Destination: Vermont

DESTINATION VERMONT

VERMONT

DESTINATION VERMONT

V

ermont is a little state with a big reputation. It is quaint, cute and cozy. It is vast, fierce and rigid. For a state that is considered un-diverse, it certainly offers a lot of variety. To an out-of-stater (anyone without a green license plate), Vermont might seem obvious. Yet it’s mysterious. Every visit here is an adventure—especially trips that include the kaleidescopic cultural scene.

According to a report by the National Endowment for the Arts, State-Level Estimates of Arts Participation Patterns, released in August, 2016, “As a percent of U.S. adults, Vermont Ranks: #1 in reading literature; #2 in performing or creating artworks; and #2 in attending art exhibits.”

“This report affirms what Vermonters know intuitively: in our state ‘Art. Is. Everywhere,’” said Vermont Arts Council executive director Alex Aldrich in a statement. “Participation in the arts is central to our communities—large and small—and contributes significantly to the quality of life we enjoy in the Green Mountain State.”

“In almost every town across the state a visitor will be surprised to find a gallery, art studio, theater or community art school somewhere in the town,” says Mariah Riggs, executive director of Main Street Landing Performing Arts Center in Burlington. In collaboration with other arts organizations, Main Street Landing is a major hub of arts activity along Burlington’s waterfront and is committed

The round barn at Shelburne Museum. Courtesy of Shelburne Museum.

to donating 10 percent of its profits to local and national non-profits that support its mission.

Home to one of Vermont’s largest collections of art by local artists, Main Street Landing offers

rental spaces for visual as well as performing arts events and other community functions. Be sure to check out their calendar of events for exciting programming.

GoStowe.com (888) 316-7321

E sca p e th e Ordi na ry...

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VERMONT Nearby, the Fleming Museum at the University of Vermont—chartered in 1791, and one of the nation’s oldest universities—has been home to Vermont’s most comprehensive collection of art and anthropological artifacts for over 85 years. With over 20,000 objects from early Mesopotamia to present-day America, the collection provides a showcase of our worldwide cultural heritage. The evolving calendar of innovative, contemporary and historic art exhibitions from around the world, and year-round programming for all ages, allows the Fleming Museum to engage audiences with fresh ideas about the history of civilization.

This past winter saw the opening of their new Gallery of Asian Art and through May 21 visitors can enjoy two exhibitions: Imbibe: Drinking

in Culture and Catherine Jansen: 1008.

Burlington is Vermont’s largest city, and an obvious epicenter for cultural activity, but as Riggs points out, it’s the engagement by the entire community that makes the difference.

“Making art, performing and going to shows and events, is what propels a small rural state like Vermont to have a vigorous and robust art culture,” she explains. And this starts at the state level: Vermont supports its towns that in turn support their local art centers; these local businesses support the artists; and residents and visitors support it all by attending the exhibits and shows.

If spending a few days in Burlington, Hotel Vermont is a must-stay. This art-inclusive, home-away-from-home is located downtown,

within walking distance to the Burlington waterfront and the city’s nightlife. The hotel displays visual art by local artists on a rotating basis and includes a booklet from the Burlington Writers Workshop in every room.

When booking, look for packages that include drop-in art classes or tickets to local museums.

And while you’re there make sure you check out the hotel’s Juniper Bar and Restaurant— showcasing locally sourced cuisine.

“Vermont is a wild, beautiful place and it attracts people who are drawn to these qualities…[It] is rich with artists working in a rainbow of mediums who have chosen to live their lives in this very specific place and capture a piece of that in their art. The word Vermont has a special meaning and people really want

LESLIE FRY SCULPTURE GARDEN By appointment | Winooski, VT LESLIEFRY.COM

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to bring a piece of it back with them when they leave the state to remind them of that beauty and wildness, which feeds back directly to these artists who have been so inspired by the same,” says Anna Weisenfeld, co-director of Miller’s Thumb Gallery in Greensboro.

