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Working to advance and preserve the arts at the center of Vermont communities.
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| 7/2/08 Rutland Herald - VT Arts Get $147K in Funds |
By Dawson Raspuzzi Herald Staff
The Vermont Arts Council believes investing in the arts returns economic dividends and increases community involvement and pride — the local arts partnership grants announced last week puts their money behind that belief.
The three-year grant awards $7,000 each year to seven selected arts organizations across the state to support their efforts in strengthening long-term partnerships with their communities.
In total, the grant awards $147,000 over the next three years to such art organizations as the Pentangle Council on the Arts in Woodstock, the Vermont Arts Exchange in Bennington, Flynn Center for the Performing Arts in Burlington, River Arts of Morrisville, Rockingham Arts and Museum Project in Bellows Falls, Burlington City Arts and VSA Arts of Vermont, a statewide agency.
Partridge Boswell, the executive director at Pentangle, said the grant, and others similar to it, are vital to nonprofit art organizations in the state.
"There are not many sources of operational funding for nonprofit organizations and the Vermont Arts Council is one of the few that dependably and reliably helps (the organizations) out," he said
The guaranteed money for three consecutive years, Boswell said, helps organizations think of their future.
"(The grants) boost organizations' confidence in what they are doing and it enables you to look at next year's programming — you know you aren't starting from scratch," he said.
In previous years, Pentangle has collaborated with organizations in the community including schools in the Woodstock area they partner with for artistic productions at the Historic Town Hall Theatre, Boswell said.
They also work with the town, its Chamber of Commerce, the town library and other local organizations.
With the certainty of the added funds, planning on future art projects with the community have already begun, including collaborating with high school art teachers to plan a large exhibit and a literary series with the library, bookstores and local authors, Boswell said.
Patricia Pedreira, the executive director of the Vermont Arts Exchange, said the grant is one the Bennington organization has received in previous years and the organization relies on it to maintain local arts partnership within the community.
Working with local social service agencies, schools and the Better Bennington Corporation has helped the community and provided many great opportunities for residents.
"(The grant) is a key piece of funding for groups like ours at the grassroots level," she said. "It allows organizations like us to maintain community partnerships and enhance downtowns."
Different from past partnership grants, this year it was changed from a two- to a three-year grant and the amount of money selected organizations received was reduced so it could be distributed to more organizations across the state.
"We wanted to extend it a bit more and have it cover a longer period," said Michele Bailey, the program director of the Vermont Arts Council.
"We know $7,000 is not a lot for many of these organizations but it will certainly help a bit so they can continue to partner with these other organizations," Bailey said. "It's important because the arts are such a vital part of Vermont communities and the economic vitality." |
| 6/25/08 Rutland Herald - Culture Shock |
By Peter Hirschfeld Vermont Press Bureau
Network executives blame a slumping economy for a protracted pledge drive at Vermont Public Radio. And arts-centered organizations statewide worry consumer unease may erode financial support for cultural causes.
Mark Vogelzang, president and general manager at Vermont Public Radio, said he was optimistic Tuesday the station would reach its $480,000 goal sometime during the afternoon. While support for VPR's programming remains strong, Vogelzang said the summer drive had taken two days longer than planned.
"Yes, it has taken a little bit longer to get to the goal," Vogelzang said.
At the Paramount Theatre in Rutland, executive director Bruce Bouchard said he is nervous heading into this summer's membership drive. While the nonprofit theater has done well courting corporate sponsors, individual donations may prove less resilient to the economic pinch, according to Bouchard.
"The private sector is a whole other ball of wax, and I'm very nervous about it for a whole bunch of reasons," Bouchard says. "The cost of gas in such a rural state just kills us … and with general living expenses what they are right now, that's going to put individual giving way down on the food chain in terms of people's priorities."
It's not only donations Bouchard worries about. The product his theater sells may move beyond the price range of its targeted clientele, he cautioned.
"I'm nervous about whether people are going to drive 50 miles from the Norwich/ Hanover area, or come from anywhere north of Middlebury or south of Manchester because of gas price," Bouchard says. "It's nerve-wracking."
The 10-day pledge drive hardly amounts to a crisis for VPR. But Vogelzang said conversations with some of the more than 4,000 donors revealed a growing unease among small-time philanthropists.
"What we've seen here is that there is a little bit of anxiety about two things: gas prices and the economic situation in Vermont," Vogelzang said. "So there's some sense of people saying, 'Maybe I'm just going to hold off on making a pledge.'"
Vogelzang said the station's "fundamentals" remain strong and that he expects VPR to weather whatever financial setbacks the state may experience.
But representatives from cultural institutions elsewhere in Vermont aren't so sure the sluggish economy won't have a more pronounced effect on arts-centered nonprofits.
Alex Aldrich, head of the Vermont Arts Council, says arts organizations always have struggled to compete for charitable donations. But the severity of this economic downturn, according to Aldrich, may prove particularly challenging for the nonprofits.
"We're low on the discretionary spending totem pole, as it were," Aldrich says. "We're used to being the low man on the totem pole as far as getting our share of public or private funding. But it's a little bit more austere this time and people are more scared than they have been in the past."
Aldrich said evidence of waning financial support for the arts in Vermont is, at this point, largely anecdotal. But he worries the coming months may see the shuttering of organizations that rely heavily on private donations.
He cites the closing last week of Center Street Artisans — a Rutland artist gallery and store — as a possible "warning shot." He also points to the recent failures of two well-known restaurants — Sean and Nora's in Barre and the Sirloin Saloon in Shelburne — which he says bode poorly for the arts.
"To me the canaries in the coal mines here are the restaurants whose businesses depend in large part on people's discretionary income being healthy," Aldrich says. "You'll see the impact being felt first at restaurants, and then the concern is where will it spread from there?"
Joyce Mandeville, head of the TW Wood Art Gallery in Montpelier, says the economic slowdown has shaken her confidence in the fundraising season ahead.
"I just have the sense that everyone is on tinderhooks," Mandeville says. "I think everybody is just being real careful about their discretionary spending."
Mandeville characterizes private donations as the "lifeblood" of her nonprofit art gallery. With expenses already cut to the bone, she warned, the organization can ill-afford a drop in private support.
"We certainly have seen a reduction in numbers for our summer art camp," she says. "I just hold out hope we'll have a successful fundraising effort."
Alan Jordan, executive director of the Vermont Symphony Orchestra, says contributions to the music organization are on par with last year. Ticket sales for the summer tour also have been good, he says.
But the costs of transporting a 60-person orchestra to venues around the state are up, according to Jordan, and it remains to be seen whether high gas prices will have a lagging effect on the VSO's donation figures.
"We could experience a delayed effect on this," Jordan said. "If we see gas prices topping $5 a gallon, it may affect our fall foliage tour."
Mandeville adds that demand for arts and culture is perhaps highest during times of economic misery. The diversion offered by a theater production or music concert, Jordan says makes for a welcome escape from whatever financial stresses Vermonters may endure.
"The truth is that in difficult times, people have turned to music and arts for a break, and that's something we can continue to provide," Jordan says. "When you're watching the sun set over the Nebraska Range at Trapp Concert Meadow in Stowe, listening to great music, all of a sudden you're not worrying as much about $4.50 gasoline." |
| 6/25/08 Burlington Free Press - Art Groups Worry about Tough Economy |
MONTPELIER — Vermont arts groups are starting to worry about the effect the tough economy may soon have on their ability to raise funds.
Vermont Public Radio says it had to run its just completed pledge drive for two days longer than originally planned to reach its $480,000 goal.
Vermont Arts Council head Alex Aldrich says last week’s closing of the Center Street Artisans — a Rutland gallery and store — was a warning shot about what may be tough times coming for the arts.
There’s also concern that some theater and concert venues may draw smaller crowds because gas prices make people more reluctant to drive long distances to get there. |
| 6/20/08 Brattleboro Reformer - Tasha Tudor, Noted Illustrator, Dies |
By CHRIS GAROFOLO, Reformer Staff
MARLBORO -- Tasha Tudor, internationally known for her delicate artwork, charming stories and cottage gardening style, died at age 92 at her Raven Road home Wednesday surrounded by family and friends.
Her death was announced on her Web site, tashatudorandfamily.com, and confirmed by Atamaniuk Funeral Home in Brattleboro, which was handling the arrangements.
A statement from the family on the site thanked her fans for their support of her artwork and lifestyle during her long career.
"We hope that Tasha's message of 'taking joy' in all that one does will be remembered as we pass through this difficult time together," according to the statement.
One of America's best-known and beloved illustrators, Tudor was recognized for her trademark Welsh Corgi dogs, her embodiment of the mid-19th century lifestyle and her creation of hundreds of Christmas cards for the Irene Dash Greeting Card company over a period of years. Aside from her own work, she illustrated the literary classics "Little Women," "The Secret Garden" and "The Night Before Christmas."
"The family is very sad, but I know she would want us to be in the garden and with family at this time and taking joy because she lived a wonderful life," said Natalie Wise, office manager with the Tasha Tudor and Family Inc. "She's a national treasure and certainly a Vermont treasure."
