The intent is to shine a light on less-known styles and genres, providing a behind-the-scenes look at what curators need to consider when working with their medium.

“For most, the arts are something we interact with as a finished product. We love the musicians we love, but we don’t understand the inner workings of how those mediums create their work,” says Keith Marks, Executive Director of Next Stage Arts. “This curator series shines a spotlight on some less mainstream mediums to hear from the people who help facilitate the vast body of work, how it gets made, what goes into making it, and how to make sense of it. I hope this series helps people appreciate all forms of art at a deeper level.”

March 23rd: Poster House’s Angelina Lippert

What is a poster and how is it different from a print, a handbill, or a flyer? What makes a poster valuable? Join Angelina Lippert, chief curator and director of content at Poster House in New York City, the first and only museum in the United States dedicated to the art and history of the poster, and learn about how this ephemeral medium marries the worlds of art and commerce. This talk will cover the birth of posters in the mid-1800s, major stylistic movements, important moments in printing history, and a glimpse into the wide array of exhibitions Lippert has curated on posters. This talk is co-presented with the Brattleboro Museum and Art Center.

March 30th: The Association for Cultural Equity’s Anna Lomax Wood, interviewed by Miriam Elhajli

Singer-songwriter and musicologist Miriam Elhajli interviews Anna Lomax Wood, President of the Association for Cultural Equity (ACE) and daughter of the organization’s founder, musicologist Alan Lomax. The talk will focus on ACE and the Global Jukebox, an online database and interactive website, which allows users to listen to and learn about more than 6,000 songs from 1,000 cultures — including many from Lomax’s personal collection. Miriam Elhajli will perform a few songs to lead the presentation.

April 6th: Jacob’s Pillow’s Melanie George

Melanie George is a jazz dance artist, dramaturg, and scholar. She is an Associate Curator & Scholar-In-Residence at Jacob’s Pillow. Named one of Dance Magazine’s “30 over 30” in 2021, Melanie aims to deconstruct traditional hierarchies in dance.

Next Stage is located at 15 Kimball Hill in downtown Putney, VT. All talks are free to attend, but donations are appreciated. Advance registration is available at nextstagearts.org. For information, call 802-387-0102.

Next Stage Arts

Next Stage Arts serves southeastern Vermont as a regional cultural hub, arts producer, and instigator of meaningful cultural experiences. Founded in 2010 as a nonprofit organization, Next Stage Arts is a transformative, community-centered project dedicated to revitalizing Putney’s cultural and economic village center through excellence in arts programming valuing diversity as a springboard for nurturing community.

Please visit our Health & Safety page for our current COVID protocols.

For more information and updates please go to: nextstagearts.org