SHAPING THE FUTURE THROUGH ART

BURLINGTON FREE PRESS -8/17/18

By Sally Pollak - Free Press Staff Writer

Lyman Orton was putting together a 2006 art exhibition from his private collection, "Lost Vermont Images," when the work inspired him to look in another direction: Not back at the way Vermont was -- but forward to what it might be.

A lifelong Vermonter whose family started the Vermont Country Store in Weston, Orton found himself wondering what artists would say about Vermont if they considered its future.

"I started to think about the role that art should play or could play in the process of planning a community," Orton, 66, said. "I thought that artists with their eye, with their ear, with their frame of mind, could perhaps provoke or prod discussion or bring forth debate as we look to the future of our community or state."

Working with the Vermont Arts Council and the Center for Rural Development, Orton developed an initiative that will commission artists to create works connected to the future of Vermont.

"The Art of Action: Shaping Vermont's Future Through Art" will offer commissions to 10 artists, each of whom will create a body of work that addresses issues of importance to Vermont's future.

This collaborative venture is funded by Orton, owner and proprietor of the Vermont Country Store. The money is not from his foundation, the Orton Family Foundation. The purpose of the project, however, is consistent with the foundation's interest in civic engagement and seeking ways to identify and articulate the "heart and soul" of community.

Commissions will range from $10,000 to $40,000, with the average commission $25,000, according to the Arts Council. In addition, 20 finalists (before the last 10 are selected), will receive $2,500 apiece to develop their proposals.

The Arts Council is serving as the administrator for "Art of Action," including convening a panel that will select the artists. (Application deadline is Aug. 28; go to www.vermontartscouncil.org)

The Vermont Council on Rural Development, through its program called Council on the Future of Vermont, will share with the selected artists the information it is gathering from Vermonters about issues that concern them.

Together, these three entities hope to generate artwork that will illuminate, provoke and respond to -- or perhaps help shape -- a picture of Vermont's future.
Perhaps visual presentations will inspire Vermonters to think about, and act on, issues such as development, transportation and the economic ramifications of second-home ownership, Orton said.

"Land-use planning doesn't engage a lot of people until the bulldozers are at the gate," he said.

Orton hopes, also, that the project will help develop a market for what he calls cultural commentary art.

"I hope this will demonstrate that there's not only social and cultural value to it, but also market value," he said. "More people will want to put this kind of art over the fireplace, serious collectors from around the country."

Jonathan Gregg, an architect and founder of the Vermont Studio Center in Johnson, an artists and writers' retreat, said there's a long and important history of artwork that has significant political impact. He cited as examples Goya's "Disasters of War" and "Guernica" by Picasso.

He noted, also, that a prominent artist whose work is imbued with a social and political vision, as well as the artist's creative one, lives and works in Vermont: Peter Schumann, founder of Bread and Puppet Theater in Glover.

"We have right here a role model for the interface of creative work and political and social comment," Gregg said.

"It is definitely the case that art can make a searing statement," he went on. "I think this is a very inspired and admirable project. The challenge for the Art of Action program, that I see, will be how these works will be brought to the attention of the people of Vermont and its legislators."

Organizers have a year to figure that out: The timetable calls for the artists, who will be selected by the end of the year, to create their pieces by September 2009.

John Zwick, project director for the Arts Council, said it's unclear how and where the works will be presented. "It's something we've thought about in the broadest strokes," he said. It will depend, in part, on the form of the pieces and their number.

"It will all reveal itself when it's supposed to," Zwick said. The exhibition of the pieces will include an online display, he said. Orton said one possibility is an auction of the works; he would keep one piece by each artist as funder of the project.

With the application deadline less than two weeks away, the council has received about 25 applications, Zwick said. Of these, two-thirds are from artists who live out of state. Zwick said he'd be pleased with 60 or 70 applications and "absolutely delighted" if the council received 100.

"This project is a really great, tremendous opportunity for artists in general, but especially for Vermont artists," Zwick said. "Because who knows Vermont better than the folks who have been living here and working here?"

Alex Aldrich, executive director of the Vermont Arts Council, sees the project as a "new way of looking at the intersection of art and community." He said he's looking forward to the results -- and is hopeful the pieces will have the power to influence people when they imagine art made in Vermont.

"One of the things I want to see is for the Vermont brand to finally include art and culture that is forward-thinking, progressive, not afraid to take on issues," Aldrich said. "To be something more than the safe landscape and still life work that one traditionally thinks of when one thinks of Vermont and art in the same sentence."