The daughter of inventor-designer W. Starling Burgess and portrait painter Rosamond Tudor, Tasha Tudor was born on Aug. 28, 1915, in Boston, where she spent most of her childhood.
Tudor, who quit school after eighth grade, was encouraged by her mother to pursue painting. She went on to study at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston.
In 1938, she published her first book, "Pumpkin Moonshine" and married the late Thomas L. McCready in Redding, Conn. During the next decade, they had four children: Bethany, Seth, Tom and Efner.
During the early 1970s, Tudor moved to Marlboro to be closer to her son Seth, who built her 1830s replica homestead using hand tools. While in her rural Vermont setting, she enjoyed keeping her gardens and having her family nearby, which inspired later books such as "Springs of Joy" and "A Time to Keep."
She subsequently wrote, illustrated and/or edited nearly 100 books with her final piece "Corgiville Christmas" published in 2002.
"She was ahead of her time, but she lived in the past," said Jill Adams-Mancivalano, a longtime friend.
Many of her books, including "The Private World of Tasha Tudor" and "Drawn from New England," showcase her skills as a gardener, craftmaker and cook. Her unique lifestyle was featured in countless articles across the world, including "Early American Life," Better Homes and Gardens" and "People Places and Plants."
She made her own clothing -- fashioned after 19th-century apparel -- and raised Nubian goats for their milk.
Adams-Mancivalano, whose family farm in nearby Wilmington hosted open-to-the-public birthday parties and other events in which Tudor held forth with fans, called her a witty, engaging homebody who loved to insert friends, family members and little details of her own life into her work.
"Just to watch her draw, the detail and the whimsy that she had in her later life was just incredible," said Adams-Mancivalano. "I asked her about that one time, how her work has evolved, and her comment to me was 'Well, my eyesight is starting to fail, and I don't have the perfection I used to,' so she'd add more stuff."
During her career, she received many honors, many of which she herself never kept track of and are known only through other sources.
Most recently, Tudor was awarded the Walter Cerf Award for Lifetime Achievements in the Arts from the Vermont Arts Council on June 18, 2004.
Her works have been published in Japan, Korea, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy and Sweden.
Wise, who also was the family apprentice, said Tudor leaves behind a legacy of embracing family and celebrating the good things in life.
A public memorial Web site, tashatudor.legacy.com, has been established to allow people to post their thoughts, comments and photos about the well-known author and illustrator, she said.
A public memorial service has not been planned as of this time. |
| 6/18/08 VT Public Radio - VT Edition: Alex Aldrich & Others on Making a Living as an Artist |
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| 6/13/08 Times Argus - 'Art of Vermont': Our Legacy Hits the Road |
By Anne Galloway Times Argus Staff
The State of Vermont started its art collection the way you might expect: with a political tussle over a monumental work. In 1837, the Senate narrowly passed a bill to purchase a painting of George Washington. (The lieutenant governor, David Camp, broke a tie vote to buy the painting.)
An enterprising German artist, George Gassner, had painted the full-length likeness of the first president in the manner of Gilbert Stuart's masterpiece. Gassner figured that any self-respecting state would want a painting of Washington in its capital building, and since Vermont had just finished building its seat of government what better place to hawk his work?
From the beginning, the state's art collection consisted of such official portraits in the Statehouse. War heroes, governors, judges and lawmakers were the predominant subjects, though several of the 19th century's VIPs were immortalized in marble busts: Elijah Paine, a lawyer, manufacturer, judge, state politician and Vermont's U.S. senator from 1895-1901, and Erastus Fairbanks, founder of Fairbanks Scales in St. Johnsbury and two-term governor of Vermont in the mid 19th century.
While the Statehouse is a repository of the likenesses of prominent, now-deceased white males, its works on permanent display are by no means representative of Vermont's more than 1,000 artworks distributed in state buildings. Over the last 40 years, the state has collected abstract sculpture, photographs and paintings of every style and media.
From its inception in 1967, the Vermont Arts Council actively acquired works by the some of the state's most important artists. Some of the art was donated; much of it was purchased.
Finally, lawmakers again got into the act when they created the Art in State Buildings Program, which has an annual budget of $50,000 to commission artworks for new or renovated state-owned buildings.
Most Vermonters probably don't realize that in addition to these portraits and "The Battle of Cedar Creek" by Julian Scott, which occupies its own ceremonial space the Statehouse, that collectively, we the people also own con-temporary works by Vermont artists. We own a haunting abstract landscape by Eric Aho, an impressionistic sugaring scene by Thomas Curtin, a tapestry of an undulating mountain vista by Viiu Niiler and a number of Eugene Fern's fairytale farmscapes.
Generally speaking, much of the public collection isn't all that accessible (and many pieces aren't portable), and so if you want to see it all you would have to visit the backrooms of the Statehouse and every state police barracks, courthouse and government office in the state.
But this year the state is bringing together a selection of 50 signature works from the collection for a very public traveling exhibition. So far, four locations in Jeffersonville, Newport, Bennington and Rutland have offered to host "Art of Vermont: The State Collection." State Curator David Schutz says that the Vermont Arts Council and Vermont Department of Buildings and General Services are working on at least four more sites for the show. The state has published a 36-page color catalog to go with the exhibit.
"The purpose of the tour is simply to raise Vermonters' awareness of their ownership of a collection of art," Schutz says.
Interestingly, the curator of the exhibition, Paul Gruhler, has allowed each host to emphasize a particular aspect of the collection. At the Bryan Memorial Gallery, for example, which is dedicated to exhibiting works by American landscape painters, all of the 35 works on the display in some way feature the Vermont landscape, whether it's a Marc Awodey painting of Church Street Marketplace or a Janet Fredericks portrait with a window view of the forest.
"The choices we made were quite liberal," says Mickey Myers, the executive director of the Bryan. "What we wanted to do is show a relationship to the land."
One of the things that has surprised Myers about the show is how emotionally attached state employees are to the art they work with day in and day out.
"A lot of people were talking about missing their artwork," Myers said. "I thought that was a wonderful response. They've become so used to living with a particular piece of artwork and they anticipate its loss."
This attitude is understandable, I think. If I had the opportunity to bond with one of Eugene Fern's Easter egg-colored landscapes outside my office for 15 years, I'd be upset too. Who could resist the moodiness of an Eric Aho sky in the middle of winter, or Annemie Curlin's aerial triptych of Rutland city and town scapes? Or a Peter Miller photograph of the celebrated screen star of "Man with a Plan" and darkhorse rival for Sen. Patrick Leahy's seat – Fred Tuttle?
Apparently, Gov. James Douglas is as susceptible to these changes in his interior environment as other state employees. He is losing the painting by Alden Bryan, "Cambridge," which hangs on the wall behind his desk. In the meantime, Myers says they've come up with a comparable replacement so that he doesn't feel too bereft.
If you want to see the what you've been missing – the intense striations of wildflowers in Thelma Appel's "Champlain Valley," or Elizabeth Nelson's "Summer Night, West Glover, Vermont," a Northeast Kingdom version of "Starry Night," take a drive to Jeffersonville before July 6. It'll be at least six months before "Art of Vermont" passes this way again. |
| 6/13/08 Vermont Public Radio - Arts Organizations Make Changes to Survive Economic Downturn |
(Host) Many arts organizations in Vermont have been affected by the economy.
Frog Hollow closed its Manchester gallery last month. In downtown Rutland, the Center Street Artisans Guild will close its doors.
As VPR's Nina Keck reports, many theaters, galleries and non profit arts organizations have begun to rethink how they do things.
(Keck) Alex Aldrich, executive director for the Vermont Arts Council, says the current economic slowdown - coupled with rising fuel prices - is only just beginning to be felt by state arts organizations.
(Aldrich) "There's a perfect storm about to hit and I don't want to sound too alarmist. But there's a real disconnect between the audiences' perception that everything's great and the producers' view that actually life is in deep trouble for us."
(Keck) On any given weekend, Aldrich says, people in Vermont have a wide variety of concerts, plays and community events to choose from.
(Aldrich) "The problem is if you're one of the producers thinking wow - look at all the competition and look at how few people there are in the state - what are my chances of making a positive statement on my bottom line?"
(Keck) Aldrich says economic realities are already forcing many arts organizations, like Frog Hollow, to make hard choices The 37-year-old Vermont state crafts center had galleries and education centers in Burlington, Middlebury and Manchester. Diedre Healy, Frog Hollow's Executive Director, says closing their Manchester site was difficult but necessary. She says they're now focusing more on Internet sales and web site design.
(Healy) "In the arts community there's a ground swell of sales on line. And what we're finding is that people are getting much more comfortable with the idea of purchasing art and objects over the Internet. So we're hoping to begin to build our website and make that a better possibility in terms of sales as well."
(Keck) Healy says they're also developing a long term action plan to deal with the changing economy.
(Healy) "The downturn in the economy might mean that more people are staying close to home. The strength of the Canadian dollar might mean that more people will be visiting Burlington. So we're trying to really assess what the strengths or the opportunities for growth might be even in a down turned economy."
