The Brattleboro Museum & Art Center (BMAC) presents two events in connection with “(de)composed,” an exhibit of realistic sculptures by Judith Klausner depicting “ruined” items like moldy bread, a sprouted potato, and a blob of jam surrounded by ants. On Friday, December 9, Klausner will discuss the exhibit with its curator, BMAC Director of Exhibitions Sarah Freeman. On Saturday, December 10, Klausner will present a workshop on repairing moth holes in sweaters using moth-shaped patches. “Often when something has ‘gone bad,’ it gives rise to something new, but it can be hard to appreciate new growth in the shadow of our disappointment,” Klausner writes in a statement accompanying the exhibit. “I like the idea of spending hours meticulously crafting something that most people think of as ruined.” Artist Talk During their conversation at BMAC on Friday, December 9, at 7 p.m., Klausner and Freeman will discuss the exhibit “(de)composed,” its themes, and Klausner’s use of non-traditional materials. The in-person talk is free and open to the public. Space is limited. Register at brattleboromuseum.org or 802-257-0124 x101. “This work reflects my own journey to reframe my life as a disabled person,” Klausner said in her exhibition statement. “It has only been by readjusting my lens that I have learned to appreciate the life I have. The past 2+ years of pandemic have derailed what many people expected from their lives. We have all had to reframe our expectations and our sources of joy. I hope this work can reflect those experiences, too, and help encourage the (sometimes painful) growth it takes to make that shift.” In a recent interview for BMAC’s blog, Art Loves Company, Klausner described the process she used to make “Sweet on You,” a sculpture that depicts yellow jackets on a melting popsicle. The piece was made from materials not commonly associated with fine art, including polymer clay and cellophane envelope windows from junk mail. Klausner used the clay to craft the hyperrealistic popsicle and popsicle stick. “I made a rule for the series that I couldn’t make anything out of itself,” Klausner said. “I went to my bin of classic craft materials, pulled out a popsicle stick, and realized, ‘No, I’m not allowed to do this!’ I spent a lot more time reflecting on popsicle sticks than I ever had before–the texture, the color, the sheen, the way the wood is really soft. I made a bunch of experimental popsicle sticks, and I would occasionally show my friends and say, ‘Okay, tell me—which one is the real one?’” Workshop On Saturday, December 10, at 2 p.m, Klausner will present a workshop on using needle-felted moth patches to repair moth holes in sweaters. The Moth-Mending Workshop is for adults and children 10 and up. Children must have the supervision of a guardian. Admission is $50 ($45 for BMAC members). Mending materials will be provided; bring your own sweater. Space is limited for this in-person event. Register at brattleboromuseum.org or 802-257-0124 x101. “Much as the Japanese art of kintsugi mends pottery by highlighting the cracks, this approach to mending acknowledges and celebrates the journey of the sweater and its role in our complex relationship with the world around us,” Klausner explained. Klausner is a Somerville, Massachusetts, artist with a love for small, intricate, and overlooked things. She received her degree in studio art from Wesleyan University in 2007 after constructing her thesis primarily out of insects, and she has since continued to search the details of her surroundings for inspiration. Her experience of invisible disability and chronic pain plays an integral role in how she views the world and creates art. Her work has been featured in Harper’s, Reader’s Digest, the Huffington Post, and NPR, and exhibited in venues internationally, including the Susquehanna Art Museum, Museum of Natural History, Museo di Arte Moderna e Contemporanea di Trento e Rovereto, and the Boston Children’s Museum. The exhibit “(de)composed” is on view at BMAC through March 4, 2023. About Brattleboro Museum and Art Center Founded in 1972, the Brattleboro Museum & Art Center presents rotating exhibits of contemporary art, complemented by lectures, artist talks, film screenings, and other public programs. BMAC is open Wednesday-Sunday, 10-4. Admission is on a “pay-as-you-wish” basis. Located in historic Union Station in downtown Brattleboro, at the intersection of Main Street and Routes 119 and 142, the museum is wheelchair accessible. For more information, call 802-257-0124 or visit brattleboromuseum.org. BMAC is supported in part by the Vermont Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts. Additional support is provided by Brattleboro Savings & Loan, C&S Wholesale Grocers, the Four Columns Inn, Sam’s Outdoor Outfitters, and Whetstone Beer Co.