“What I love about being an artist in Vermont is being able to create a total environment—indoors and out,” says Leslie Fry, whose Sculpture Garden offers a unique view of an artist’s environment. “And it’s the location,” she says, “Often people picture sculpture gardens in a rarified atmosphere, somewhere remote, perhaps on an estate in the middle of nowhere.” But, Fry’s garden—where her sculptures, “inspired by basic human needs: food, shelter, clothing, love and consciousness,”

according to her artist’s statement, can be viewed through seasonal transformations—is in Winooski, a Burlington-area urban center, in a working-class, multi-national, resettlement neighborhood.

Located in the scenic Lake Champlain Valley, the Shelburne Museum is one of the finest, most diverse and unconventional museums of art, design and Americana in the nation. Named as Vermont’s “Best Tourist Spot” by Yankee Magazine in 2016, there are more than 150,000 works on exhibit in a remarkable setting of 39 buildings, 25 of which are historic and were relocated to the 45 acres of museum grounds. The Shelburne Museum’s beautifully landscaped campus offers the absolute best of Vermont’s natural beauty and art

Rock River Artists

Goddard in the World: Ryan Conarro in “this hour forward,” a performance installation featuring video, sound, photography, song, and storytelling.

A collective of 14 artists working in Southern Vermont for over 25 years!

MFA in Interdisciplinary Arts

e Com !

Visit

Committed to art as transformational practice. Goddard students are artists, academics, educators, and activists. Each student designs and pursues an individualized course of study with one-on-one support from a faculty advisor. Areas of study are based on unique personal interests, intentions, and professional goals. We believe meaningful student-centered education is transformational and has the potential to inspire social change and personal growth.

RockRiverArtists.com FURCHGOTT SOURDIFFE

LOW-RESIDENCY, INDIVIDUALIZED GRADUATE EDUCATION IN THE ARTS

David Smith, Quebec Lavender Farm.

Fine Art Gallery

Custom Framing • Restoration

Burlington - VT hotelvt.com

86 Falls Rd, Shelburne, VT • 802-985-3848 fsgallery.com

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Photo by Adam C. Nadel

VERMONT

2017

WWW.GODDARD.EDU 800.906.8312

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VERMONT in every season. In addition to the permanent exhibits at the museum, visitors in 2017 can view Backstage Pass: Rock & Roll Photography through May 7 and two special exhibits through the summer: Upstream with Ogden Pleissner­—a special exhibit of paintings, prints and ephemera—and Pieced Traditions—colorful, eye catching quilts from collector Jean Lovell.

A two-minute drive from the Shelburne Museum and Shelburne Farms, and fifteen minutes south of Burlington, is the Furchgott Sourdiffe Gallery. It is the area’s oldest commercial gallery displaying 50 of New England’s finest contemporary artists and 25 artisans of fine crafts. Located in a historic Queen Anne Victorian, FS Gallery is known to experienced collectors as well as beginning art enthusiasts

for the quality, diversity and affordability of the collection. This is not a place for the predictable, but rather a showcase of work of individual distinction and integrity and a relaxing atmosphere that is welcoming for all browsers.

“Vermont artists tend to promote art as a community asset, rather than an individual accomplishment,” says Zoe Pike of Edgewater Gallery in Middlebury, “[the state] abounds with monthly art walks, collaborative projects between visual and performance arts and our theaters draw national performers; all because there is a large audience here to support this.”

With two locations in Middlebury, Edgewater features a varying collection of works in paint, mixed media, photography, sculpture and jewelry. This summer, look for their themed

and juried group show, The Color of Light. Pike enjoys working at the Edgewater as it gives her the opportunity to support and guide emerging local artists, educate visitors on Vermont’s art culture and be part of an extensive community of people who appreciate the arts.

“The Vermont art scene is unique because of the land and the location,” says Vanessa Compton, co-director of Miller’s Thumb Gallery in Greensboro. “To be able to live without the billboards, skyscrapers, traffic and other distractions of metropolitan life is a grand thing and attracts highly interesting people who choose to live away from it all.”