(Keck) Heather Clow - executive director of the Lebanon Opera House says they haven't experienced a big drop in ticket sales, but she says people are spending their entertainment dollars more carefully.
(Clow) "So, for instance, they'd be willing to pay $30 for a performer that they know and they love and that they listen to all the time. But they're less likely to risk spending that same amount on a performer that they're not as familiar with. So I think it's mostly going to affect how we program."
(Keck) Stuart Duke, Director of the Weston Playhouse Theater Company, says that while he is concerned about how the economy and rising fuel costs will affect ticket sales, so far he says their box office numbers are up over last year.
(Duke) "There are sort of two prevailing wisdoms about when gas prices go up and one is that fewer people will drive to Vermont and see shows. The other is that maybe fewer people will fly to Europe and they will drive to Vermont to see shows. And we hope it's more of the second than the first."
(Keck) Alex Aldrich of the Vermont Arts Council says he is optimistic about the future of the arts in Vermont. But he says organizations that have the best chance of surviving the current economic downturn will be the ones reaching out to collaborate with other organizations to get the most from every dollar. For VPR News, I'm Nina Keck. |
| 5/28/08 Seven Days - Drum-and-Dance Group Keeps Congo Culture Alive |
By Kevin J. Kelley
Grass skirts and faux leopard skins from Wal-Mart are among the props Lusenge Siriwayo uses to transmit the Congo’s culture to his children in Winooski.
The costumes are worn by the dozen or so Siriwayo family members who form the core of Ngoma ya Kwetu (Swahili for “Drums of the Homeland”). The 3-year-old African singing, dancing and drumming troupe recently received a $2750 grant from the Vermont Arts Council that will enable it to purchase more instruments for its performances this summer at various Vermont venues, including the Burlington Farmers’ Market.
“I learned this from my elders,” Siriwayo, 52, says in the basement of his Winooski ranch house as he taps on a djembe, an African hand drum. “And now I’m teaching it to my kids so they won’t forget where they came from.”
Siriwayo’s six children, ages 15 to 28, fled to the United States in 1999 along with their mother, Françoise Nzoli Kahindo. “Living in Vermont since that time, they’re beginning to lose their languages,” Siriwayo laments. His children spoke Swahili, French and Kinanda, a local tribal language, while growing up in the Kivu region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Being part of the family-based troupe “does make me feel connected to my culture,” says Makasi Siriwayo, a 21-year-old son home for the summer from a design school in Utica, New York. Speaking without a hint of an African accent, Makasi adds, “My ancestors used to do the same kind of drumming and dancing. There’s a lot of African influence in the music and dance here in the U.S., and now I feel more aware of that.”
Some Vermonters are so taken with Ngoma ya Kwetu’s kinetic performances in schools and at festivals that they inquire about learning to play the drums, as well as the ndara, an African xylophone. But the elder Siriwayo tells them apologetically that he doesn’t have time to give lessons. In addition to rehearsing his troupe two weekends a month, he works part-time as a caregiver for the Visiting Nurse Association and studies accounting at the Community College of Vermont.
A short, muscular man, Siriwayo frequently flashes a bright smile — even as he relates the harrowing circumstances that brought him to Winooski.
He left his family’s farm as a teenager to study at a university in the Congo’s Equator Province and later landed a job with the United Nations. After working for 20 years as a U.N. project manager in West Africa and Haiti, Siriwayo returned with his family to his native Kivu region in the late ’90s. He soon got caught up in the political and ethnic convulsions that have roiled much of Central Africa since the Rwanda genocide of 1994.
Siriwayo was abducted by a local militia that assumed, incorrectly, he must be engaged in some form of espionage because of his association with the U.N. He was held incommunicado for three months at a camp 200 miles from the nearest town. Siriwayo says he wasn’t mistreated, however, because the leader of the militia had been a friend of his in high school.
He eventually escaped and walked four days through the bush until he encountered a group of missionaries, who helped him return to his home. But meanwhile, thinking he was dead and fearing for their own safety, Siriwayo’s family had fled the Congo without telling friends and relatives where they were going. He did not know that his wife and children had been granted political asylum in the United States.
Through his U.N. contacts, Siriwayo made his way to Haiti, where he lived from 1999 to 2001. He finally learned of his family’s whereabouts and was himself admitted to the U.S. as a refugee.
Siriwayo now serves as a director of the Association of Africans Living in Vermont. It was through this organization that he recruited a few other young Congolese refugees to join Ngoma ya Kwetu. The troupe will include another new member this summer when it performs traditional dances such as “The Crowning of the King.” Four-year-old Bila, one of Siriwayo’s two U.S.-born grandchildren, will be swaying, stomping and singing along, perhaps barely realizing that he embodies a vital link between Winooski and the culture of the Congo. |
| 5/20/08 Burlington Free Press - Vt. Cultural Heritage Days Begins Saturday |
MONTPELIER – Vermont Cultural Heritage Days - celebrated from May 24 to July 6 - will raise the profile of a range of events and experiences that illustrate the state’s unique cultural heritage, state tourism officials said.
The purpose of Cultural Heritage Days is to provide a window into the vast array of Vermont traditions, old and evolving, that can be discovered during a visit to Vermont. Vermont Cultural Heritage Days includes signature events (events that occur statewide or are statewide in focus), special events, and ongoing experiences.
Signature Events:
-- Open Studio Weekend, May 24-25 (Statewide)
Open Studio Weekend is a statewide celebration of the visual arts and the creative process in which Vermont artists and craftspeople invite the public to visit them working in their studios during Memorial Day Weekend. More than 260 sites will be open during this event, with more than 285 artists and artisans participating. Visitors can plan their tour using the Vermont Studio Tour Map available from the Vermont Crafts Council at www.vermontcrafts.com.
-- Vermont Days, June 14-15, 2008 (Statewide)
Vermont Days offers visitors the opportunity to hike, paddle, climb, fish or just relax in beautiful and unusual settings in any or all Vermont state parks. They can also relive history and learn about historic contributions by Vermonters at Vermont’s state-owned historic sites. Vermont Days includes free day-use admission to state parks and state historic sites on Saturday and Sunday. On Free Fishing Day, Saturday, June 14, the whole family can fish statewide without a license or learn how to fish at free clinics. You can find out more about Vermont state parks at www.vtstateparks.com and Vermont historic sites at www.historicvermont.org.
-- Vermont History Expo, June 21-22 (Tunbridge World's Fairgrounds, Tunbridge)
The Vermont History Expo is a two-day summer festival where Vermonters and Vermonters at heart experience our state’s living history. The Expo features distinctive exhibits from the collections of 150 local historical societies, museums and heritage attractions. For the past seven years, the last weekend in June at the Tunbridge World Fairgrounds has become the time for visitors to be immersed in a hands-on Vermont history lesson – in the spirit of fun and discovery. For more information, visit www.vermonthistory.org/expo
In addition to the signature events, Cultural Heritage Days features a number of special events. Among these are: Art Fits Vermont, a statewide community arts project, the Vermont Dairy Festival, the Vermont Quilt Festival, the LCI Father’s Day Fishing Derby, the Strolling of the Heifers, Vermont Outdoor Woman’s ‘Doe Camp’, Burlington’s Discover Jazz Festival, Roots on the River Music Festival, the Franco-American Heritage Celebration, the Quechee Hot Air Balloon Festival, Ethan Allen Days, Independence Day celebrations across the state, and many more.
Additional information about Vermont Cultural Heritage Days is available online at the official Vermont tourism Web site www.VermontVacation.com. |
| 5/19/08 Burlington Free Press - Arts Council to host annual meeting May 30 |
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MONTPELIER -- The public is invited to join the trustees, members and staff of the Vermont Arts Council for its annual meeting, open house and reception on May 30 in the Sculpture Garden at the Council’s office, 136 State Street in Montpelier.
The meeting will include the election of trustees. Council members in good standing can vote by mail, in person, or online at www.vermontartscouncil.org. Balloting on the day of the event begins at 8 a.m. and closes at 5 .m.
Current trustees Gretchen Babcock of South Burlington, Margaret “Peggy” Kannenstine of Woodstock, Margaret Lawrence of Lyme, NH, and Paul Ugalde of South Burlington are on the slate for reelection.
The Council’s Spotlight Gallery will feature “Remembering Maine,” a collection of paintings by Arthur Williams. In 1961 Arthur was elected to the first of three terms in Vermont’s House of Representatives. He was tapped by Gov. Phil Hoff in 1964 to help organize and eventually lead the Vermont Arts Council, remaining on the staff for the next 22 years.
In the early 1960s, inspired by well-known painter Frank Mason, Arthur started painting while on vacation at his family’s summer home in Maine. The exhibit in the Spotlight Gallery features recent oil paintings of these landscapes. The artist will attend the reception and his exhibit will be on display through July 31. |
| 4/28/08 Burlington Free Press - Shamy: To you it’s a sewer pipe. To them, it’s Godsend |
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April 28, 2008
The Roxbury Free Library has 5,000 books on its shelves. Patrons can leaf through magazines, log onto the Internet via a public-access computer or even use their own laptop computers to tap into the library’s wi-fi. They can attend regular movie nights or any of the dozens of special programs the library hosts each year.
