Featured Stories

Upcoming grant rounds for the Artists in Schools and Animating Infrastructure Grant programs will speak volumes about the Council's priorities in grantmaking. We leave the ignition of wonder and insight in classrooms and communities to qualified, skilled professionals — the celebrated artists of Vermont. In supporting their work, we strive to expand arts opportunities, cultivate creative placemaking, and energize Vermont's creative economy. These concepts are not new; it is with renewed focus the Council pushes them into the limelight. These excerpts from our last Annual Report foreshadowed the direction of the Council's grantmaking. Read More

Seven speakers and three performers will take the stage at the Spruce Peak Performing Arts Center in Stowe Saturday, August 4. Each will explore, through the lens of the arts, the topic of women and power. “Reclamation” at Stowe’s Helen Day Art Center is the show from which these talks spring. Portraits of women, painted by women, and curated by women express joy, fear, solidarity, defiance, and wondering. Twenty-three paintings and two lithographs make an exhibit inspired by the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements. The art asks to be witnessed, celebrated, and discussed. Through these acts power is taken back, which is reclamation. Read More

The Highland Center for the Arts opened in Greensboro in May 2017. The Center operates with the vision of a balanced, year-round schedule of locally and nationally recognized artists and events suited to serving the community. The campus is designed to provide opportunities to create, exhibit, view, experience, perform, learn about, and talk about art. In one day there may be a sold-out performance in the ultramodern 250-seat theater, a rehearsal of local dance group, a film screening, tourists visiting the art gallery, and diners enjoying coffee and local food in the cafe. Executive Director Annie Houston took time from her busy schedule to talk about the new facility. Read More

Something quiet but significant happened in St. Johnsbury July 9. A group of community leaders, funders, and creatives from a number of economic sectors gathered in the basement of the South Congregational Church. This meeting between a consulting team and advisory committee marked the official launch of the NEK Creative Economy Project. At the end of six months, the team will present a comprehensive plan to move forward the Northeast Kingdom’s creative sector. The actions in the plan will also result in raising community awareness of the power and potential of the creative economy in the NEK. This important work is supported by grants from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Vermont Community Foundation. Read More

Photographs hanging in the Spotlight Gallery beginning July 10 honor the work of seven groups of artists. Music, dance, and fiber art traditions of Somali, Nepali, Burmese, Burundian, Tibetan, and Bosnian people are represented. There are important through lines. New Americans living in Vermont are making the art. They gather as a part of the Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Program – an initiative of the Vermont Folklife Center. The Apprenticeship Program was one of the many passions of Gregory Sharrow, whose life ended earlier this year. Greg left an impressive legacy; the enduring practices shown in the images give credit to a minute portion his substantial work. Through the continuity of these art forms, Greg's service to foklife will remain alive in Vermont for generations to come. Read More

The long days of summer allow a slower pace. There’s time for summit hikes, lake paddles, and games of Frisbee or catch. But don’t let your body have all the fun. Vermont has a wealth of museums that provide a dose of culture and things that make you go “hmm.” Many simply could not exist anywhere else; they represent the ingenuity or aspirations of a single person or group. These stops tell about the communities in which they reside, often with roots to local people, industries, arts, or town histories. Plus, they’re easy on the wallet (five bucks or less). Whether you check out the one closest to home or make it a road trip, get out and explore. Read More