Located in Vermont’s famed rural Northeast Kingdom, Miller’s Thumb Gallery is in a historic grist mill by Caspian Lake. The gallery

68 Main Street, Springfield, VT galleryvault.org ~ 802-885-7111 Hours 11-5 ~ Tuesday-Saturday

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VERMONT hosts themed group shows of local interest including this year: In the Kingdom of Animals, Crossing to Safety and Boreal Feast—inspired by the animal world, stories of Greensboro’s past and present and the fantastical world of imagination.

While in the Northeast Kingdom, explore the fine art of cheese, courtesy of Jasper Hill dairy farm. Jasper Hill is all about its region’s “taste of place,” producing cheeses that support Vermont’s working landscape. The bucolic farm is roamed by cows as well as heritage breed pigs, who are fed whey left over from the cheese-making process. Although the farm’s strict food safety standards mean it is unable to host the public, anyone visiting Greensboro is welcome to discover Jasper Hill

cheeses at The Willey’s Store, one of the state’s oldest and largest general stores.

On the National Register of Historic Places, the Old Stone House Museum is a neighborhood experience in the Northeast Kingdom.

“The traditional Vermont work ethic encourages competence and confidence, and there is a basic civility and respect that runs through our close communities,” says Peggy Day Gibson, director of the museum. With several buildings and barns, the Old Stone House Museum has an eclectic collection of furniture, textiles, tools, toys, paintings, folk art, Abenaki artifacts and antique agricultural equipment. The museum was once the stomping grounds of some of the area’s most famous residents—Alexander Twilight, the first African American to gradu-

ate from an American college and be elected to public office, as well as Samuel Read Hall, who established the first school for educating teachers in the United States. Programs include hands-on practice in traditional arts like blacksmithing, basket making, weaving, rug hooking and stone wall building.

Among Vermont’s other educational firsts is Goddard College—a progressive, liberal arts college in Plainfield. It was the first college in the nation to develop a low-residency model for higher education, which enables adult students to be part of a supportive academic community while also advancing their creative practice where they live and work. Goddard— famous for its fine arts and writing programs— is located on a spectacular country estate. It is

NEW GALLERY OF ASIAN ART OPENS SPRI NG 201 7

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Rufus Porter Immersion Weekend June 2 - 4, 2017

W W W. F L E MI N G MU S E U M.O RG

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Be inspired by lectures, classes, and original Porter murals in a 19th century Vermont hilltop village.

(802) 754-2022 www.oldstonehousemuseum.org

Miller’s Thumb Gallery!

Celebrate the arts!

Open everyday May 13th to Oct 31st from 11-4

Featuring 120 Vermont artists in a historic grist mill by the shores of beautiful Lake Caspian 14 Breezy Ave, Greensboro VT (802)533-2045 www.MillersThumbGallery.com

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!

VERMONT

BURLINGTON Fleming Museum of Art Hotel Vermont Main Street Landing Performing Arts Center Pomerleau Real Estate

STOWE Helen Day Art Center Inside Out Gallery Stowe Area Association West Branch Gallery & Sculpture Park

GREENSBORO Jasper Hill Farm Miller’s Thumb Gallery

vermont

Old Stone House Museum

Visions of Vermont Fine Art Leslie Fry

SHELBURNE Furchgott Sourdiffe Gallery Shelburne Museum

Goddard College

Moosewalk Studios & Gallery

WAITSFIELD Green Mountain Watercolor Exhibition Valley Arts

Edgewater Gallery

Gallery in the Field (Pat Musick Exhibition)

Carving Studio & Sculpture Center

Woodstock Gallery Chaffee Art Center AVA Gallery & Art Center (Pat Musick Exhibition)

Gallery at the VAULT Helmholz Fine Art (Pat Musick Exhibition)

Camus, Inc.

Rock River Artists C.X. Silver Gallery

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Mitchell • Giddings Fine Arts

an experimenting college dedicated to growing and changing with the needs of its students. Its undergraduate and graduate programs place the student at the center of their own education, while they work one-on-one with accomplished faculty advisors.