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Next Stage Arts Project and Twilight Music present an acoustic music Winter Solstice Mini-Fest featuring multi-instrumentalist Matt Flinner and folk/roots trio, Low Lily, on Saturday, December 17 at 7:30 pm at Next Stage.  The four award-winning musicians, accompanied by double bassist Steve Roy, celebrate the Solstice playing energetic instrumentals and songs for the season on mandolins, guitars, fiddle, and banjo and singing in 3 and 4-part harmony.  Grammy-nominated mandolinist Matt Flinner has made a career by playing acoustic music in new ways.  Whether it’s with his own Matt Flinner Trio or with Phillips, Grier, and Flinner, the Frank Vignola Quartet, Darrell Scott, Steve Martin, Robbie Fulks, the Ying Quartet, Leftover Salmon, or the Modern Mandolin Quartet, Flinner’s style, and compositional ability have established him as one of the most accomplished and musically diverse mandolinists in the world. Over the past two decades, Low Lilly’s Liz Simmons and Flynn Cohen have crafted a signature sound deeply rooted in tradition yet refreshingly contemporary.  Along the way, they have garnered two #1 songs on international folk radio and two Independent Music Award wins.  Liz, Flynn, and newest bandmate Natalie Padilla have performed with numerous well-known folk and traditional music names, including Ruth Moody, Aoife Clancy, Livingston Taylor, Melanie, and Peter Rowen. Next Stage is located at 15 Kimball Hill in downtown Putney, VT.  Tickets are $20 in Advance / $24 At the Door.  Advance tickets are available at nextstagearts.org.  For information, call 802-387-0102.  Next Stage will provide a beer, wine, and cocktail cash bar. About Next Stage Next Stage 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

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In the coming months, the Brattleboro Museum & Art Center (BMAC) will present several events in connection with “The Space Between Memory and Expectation,” an exhibit of large-format photographs by Renate Aller of mountains, glaciers, trees, the ocean, and other natural landscapes, paired with a site-specific installation of a moss-covered stone from the West Brattleboro home of the late artists’ Wolf Kahn and Emily Mason. Upcoming Events On Saturday, December 3, at 5 p.m., Aller and Arezoo Moseni will discuss Aller’s work at BMAC. Moseni is an artist and a senior art librarian at the New York Public Library who curated a previous exhibition of Aller’s work. The event will begin with a 20-minute progressive rock performance by Moseni’s husband, Steve Cox, on solo guitar. Register for this free, in-person event at brattleboromuseum.org or 802-257-0124 x101. Walk-ins are also welcome, subject to available seating. “During the pandemic, Arezoo founded an online studio visit group that has been a life-saver and created a very close artist community, with many artists having collaborated and exchanged thoughts as well as work,” Aller said. “Her artist interviews and conversations are the most enriching.” Moseni has exhibited her work in many solo and group exhibitions in the U.S. and abroad, and her work is in numerous private and public collections. She has spearheaded numerous public dialogues and panel discussions. A graduate of The Columbus College of Art and Design, Cox is a visual artist and a musician. Conversation: Renate Aller and Makeda Djata Best On Friday, January 13, at 7 p.m., Aller will have a conversation about her exhibit with Makeda Djata Best, the Richard L. Menschel Curator of Photography and the interim head of the Division of Modern and Contemporary Art at the Harvard Art Museums. Register for this free, in-person event at brattleboromuseum.org or 802-257-0124 x101. Walk-ins are also welcome, subject to available seating. Best is a leading expert in 19th- and 20th-century American photography, with a special interest in photojournalism, documentary, war photography, and text and image works. She is the author of “Elevate the Masses: Alexander Gardner, Photography and Democracy in Nineteenth-Century America” and the editor of “Devour the Land: War and American Landscape Photography Since 1970.” “Aller’s photographs portray a stillness that belies a state of constant flux and movement of these natural environments—melting and eroding, changing with the seasons and the wind, never the same as they were seconds ago,” said BMAC Director of Exhibitions Sarah Freeman, who curated the exhibit. “Aller asks us to immerse ourselves in our surroundings, to notice every fissure, stipple, vein, and crag, with the understanding that this moment she has frozen in time has passed, and we will never experience the same landscape again.” Born in Germany, Aller lives and works in New York. “The Space Between Memory and Expectation” and “side walk 6′? apart in NYC” are her most recent projects. Her works are in the collections of corporate institutions, private collectors, and museums, including Lannan Foundation, National Gallery of Art, Yale University Art Gallery, Parrish Art Museum, and Musée des Beaux-Arts in Le Locle, Switzerland. “The Space Between Memory and Expectation” is on view at BMAC through February 12, 2023. REGENERATIONS: Reckoning with Radioactivity On Friday, January 27, and Saturday, January 28, at 6 p.m., Megan Buchanan and a team of artistic collaborators will present two performances of REGENERATIONS: Reckoning with Radioactivity, an interdisciplinary project that draws inspiration from “The Space Between Memory and Expectation.” The project focuses on the spent radioactive fuel, radioactive water, and soil left behind by Vermont Yankee in Vernon, Vermont. It explores some of the impacts of nuclear energy throughout the world and includes expressions of grief and love for the earth. Buchanan’s collaborators include Susan Barba, Meg Bathory-Peeler, Grainne Buchanan, Liza Cassidy, Margie Ferry, Hannah Mohan, Nellie Prior, and others to be announced. Admission to each performance, which will include poetry, dance, projection, and live music, is $10, $5 for BMAC members, and free for students and youth 18 and under. A series of creative development sessions for REGENERATIONS: Reckoning with Radioactivity will take place at BMAC on the following Sundays from 1 to 3 p.m.: November 27, December 11, December 18, January 8, January 15, and January 22. Admission to these sessions is free. About Brattleboro Museum & Art Center Founded in 1972, the Brattleboro Museum & Art Center presents rotating exhibits of contemporary art, complemented by lectures, artist talks, film screenings, and other public programs. BMAC is open Wednesday-Sunday, 10-4. Admission is on a “pay-as-you-wish” basis. Located in historic Union Station in downtown Brattleboro, at the intersection of Main Street and Routes 119 and 142, the museum is wheelchair accessible. For more information, call 802-257-0124 or visit brattleboromuseum.org. BMAC is supported in part by the Vermont Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts. Additional support is provided by Brattleboro Savings & Loan, C&S Wholesale Grocers, the Four Columns Inn, Sam’s Outdoor Outfitters, and Whetstone Beer Co.

