Eric Bass and Ines Zeller Bass, founders of Sandglass Theater in Putney, have been chosen as the 2010 recipients of the Governor's Award for Excellence in the Arts.  The world-renowned puppeteers will be celebrated in a ceremony at the Vermont State House on Thursday, February 11 at 7 PM. 

Sandglass Theater is an internationally known company that specializes in combining puppets with music, actors and visual imagery. Their productions have toured 24 countries, performing in theaters, festivals and cultural institutions and winning numerous international prizes.  Sandglass Theater will be among the performers at the free public event.  For more information click here.

Join your peers and the Vermont Arts Council for our annual session focusing on arts advocacy, idea sharing, and celebrating the arts across the state. 

This year's event is titled "Trends and Truths in 2010."  We'll host an issues briefing meeting prior to lunch dates with legislators.  The afternoon session will include guest speakers sharing trends on the national advocacy scene and models for positioning the arts as a vital component for healthy, vibrant communities.  The reception with legislators will have an Irish flair (it is St. Patrick's Day, after all), and the day will conclude with the Vermont Symphony Orchestra's annual Farmers' Night performance entitled "The Luck of the VSO." 

 

Click here for a detailed schedule or to let us know you'll be attending.

The Carving Studio and Sculpture Center in West Rutland received an FY09 Cultural Facilities Grant. The funds were used to make their 155 year-old building more accessible to the public.  The $18,000 grant helped support a number of enhancements including building an accessible door and ramp for the main building, restoring an existing historic door with access in mind, installing a new ADA-compliant door in Winter Studios Building, and creating an accessible parking area near the ramp. These improvements are the result of thoughtful planning, and according to Executive Director Carol Driscoll, the work wouldn't have been possible without the grant.

 Read the rest of this week's feature.

Need to shake your cabin fever?  Get out and see some great artwork, meet some great artists, and share some great discussions about the future of Vermont.

• Through February 14: The Artists' Choice Tour will be at the StAArt Gallery in St. Albans.  Opening reception: Friday, February 5, 5-9pm.
• Through February 20:  Half of The Curator's Choice Tour will be at Studio Place Arts in Barre.
• Through February 28: A selection of pieces from the other half ofTheCurator'sChoiceTour will be at the Spotlight Gallery in Montpelier

For a complete list of upcoming exhibitions and events, click here.

100% Essential: We are lucky to have a President, a Congress, and in Vermont, a Governor and a State Legislature who generally agree that the arts matter. But one legacy of the "Culture Wars" is that many ill-informed media pundits continue to assert that the arts are a luxury. Now, with the economy in the shape it's in, I keep hearing that it is time for all "nonessential government expenditures" to be cut, including the arts.

Let's take a long look at why this would be a huge mistake.

Read the rest of Alex's blog entry.

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