Gallery at the VAULT (Visual Art Using Local Talent) is a recognized Vermont State Craft Center in downtown Springfield – a town with a history in precision manufacturing. VAULT is a good example of how Springfield, and other Vermont communities, have been creative in repurposing buildings into art venues. The gallery is located in a 1907 bank, and features more than 160 regional artists. Springfield’s history inspires an annual Steampunk Festival and VAULT collaborates by offering workshops and exhibits. Some of their spring offerings include photographic composition, the art of colored pencils and floral painting.

Across the border in Lebanon, NH, AVA Gallery and Art Center (Alliance for the Visual Arts) has added the purpose-built Bente Torjusen West Sculptural Studies Building to its campus. The organization, which promotes visual arts through exhibitions and educational programs for all ages and abilities, is also dedicated to green energy, incorporating 140 solar panels on its two buildings. AVA is proud that the new facilities will empower woodworking, metalworking, stone carving, encaustics, ceramics kilns, metal and glass forges—all in illuminated, environmentally-friendly studios.

This spring, they are offering a series of master sculpture workshops.

For 30 years, workshops and residencies at The Carving Studio & Sculpture Center in West Rutland have provided an intensive hands-on sculpture making experience.

Professional artists teach different techniques and the materials include stone, wood, bronze, clay, steel and glass. Students from varied backgrounds and aesthetic sensibilities enjoy camaraderie and an exchange of ideas on the grounds of Vermont’s historic West Rutland marble quarries. Presentations by instructors and artists in residence, along with the scenic beauty of the local quarries and surrounding marsh, create an enriching environment for all sculptors.

Perhaps Vermont’s most quintessential New England town is the perfectly manicured

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VERMONT Woodstock with its chic historical flare and lots of character. The Woodstock Gallery is a petit gallery but is big on providing an eclectic mix.

Their collection includes jewelry, photography, pottery, woodcarving, metalwork and paintings, which range from Ann Cady’s undulating landscapes to Richard Weinstein’s painstaking city scenes from around the world. All works are carefully selected with an emphasis on New England regional artists who produce high quality work.

Mitchell • Giddings Fine Arts in Brattleboro is a distinctive gallery showcasing contemporary fine art from 30 established artists working in a variety of traditional and unusual materials. Owners Petria Mitchell and Jim Giddings are professional artists who, for

over four decades, have been involved in the non-profit art world and in the greater arts community as exhibitors, board members, art handlers, jurors and teachers. They have a commitment to presenting innovative, contemporary works of the highest caliber that stimulate and challenge both the seasoned collector and aesthetic explorer. From March 16 through April 23, be sure to check out an exhibit of David Rohn’s work.

Also in Brattleboro, the C.X. Silver Gallery offers a unique alternative to conventional art venues. It’s a fine art gallery that also serves dim sum. Owner Adam Silver enjoys promoting art that represents the ancient, timeless and archetypal. This year, in addition to the gallery’s regular showings of Nye Ffarrabas

and Cai Xi, they will have a spring show, Earth Consciousness and Cultural Revelations, by Alyssa Hinton, opening March 31. New books published by the gallery include Linda Mary Montano: 14 Years of Living Art. And, don’t forget the dim sum. This locally sourced food, prepared by a chef, is tasty art.

Even some of the most established art centers in famous resort towns seem like a secret find in Vermont. First time visitors are amazed by their experience at West Branch Gallery & Sculpture Park in Stowe. Its level of quality, found both inside and outside in the sculpture park, never wavers. “We have a book for comments in our gallery and the writings say it all,” says co-owner Tari Swenson, “people have written that it’s like dropping Chelsea,

west branch galler y

sculpture par k

featuring a great selection of New England Artists

JANET FREDERICKS www.woodstockgalleryVT.com

L a n d

M a r k s

MICHAELA HARLOW

MITCHELL • GIDDINGS stowe. ver mont

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VERMONT

Gary Eckhart, High Gloss, 2016, transparent watercolor, 13½ x 19½".

