lamp, and there is no golden door, but I lift my eyes to meet them, to see them, and to say, Welcome.” Those words uttered by Steve Crofter, founder of the Community Asylum Seekers Project (CASP) in Windham County, Vermont, speak volumes about the mission of a volunteer-driven organization...
Brattleboro’s Retreat Farm: A place like no other, during a time like no other
Right now, we all need a place to get away and unplug. Open space to run free, homelands to ground us, water views to rejuvenate our spirits. Filled with places to explore, learn, and unwind, Retreat Farm’s expansive property is open and free to everyone. “In this difficult year, we know that spending time in nature and on our beautiful property can help improve people’s physical, mental, and spiritual health. Retreat Farm is...
About our cover artist
Thomas Torak was born in Pottstown, PA in 1953 and moved to New York in 1974 to study at the Art Students League. He studied the first year with Robert Beverly Hale and the next seven years with Frank Mason. Under Mason, he learned not only the art of painting but also the craft. He prepares his own canvas, mediums and varnishes and uses only hand ground paint, often grinding the colors himself, a difficult and time-consuming task,...
Tourism equals economic development
Local organizations, backed with municipal dollars, are filling a void left by the state in its tourism funding priorities. That’s a good start. We could do even more by working together. By Lynn Barrett Vermont — especially Southern Vermont — has everything people are looking for. They just don’t know it exists, and they don’t even really know where it is. How can we get the region to become top of mind? Amy Spear, vice president of...
’A remarkable part of the legacy’
Putnam Block redevelopment project invests in tradesmen Skilled workforce shortages plague the construction industry, and while construction has gained nationally, Middlebury-based Bread Loaf Corp, construction manager of Bennington’s ambitious Putnam Block Redevelopment Project—which is intended to catalyze economic and community development in southern Vermont—isn’t satisfied with the pace. Where the firm joins its peers in...
Rising Stars: Mitchell-Giddings moves up
With move, Mitchell-Giddings Fine Arts curates a whole new view Jim Giddings and Petria Mitchell have lived and painted in Vermont for more than 35 years. Both are well known in Brattleboro as artists and for their long history of involvement with such venerable area arts organizations as Windham Art Gallery, Brattleboro Museum & Arts Center, Brattleboro West Arts, and the River Gallery School. The two met in the late 1980s as...
Museum expansion: Reveling in Brattleboro
BMAC’s ambitious buildout does what no one else can do The Brattleboro Museum & Art Center (BMAC) and M&S Development are embarking on a new $30 million, 55,000-square-foot building to be constructed at the foot of Main Street in Brattleboro, alongside a cascading waterfall in the Whetstone Brook. The building will contain state-of-the-art museum galleries and classrooms, 24 apartments overlooking the Connecticut River, a cafe...
Bennington’s Lightning Jar: You can work with this
A happy hub for students, entrepreneurs, professionals Located in downtown historical Bennington, The Lightning Jar is more than a coworking space: It’s also a resource for those seeking to make their business dreams come true by focusing on connectivity. Networking is essential to those trying to build a business. Since 2015, The Lightning Jar has been working with local and regional organizations and special interest groups to make...
Off the beaten places: Winter family fun
Everyone’s got their groove when the snow falls Southern Vermont features a host of alternative family winter activities, including ice skating, sleigh riding, snowmobiling, snowshoeing, tubing, and cross-country skiing. What are you making time for? Ice Skating If carving figure eights is your thing, you’ll want to check out the great ice at the Riley Rink at Hunter Park in Manchester Center. A new, state-of-the-art facility, Riley...
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Southern Vermont Arts & Living chronicles the innovative culture and sophisticated country lifestyle of Southern Vermont.
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