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PUTNEY, VT— 10/21/2022 — The NXT Gallery presents Elemental Abstractions: Works on Paper by Joe Norris, The exhibit opens on November 26, 2022, with a reception from 4:00 to 6:00 pm, free and open to the public; and runs through February 13, 2023. The Next Stage Gallery is open to the public during scheduled performances in the theater, and by appointment. Joe Norris’s paintings explore the area between representational art and total abstraction. Implying, rather than rendering, invites the viewer to participate…to engage with the created image. Through the use of color, composition, and texture, he aims to create the essence of something…to create a feel for a subject matter. By using typography, collage, and graphic elements as a starting point to develop an underpainting, in addition to a series of transparent washes, these elements suggest a previous history that adds to the sense of space and visual depth. A graduate of the New England School of Art, Norris has held the positions of Art Director/Creative Director for various ad agencies in the Boston area. Building on this experience, he opened Norris Design in Boston where he created promotions for a number of area companies. At the same time, his painting practice expanded, and he began teaching a watercolor class at a local art association. His representational work eventually transitioned into abstract art. Norris has received recognition and awards for his work, including Best of Show at the Kennebunkport Art Festival, Newburyport Art Association, and Moosehill Reservation. He has had two solo shows at Boston’s Eclipse Gallery. Norris is a Gallery Artist in both the South Shore Art Association in Cohasset, MA, and the Copley Society of Art in Boston. He now resides in Dummerston, Vermont, and paints in a newly constructed studio. About Next Stage Next Stage is located at 15 Kimball Hill in downtown Putney, VT. For more information, please call 802-387-0102, email [email protected], or visit nextstagearts.org. Next Stage 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

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The American Association for State and Local History (AASLH) bestowed a 2022 ‘Award of Excellence’ upon the Trail as part of its Leadership in History Awards, regarded as the most prestigious national recognition for achievement in the preservation of state and local history. The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) also featured a four-page, full-color spread on the Brattleboro Words Trail in the Fall 2022 issue of ‘Humanities’ magazine, its flagship publication, distributed nationally and internationally. “Storied History: A Bookish Town in Vermont Highlights its Varied Literary Past” was written by Vermont writer Sarah Stewart Taylor, who spent a few days in Brattleboro and surroundings this summer experiencing the Trail’s more than 100 audio stories pegged to places and people important in the area’s rich and unique history of words. The piece is available online at: https://www.neh.gov/article/building-literary-trail-brattleboro-vermont “The basic idea of a literary trail is not innovative, but the use of a free app combined with physical maps and a website is a model for the creative use of technology by history organizations,” said Bethany L. Hawkins, Chief of Operations for AASLH. “The use of many community members to create ‘a symphony of local voices’ for the trail is particularly innovative and raises this project to the level of a national award.” This year, AASLH conferred 53 such national awards honoring people, projects, exhibits, and publications representing the best in the field and providing leadership for the future of state and local history. According to Hawkins, the Brattleboro Words Trail was this year’s sole recipient in the state of Vermont. The award was received by Vermont Historical Society’s Amanda Kay Gustin on behalf of the Brattleboro Words Trail team (see photo below) in September at AASLH’s award ceremony in Buffalo, New York. About Brattleboro Words Project The Trail is a product of the Brattleboro Words Project, an NEH-backed community initiative that involves local citizens, students, scholars and artists in place-based research and storytelling.  And the Trail keeps growing; Working in collaboration with its founding partners – The Brattleboro Literary Festival, Brooks Memorial Library, the Brattleboro Historical Society and Write Action –the Project invites and supports citizens to create new stories to continue expanding the diverse voices and  perspectives the Trail reflects. The Vermont Folklife Center acts as the Trail’s fiscal sponsor (replacing original sponsor, shuttered Marlboro College) where an Advisory Team comprised of Lissa Weinmann (Director), William Edelglass, Shanta Lee, Starr LaTronica, Sally Seymour and Rolf Parker Houghton oversee continuing work. Student work is coordinated by Joe Rivers, a teacher at Brattleboro Area Middle School and a board member of the Brattleboro Historical Society who has pioneered the use of audio storytelling as a teaching tool. Dave Snyder of Guilford Sound provides post-production mastering and support.  The Brattleboro Words Trail is headquartered at 118 Elliot in Brattleboro where its large ceramic map murals are on public display. Mural artist Cynthia Parker Houghton adds a place marker on them for each new story added. The murals were first exhibited at the Brattleboro Museum and Art Center in October 2020. The expanded murals will move to a permanent Trail exhibit at the new Brattleboro Amtrak station when it opens in Fall 2023.  The Brattleboro Words Project launched in 2017 when it received a four-year ‘Creating Humanities Communities’ matching grant from the NEH, and has been supported over time by scores of volunteers, individual donors, the Windham Foundation, Thomas Thompson Trust, the Vermont Community Foundation, the Vermont Humanities Council and many others. It received Vermont Historical Society’s Richard O. Hathaway Award for best state history project of 2021. The Project’s book Print Town: Brattleboro’s Legacy of Words won the Indie Next Generation Award for Best Overall Design-Nonfiction in 2021. American Association for State and Local History Awards Program The AASLH awards program was initiated in 1945 to establish and encourage standards of excellence in the collection, preservation, and interpretation of state and local history throughout the United States. AASLH, a national nonprofit association, provides leadership and resources to help the history community thrive and make the past more meaningful for all people. AASLH serves the tens of thousands of history organizations, professionals, and volunteers around the country who help people of all ages develop critical thinking skills and understand how learning history helps society make progress toward justice. For more information about AASLH visit www.aaslh.org. For more information about the Brattleboro Words Trail’s ongoing work in the community, please contact [email protected] or visit its website at: http://brattleborowords.org/.  The free mobile Brattleboro Words Trail app can be found on Google Play and Apple or by visiting the Trail app website at https://brattleboro.stqry.app/en/.

