Discover ‘art in the wild’ all across Vermont
In Vermont, so much beauty is found in the wild. Hiking trails and streams wander through thick forests. Even the roads wind along with nary a billboard and very little sprawl in sight.
And that goes for the art and culture scene as well. In Vermont, where artists are drawn to visit and often stay for good because of the wide-open space, affordable living and welcoming community, it's not unusual to literally stumble upon world-class art — right in an open field.
The wealth of “art in the wild” experiences in Vermont is vast. And with them, often comes the chance to meet an artist on site, which few experience in a museum or city art setting.
How to find that wealth of culture? Wandering works: As you explore Vermont for its beautiful fall foliage, you're bound to come across a dairy farm with art installations or a field turned into a sculpture park on your journey. Chances are, as you cruise along Vermont's scenic byways, you'll be taken by surprise by art installations here and there. But better yet, you can follow the leads given by the Vermont Arts Council on its website, which suggests routes and stops north to south through the state.
What will you find? World-class art in one of a kind spots; artwork that's as breathtaking as it is photoworthy.
Take the Carving Studio & Sculpture Center in West Rutland. Once a massive quarry, the site is now home to a unique and incredible art center.
The Carving Studio & Sculpture Center is at the head of 200 acres of former marble quarrying and manufacturing facilities. Today, the area offers a fantastic landscape for the imagination. Founded 30 years ago, the Carving Studio & Sculpture Center has expanded its programming to include exploration of most sculptural media.
Three former Vermont Marble Co. buildings serve as the center for workshops, lectures, communal dinners and special events. The Artist in Residence program encourages the exchange of skills and viewpoints with sculptors from throughout the world. Gallery exhibitions feature artistic excellence in contemporary sculpture.
The site has lots of equipment that sculptors need to make large stone and metal works — something hard to find just about anywhere. That draws in talent and keeps them there to work magic. Artists come there from around the world to learn technique and create pieces — often right before your eyes. Learn more at carvingstudio.org.
Just south, you'll find the North Bennington Outdoor Sculpture Show. In its 20th year but still growing, the show features more than 30 area artists — half of whom have participated for 15 years or more.
This year's show has also been recognized as a Vermont Arts 2017 event. Local artist Joe Chirchirillo is curating the show for the fifth straight year.
The show began when local mason Joe McGovern asked sculptor Willard Boepple to install a few works on the open land next to his shop in North Bennington. At the time, Boepple was a sculpture professor at Bennington College and considered it an opportunity to showcase the work of his students. The founder of Salem Art Works, Anthony Cafritz, was a student at the time and took over curating the show for some years. Artists in residence at
Salem Art Works continue to contribute works to this day.
The sculptures, spread across a field with views of the surrounding fall foliage, are approachable and — in most cases — totally touchable. Learn more on their Facebook page at www. facebook.com/NBoutdoor sculptureshow/.
Visitors to the elegant Wilburton Inn in historic Manchester Village can immerse themselves in art during their stay, since the Museum of the Creative Process shares the estate. The museum serves as a center of creative discovery, innovative research and intellectual retreat — and the outdoor sculptures are stunning. Don’t miss “The Crying Wizard,” and the pieces comprising “Conflict: Lady and the Dragon and Resolution: Happily Ever After.” Go to www.museum ofthecreativeprocess.com.
To the north is an incredible “art in the wild” experience with a decidedly Boston accent. Up there, in tiny Enosburg Falls, former Marblehead resident and famed artist David Stromeyer settled on a 200-acre former dairy farm in the foothills of the Cold Hollow Mountains. And while farming still matters — the place still operates as a functioning farm, with neighbor farms taking hay for dairy cows — his real reason was inspiration and creativity.
Today, we all can share in his goal. In June 2014, Cold Hollow Sculpture Park opened to the public, offering the integration of art and landscape. Visitors are welcome for free to walk among the 50-plus sculptures by Stromeyer spanning four decades and participate in programming that explores the intersection of arts, sciences and humanities. Visitors have the rare opportunity to see the evolution of one artist’s vision over 45 years.
This “living park” changes as works are newly made and installed, works leave and return from exhibition, and works are re-sited when a piece is sold. This, plus the varied conditions of weather and light, ensures that the visitor’s experience is continually refreshed.
Most works are in steel and all are “cold-bent,” meaning they use no heat, and all are fabricated on site in a studio that Stromeyer created as well.
The vision is spectacular: Bright pops of color and incredible, creative pieces dot a landscape of lush green, framed by mountains ablaze with Vermont’s famed fall colors. Stromeyer is often on site and willing to chat.
There are public programs that include visiting artists as well, and often include music, food and more. Learn more at www. coldhollowsculpturepark. com.
