A group effort

Chester looks to promote itself as an ‘arts destination’

Arts- and culture-related organizations and businesses in Chester have strong allies in several of their neighbors who’ve banded together to promote the town as a top arts and culture draw.

ArtUp!, a collaborative launched here in the fall of 2012, is working toward leveraging Chester’s strengths as a top arts destination, and giving Brattleboro and Burlington a run for their money among visitors making travel plans.

ArtUp!’s founding members are Abby Raeder and Robert Sarly of the Vermont Institute of Contemporary Arts [Vtica.org], Jessie and Michael Alon of DaVallia Arts and Accents [thedavallia.com], and Katherine Henry and Harry Hudson of Atelier Annex [atelierannex.com].

According to Sarly, Chester has always been a vibrant community, and it’s unfortunate that travelers often see only a small portion of the town when traveling Route 103 through the historic Stone Village.

“Just {1/4} mile off Route 103 lies Chester’s second historic district, the Village Green. If you’ve been to the Village Green, you know why Chester’s slogan is, ’The Vermont you’ve been hoping to find,’” Sarly said.

ArtUp! notes that Vermont ranks in the top 10 for the number of visual artists per capita — boasting an estimated 750 contemporary artists — and Chester is home to more independent galleries than any of nearby 14 towns, including Manchester, Grafton, Bellows Falls, and Ludlow.

“We don’t have to get these people (artists) here; they’re already here,” Sarly says.

ArtUp!’s founders created a brochure to help residents and tourists more reliably find fine arts and crafts happenings in Chester. They also worked up an advertising budget and are sharing costs to attract visitors to town and Chester’s arts venues.