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Join Weston Young Company alumni on December 3 & 4 at 7:30 PM for two fabulous evenings filled with seasonal music and mayhem. This fun, festive show directed by special guests, Cabaret Maestro Tim Fort, and returning cabaret veteran Piper Goodeve, is sure to get you into the holiday spirit! This event is a benefit for the Weston Young Company program. After last December’s hit show, Joe Iconis returns to Weston for the holidays to present A VERY VERMONTY CHRISTMAS WITH JOE ICONIS & FAMILY on December 16 & 17 at 7:30 PM and December 17 at 4:00 PM. With direction by John Simpkins, you can expect an intimate and irreverent winter’s night full of Iconis originals, holiday standards, and yuletide surprises. Join Joe and his merry band of troublemaking elves for an unforgettable rock’n’roll Christmas.   A WESTON WINTER CABARET A WESTON WINTER CABARET features seven former Young Company members with music direction by Weston alum and Cabaret veteran, Jake Turski (vocal director for Royal Caribbean Productions, faculty at Cap21 Conservatory/Molloy College and AMDA in NYC).   The cast includes: Allie Seibold (Weston: REALLY ROSIE, THE MUSIC MAN; Regional: SEE WHAT I WANNA SEE at Arc Stages; International: The Orchestra Japan in Disney on Classic and Honky Tonk Angels) Seth Eliser (Weston: RING OF FIRE, ONCE, PUMP BOYS AND DINETTES; Regional: PUNK ROCK GIRL world premiere, GODSPELL at PCLO) Devin Johnson (Weston: WEST SIDE STORY, MAMMA MIA!, PETER AND THE STARCATCHER, 42nd STREET; Regional: CRAZY FOR YOU at Riverside Theatre, OLIVER! at Paper Mill Playhouse)  Bella Muller (Weston: WEST SIDE STORY, ANNE OF GREEN GABLES); National Tour: AN AMERICAN IN PARIS, Television: MARVELOUS MRS. MAISEL) Grace Martini (Weston: ANNE OF GREEN GABLES, WEST SIDE STORY, THE PHANTOM TOLLBOOTH, OKLAHOMA!, Film: MIRRORBALL, Television: EVIL on CBS) Alex Tan (Weston: REALLY ROSIE, ANNE OF GREEN GABLES, THE MUSIC MAN, and WEST SIDE STORY) Sage Jepson (Weston: SEUSSICAL, AN ILIAD; Regional: RENT at Seacoast Repertory Theater) A VERY VERMONTY CHRISTMAS WITH JOE ICONIS & FAMILY A VERY VERMONTY CHRISTMAS WITH JOE ICONIS & FAMILY welcomes the Weston return of Joe Iconis, author of BE MORE CHILL and LOVE IN HATE NATION. He has been nominated for a Tony Award, two Drama Desk Awards and a Lucille Lortel Award and is the recipient of an Ed Kleban Award, Jonathan Larson Award, and Richard Rodgers Award. He recently released a 40+ album titled “Album”, featuring many of his frequent collaborators. Joe has brought his “Joe Iconis and Family” concert to Weston for several years, including 2017, 2018, and 2021.   A WESTON WINTER CABARET will be held at Walker Farm on December 3 & 4 at 7:30 PM. A VERY VERMONTY CHRISTMAS WITH JOE ICONIS & FAMILY will be held at Walker Farm on December 16 at 7:30 PM and December 17 at 4:00 & 7:30 PM. Reserve your tickets to the performances by visiting westontheater.org/events.  Weston Theater Company Weston Theater Company is a non-profit organization supported in part by funds from the National Endowment for the Arts and an ever-growing family of individuals and organizations who believe in the impact that the performing arts make on its community. 

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“Earlier this year, we hosted these musicians as part of the Berklee World Strings Ensemble,” says Keith Marks, Executive Director of Next Stage Arts. “These three were the highlight of the show, and when we had the opportunity to bring them back, we jumped on it. They  represent different cultural and faith traditions, blending elements of jazz, world music traditions, and soulful expression – we couldn’t be more proud to present this to our community.” The Global Trio The Global Trio, features pianist Chase Morrin, cellist Naseem Alatrash, and percussionist George Lernis. The Boston-based jazz chamber ensemble is breaking boundaries in jazz, classical, and folkloric traditions from the Middle East. Seeking new sounds of inclusion and global jazz, Morrin, Alatrash, and Lernis create dynamic, energetic, and surprising compositions in order to tell stories from around the world and bring the world of improvisation and spontaneous musical communication to the stage. Although longtime friends and collaborators, the trio officially formed in 2019. They have performed at many venues in Boston including the Berklee Performance Center, The Lilypad, and aVenue. They have collaborated with the World Strings Orchestra, conducted by Eugene Friesen, and have plans to collaborate with the community orchestra at Fitchburg University in 2023. In 2020, they worked remotely with animator Annabelle Ponterdolph, to release a full-length music animation video called Global Prayer. Additionally, they were awarded a fellowship at Yellow Barn and awarded a Berklee Recording grant which they will record their first full album in January 2023. Chase Morrin Chase Morrin is a prolific pianist and composer, having released four original albums, all acclaimed multi-cultural collaborations, and written for ensembles like the Louisville Orchestra and MAP ensemble at Yellow Barn. He is currently a professor at the Berklee Global Jazz Institute and New England Conservatory Preparatory School and has garnered eleven Downbeat awards and four ASCAP Jazz composer awards. In addition to finding innovative approaches to musical collaboration, Chase is dedicated to advocating for social change through music and creating more equitable spaces in music communities. Learn more at www.chasemorrin.com. Naseem Alatrash Naseem Alatrash is a Palestinian cellist and composer whose tone was described as ‘particularly lustrous’ by the Chicago Tribune. Naseem’s performances include a mix of improvisation and traditional melodies, with traditional Arabic, jazz, and contemporary classical music influence. Naseem is currently an assistant professor at Berklee College of Music, Tufts University, and Longy school of music. Chase and Naseem met at the Berklee Global Jazz Institute and have spent considerable time finding connections between the blues, makams, and the spirituality of tetrachords. Naseem has been awarded the composition 2021 fellowship from the