NY into beautiful surroundings.” This indoor/ outdoor art space showcases contemporary art by emerging and mid-career artists. Don’t miss the solo exhibition, Retracing My Steps,

by Krista Harris, an abstract painter from Colorado, on view March 25 through May 30.

Swenson and her husband, sculptor Chris Curtis, are offering West Branch Gallery & Sculpture Park for sale. Pomerleau Real Estate, a 50-year Vermont brokerage firm with a strong Vermont family history and reputation as community-minded and philanthropic, is

representing them. They have a dedicated fulltime staff, assisting business owners looking to sell and buyers looking for the perfect-fit business. Agent Brad Worthen says he’s confident they’ll find the perfect successor for West Branch, “This is a rare opportunity for a new owner to step into an extremely wellestablished, successful art-focused business, in a famed resort town.”

West Branch is only the beginning of Stowe’s treasure trove of galleries showcasing the region’s creativity. Inside Out Gallery

gallery director Brad Highberger expresses it well: “Coming to Vermont offers a new pace to slow down, listen, see and feel renewed and inspired. I’m inspired by the richness of thought and creativity that Vermonters display.” Inside Out offers an eclectic mix of Vermont art and photography, in addition to stylish home accessories and remarkable gifts.

There are one-of-a-kind pieces to be found at all price ranges and in a bright, inviting setting.

Helen Day Art Center, located in a Greek revival building from 1861, is Stowe’s nonprofit community arts organization. The public gallery features a variety of revolving exhibitions of internationally and nationally recognized artists, as well as local Vermont artists.

They offer classes in a wide variety of media for kids, teens and adults, and work with businesses and organizations to bring art to the region, making it accessible and engaging for the community. Helen Day Art Center’s annual Exposed exhibition places outdoor sculptures throughout the town for the summer months, and year-after-year gives all visitors to Stowe something to look forward to.

When visiting Stowe, make sure to wander into the Stowe Visitor Center on Main Street.

The friendly staff can fill you in on what’s happening in the local theatres, galleries and performing arts centers while you’re in town and not skiing, hiking or leaf peeping in this stunning valley surrounded by Mount Mansfield, Spruce Peak and others. If you want to plan ahead, gostowe.com is an excellent resource

West Branch Gallery & Sculpture Park Here is a rare opportunity to own an art connoisseur’s dream. Located in the vibrant art community of Stowe, Vermont, West Branch Gallery and Sculpture Park is renowned nation-wide.

Business For Sale | Stowe, Vermont

For more details, contact Brad Worthen: 802.863.8210 x 48 bworthen@vermontrealestate.com vermontrealestate.com

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VERMONT for lodging, attractions and event information including arts and craft shows, a balloon festival, theater and music.

On the other side of Stowe’s famous Smuggler’s Notch road—a narrow but beautiful pass through the mountains that is only open when there is no snow—is Jeffersonville and the Visions of Vermont Fine Art Galleries. Inspired by the master plein air artists that have been traveling to the region for over a century, Visions of Vermont Galleries exhibit master artists in three restored, historically significant buildings. With works by Aldro Hibbard, Emile Gruppe, Eric Tobin, T.M. Nicholas and many others, visitors can enjoy both past and present representations of the local landscape around Mount Mansfield.

The Mad River Valley, one of Vermont’s most scenically spectacular areas, is a five-town community that has long been as well known for the arts as it is for the skiing. Valley Arts is the non-profit organization responsible for promoting year-round creativity and encouraging community participation in the visual and performing arts in the area. In August 2017, Valley Arts celebrates the 20th Anniversary of the month-long Vermont Festival of the Arts with more than 100 events and activities for all ages and interests.

The Green Mountain Watercolor Exhibition, also sponsored by Valley Arts, is a national, juried collection of more than 80 outstanding watercolor paintings from across North America. You can see it this summer

6th

National juried exhibition

June 18 through July 22 at the historic Big Red Barn at Lareau Farm Inn (home to American Flatbread) in Waitsfield. It is the only national watercolor exhibition in New England during the summer months.