But in the Washington County town of 566, there’s one important thing you can’t do in the white clapboard library.
You can’t pee.
The library does not have a bathroom or, for that matter, running water. Not the kind that runs through pipes.
For those amenities, patrons need to scurry across the dirt parking lot shared with the Congregational Church next door and rely on the kindness of the churchfolk, who for generations have let library users who need to use more than just library materials use their bathroom.
Susan D’Amico, the town’s librarian, says there’s a 4-year-old library regular who rarely completes the short stroll. He routinely urinates halfway across the parking lot and comes back indoors to return to his book. His name is being withheld to preserve his dignity and his reputation.
There have also been times when the church was locked and patrons needed to search for other public relief, hardly plentiful in tiny Roxbury.
The library has had other challenges as well. The building was practically bobbing on an underground pond of groundwater, the closest thing to running water the building could boast. The inside joke was that you could drop a fishing line through a hole in the floor and probably have a pretty good catch by day’s end.
The moisture had rotted through the floor joists. If one person stomped feet in the library’s dreaded northeastern corner, shelves librarywide would shiver. Two people stomping likely would have stoved in the roof.
Oh, and when library trustees tried to raise money to add a bathroom someday, vandals — yep, Roxbury has those, too — stole the ceramic toilet bowl on the front lawn to publicize the fundraiser and smashed it down the street.
Library down but not out.
Volunteers raised $20,000. The Vermont Arts Council came up with a $15,000 grant. At Town Meeting, voters agreed to borrow $15,000 for library repairs. Jane Pincus, who chairs the library trustee board said securing the town money required many concessions, formal agreements and the delicate dance through political minefields. Many Roxburians had very strong feelings, she said, still somewhat in awe that all the hurdles were cleared.
Design Build students from nearby Norwich University agreed — free of charge — to develop plans for an addition, and to frame the new space. Before they started, a contractor lifted the bottom-soaked library off its foundation, scooted it across the church parking lot, built a new cement foundation and returned the building — 5-1/2 crucial inches higher than before. Shivering shelves no more.
And on Saturday, a gaggle of Norwich students crawled high and low hammering away at the new addition. Handicapped access. A porch. A small sitting area.
But the centerpiece is a small room where an inconspicuous piece of plastic pipe juts from the floor.
It’s a sewer line awaiting a toilet.
Lo these 74 years later, Roxbury Free Library is about to be graced with its own throne.
Librarian D’Amico and Trustee Pincus gazed lovingly down at the pipe Saturday amid the din of hammers and saws.
That’s progress.
Sometimes it comes in the form of a sewer pipe.
Ed Shamy’s column appears Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. |
| 5/16/08 Times Argus - Historical Exhibit Debuts |
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JEFFERSONVILLE — "It was a tie." David Schutz, Vermont's State Curator, recounts the vote in the Vermont Senate in 1837 to purchase the state's first piece of art. It was a large oil portrait of George Washington by George Gassner. Lt. Governor David Camp broke the tie to purchase the painting, and as Schutz proudly asserts, "the State of Vermont has been collecting art ever since." The Vermont Arts Council and Vermont Department of Buildings and General services have created a traveling exhibit featuring approximately 50 of the 1,000 pieces now in the State Art Collection. "Art of Vermont: The State Collection" will debut at the Bryan Memorial Gallery from May 23-July 6. An opening reception will be held on Sunday, May 25, 3 to 5 p.m. The exhibit will travel to the Goodrich Library in Newport July 12-Aug. 16, the Bennington Museum in Bennington Aug. 29-Oct. 27, and the Chaffee Art Center in Rutland Nov. 10-Jan. 4, 2009. Additional exhibits are being finalized for 2009-2010. Art of Vermont: The State Collection is a sampling of works assembled over the past 170 years. Many of the images from the collection can be viewed on the Vermont Arts Council's website at www.vermontartscouncil.org. Selected pieces can also be downloaded as a computer screen saver.
For information on "Art of Vermont: The State Collection," visit www.vermontartscouncil.org.
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| 4/16/08 Vermont Public Radio - Council launches new state-wide arts project |
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Click on the box below to download an interview of Vermont Arts Council executive Director, Alex Aldrich with VPR from April 16, 2008.
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| 4/15/08 Burlington Free Press - More than 60,000 to participate in new VT Arts Council project |
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MONTPELIER – The Vermont Arts Council will launch their newest initiative, Art Fits Vermont: A Statewide Community Arts Project That’s Greater than the Sum of its Parts, on Wednesday at the Statehouse.
The project, which is expected to involve more than 60,000 Vermonters, will be kicked off during an 11:30 a.m. press conference in the Cedar Creek Room.
The announcement is part of the Annual Arts Achievement Day which showcases art and artists, and provides an opportunity for arts advocates to meet with legislators to discuss the important role the arts play in their communities.
In 2006, 40,000 Vermonters from 247 towns took part in Palettes of Vermont, a statewide art project involving wood and paper palettes. Participants represented more than 180 organizations and 145 schools. Between Memorial Day and Columbus Day 2006, there were more than 250 palette exhibitions and festivals spanning the state.
Art Fits Vermont will allow even more Vermonters to create and share art, according to Arts Council officials. At least 8,000 wood and 50,000 paper puzzle pieces will be distributed to individuals, community organizations and schools. Puzzle events will begin this spring and continue through January 2010.
Art Fits Vermont has been designated one of the Lake Champlain Quadricentennial Celebration Partnership Projects. PuzzlePalooza, a statewide celebration involving all Art Fits Vermont participants, is scheduled for July 2009 in Burlington, as part of the Quad Celebration. In addition to distributing puzzle pieces to Vermonters, a number of pieces will be given to artists in New York State, Quebec and France. These pieces will be joined with Vermonters’ pieces to form a massive art display during the celebration.
Other Arts Achievement Day events include advocacy training and tips on effective citizen lobbying, lunch with Legislators, tour of the State House Art Collection, and a recitation by Caleb Smith-Hastings, Vermont’s Poetry Out Loud State Champion. At 2 PM, the Council on the Future of Vermont will host a session titled “A Conversation on the Future of Vermont”. This discussion is an opportunity for artists and cultural organizations to envision how the arts can impact Vermont for the next generation.
The day will conclude with a reception at 4 p.m. in the Cedar Creek Room. Arts Citation Awards will be presented to Sabrina Brown, Executive Director of Pentangle Arts Council in Woodstock, Paul Costello of the Vermont Council on Rural Development, and Mary Prior of Danville. Members of the Vermont Youth Orchestra will perform during the reception.
Arts Achievement Day events are free and open to the public. For a schedule of events or to learn more about Art Fits Vermont, visit the Vermont Arts Council’s website www.vermontartscouncil.org. |
| 4/10/08 Stowe Reporter - VT Arts Council Aims to Spotlight the Value of the Arts |
BY JAMES ASKEW
If there was any question about the value of art in Vermont; the Vermont Arts Council has given a definitive answer.
In January 2006, the council launched its first statewide arts project: Palettes of Vermont and nearly 40,000 Vermonters (6 percent of the population) in 247 towns, 147 schools and 180 organizations participated in the program.
The project was the brainchild of artist Warren Kimble. Having organized community art projects in and around Brandon, where he lives, Kimble brought his statewide idea to the arts council.
The idea was this: Distribute free of charge 37,000 blank, palette shaped canvases, made of either wood or paper, and allow artists of all ages, styles, media and skill levels to create what they would.
In less than six weeks, the palettes were gone, spurring nearly 280 palette-related art events statewide and raising more than $300,000 from palette sales.
On Wednesday, April 16, the arts council will launch its second big push: Art Fits Vermont. The launch coincides with Arts Achievement Day, a day-long celebration of art in Vermont that will be held at the Statehouse in Montpelier.
Arts Fits involves puzzle pieces, and 58,000 pieces (8,000 in wood and 50,000 in paper) are slated for distribution. One paramount question the council is asking arts advocates and residents is this: How will the arts affect the future of Vermont?
Nathan Suter, executive director of the Helen Day Art Center in Stowe, says statewide arts projects are great for one simple reason: They inspire a lot of people to try their hand at art.
And that, he says, is always a good thing.
"I think art and engaging in free expression and creativity really does influence and expand the abilities of the next generation, or any generation for that matter," Suter said. |
| 4/1/08 Message for the Week - The Big Read Comes to SAPA TV |
Submitted by Springfield Area Public Access Television
The Big Read comes to southern Vermont!
Sponsored by Proctor Library, Whiting Library, Springfield Town Library, and SAPA-TV, The Maltese Falcon will be aired weekly starting on April 1 on Channel 10.
This eight part series, featuring dramatic reading in the style of 1940s radio broadcasts, stars actors from the Lost Nation Theater dressed in period costumes.
The weekly installments capture author Dashiell Hammett's influential "whodunit" prose with style.