Mass Cultural Council, String Player of the Year twice from The National Music Competition of Palestine, and performs with the Global Messengers with pianist Danilo Pérez, Turtle Island Quartet and with Amir ElSaffar’s Rivers of Sound ensemble. George Lernis Born and raised in Nicosia Cyprus, George Lernis is a drummer, hand percussionist, composer, and educator who currently resides in the U.S. He has recorded and collaborated with prominent figures such as John Patitucci, Antonio Sanchez, Dave Liebman, Anat Cohen, Blue Heron, and A Far Cry String Orchestra. In addition, George performs regularly in venues such as Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center and gives workshops and lectures at higher education institutions such as the Berklee College of Music and Emerson College. George is the president and managing director of the Anatoliama INC non-profit whose mission is to preserve the musical traditions of Greece around the U.S. and the world in the form of concerts and educational workshops. George’s new album ”Between Two Worlds” featuring world-renowned bass player John Patitucci was released on June 10th, 2022. Tickets Next Stage is located at 15 Kimball Hill in downtown Putney, VT. Tickets are $18 in advance / $22 at the door. Advance tickets are available at nextstagearts.org. For information, call 802-387-0102. Next Stage will provide a beer, wine, and cocktail cash bar. About Next Stage Next Stage 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

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“We received 83 applications from artists around the world,” BMAC Director of Exhibitions Sarah Freeman said. “The work Lia Rothstein is doing with bioplastics struck us as incredibly creative, interesting, and hopeful. We are delighted that she will be our 2023 BMAC Climate Change Artist in Residence.” Current Work Rothstein’s current work focuses on issues surrounding fragility and transience. In 2012, she held an artist residency at the Baer Art Center in Hofsos, Iceland. She traveled around the country and observed firsthand its diminishing glaciers, heightening her awareness of the effects of climate change on our fragile environment. The search for biodegradable materials with sculptural potential recently led her to experiment with bioplastics. Unlike traditional plastics, bioplastics are obtained from renewable resources, and many are biodegradable. Lia Rothstein, “Pingo 1” (2022), agar (seaweed) bioplastic, pigment, cheesecloth, 11 x 8 x 3 inches “I have been experimenting with using agar (seaweed), gelatin, cassava, tapioca, and other materials to create sculptural works and am very excited by the expressive possibilities these materials have for three-dimensional work,” Rothstein said. Lia Rothstein, “Blue Biomass” (2021), monotype on Rives BFK using bioplastic materials, 8 x 8 inches “As artists, I think we have a responsibility to be thoughtful about the materials we use in our work, to creatively explore materials that can have less impact on our environment, and to be responsible consumers of whatever art materials we use to express our ideas. During my residency, I will continue to grow, learn, and stretch in my search for materials to express my ideas using sustainable and biodegradable materials that, rather than contributing to the advancement of climate change, seek to help be part of a movement to slow and reduce the impacts of unnecessary waste and pollution in our fragile ecosystems.” Past Work Rothstein has been a professional photographer and artist for over 40 years. She has taught digital photography and imaging and a variety of art processes in colleges and art centers throughout New England and has worked as a photographic specialist for Dartmouth College. She has also been a regular teacher and presenter at the annual International Encaustic Conference held in Provincetown, Massachusetts. Her work has been exhibited in galleries and museums across the U.S. and is in numerous private and public collections, including the Polaroid Permanent International Exhibition Photography Collection and the collections of John Hancock and the Radisson Group. Her encaustic and cold wax paintings are featured in the book “Cold Wax Medium: Techniques, Concepts and Conversations” by Rebecca Crowell and Jerry McLaughlin. She has an M.F.A. and a B.A. from Boston University. BMAC Climate Change Residency “I am very honored to be selected for the BMAC Climate Change Residency, and I look forward to working on increasing public awareness about traditional plastic materials and their impact on our changing climate,” Rothstein said. “Receiving this residency will allow me to gain more knowledge about bioplastic materials, to explore their use in both two- and three-dimensional artwork, and to share that information with other artists and with the general public as well.” BMAC awards one Climate Change Artist Residency per year. The residency comes with a $6,000 stipend. The nature of the residency is flexible and is tailored to serve the needs of the selected artist. “Lia Rothstein is experimenting with bioplastics in fascinating ways,” BMAC Director Danny Lichtenfeld said. “As a lifelong teacher, Lia is interested in using her BMAC residency to offer workshops, give talks, work with schools and students, and connect with other artists and researchers who are engaging with climate change. We look forward to facilitating all that and more.” About Brattleboro Museum & Art Center Founded in 1972, the Brattleboro Museum & Art Center presents rotating exhibits of contemporary art, complemented by lectures, artist talks, film screenings, and other public programs. BMAC is open Wednesday-Sunday, 10-4. Admission is on a “pay-as-you-wish” basis. Located in historic Union Station in downtown Brattleboro, at the intersection of Main Street and Routes 119 and 142, the museum is wheelchair accessible. For more information, call 802-257-0124 or visit brattleboromuseum.org. BMAC is supported in part by the Vermont Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts. Additional support is provided by Brattleboro Savings & Loan, C&S Wholesale Grocers, the Four Columns Inn, Sam’s Outdoor Outfitters, and Whetstone Beer Co.