While in the Mad River Valley, Moosewalk Studios & Gallery, nestled into gardens and surrounded by the Green Mountain National Forest, is a must-visit. As a studio-gallery, visitors are able to see completed artwork by painter Gary Eckhart and photographer Roarke Sharlow, as well as their work in progress.

“Having a studio in Vermont…there is no lack of subject matter. Nature is constantly changing and the light in the mountains is dramatic at any time of the day,” says Eckhart. The digital photo lab is open to the public and Sharlow

June 18

– July 22 no on – 9 p m

Thu–Sun

shelburnemuseum.org

R e d B a r n Ga l l e r y a t L a r e a u F a r m R o u t e 1 0 0 | W a it s f ie ld, V T

valle y art s vt . c o m

Kozo paper, charcoal, acrylic, beeswax • 49”x40”

AR T | AR C HI TECTU RE | DESIG N

THE INSTANT OF IT ALL Traveling Exhibit to: The Chaffee Art Center Rutland, Vermont, August 2017 Gallery in the Field Brandon, Vermont, October 2017 Helmholz Fine Art Manchester Center, Vermont November 2017

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WWW.PATMUSICK.COM

BY PAT MUSICK

200 Orion R d .

2017

Warren, VT

Moosewalk Studios & Gallery

Celebrating Creativity

Pic tu ring Ver m o nt

Award winning watercolors & fine art photography

ValleyArtsVT.com Waitsfield, VT 802.496.6682 • info@valleyartsvt.com

moosewalk studios.com

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VERMONT

Nye Ffarrabas, Neo_N (Über_alleS) , neon artwork, reconstituted in video. Courtesy of C.X. Silver Gallery.

demonstrates the production of archival digital images. Visitors can also learn about proper framing and care of artwork.

The Rock River region in Southern Vermont is home to a resilient cluster of artists, whose studios are tucked away in its hills and valleys and down the lanes along the river. The Rock River Artists is a collective of 15 professional artists who host the annual Rock River Artists Tour in July, welcoming the public to visit their studios, homes and gardens, and their unique Vermont settings. Their mediums

include painting, drawing, collage, pottery, fabric and thread, ironwork, custom furniture, jewelry, and photography. The artists’ studios are open by appointment all year and can be reached at rockriverartists.com.

Manchester-based, nationally known artist and author, Pat Musick of Camus, Inc., is showing her traveling exhibit beginning in August. She just finished a 25-year retrospective exhibition in Texas. While her work is in over 50 museums and institutions across the U.S., Musick says she loves living in Vermont,

“Artists in Vermont are caring and sharing [and] art is respected by the community. The mountains, streams, crystal clear water, fields, meadows and clean sky all fill me with wonder. I am inspired, not only to create art, but also to protect all this—nurture and save it from harm. My relationship with earth is palpable.” Musick is a self-decribed “environmental artist” whose medium is stone, steel, wood, canvas, kozo paper and beeswax. Her stated goal “is to express the relationship between mankind and the environment and the tensions we exert upon each other.” In her work, she searches for “resolution and reconciliation.”

Vermont writer Rudyard Kipling, a resident of Dummerston, once said, “Gardens are not made by singing ‘Oh, how beautiful,’ and sitting in the shade.” Vermont is a state filled with artists, and people who work in the arts, who don’t just sit in the shade. At any time, throughout the state, you can witness this creativity in exhibits of early crafts and paintings, to various interpretations of the landscape, to abstract expressionism, contemporary sculpture and conceptualism. There is something for everyone.

Ask any Vermonter—whether born to the state or adopted by it—what they think of Vermont, and even if they are honest enough to point out how challenging the unpredictable weather can sometimes be, the overall image they portray is always endearing. Vermonters love their state. And, artists who have made their homes here have done so on purpose.

—Jasmine Bigelow

Visions of Vermont Fine Art Galleries

Eric Tobin, 24 oil x 30", painting, PorterFarm Farm Eric Tobin, 24 x 30", on linen, TheThe Porter

100 Main Street, Jeffersonville, Vt. www.visionsofvermont.com

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