Contact Sally Pollak at spollak@bfp.burlingtonfreepress.com or 660-1859.

Art of Action timeline
Application deadline: Aug. 28
Panel selects 20 finalists: Sept. 30
Finalists make presentations to panel members at public meeting: January 2009
Ten finalists are selected: Within a week of the January presentations
Artists complete their commissions: September 2009
-- Source: Vermont Arts Council Panelists

The panel chosen to select the artists includes:
Margaret Kannenstine, artist from Woodstock
Warren Kimble, artist from Brandon
Melinda Moulton of Huntington, businesswoman and developer
Mary Hegarty Nowlan, editor Vermont Life magazine
George Pearlman, executive director of Vermont Studio Center
William Schubart of Hinesburg, founder/chairman of Resolution, Inc., longtime involvement in Vermont arts community
Marilyn Skoglund, associate justice of the Vermont Supreme Court
-- Source: John Zwick, Art of Action project director at Vermont Arts Council

"Why Political Art" - Peter Schumann, founder Bread and Puppet Theater, offers his thoughts on political art:

Cultural capitalism has many arts to promote free-doom and demo-crazy, and the doom continuously deepens and the craze is predictable.

The big design of capitalism subordinates the existing philosophies and arts in order to get spiritual cement for its freedom-of-choice walls and prisons.
But the sourdough rises and philosophers and artists alike ferment as fast as the stink of capitalism's dirty socks grows.

Possibilitarians emerge from all walks of life and apply their jolly trickery not only to subvert this pretty civilization of ours. They offer classes in end-of-hell-beginning-of-paradise practices. Possibilitarian musicians dumpster-dive for any discarded divine chords; possibilitarian sculptors bicycle all the way to Michelangelo; possiblitarian dancers plant successful potatoes as part of their curriculum.

The sun it rises in the day and in the evening slips away.

VT Philanthropist Presents a Challenge, and Money, to Artists

8-6-08

State of The Arts

By Pamela Polston

It seems everyone in Vermont is concerned about its future these days, and with good reason: Unique local challenges are severely compounded by economic and environmental ills affecting the entire globe. And yet, in a small, still largely agrarian state, resources are scarce. From political bodies to nonprofits that help low-income Vermonters cover their home-heating bills, the search is on for meaningful solutions.

And now there’s an artistic one — a search, if not solutions. At the very least, 10 Vermont artists will benefit from a new art project underwritten by philanthropist Lyman Orton and called “Art of Action: Shaping Vermont’s Future Through Art” — and, in theory, the work they produce will inspire the rest of us. Administered in collaboration with the Vermont Arts Council, the commission is among the largest ever awarded to individual artists in the Green Mountain State — an average of $25,000 each.

The idea is this: The call to artists is out for two-dimensional works in any medium “that grapple with issues as identified by the Council on the Future of Vermont.” The projects should aim to “raise awareness and inspire a vision that will shape Vermont’s social, political, environmental and/or economic future.” If the piece can “catalyze action and affect change on a statewide level,” so much the better. The group will be winnowed down to 20 artists, and from that group, 10 will be selected to develop their projects. The Requests for Qualifications are processed only through an online application system called CaFE — visit www.callforentry.org [1] for more info. Deadline for submissions: August 28.

Orton, whose family owns the Vermont Country Store and maintains the community-minded Orton Family Foundation, is also a longtime art collector — in particular, of “art that reflects Vermont’s social and cultural values,” according to the VAC. Three decades ago, Orton spearheaded an effort to locate, and retain in-state, such artworks that might otherwise have been sold outside Vermont. The resulting collection, 50 paintings, woodcuts, serigraphs and etchings called “Lost Vermont Images,” depicts the lives, work and landscape of the state and its inhabitants circa 1920-’60. It might more aptly be called “Found Images of Lost Vermont.”

Orton’s current project, which recalls the WPA grants to artists during the Great Depression, “will go a long way toward demonstrating that artists are an integral part of any community,” says VAC Executive Director Alex Aldrich, “and quite often what they have to say about issues and opportunities is both profound and challenging.”

VPR Interview with Lyman Orton

Listen to the VPR interview with Lyman Orton about the Art of Action project - 8/13/08.

The text of the interview is below:

Ten artists to get average commission of $25,000

Wednesday August 13, 2008
Melody Bodette

Colchester, VT


(Host) Artists from around the country have been invited to depict the challenges that Vermont faces. And they could get an average of $25,000 to do so.

Philanthropist Lyman Orton and the Vermont Arts Council are collaborating on the project. Ten artists will be awarded commissions to create two-dimensional artworks. The art will portray the state's economic, social and environmental challenges, which were identified by the Council on the Future of Vermont.

