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The Arts Council’s annual meeting will be held Friday, May 4 from 3:30-4:15 p.m. in the Pavilion Building Auditorium at 109 State Street, Montpelier. The entrance to the building is on Governor Davis Avenue. New board members will be elected by vote of the membership. Members have been sent a ballot in the mail; ballots can also be submitted in person from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. Only Vermont Arts Council members may vote on trustees. Read More

Winter is upon us. We know it will last through March and yet we live here — on purpose. We have our reasons. Many artists cite the tranquil seclusion and the inspiring natural beauty of the landscape. But how does one stay positive and creative through the subzero-temp nights and grayest of days? We asked three Vermont artists who know what they’re in for and how to handle it: Katie Runde, a veritable Renaissance woman who focuses on music and painting; Robert Burch, a 40+ year glassblowing veteran from Putney; and Hillary Boone Orsini, a program manager and Results-Based Accountability consultant who moonlights as a standup comic and cartoon artist. Here’s what they had to say: Read More

The Vermont Arts Council and the Vermont Humanities Council stand together in stating: We are deeply troubled by recent violence and expressions of hatred and bigotry that go against the fundamental ideals that define our country. We know that the arts and humanities have the power to create and nurture empathy, promote thoughtful reflection, heal, and advance understanding even among people whose lives are vastly different from our own. The staff and boards of the Vermont Arts Council and the Vermont Humanities Council re-dedicate themselves to the vital work of promoting inclusion, tolerance and understanding, and building creative, healthy, welcoming communities for all. Read More

“Death in the Wilderness: A Love Story” is one of the films selected for screening in the Vermont Collection of the upcoming Middlebury New Filmmakers Festival. The origin story of the film is almost as intriguing as the tale itself. Filmmaker Kevin Thornton followed rumors, faced dead ends, and made coincidental connections. His journey included a missing diary, a 21-page letter, and a wedding photograph from 1860. The research took several years, and along the way, Kevin wasn’t sure it would come to anything. As pieces fell into place, he thought he might write an article. But when he found the all-important wedding photo, after tracking down a Burlington-dwelling descendant of the aforementioned letter’s recipient, “I just decided on the spot I was going to make a film.” Read More

Karen S. Mittelman, Ph.D, has accepted the position of executive director. Mittelman is currently director of the Division of Public Programs at the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) in Washington, D.C. She brings to the Arts Council more than thirty years of experience in the public sector and the federal cultural arena. In addition to the NEH, Mittelman held a senior position at the National Museum of American Jewish History in Philadelphia and served as curator at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington. Read More

Inspiration has always been at the core of creativity and the creation of both fine art and commercial art. As artists we inspire other artists to create. We constantly reference and learn from our mentors, fellow artists, and history. We grow by watching and sometimes even imitating, be that borrowing a technique or referencing a specific artist’s style or period of art. The end goal for any artist is to assimilate what’s inspired you and turn it into something new and unique — something that is ownable in it’s own right. But what happens when an artist feels that another artist may have referenced their work too closely? Read More