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BRATTLEBORO, Vt. — Artists, ice fishing enthusiasts, tiny house aficionados, design-builders, creative groups, and individuals of all ages and experience levels are invited to enter. The first fifteen artists to register will receive a $200 stipend upon delivery of their shanty. Because stipends are limited, artists are encouraged to register early. There is no fee for entry. Registration forms and details are available at brattleboromuseum.org. Artful Ice Shanties The Artful Ice Shanties outdoor exhibit is a place-based celebration of artistic talent, creative ingenuity, and the rich history of ice fishing at the Retreat Meadows. Last year, over 1,700 people attended the exhibit. This year, the shanties will be displayed on the Retreat Meadows ice across the road from Retreat Farm in Brattleboro, Vermont, from Saturday, February 18, through Sunday, February 26. Prizes will be awarded for notably artistic, inventive, fun, or silly shanties at an outdoor Awards Ceremony on Saturday, February 25, at 2 p.m. Eligible entries can be traditional or conceptual ice shanties, functional or wacky, permanent or temporary (as long as they can be moved and can withstand the wind, snow, and ice in mid-February, as well as exploration by the general public throughout the week), but they must be artful. Past Artful Ice Shanties have included a glass box that used recycled lenses to simulate the experience of the northern lights; a shanty by third and fourth graders that displayed animals’ winter survival strategies; an enormous black die with moons as dots; a seascape with a three-dimensional octopus; a shanty shaped like Baba Yaga’s house; and Namaskônek, a shanty inspired by the Algonquin ancestors of the region. “The Artful Ice Shanties is fast becoming one of southern Vermont’s signature winter events,” said BMAC Director Danny Lichtenfeld. “It’s a perfect mix of art and outdoor recreation, two of Vermonters’ passions, and it’s inspired by the iconic New England pastime of ice fishing.” Artful Ice Shanties 2023 is generously sponsored by Foard Panel, The Marina, and Brattleboro Subaru. About Brattleboro Museum & Art Center Founded in 1972, the Brattleboro Museum & Art Center presents rotating exhibits of contemporary art, complemented by lectures, artist talks, film screenings, and other public programs. BMAC is open Wednesday-Sunday, 10-4. Admission is on a “pay-as-you-wish” basis. Located in historic Union Station in downtown Brattleboro, at the intersection of Main Street and Routes 119 and 142, the museum is wheelchair accessible. For more information, call 802-257-0124 or visit brattleboromuseum.org. BMAC is supported in part by the Vermont Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts. Additional support is provided by Brattleboro Savings & Loan, C&S Wholesale Grocers, the Four Columns Inn, Sam’s Outdoor Outfitters, and Whetstone Beer Co. About the Retreat Farm Retreat Farm is a natural and cultural public common where people connect to the land and one another. Located on Abenaki homelands, the 19th-century farm was established to provide food and therapy in nature for patients at the nearby Brattleboro Retreat. Today, their gardens and farmlands are growing food for the community. Their pastures, waters, paths, and historic farmstead are open to everyone to enjoy for free. Learn more at retreatfarm.org. Artful Ice Shanties Photos by Kelly Fletcher

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PUTNEY, VT— “The legacy of Ethiopian music has a rich history,” says Keith Marks, Executive Director of Next Stage Arts. “It’s amazing to watch the musicians of Ethiopia carrying and building upon that rich tapestry of cultural music coming out of Eastern Africa. Qwanqwa exemplifies the virtuosity and talent in current Ethiopia – we’re excited to host them at Next Stage”. About QWANQWA QWANQWA IS A SUPERGROUP OF MUSICIANS FROM THE BADDEST ENSEMBLES OF ADDIS ABABA. Brought together by a shared passion for the power of Ethiopian music, this group shines an experimentalism based on the virtuosity of rooted traditions. With swirling mesenko (one-stringed fiddle), punk krar solos (electric lyre), wah-wah-violin, bass krar boom, and the unstoppable rhythm of heavy kebero (goat-skin drum) beats, powerful traditional lead African diva vocals, Qwanqwa keeps the people wrapped in celebratory attention. After making a splash at world-renowned festivals Roskilde and WOMEX, and after 2 European tours under their belt,  this world-traveling ensemble is hitting the road in 2018 and beyond. Qwanqwa draws inspiration from East African regions of Ethiopia and beyond. Delving deep into regional beats and moods, the repertoire ranges from a trance-like song of the Eritrean tribe of Blen to a Somalian rock number to Mahmoud Ahmed sing-a-longs. The music is characterized by tight arrangements and extended experimental moments. The live show ranges from intimate to wild, from whispery conversations to a full-blown rock show, and it is hard to believe these psychedelic sounds are coming from traditional harp and violin. It is driving, powerful, and different from anything else coming out of Ethiopia in this current Golden Age of Ethiopian music. The ensemble was founded in 2012 by American violinist Kaethe Hostetter, who first worked in Ethiopian music as a founding member of the critically acclaimed Debo Band. Since relocating to Addis in 2009, she has participated in numerous exploratory and professional projects, as she honed her sound and immersed herself further into the culture of her surroundings. In this sense, QWANQWA, the Amharic word for “language,” is a project creating dialogues between cultures. Members Members of QWANQWA are Endris Hassan (mesenko), Mesele Asmamaw (krar), Kaethe (violin), Bubu Teklemariam (bass krar), Selamnesh Zemene (vocalist), and Misale Leggesse (kebero). They have appeared internationally with Getachew Mekuria, The EX, Thurston Moore, Fred Frith, Butch Morris, Debo Band, Nile Project, Fendika, Mahmoud Ahmed, Mulatu Astatke, Addis Acoustic, Ethiocolor, Atse Teodros, Mohammed “Jimmy” Mohammed, and Imperial Tiger Orchestra, and have played stages from Lincoln Center to Bonnaroo, Jazzfest (New Orleans), Moers Festival, Roskilde, WOMEX, WOMAD and more. An integral and constant presence in Addis Ababa nightlife scene, QWANQWA has been featured in a performance at Roskilde 2016 (Northern Europe’s biggest music festival). Their 2020 tour of the US, a 60-date US tour backed by the MacArthur Foundation, was postponed to 2022.  Since its founding in 2012, QWANQWA has released two albums: Volume One (2014) and Volume Two (2015), and Volume Three (2020). About Next Stage Next Stage is located at 15 Kimball Hill in downtown Putney, VT. Tickets are $18 in advance / $22 at the door. Advance tickets are available at nextstagearts.org. For information, call 802-387-0102. The next Stage will provide a beer, wine, and cocktail cash bar. Next Stage 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