As a bonus, interviews with Vermont authors are included in most episodes.
Special guests include Archer Mayor, Sarah Stewart Taylor, Daniel Hecht, Jennifer McMahon, Nancy Means Wright, and Howard Frank Mosher.
The Big Read's version of The Maltese Falcon will be aired at 7:30 p.m. on Channel 10 on SAPA-TV and will continue through May 20.
This unique production was made possible by support from The Vermont Arts Council, Lost Nation Theater, KelloggHubbard Library, and ORCA. |
| 4/1/08 Americans for the Arts - Congressional Arts Award Presented to Sen. Patrick Leahy |
WASHINGTON, DC — April 1, 2008 — Americans for the Arts, the nation’s leading nonprofit organization for advancing the arts in America, in conjunction with the United States Conference of Mayors, the national organization representing mayors’ and cities’ interests, today presented the 2008 National Award for Congressional Arts Leadership to Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT). The award, which recognizes distinguished service on behalf of the arts, was presented at the 2008 Congressional Arts Breakfast on Capitol Hill. The breakfast, organized jointly with the Congressional Arts Caucus, kicks off Arts Advocacy Day.
Senator Leahy was selected for the Congressional Arts Leadership Award for his strong commitment to the arts. As the lead sponsor of the Artist-Museum Partnership Act (S. 548), Leahy champions legislation that would allow artists to claim a fair-market value tax deduction when donating their work for the public to enjoy. He has also consistently led in supporting the arts as a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, which handles funding for the National Endowment for the Arts. As chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Leahy also has long led on copyright and intellectual property issues important to artists. An artist himself, Leahy is an avid and accomplished photographer whose photos have been featured in national publications and exhibited in galleries throughout Vermont.
"Patrick Leahy is a true leader in support for the arts in this country," said Robert L. Lynch, president and CEO of Americans for the Arts. "His dedication and hard work for the arts in the Senate is invaluable not only to his home state but to citizens nationwide."
The National Award for Congressional Arts Leadership is part of a series of Public Leadership in the Arts Awards given annually by Americans for the Arts and The United States Conference of Mayors since 1997.
"Each year, we recognize a Congressional leader for his or her support of the arts," stated Tom Cochran, executive director and CEO of The U.S. Conference of Mayors. "Senator Leahy truly deserves this award for his tireless work on placing the arts high on our national agenda."
Previous recipients of the National Award for Congressional Arts Leadership include Rep. Betty McCollum (2007), Rep. Jim Leach of Iowa (2006), Rep. Christopher Shays of Connecticut (2005), Rep. David Obey of Wisconsin (2004), Sen. Thad Cochran of Mississippi (2003), Rep. Steve Horn of California (2002), Rep. Norm Dicks of Washington (2001), Sen. Robert Bennett of Utah and Rep. Nancy Johnson of Connecticut (2000), Sen. Edward Kennedy of Massachusetts and Rep. Mike Castle of Delaware (1999), Sen. Slade Gorton of Washington and Rep. Louise Slaughter of New York (1998), and Sen. James Jeffords of Vermont and Rep. Rick Lazio of New York (1997).
Americans for the Arts is the leading nonprofit organization for advancing the arts in America. With offices in Washington, DC, and New York City, it has a record of 48 years of service. Americans for the Arts is dedicated to representing and serving local communities and creating opportunities for every American to participate in and appreciate all forms of the arts. Additional information is available at www.AmericansForTheArts.org. |
| 3/25/08 Rutland Herald - Westsiders Set to Rededicate Town Hall |
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By Dawson Raspuzzi Herald Staff
WEST RUTLAND — After 22 years of renovations, the West Rutland Town Hall is to have its official grand reopening on Thursday.
Gov. James Douglas is expected to cut the ribbon as a rededication of the refurbished historic building.
Fundraising efforts for the $1.2 million project have been led since 1986 by former Town Manager William Finger, head of the Friends of the West Rutland Town Hall.
Before renovation efforts began, the Town Hall was considered in poor shape, with a roof that leaked, structural problems and only a couple of rooms that were useable. "The town had basically closed off all but two rooms in the building, the town clerk's office and the Select Board meeting room," Finger said. "It was an ugly mess, quite frankly."
It wasn't until the town's centennial celebration in 1986 that a small number of residents in the community interested in preserving the historic building came up with the idea to create the Friends of the Town Hall.
"It was a kind of galvanized group of people with a renewed humanity spirit and interest in the town that all came together," Finger said.
The group picked up momentum with fund-raisers and applications for small grants. Bit by bit, the building continued upgrading.
One fund-raising event, the group's tasting supper, has become an annual event drawing hundreds of people to the Town Hall.
Restoration work began on the roof. Then the stained-glass windows and the lobby were restored, the staircase, main hall and offices followed, and then an elevator was installed to make the building accessible to the handicapped.
More recently, the upstairs auditorium, which Finger referred to as "the jewel of the building," was restored.
Finger said a goal was set in the mid 1990s to have the renovation process completed in 2008, exactly 100 years after the building was constructed.
Finger called the renovations a great cooperative effort among everyone in the community, and one that allowed the goal to be met.
"It's been very much a grass-roots effort and the people of the town of West Rutland have gotten excited about it," Finger said. "A large part of the funds have come from relatively small donations from across the board."
All of the major renovations are now complete, although Town Manager Mary Ann Goulette did say there are still a few minor projects left to tackle, such as installing new storm windows and fund-raising efforts for the seats in the auditorium.
"It's been sort of a slow process, but we finally made it," Goulette said.
Goulette is now looking forward to what the revamped 550-seat auditorium on the top floor of the building will bring to the town.
Before the heating system broke down in the early 1970s, the auditorium was frequently used by members of the community and schools in town. The idea is for events to once again take place in the auditorium, and there's already a couple of school performances, as well as a yoga class, scheduled in the near future.
The Marble Valley Players, a community theater group, plans to frequently perform at the auditorium as well, with comedic one-act plays already scheduled for April 11-13.
Town leaders also have plans of their own to host events in the auditorium, such as talent shows, community films and a celebration for homecoming weekend.
"There's quite a demand for the space," Goulette said.
Some of the funding for improvements to the auditorium has come from the West Rutland School Board, which purchased a new sound system, lights and a curtain for the stage.
Near the end of the year, the town plans to stage a fireworks display at the West Rutland's annual tree lighting celebration in December.
The ribbon-cutting ceremony is scheduled to start at 7 p.m. Thursday, with live music and refreshments to follow at 7:30 p.m.
Major donations and contributions to the renovation project came from Vermont Housing and Conservation, Historic Preservation of Vermont, Vermont Community Development, the West Rutland School Alumni Association, and the Friends of the Town Hall.
In addition, the Historical Society, the Vermont Arts Council, the Carving Studio and the Marble Valley Players, as well as various residents and businesses, donated cash and in-kind labor and materials. |
| 3/20/08 - Richmond revives streetscape redesign |
Richmond revives streetscape redesign
By Joel Banner Baird
Free Press Staff Writer
March 20, 2008
RICHMOND -- Suburbs sprawl to accommodate cars; cities charge for parking and periodically throw up another multilevel garage.
Neither option suits Richmond residents, who this year will revive a streetscape project that aspires to balance aesthetic, commercial and transportation needs in the village center.
The $31,000 project, funded mostly through a Vermont Transportation Enhancement grant, will create a blueprint for construction that could begin as early as next year.
If it succeeds, pedestrians, motorists and bicyclists will find themselves on more equal footing -- and at fewer cross-purposes. Better lighting, safer sidewalks and a greener landscape will be bonuses.
Erik Filkorn, the town's Selectboard chairman, said improved parking is key to the future vitality of downtown Richmond. "We want to change the conversation from, 'I'm looking for a parking spot in front this particular store,' to 'I'm parking, and I'm going downtown,'" he said last week.
Finding more spaces for cars that will also promote foot traffic in the core commercial district is a longstanding challenge in Richmond. It's a challenge compounded by limited town money.
"Parking in Richmond's like file-sharing on the Internet," Filkorn said. "Everybody's stealing it, but no one wants to buy it." The town commissioned a streetscape plan in 1998. It envisioned the return of gracious trees, calmer traffic and inviting sidewalks. Its ambitions outstripped Richmond's budget.
The author of that study, landscape architect Kathleen Ryan, is part of the design team for the project. With an emphasis on the consolidation -- and modest expansion -- of parking spaces, she hopes to rescue deteriorated curbs and trampled green belts for walkers and bikers.
"We'd like to return some of the advantage to the pedestrian," she said.
Project leader Erik Sandblom is the civil and environmental engineer who, with Ryan, will complete several options of a revived streetscape this spring. He will present them at a series of public meetings this spring.
"They'll be specific enough to generate construction cost estimates, but they won't be designed down to the inch," he said. "That will come later.
Public comments were gleaned at the Selectboard meeting Feb. 18.
Most of the comments highlighted the irritation between motorists and pedestrians at intersections, crosswalks and poorly defined pull offs and parking spots. Sandblom said advocates for change would have to be patient.
