Talk of the Arts: A year-long celebration
By Alex Aldrich How do you commemorate a 50th anniversary? A gift of gold? A fancy party? This is the dilemma the Arts Council faced as we discussed how to celebrate 50 years of public funding for the arts in Vermont. In 1965 the legislature designated the Arts Council as Vermont’s official state arts agency. From that year to now funding has come from the National Endowment for the Arts, matched by the State, to the Council to serve...
Winter picks
Brattleboro Clayworks Holiday Sale 532 Putney Rd, Brattleboro http://www.brattleboroclayworks.com All December long Brattleboro Clayworks is Southern Vermont’s ceramics resource center. Clayworks maintains a casual atmosphere, encouraging visitors to tour the work areas of the studio, and peek over the shoulders of working members. The Clayworks gallery features the work of its twelve members. Visitors will find a wide variety of...
Wine resolutions: Five objectives to enhance your enjoyment
By Marty Ramsburg As this issue goes to press, 2014 is coming to a close, with 2015 in sight. Our new year starts with January, named after Janus, the Roman god of gates and doors generally depicted with two faces, one looking forward and one looking behind. Gates and doorways symbolize the transition to something new, to change. In the west, we have come to associate the new year as a time for reflection, to consider some of our past...
Shared printmaking space opens in Brattleboro
Make your own fine art-work or art-wear at the newly opened Brattleboro Printmakers— a non-toxic, water based silkscreen studio open to membership 24/7 by code entry access. Brattleboro Printmakers provides emulsion, a UV exposure unit, wash-out booth, vacuum tables and 4-color turnstiles for artists to produce their work in a collective setting. Membership includes constant access, equipment, online portfolio representation, monthly...
Economic engine: the impact of Southern Vermont’s arts scene
By Joyce Marcel There are a lot of ways to assess a creative economy. One simple way is to add up the budgets of many of the area’s larger arts and cultural organizations, which indicates their buying power in the community. The combined budgets of places like the Brattleboro Museum & Arts Center (BMAC), the New England Youth Theatre (NEYT), Brattleboro Music Center (BMC), NECCA (New England Center for Circus Arts, the Vermont...
Arts with letters: libraries are doubling as art galleries
You might not expect to see paintings by such major artists as Wolf Kahn or Emily Mason in a community library in Southern Vermont, but at the Moore Free Library in Newfane you will. Nineteenth century Chinese ceramics are just part of the vast permanent art collection you might see in the Brooks Memorial Library in Brattleboro. The Canfield Gallery at the Martha Canfield Library in Arlington hosts a reception for a distinguished area...
Historical detail, contemporary design: the Brooks House reopens
By Katherine P. Cox Restoration of the Brooks House, an iconic building built in 1871 that spans half a block on Main Street, has brought grandeur back to downtown Brattleboro. The Second Empire-style building has a storied history as a premier hotel and summer resort complete with ballroom and famous visitors, including writer Rudyard Kipling. The building has been reclaimed from the destructive forces of fire and water thanks to the...
Cargo bikes enter the transportation mainstream
By Troy Shaheen Could cargo bikes sweep through Vermont, minimize carbon emissions, alter our notions of space and time, and revolutionize the way we organize our communities? Go Vermont and their “Cargo Bike Guru” Dave Cohen, can’t wait to find out. These utility bicycles, already a mainstay in Europe and in West Coast cities like Portland, Oregon, are poised to enter the transportation mainstream in Vermont — with an added boost...
Cold storage: How Harlow farm keeps vegetables through the winter
By Allyson Wendt There’s a touch of frost on the fields as I arrive at Harlow Farm in Westminster on an early November morning. After a long, warm fall, winter is definitely coming. I head for the relative warmth of the big barn, where I find farm manager Jon Slason and his crew trimming turnips for packing and delivery. I’m here to see the storage methods Harlow Farm uses for its winter veggies. With around 2,000 square feet of cold...
Music & Theatre
Bellows Falls Opera House 7 Centennial Square, Rockingham http://www.bfoperahouse.com, 802 463-3964 March 28, 2015: The Steel Wheels, with Todd Roach, Mac Ritchey and Beth Lavinder, benefit concert for accelerate brain cancer cure. Brattleboro Music Center 38 Walnut Street, Brattleboro http://www.bmcvt.org, 802 257-4523 Jan 10-11: Concert Choir presents Verdi’s Requiem at the Latchis Theater, 7:30p on Sat, 3p on Sun. Latchis...
At the Museums
Bennington Center for the Arts 44 Gypsy Lane, Bennington 10a to 5p, Mon-Sun (Closed Mon) http://www.thebennington.org, 802 442-7158 Thru Dec 21: Small Works Show, with figuratives, landscapes, cityscapes, wildlife, still-life’s and more. Thru Dec 21: Portraying the Human Spirit exhibit, a small show of 26 pieces that capture the essence of the human spirit. Thru Dec 21: The Laumeister Fine Art Competition. Thru Dec 21: Small Works...
At the Galleries
Bennington Arts Guild 103 South St, Bennington http://www.benningtonartsguild.org , 802 442-7838 Thru Dec 31: The Bennington Arts Guild Holiday Show. Catherine Dianich Gallery 139 Main St, Brattleboro Open by appointment only http://www.catherinedianichgallery.com, 802 380-1607 Thru Dec 30: The Blue Prophetic Alphabet. Chaffee Art Center 16 South Main St, Rutland http://www.chaffeeartcenter.org, 802 775-0356 Dec 5-20: Holiday...
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Southern Vermont Arts & Living chronicles the innovative culture and sophisticated country lifestyle of Southern Vermont.
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