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The Brattleboro Museum & Art Center (BMAC) presents the 15th Annual Domino Toppling Extravaganza on Sunday, October 16, at 5:30 p.m. Doors open at 5 p.m. Tickets are available at brattleboromuseum.org or at the door. Admission is free for children 8 and under, $3 for BMAC members, and $5 for all others. The event will also be broadcast for free via Facebook Live starting at 5:15 p.m. The event is generously sponsored by the historic Latchis Hotel & Theatre. Free event parking is available at 28 Vernon Street. No backpacks or strollers are allowed at the event. Superstars Veteran domino toppler and YouTube superstar Lily Hevesh and three other highly accomplished domino artists—Brady Dolan, Nathan Heck, and Chris Wright—will arrive in Brattleboro 48 hours ahead of the toppling to begin setting up the spectacle. The floor of BMAC’s Wolf Kahn & Emily Mason Gallery will be filled with an elaborate pattern of tens of thousands of dominoes. Last year’s event featured over 23,000 dominoes. A full-time professional domino artist, Hevesh (Hevesh5 on YouTube) has over 3.7 million YouTube subscribers and her own brand of dominoes, H5 Domino Creations. Her videos have been featured on NBC, FOX News, Nickelodeon, CNN, and CBS, and she has created commercial projects for Disney, Marvel, Ford, Honda, and LEGO. She was featured in the award-winning 2021 documentary “Lily Topples the World.” “What separates BMAC’s domino event from a lot of others is that it’s very free-form,” Hevesh said. “It’s a great opportunity for us to build in an awesome space and have complete creative control. We use unique tricks that don’t follow a specific structure, and I think the crowd really likes that.” Dolan (bpdoles on YouTube) and Heck (MarDominoes) are experienced domino artists. Earlier this year, Heck competed in the FOX reality show Domino Masters on the “Teen Topplers” team. Wright is a professional domino artist and an engineer. Through his company Wright Reactions, he builds dominoes and chain reaction machines for advertisements, promotional events, trade shows, and museums. Past clients have included Microsoft and Disney. In May 2022, his team “Brains and Brawn” earned second place on Domino Masters. Video from BMAC’s 11th Annual Domino Toppling Extravaganza by Lily Hevesh Brattleboro Museum & Art Center Founded in 1972, the Brattleboro Museum & Art Center presents rotating exhibits of contemporary art, complemented by lectures, artist talks, film screenings, and other public programs. BMAC is open Wednesday-Sunday, 10-4. Admission is on a “pay-as-you-wish” basis. Located in historic Union Station in downtown Brattleboro, at the intersection of Main Street and Routes 119 and 142, the museum is wheelchair accessible. For more information, call 802-257-0124 or visit brattleboromuseum.org. BMAC is supported in part by the Vermont Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts. Additional support is provided by Allen Bros. Oil, Brattleboro Savings & Loan, C&S Wholesale Grocers, the Four Columns Inn, Sam’s Outdoor Outfitters, and Whetstone Beer Co. All Images: From the 2021 Domino Toppling Extravaganza Credit: Little Pond Digital LLC

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Roger Clark Miller of Mission of Burma and Alloy Orchestra will present “Eight Dream Interpretations for Solo Electric Guitar Ensemble” and perform songs from throughout his career at the Brattleboro Museum & Art Center (BMAC) on Friday, September 30, at 7 p.m. Tickets are: $25 ($20 for BMAC members) and are available at brattleboromuseum.org or 802-257-0124 x101. Space is limited. Dream Interpretations The first half of the concert will feature Miller’s signature “Dream Interpretation” compositions, four of which he performed online in 2020 in connection with the BMAC exhibit “Transmuting the Prosaic.” At this in-person, expanded performance, Miller will present eight “Dream Interpretations.” To perform as a “Solo Electric Guitar Ensemble,” Miller uses multiple lap-steel guitars on stands, guitar stomp-boxes, and a Boomerang III Looper to create an enveloping sound palette. He sits in his “cockpit,” able to reach all four guitars and a plethora of pedals from one position. The structure of the music is based on Miller’s dreams and the Dream Interpretation technique he developed in 1975 as a student at Thomas Jefferson College. By translating a dream into music, he creates a structure that is organic and personal yet universal. Dream logic is not day-to-day logic, and the music follows this deeper unconscious thread. Roger Clark Miller “Dream Interpretation #17” In the second half of the show, Miller will play guitar and sing songs from throughout his recorded career, including songs by Mission of Burma, Trinary System, and more, as well as new, unrecorded material. Roger Clark Miller Miller is a co-founder and frontman of the art-punk band Mission of Burma and a member of Alloy Orchestra, a three-person ensemble that Roger Ebert called “the best in the world at accompanying silent films.” His compositions have been performed at the New England Conservatory (NEC), Tufts University, and elsewhere. At NEC’s Jordan Hall in 2015, he played electric guitar with a large chamber ensemble for his setting of the Epic of Gilgamesh, “Scream, Gilgamesh, Scream.” Brattleboro Museum & Art Center Founded in 1972, the Brattleboro Museum & Art Center presents rotating exhibits of contemporary art, complemented by lectures, artist talks, film screenings, and other public programs. BMAC is open Wednesday-Sunday, 10-4. Admission is on a “pay-as-you-wish” basis. Located in historic Union Station in downtown Brattleboro, at the intersection of Main Street and Routes 119 and 142, the museum is wheelchair accessible. For more information, call 802-257-0124 or visit brattleboromuseum.org. BMAC is supported in part by the Vermont Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts. Additional support is provided by Allen Bros. Oil, Brattleboro Savings & Loan, C&S Wholesale Grocers, the Four Columns Inn, Sam’s Outdoor Outfitters, and Whetstone Beer Co.