Orton is funding the $450,000 project with associates Craig Byrne and Janice Izzi.

As an art collector, Orton says he's interested in art as a form of cultural expression. He says the idea of using art to symbolize the state's future appealed to him because art can draw more people into the process. And Orton says he hopes to support Vermont's creative economy:

(Orton) "We also hope to be able to build a market, an awareness, and an increasing interest in this kind of art in Vermont so that Vermonters will want to put a piece over the fireplace, so to speak, and collectors will want to own a piece of this work, and therefore to encourage artists monetarily through success to do more cultural commentary art about the state of affairs in Vermont."

(Host) Ten artists will receive commissions. One piece from each artist will be kept in Orton's collection, and the rest will likely be auctioned. Proceeds will be given to the artists and be used to create a fund for future projects.

John Zwick of the Vermont Arts Council says the project has created a buzz among artists, both in the state and elsewhere.

(Zwick) "These are among the largest commissions ever offered by the Vermont Arts Council in Vermont to artists. And I think it was important because Lyman recognizes that the arts are an integral part of Vermonters' lives, and are central to the issues that we are addressing, and he wanted to reaffirm that importance in a tangible kind of way."

(Host) Artists have until August 28th to apply for the "Art of Action" project.

ARTISTS TO BE COMMISSIONED TO CAPTURE RESIDENTS' CONCERNS

By STEPHANIE M. PETERS Herald Staff

After nearly a year of canvassing the state to determine what issues matter most to Vermonters, the Council on the Future of Vermont has compiled thousands of pages of notes and hours of video footage feedback.

Soon, the council, a project of the Vermont Council on Rural Development, will condense the information into a report it hopes will shape how state agencies address current social and economic issues.

First, however, the data will serve a more unusual purpose: Art inspiration.

Through the project "Art of Action: Shaping Vermont's Future Through Art" and the partnership of the Council on the Future of Vermont and the Vermont Arts Council, 10 artists will be commissioned to create collections of two-dimensional art based on what residents had to say.

Commissions will range from $10,000 to $40,000, and the average award of $25,000 places the grants among the largest ever awarded by the Arts Council to individual artists.

The impetus and funding for the initiative comes from Lyman Orton, proprietor of the Vermont Country Store, and his associates Craig Byrne and Janice Izzi.

"The power of art has the ability to engage in a different language what the future of Vermont might be," Orton said in a phone interview. "Art can and should be important to the process."

So far the issues raised by residents range from the localized — this town lacks the volunteers for a fire department, or the roads in that town need to be repaved — to the macrocosmic. For instance, some participants expressed concern that the struggling global economy was affecting transportation issues that cut across every facet of life, according to Sarah Waring of the VCRD, the project manager.

What issue, or issues, the artists find inspiration in will be left entirely to them, Waring said.

"Is the artist going to pick up on the roads, or the cost of living, or the native Vermonter? Every artist is very personal, so likely everyone will focus on something different," she said.

After the portfolio submission deadline passes Aug. 28, 20 finalists will be selected. They'll each receive a $2,500 Honorarium and three months to develop their proposals before they present to the selection committee in late fall, according to John Zwick, project manager for the VCA.

Members of the council, which has been touring the state for the past year, will try to make the staggering body of information they've collected more manageable by running an orientation for the finalists. In January, 10 will be selected, offered a formal commission and grant, and given until Sept. 2009 to complete their work, Zwick said.

Though nothing is yet definite, both Zwick and Orton hope the art will tour the state, and then be promoted nationally for a potential auction. An art collector himself, Orton will also retain a piece from each artist, he said.

Both Zwick and Orton would like the project to serve a secondary purpose: Reinvigorating Vermont's branding as an arts hub.

"There's so much information out there, and so much more everyday, that the reputation tends to get lost," Zwick said. "In popular culture or public consciousness it might not be the image that always sticks."

The inspiration for this project came to Orton after he exhibited his personal collection of Vermont-produced paintings dating from the 1920s to 1970s in 2006, he said. Some of that was work created through the Works Progress Administration's Federal Artists' during another difficult economic time — the Great Depression. Around the same time, he read a 400-page, 1931 report by the Vermont Commission on Public Life. Then, more than 200 residents came together to pool their concerns and hopes in a similar fashion.

"It's not new for the state and its citizens to ask themselves what is our future? What should our future be?" Orton said.

Artists interested in being considered for the project can submit their portfolio at www.callforentry.org. The project is open to artists nationwide.