"If the town had its own money to spend, it could conceivably get to the construction phase this fall," he said. "But they don't." They'll be looking at another state highway enhancement grant -- and they'll have to go through a lot of hoops with environmental and right of way reviews. If all of that goes smoothly, there's a possibility of completion in 2009.
Curtis Johnson, who coordinates streetscape enhancements for the Vermont Agency of Transportation, said a successful completion of the study would bode well for continued funding in the construction phase.
"You want to get this sort of project out the door as soon as possible," he said. "The longer you wait for construction, the less the grant money is worth."
More information about Richmond's streetscape project is available on the town's Web site: www.richmondvt.com.
The Chittenden County Metropolitan Planning Organization outlines many of the region's transportation challenges: www.ccmpo.org/newsroom/pdfs/BikePed_brochure.pdf.
Contact Joel Banner Baird at 660-1843 or joelbaird@bfp.burlingtonfreepress.com |
| 3/19/08 Mountain Times - The Killington Arts Guild Announces Art Fits Vermont! |
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Smell the Roses, Make/Paint A Puzzle, Your Mother in Laws Portrait, The Mona Lisa, Tic- Tac- Toe. Your Old Sox!
We have all been looking for some kind of unusual fun thing that our community could enjoy together.... The Killington Arts Guild (KAG) feels this is it!!! It's called "Art Fits Vermont!" Thanks to the Vermont Arts Council.
It's a perfect time for us all, while we are beginning to leam what Growing a Community really means. This is a found, genuine opportunity to get together, have some fun, stretch our minds and be a "fun" raiser for the KAG. Make a puzzle any way you please, paint, out, paste, nail. KAG will help you in workshops. We will have fun events: A Sneak preview Show & Tell event, exhibit & sales, potluck food & music. It's certainly different, definitely fun while supporting our own community.
The Arts Council will support us in this project and allows sales moneys to remain with the puzzle makers and the local arts organization. Each puzzle maker may choose their way to help. 1) Keep 100% of sale price. 2) Give 50% to KAG. 3) Give 25% to KAG. 4) Give 100% to KAG. KAG will help you place fair price on your puzzle.
Puzzles are FREE - but they need to be ordered SOON! The Art's Guild gave 7,000 palettes in 2007 this year 8,000 puzzles will be given out. Go on line: www.vermontartscouncil.org — Go to Art Fits VT. Do it now and don't miss the fun.
— Free Press Staff Report |
| 3/18/08 Burlington Free Press - Newsmakers (Poetry Out Loud) |
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The winner of the Vermont high school poetry recitation contest is Caleb Smith-Hastings of Middlebury Union High School, according to the Vermont Arts Council.
Smith-Hastings, a junior, won the competition, Poetry Out Loud, last week in a literary showdown at the Pavilion Auditorium in Montpelier. He recited "Beat! Beat! Drums!" by Walt Whitman, "How I Discovered Poetry" by Marilyn Nelson and "Dulce Et Decorum" by Wilfred Owen.
It was the recitation of the Owen poem that earned the championship for Smith-Hastings, according to the arts council. The student's "passionate and intelligent recitation brilliantly captured the emotion and politics of Owen's poem," the press release reads.
Junior Zeba Amir of Arlington Memorial High School is the runner-up poetry champ. |
| 3/10/08 Burlington Free Press - Vermont Arts Council to begin new initiative |
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A statewide arts initiative, organized by the Vermont Arts Council, is coming to Vermont beginning next summer.
Art Fits Vermont will involve puzzle pieces made of wood and paper handed out by the Arts Council. "Puzzle-related events" will begin next summer and continue through the summer of 2009, according to the council. The 400th anniversary celebration of Samuel de Champlain's exploration of Lake Champlain, in July 2009, will feature PuzzlePalooza.
"The puzzle pieces will form a massive visual display signifying the creativity, history and lake that unites Vermont and neighboring regions," according to a news release from the Vermont Arts Council.
For more information, visit www.vermontartscouncil.org.
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| 3/7/08 Times Argus - Poetry Out Loud finals: Tuesday in Montpelier |
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March 7, 2008
MONTPELIER – Students from 20 Vermont high schools will compete in the state finals of Poetry Out Loud on Tuesday, March 11, at 2 p.m. in the Pavilion Auditorium on State Street. Poetry Out Loud is a national competition that encourages high school students to memorize and perform great poems. Created by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation, the program is presented by the Vermont Arts Council in partnership with the Vermont Department of Education and the Vermont Humanities Council. The winner of Vermont's competition will advance to the National Finals in Washington, D.C., on April 28-29, where $50,000 in scholarships and school prizes will be awarded. Katrina Battle of Milton High School participated in last year's competition. "Taking part in it was a challenge for me. I'd pull my friends aside all the time and make them help me memorize my poems, stanza by stanza. I worked really hard at it — and feel like this program pushed me to be my best," she said.
The Pavilion Auditorium is located on State Street in Montpelier. This event is free and open to the public but seating may be limited. For more information on this event, visit www.vermontartcouncil.org. |
| 3/6/08 Journal Star - Rural Economic Conference Continues |
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March 6, 2008
By Steve Tarter of the Journal Star
PEORIA - Three hundred representatives of rural communities in Illinois on Wednesday heard how cows and culture have triggered a small-town renaissance in the state of Vermont.
That was just one of the programs offered at the annual conference on rural economic development that continues today at the Holiday Inn City Centre.
Sponsored by the Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs at Western Illinois University, the conference featured a number of speakers, including Helen Labun Jordan, who spoke of the rise of the creative economy in Vermont.
"The usual model is a strong economy establishes the community which develops a culture but, in Vermont, we're showing that the process can be reversed," Jordan said.
Now with Vermont's agency of agriculture, where she works to expand markets for the state's products, Jordan previously directed the Creative Communities Program with the Vermont Council on Rural Development.
Vermont communities, like the town of Hardwick, with a population of 3,000, are being rejuvenated, she said. "Hardwick had been in an economic depression for decades, but today it's a happening place. Young people love it."
Reborn as "the heart of Vermont," Hardwick has balanced a strong agricultural history with a thriving downtown, said Jordan. Area farm operations range from small organic produce growers to large dairy farms, she said.
Making use of a town's local assets is becoming increasingly important for economic development, said Norm Walzer, the founding director of the institute who served as moderator of Wednesday's morning session.
Local entrepreneurs are becoming increasingly important when it comes to development, he said.
"We're also marketing in a new way - seeking ways to have other people see a region in a new light," said Walzer, who stressed cooperation between rural communities to attract visitors.
"Tourism has to be done regionally. It can't just be done by one community," he said.
This year's conference also featured a heavy contingent of librarians in attendance, noted Karen Bersche, the director of the Mid-Illinois Talking Book Center in East Peoria and a member of Rural Partners, an organization that works to help fund rural projects in Illinois.
"We've got librarians here from nine communities in central Illinois. We're looking at ways that libraries can be more active when it comes to economic development in rural areas," she said.
The conference continues through noon today. |
| 2/6/08 The Islander - Vermont Arts Council Announces Art Fits Vermont Project |
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It's been nearly two years since Palettes of Vermont took the state by storm with nearly 40,000 Vermonters creating art on wood or paper palettes. On Wednesday, February 20th the Vermont Arts Council will hold an informational meeting in North Hero at the Lake Champlain Islands Chamber office at 5:30 p.m. to discuss a new project "Art Fits Vermont - A Statewide Community Arts Project That's Greater than the Sum of its Parts".
The Arts Council will distribute nearly 60,000 wood and paper puzzle pieces to individuals, community organizations and schools across the state. Puzzle-related events will take place beginning in summer 2008 and continue through 2009. PuzzlePalooza, a statewide celebration of art and creativity is scheduled for July 2009 in Burlington, as part of the Lake Champlain Quadricentennial Celebration.
The formal launch of Art Fits Vermont will take place on April 16 at the State House as part of Arts Achievement Day. In upcoming weeks, Council staff will visit communities to introduce the project and relay experiences from Palettes of Vermont. These meetings are an opportunity for local organizers to network and share ideas for economic and community development through the project. The meetings are primarily for organizations and schools interested in taking part in Art Fits Vermont but anyone is welcome to attend.
Art Fits Vermont is the second statewide community arts project created and produced by the Vermont Arts Council. In 2006, the Council distributed 7,000 wood and 30,000 paper palettes to 180 organizations and 145 schools. Residents from 247 of Vermont's 251 towns participated. More than 280 palette-related events took place and the sale of palette art raised more than $300,000 for Vermont communities. Beyond the level of participation or even the body of work that was created, Palettes of Vermont demonstrated a significant community and economic impact.
Art Fits Vermont will provide even more communities with the opportunity to raise funds and community awareness through the arts. Through a marketing partnership with the Vermont Department of Tourism and Marketing, Art Fits Vermont is expected to draw visitors from well beyond the state's borders. A number of puzzle pieces will also be given to artists in New York State, Quebec and possibly France. The completed art will join puzzle pieces created by Vermonters at PuzzlePalooza, an exhibit held in conjunction with the Lake Champlain Quadricentennial Celebration in July 2009. The puzzle pieces will form a massive visual display signifying the creativity, history and lake that unites Vermont and neighboring regions.
