DESTINATION SOUTHERN VERMONT
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s March flows into April in Vermont, winter melts into spring. Skiers can still be found schussing down mountains and skaters gliding over icy ponds while a fresh, temperate breeze winds through the state and flower buds nudge through the tips of tree branches. This is also a time of rebirth within the artist community. Although the artistic spirit is never dormant, the coming of spring breathes new life into new possibilities. This issue, Art New England’s Destination column takes us into the gorgeous region of southern Vermont and begins in South Pomfret, perhaps the farthest “north” that we could call “southern.” Begin your art-inerary at the Artistree Community Arts Center & Gallery where you’ll find visual artists, performances, students, community members, craftspeople—even yoga. Despite Bennington, VT. Photo: Stephen Goodhue. Image courtesy of vermontvacation.com. the town’s population of 940 residents, there’s a nightly art event. Every second Sunday the center holds a drumming circle, Strolling from Elm Street onto Central you’ll teaching spiritual drumbeats and their cultural find Collective—the Art of Craft. Tucked inside significance. One Tuesday per month the group an old, stone building, this gallery/shop is full hosts DSLR lessons for budding photographers. of artisan works, including Faith Fellows handFor younger participants Artistree works with crafted leather handbags, each hand-beaded and Purple Crayon, educating children under five embroidered with a nature-inspired design; and about the arts. Scott Duffy’s fine furniture boasting contempoJust a bit south of South Pomfret, you’ll enter rary design, with pared down forms and taut Woodstock, known for its picturesque smalllines. Every three months the gallery rotates its town charm and burgeoning art scene. The guest artists. On view through March is jeweler Woodstock Gallery is a great first stop here. T. Breeze Verdant; ceramicist Andrea Trzaskos; Inside, yellow walls and soft lighting illuminate Nuno felter Deborah Ellis; and Susan Damone dozens of carefully crafted art objects. The work Balch, quilter. A different artist works at the store is displayed as if it were hanging in your living each day, please stop in and say hello. room. With the motto “from folk art to fine art,” A few miles down 106 South brings us to the gallery encompasses many artists and media, Springfield, a small town on the New Hampshire from paintings and photography to pottery, border. While walking along Main Street, peek in woodcarving and metalwork. It’s been a staple in the windows of Gallery at the Vault which feadowntown Woodstock for 15 years, and its owntures a curated selection of handcrafted artworks. ers make a conscious effort to represent mostly The windows are where it all started for gallery regional artists. founders Nina Jamison and Alison Wallace. In
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the early 2000s downtown Springfield was suffering from a lagging economy and many of the once-lustrous storefronts were empty. Jamison and Wallace began installing local artists’ work in the empty windows to boost morale. Public reception was so strong they opened the gallery. The building’s origins—a bank—inspired the name and the vault is a cool facet of the space. While driving southwest towards Bennington through Manchester, Route 11 to 7A, you’ll pass the Southern Vermont Art Center and see what looks like a steel bridge mounted on a pair of wooden blocks, stretching across a small stream. The makeshift bridge is actually a work of art called Crossing by environmental sculpture artist Pat Musick. She has been making art since age four when she became inspired by the weavings of her Navajo caretaker. “My theme for the past 25 years is a love for our fragile world and a concern that we take care of and protect it,” says Musick. She portrays this message through her
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