Down the road a bit, you can wind your way to Middlebury. Middlebury
College is known around the world as a mecca for arts and letters. In fact, the Middlebury College campus is home to one of the most important public art collections of any American liberal arts college, and visitors can immerse themselves in art simply by walking around campus.
Middlebury's distinguished collection of public art includes 24 works — mostly sculpture — by 24 artists, many of them nationally or internationally known.
The outdoor exhibits are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Visitors can simply access a walking map online to be guided to each installation or take their time wandering the campus. The campus itself is worth a visit. Check out the walking tour at www. middlebury.edu/arts/ campus.
There are always programs to take in, such as the upcoming “Land and Lens: Photographers Envision the Environment.” It opens Sept. 15, runs through Dec. 10 and features 71 images from the mid-19th century to the present, including works by Ansel Adams, Arthur Rothstein, Eliot Porter and Alfred Stieglitz.
Also on view: “A Story of Art: Gifts and Bequests,” from Charles S. Moffett and Lucinda Herrick. Moffett, a 1967 Middlebury alum and widely respected collector and art curator, and Herrick, his widow, have given some 75 works of art to the Middlebury College Museum of Art. Those works are the subject of “A Story of Art,” on view now. The exhibition includes drawings, photographs, paintings, sculpture and ceramics dating from antiquity to the present. Drawings by Edouard Vuillard, AntoineAuguste-Ernest Hebert and Adolf Hiremy-Hirschl are included, along with photographs by E.J. Bellocq, Lee Friedlander and Nicholas Nixon. Learn more at museum.middlebury.edu.
When you drive up to the Hall Art Foundation in Reading, you think, “What a lovely classic Vermont home and barn.” What you have yet to discover is the wealth of beauty inside — offered for your enjoyment, free by appointment.
In the fall of 2012, the Hall Art Foundation opened its doors to the public, welcoming visitors to view its program of rotating, temporary exhibitions of contemporary art. Exhibitions are held seasonally, from May through November.
Converted from a former dairy farm, the property consists of a stone farmhouse, cow barn, horse barn and tractor barn, grouped together at the southern end of the village of Felchville (also known as Reading). The farmhouse and barns are beside a waterfall on a tributary of the Black River, and are surrounded by pastures, hayfields and extensive woodland.
The Hall Art Foundation
also offers exhibitions of postwar and contemporary art. On view this year: “Hope and Hazard: A Comedy of Eros,” curated by Eric Fischl; “Ready. Fire! Aim,” curated by D.J. Hellerman; and a solo show of paintings, drawings and sculpture by David Shrigley. It's open on weekends and Wednesdays, by appointment. Appointments are available at 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. Learn more at www.hallartfoundation.org/ location/vermont.
In Stowe, art pops up all over, thanks to an outdoor exhibit by the Helen Day Art Center in town called “Exposed.” In its 26th year, this exhibit places pieces of artwork throughout the town — from the recreation path to the quaint village. Twelve pieces are outdoors for viewing, including works by internationally renowned sculptors Mark di Suvero and Lionel Smit, alongside New York artist Victoria Palermo, and regionally established artists Judith Wrend, Walter Horak, Christopher Curtis, Theodore Ceraldi, Karen Petersen, Tom Douglas, Rodrigo Nava and Colin Moore. You can find a location map, as well as information on self-guided audio tours, a full-color catalog with images and descriptions and more available at www.helenday. com/exhibitions/exposed/143exposed-2017.
The Helen Day Art Center also offers a special event this foliage season. “Art of the Selfie” runs Sept. 22 through Nov. 11 and is curated by Montreal-based guest curator Sarah McCutcheon Greiche. This exhibition includes photo-based work by established, well-known and emerging artists. The exhibit will juxtapose historic and contemporary works based on a broad theme of “selfies,” the phenomenon of populist images taken with a smartphone or webcam and posted on social media. In this exhibition, selfies can be viewed as a catalyst for analyzing historical and contemporary photo-based self-portraits and for the creation of new art forms.
Important works and early precursors to the recent concept of “Selfie,” included in this exhibition, are self-portraits of Andy Warhol (in collaboration with Christopher Makos) and his iconic image “Andy Warhol in Drag,” circa 1980, performs and transforms his identity. Many more artists are represented as well. Learn more at www.helenday.com.
Another great spot is the Shelburne Museum. It's an unconventional and utterly delightful destination in the Champlain Valley. This fall it brings together artists' works alongside preparatory sketches and other ephemera. “Hooked on Patty Yoder,” on display Sept. 30 to Jan. 21, surveys the 13-year career of American rug hooker Patty Yoder (1943-2005). Best known for her beguiling “Alphabet of Sheep” (2003), Yoder conceived of her designs as “paintings with wool to be hung and enjoyed as art.” Learn more about both shows at shelburnemuseum.org.