Art Fits Vermont is presented by the Vermont Arts Council in partnership with the Vermont Department of Tourism and Marketing, and sponsored by Chittenden Bank and the Vermont Wood Manufacturers Association. For more information on Art Fits Vermont, visit www.vermontartscouncil.org. |
| 2/5/08 Rutland Herald - Palettes of Vermont Meeting on Feb. 12 |
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It's been nearly two years since Palettes of Vermont took the state by storm with nearly 40,000 Vermonters creating art on wood or paper palettes.
On Feb. 12, the Vermont Arts Council will hold an informational meeting in Rutland at the Chaffee Center for the Visual Arts on South Main Street. The meeting is set for noon.
This year's project, "Art Fits Vermont: A Statewide Community Arts Project That's Greater than the Sum of its Parts," involves the arts council distributing nearly 60,000 wood and paper puzzle pieces to individuals, community organizations and schools across the state. Puzzle-related events will take place beginning in the summer of 2008 and continuing through 2009.
PuzzlePalooza, a statewide celebration of art and creativity, is scheduled for July 2009 in Burlington, as part of the Lake Champlain Quadricentennial Celebration.
The community meetings, such as the one taking place next week in Rutland, is an opportunity for local organizers to network and share ideas for economic and community development through the project.
The meetings are primarily for organizations and schools interested in taking part in Art Fits Vermont but anyone is welcome to attend. |
| 2/5/08 Seven Days - Vermont Arts Council "Connects" with a New Statewide Project |
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By Pamela Polston
Last year the Vermont Arts Council ran a statewide arts campaign, called Palettes of Vermont, that engaged 118 organizations and 40,000 palette-painting participants in 247 of the state's 251 towns. (Aren't the other four gores or something?) Most of those towns hosted painting-party workshops and exhibits of their palettes, and collectively raised some $300,000. On the heels of that happy success, this year's project, dubbed Art Fits Vermont, is a puzzle.
Literally.
"Since we accomplished all our goals last year, we took the time to think about whether we wanted a theme, " says Diane Scolaro, communications and development director at the VAC. "The thing that was the most outstanding result was the connections between people " artists connecting with communities, communities with other communities, etc. " Bingo: Nothing says connection more than puzzle pieces, right?
Beginning in April, participants will be given an outsized puzzle piece to decorate as they see fit. It's approximately 14 by 14 inches, with "two innies and two outies,” as Scolaro puts it, "so it's universally connectable.” The Vermont Wood Manufacturers will provide about 8000 wood puzzle pieces, she explains. Another 50,000 paper versions will be made available to kids in school or summer camp programs. "So right there we're looking at almost 60,000 pieces,” Scolaro adds.
The scope of the puzzle project is more ambitious in other ways, too; for starters, it will last 18 months rather than just a year. "The Lake Champlain Quadricentennial is an opportunity to showcase to a much larger audience,” says Scolaro, who notes that on the weekend of July 4, 2009, "we'll put on 'Puzzlepalooza.' We'll line the lakeside with thousands of puzzle pieces. “
The VAC is partnering with the state's tourism department to make sure visitors find out about puzzle events, too. And that's not all. This year, the neighbors are invited. Because of the Lake Champlain celebration, Scolaro says, "We will give puzzle pieces to artists in Quebec and New York, as well as France.” France? Mais oui" the birthplace of explorer and lake namesake Samuel de Champlain, n'est-ce pas?
Though it may involve connecting puzzle pieces along the Burlington Bike Path, the grand finale of the project is still TBA. "Someone suggested getting puzzle pieces to cross the lake,” Scolaro confides. But first things must come first: Until March 26, VAC staffers will be hosting meetings in towns across the state to toss around ideas and network with community organizers. And then there's that all-important fundraising part. "In our endless quest for money, we're going to request $90,000 from the legislature,” says Scolaro. "We saw last time those communities that participated were able to leverage income from the Palettes project. If we can get the legislature to invest, we're pretty sure the return on the investment will be worthwhile. “
Either way, Art Fits Vermont will launch on April 16. To find out the meeting schedule or otherwise get involved in this project that's "bigger than the sum of its parts,” visit www.vermontartscouncil.org.
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| 2/4/08 Burlington Free Press - Arts Council Gallery to feature Burlington Artist |
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MONTPELIER – The Vermont Arts Council’s Spotlight Gallery will host “Uncommon Still Lifes,” a show of paintings by Burlington artist Jean Cannon, Feb. 4 through March 31.
A reception will be held on from 4 – 8 pm on March 28 in conjunction with Montpelier’s Art Walk.
Cannon is an artist, illustrator, and art educator living in Burlington, Vermont. She has been drawing and painting since childhood and has exhibited her work widely over the past ten years in Vermont and New York. Her paintings range in size from miniatures to large murals and theater backdrops.
“This group of paintings represents a portion of my recent work with common household objects, often in disarray. An egg, a tomato, a pitcher, an onion, a broken dish or two - the simplicity of the object or objects is played against fantastic drapery or textured surfaces,” says Cannon. “I enjoy letting the paint flow, reining it in, throwing water on it, and covering a dry area with tiny crisp lines, controlling and releasing the paint in a rhythm over the page…It is my hope that my choice of subject matter will strike some as a humorous commentary on the formal still-life tradition, and also as a statement about the transience of life.”
The Spotlight Gallery is located in the Vermont Arts Council offices at 136 State Street in Montpelier and is open to the public Monday through Friday from 8:00am to 4:30pm. |
| 1/31/08 Caledonian Record - In Wake of Popular Palettes, Arts Council Has a Fit |
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It's been nearly two years since Palettes of Vermont took the state by storm with nearly 40,000 Vermonters creating art on wood and paper palettes. On April 16, the Vermont Arts Council will launch a new project - Art Fits Vermont: A Statewide Community Arts Project That's Greater than the Sum of its Parts.
The Council plans to distribute nearly 60,000 wood and paper puzzle pieces to individuals, community organizations and schools across the state. Puzzle-related events will take place beginning in summer 2008 and continue through 2009. PuzzlePalooza, a statewide celebration of art and creativity is scheduled for July 2009 in Burlington, as part of the Lake Champlain Quadricentennial Celebration.
In upcoming weeks, Council staff will visit communities to introduce the project and relay "experiences from Palettes of Vermont These meetings are an opportunity for local organizers to network and share ideas for economic and community development through the project. The meetings are primarily for organizations and schools interested in taking part in Art Fits Vermont hut anyone is welcome to attend.
The upcoming Northeast Kingdom event will he taking place at the St. Johnsbury Academy on Feb. 25 at 4 p.m.
Art Fits Vermont is the second statewide community arts project created and produced by the Vermont Arts Council. In 2006, the Council distributed 7,000 wood and 30,000 paper palettes to 180 organizations and 145 schools. Residents from 247 of Vermont's 251 towns participated. More than 280 palette-related events took place and the sale of palette art raised more than $300,000 for Vermont communities.
Art Fits Vermont will provide even more communities with the opportunity to raise funds and community awareness through the arts. Through a marketing partnership with the Vermont Department of Tourism and Marketing, Art Fits Vermont is expected to draw visitors from well beyond the state's borders.
A number of puzzle pieces will also be given to artists in New York State, Quebec
and possibly France. The completed art will join puzzle pieces created by Vermonters at PuzzlePalooza, an exhibit held in conjunction with the Lake Champlain Quadricentennial Celebration in July 2009. The puzzle pieces will form a massive visual display signifying the creativity, history and lake that unites Vermont and neighboring regions.
For more information on Art Fits Vermont, visit www.vernontartscouncil.org. |
| 1/30/08 Mountain Times - North Chittenden Grange Hall Receives Grant |
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Dave Sargent, Chairman of the Chittenden Board of Selectmen, receives an award of $15,000 from Governor Douglas at the 2008 Cultural Facilities Grant awards ceremony held on January 11 at the State House in Montpelier. Also shown are Alexander Aldrich of the Vermont Arts Council and Karen Webster, chair of Chittenden's Historic Buildings Preservation Committee. The award to Chittenden is to support the installation of electrical wiring, security and emergency lighting and for the purchase and installation of an accessibility lift in the North Chittenden Grange Hall.
More than $200,000 was awarded for the Cultural Facilities Grant program.
The State of Vermont funds the program through an annual appropriation in the Capital Budget. The Vermont Arts Council administers the grant, in conjunction with the Vermont Historical Society, the Vermont Museum & Gallery Alliance, and the Vermont Division for Historic Preservation, all working together as the Vermont Cultural Facilities Coalition. Now in its 19th year, the purpose of this grant program is to assist Vermont nonprofit organizations and municipalities to enhance, create or expand the capacity of existing Vermont buildings to enable citizens of all ages and abilities to enjoy more cultural events while increasing their participation in the heritage of their communities. Freeman Foundation and the Cerf Community Fund grants, both through Preservation Trust of Vermont, are also supporting this project.
The North Chittenden Grange Hall was constructed in 1833 to be a Congregational Church. It became a Grange Hall by the early 1880s, and was purchased by the Town of Chittenden in 1906 for use as a Town Hall. Despite early renovations, many original features remain.
An effort to restore the building for community use began in 1995. As the project gathered momentum.
More people became involved. Members of the Chittenden Historical Society joined the effort, and a Historic
Buildings Preservation Committee was formed under the Board of Selectmen in 2000. Soon the committee realized that to become a vital community resource, the project needed to expand to use of the lower level and to include bathroom facilities and lift for accessibility. Many hours were spent in planning the space. In 2006, Phase I to install the septic field, drill the well and move the road to its original place was completed.
Phase II, now in progress, is addressing structural issues: leveling the sagging floor and adding an engineered iron beam system of support, replacing the rotted comer beam, constructing the addition to house the bathrooms and lift, replacing the windows to their original tall height, blocking in lower level wooden exterior and raising the exterior grade, and adding a stairway between floors.
Phase III will involve interior renovation and construction, such as adding electricity and the accessibility lift. A small catering kitchen is planned for the lower level. Although much work needs to be done before the Grange Hall will be ready for use, the committee is looking forward to the building's active use by the community for cultural, social and recreational purposes.
Donations are welcome. For more information, contact Bob Muzzy or Karen Webster. |
| 1/30/08 WCAX News - Statewide Arts Project |
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WCAX – Jack Thurston
Montpelier, Vermont - Colorful images, beautiful designs. But this is just the start of a puzzle that needs the input of thousands. The Vermont Arts Council is launching Art Fits Vermont-- a statewide arts project.
"You don't have to explain to people what art is and why it's important once you've given them that experience. They know it," explains Alex Aldrich of the Vt. Arts Council.
The group will distribute thousands of wooden puzzle pieces for artists, and paper pieces for schoolchildren to decorate so they can hang the work in their communities.
"Our goal at the moment is to be much better prepared for the onslaught of people who want to participate in this project than we were last time," says Aldrich.
Last time, was the 2006 Palettes of Vermont project. More than 7,000 artists and 30,000 schoolchildren took part. The goal then-- as it is now-- was to make art accessible to a wide audience while promoting cultural tourism.
"There were artists in 247 of Vermont's 251 towns involved in Palettes, which I think is astonishing," says Aldrich.
State tourism officials say the effect on commerce could be equally as astonishing. Commissioner Bruce Hyde expects the puzzle pieces to draw attention from out-of-state media, luring visitors to Vermont's smallest towns and largest cities. He also thinks it's a good kickoff for another large regional celebration: the 400th anniversary of Samuel de Champlain's arrival in Lake Champlain.
"As chair of the quadricentennial commission, I'm hopeful we'll get New York, Quebec, and even France to participate in this project. And we'll put together a whole new puzzle full of history, culture, and friendship," says Hyde.
Next week, the Vermont Arts Council will start meeting with artists and community groups to drum up interest in the project. The first puzzle pieces should go on display in the late spring or early summer. |
| 1/29/08 Rutland Herald - Arts Council Pieces Together a New Project |
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By Sarah Hinckley Herald Staff
Two years ago, the state of art in Vermont was taken over by palettes — this year the Vermont Arts Council will be distributing wooden and paper puzzle pieces on which artists can leave their mark.
Art Fits Vermont: A Statewide Community Arts Project That's Greater than the Sum of its Parts is scheduled to be launched April 16. Beginning in February, the Arts Council will be visiting 16 communities to introduce the project and share experiences from the first project, Palettes of Vermont.
Nearly 40,000 Vermonters created an original design on wooden and paper palettes in the project that lasted for six months in 2006. All but four towns in the state had someone participate and 145 schools — approximately half of those in the state — were involved.
"The palettes project was just unbelievably wonderful," said Diane Scolaro, communications and development director for the Vermont Arts Council. "As soon as it was over, everybody started asking what was next."
The announcement for the puzzle pieces was released Monday and the council's phone had been ringing off the hook throughout the day, Scolaro said. Delivery of the 14-square-inch puzzle pieces, distributed free through the Arts Council, is set for the beginning of April.
"We just give them out to the communities," Scolaro said, noting it is up to the recipients to make the most of the experience. "I think this project is going to be huge."
It is set to go for 20 months and be presented at PuzzlePalooza, which is part of the Lake Champlain Quadricentennial Celebration in Burlington in July 2009. The puzzle pieces are designed as middle pieces, with "two innies and two outies," according to Scolaro.
"I don't expect that all 60,000 pieces will fit together, but they're being made so we could," she said. "I have this vision that they will just line the bike path — miles and miles of puzzle pieces."
Palettes of Vermont resulted in 280 palette-related events and the sale of palette art among participating communities raised $300,000. During that project the Arts Council took notes, interviewed participating individuals and organizations, did surveys and evaluated the outcomes.
The Vermont Arts Council is 43 years old and one of the leading advocates and endorsers of the arts in the state. The objective behind the palette and puzzle projects is to give communities a way to engage people, raise money and bring visitors into the region.
"I don't know that we'll do this again, so we want to make sure we get as many people as we can," said Scolaro. "This is a model we're hoping will be conducted on the community level." |
| 1/21/08 Times Argus - Cultural Grants Totaling $200K are Distributed |
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By Mel Huff Times Argus staff
Montpelier, Vermont - Five central Vermont organizations won more than $72,000 of a total of $200,000 in cultural facilities grants this year to help them install ramps, renovate rest rooms, replace heating systems and improve their performance space.
The Vermont Arts Council announced the awards recently at the Statehouse. Many of the improvements were required to bring the buildings into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
The grants were awarded for the following projects:
- Capitol City Grange #469: $20,000 for help in installing a ramp, a new entry way and a handicapped-accessible bathroom;
- Town of Worcester: $20,000 for help in installing an accessibility lift and making restrooms ADA compliant;
- Roxbury Free Library: $14,900 for help in building an addition to include a wheelchair-accessible ramp, foyer and bathroom;
- Greensboro Free Library: $12,450 for help in installing a new heating system;
- Barre Historical Society: $4,778 for help in installing staging and stage lighting.
"There are still so many organizations whose electrical systems date back to the teens and '20s," said Alex Aldrich, the Arts Council's director. "People just have no sense of where is the right pressure point to make things happen in their communities, and they look around and realize, 'Oh, my God, this stage is about to collapse – what do we do?' and they find us."
The grants have a matching requirement. Groups that receive an award do not actually receive the funds until they have raised and spent the money. Typically, they get a temporary loan from the bank, which they use the grant to pay off.
This is the first year that almost all organizations received the full amount they requested. In 2006, the Legislature increased the amount of money available for grant-making from $50,000 to $200,000. That enabled the Council to increase the maximum grant amounts from $5,000 to $20,000. "That was really good because it allows people to put in service lifts,"Aldrich said.
"It's difficult to justify giving $5,000 to a cultural facility that needs $15,000," he observed. "All that does is cause massive frustration and anger." It also increases the Council's administrative costs, requiring extended back-and-forth negotiations about how to execute projects with less than the required amount of money. "Months go by before you see any work being done, and it's very frustrating for everyone," he said.
The Vermont Arts Council, which is funded by the National Endowment for the Arts, the state of Vermont and private donations, has been involved in making cultural facilities grants for 19 years. The program began when an alliance of organizations – the Vermont Arts Council, the Preservation Trust of Vermont, the Vermont Historical Society, the Division for Historical Preservation and the Vermont Museum and Gallery Alliance – discovered that cultural facilities across the state were badly at risk from deferred maintenance and were unable to meet the requirements of the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act.
Instead of looking for money from the general fund, the coalition lobbied the House Institutions Committee for money from capital appropriations. They received $50,000 for the grant program, which was originally managed by the Vermont Historical Society. Then, about the time the VHS moved to Barre, Aldrich said, "they passed the torch to the Arts Council." In 2006, the coalition succeeded in getting the program expanded to $200,000 a year.
Aldrich sees the work of saving the facilities that house cultural organizations as playing a critical role in protecting the vitality of communities. The greater the variety of programs a facility can support and the more accessible it is, "the more engaged the community will be in what goes on inside, the more engaged the members of the community will be in each other lives, and the more attractive that community will be for people who want to live there and start their businesses there and work there," he said.
The fact that five of this year's recipients are located in central Vermont is unusual, he observed. "To get a more accurate picture, you have to look at several years. We really do cover the state." He noted that the Council does a great deal of outreach to rural communities all over the state, helping them save "little jewels of cultural facilities. |
| 01/18/08 WCAX News - Kids Asked to Honor Robert Frost |
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Montpelier, Vermont - January 14, 2008 (WCAX News - Jack Thurston) Vermont State Police say they're wrapping up their investigation into that vandalism at poet Robert Frost's home. Now the Vermont Arts Council says the best way to honor the late writer is to learn his poetry.
The Council and the National Endowment for the Arts promote an annual competition called Poetry Out Loud. More than 35 Vermont high schools have signed on this year | | | |