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A mix of the new and the old, the concert features banjo legend Tony Trischka’s brand new quartet, while twin banjo band Hot Mustard reunites after an eight-year hiatus to open the show. Tony Trischka & Robot Plane Steeped in Bluegrass, while stretching out into Celtic, Americana, and Progressive music, Tony Trischka & Robot Plane includes acoustic music all-stars Jacob Joliff (mandolin), Jared Engel (acoustic bass), and Hannah Read (fiddle). These extraordinarily versatile and talented musicians are alumni of bands such as Country Cooking, Breakfast Special, Joy Kills Sorrow, Yonder Mountain String Band, and Bela Fleck’s My Bluegrass Heart. “The father of modern bluegrass” (New York Times), Tony Trischka began playing in NYC in the early 1970s with a peer group of extraordinary musicians who saw American roots music as a thriving, living language that could be expanded and combined with other influences and sensibilities. In his 50-plus year career, Tony has pushed the boundaries of the banjo, performing with everyone from Pete Seeger to John Denver to Miley Cyrus to his most prominent former banjo student, Bela Fleck. He is a three-time Grammy nominee, most recently for producing Steve Martin’s “Rare Bird Alert,” featuring Paul McCartney and the Chicks. Hot Mustard Hot Mustard features two couples – Putney’s own Bruce and Kelly Stockwell, and Bill and April Jubett. From 2008 to 2014, the band played traditional bluegrass throughout New England with an unconventional instrumental lineup centered around Bruce and Bill on double banjos. For this reunion concert, Bill adds fiddle to Bruce’s banjo, April’s guitar, and Kelly’s acoustic bass. Hot Mustard Event Details West River Park is located at 333 Rte. 30 in Brattleboro, VT. Bring lawn chairs or blankets for outdoor seating on the softball field. Tickets are $22 in Advance / $25 At the Door, and kids 12 and under are free. Advance tickets are available online. Next Stage will provide a beer, wine, and cocktail cash bar, and Tandoori cuisine by David’s Catering will be available. For more information, visit nextstagearts.org or call 802-387-0102. Support for the Bandwagon Summer Series is provided by VTDigger, Brattleboro Reformer, Oak Meadow, Whetstone Beer Co., Landmark College, Barr Hill, Mad River Distillers, The Porch Café and Catering, and People’s United, a Division of M&T Bank. Next Stage Next Stage 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

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Jackson will join BMAC Director of Exhibitions Sarah Freeman to talk about “There/There,” an exhibit of abstract landscape paintings made with fresco on burlap. This in-person talk is free and open to the public. Space is limited. Register at brattleboromuseum.org or 802-257-0124 x101. Frank Jackson Jackson and Freeman will discuss the artist’s technical process and how it informs his work. The medium of fresco is a painting process in which hand-ground pigments are embedded in a thin, wet lime layer called the intonaco layer. To create the works featured in “There/There,” Jackson forgoes the structural layers typically used in fresco and goes straight to the intonaco, which means that he must work quickly. “Fresco is a time-sensitive material, and the element of time adds an urgency to the process and nudges me to explore color, form, and space in a spontaneous way that is akin to the act of responsive drawing,” Jackson said. “The imagery, too, is developed from the act of drawing and my sense of intuition about building off the initial shape of the intonaco that I’ve troweled on the burlap. Light is an important component for me because it indicates the time of day and the passage of time, which, in my mind, also relates to the arc of connection I’m trying to make between the imagined and felt, and the real and tangible.” Jackson’s work has been exhibited at Tang Museum at Skidmore College, Williams College Museum of Art, the Shed, Robert Blackburn printmaking studio gallery 20/20 in New York, and Vox Populi in Philadelphia, among others. He teaches studio art at Buxton School in Williamstown, Massachusetts. He has taught at Williams College and the Rhode Island School of Design and served as a dean at the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture. He holds an M.F.A. from the University of California at Davis and a B.F.A. from Virginia Commonwealth University. “There/There” is on view at BMAC through October 10. About BMAC Founded in 1972, the Brattleboro Museum & Art Center presents rotating exhibits of contemporary art, complemented by lectures, artist talks, film screenings, and other public programs. BMAC is open Wednesday-Sunday, 10-4. Admission is on a “pay-as-you-wish” basis. Located in historic Union Station in downtown Brattleboro, at the intersection of Main Street and Routes 119 and 142, the museum is wheelchair accessible. For more information, call 802-257-0124 or visit brattleboromuseum.org. BMAC is supported in part by the Vermont Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts. Additional support is provided by Allen Bros. Oil, Brattleboro Savings & Loan, C&S Wholesale Grocers, the Four Columns Inn, Sam’s Outdoor Outfitters, and Whetstone Beer Co.

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The festivities are generously sponsored by Brattleboro Savings & Loan,  The Richards Group,  and Trust Company of Vermont. 50th Anniversary Gala The 50th Anniversary Gala will be held at BMAC on Friday, September 9, from 6 to 10 p.m. The evening will include cocktails, appetizers, dinner, dessert, and a champagne toast to the next 50 years. There will be live music by Bill Conley & Friends before dinner and “Dancing Under the Stars” with DJ Keith Marks afterward. The event will be catered by Wheelhouse Farm of Amherst, Massachusetts, with beverages provided by Saxtons Distillery of Brattleboro. The celebration will include a raffle drawing for a Paris getaway, a rare magnum of Screaming Eagle’s 2018 “The Flight,” and an oil painting by Vermont artist Michael Abrams. All proceeds from the Gala will benefit BMAC, with two ticketing options available: $250 for a Gala Ticket, which includes access to the entire event, including the dance party with DJ Keith Marks and open bar; or $50 for a “Dancing Under the Stars” ticket, which includes the dance party, late-night bites, and one complimentary drink. Attire is black-tie optional. Covid-19 vaccination is required. BMAC Birthday Bash The September 10 BMAC Birthday Bash is a day-long community celebration, free and open to all. The party will occur in the galleries and on the museum grounds from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. It will feature live music, art workshops and demonstrations, birthday cupcakes, Ben & Jerry’s ice cream, and a beer garden hosted by Beer Naked Brewery and Snow Republic Brewery. Musicians slated to perform in the museum’s sculpture garden include The Eugene Uman Trio, Samirah Evans, the Sweetback Sisters, Burlington-based African/hip-hop group A2VT, and The Vermont Jazz Center Sextet. Local artists including Charlie Hunter, Aaron Foster, Marta Bernbaum, David Eichelberger, and Daniel Chiaccio will demonstrate plein air painting, guitar making, glass, ceramics, screen printing, and more. Participants of all ages can have fun with giant bubbles, sidewalk chalk, face painting, lawn games, and caricatures. First Proof Press will print custom 50th birthday tote bags on site. Brooks Memorial Library will offer miniature book-making and a poetry wall, and River Gallery School will lead a collaborative art project in the Community Sculpture Garden. About BMAC The Brattleboro Museum & Art Center (BMAC) was founded in 1972 by two groups of Brattleboro citizens committed to saving their town’s historic train station from the wrecking ball. One group sought to transform the former Union Station into a museum of local history, the other into a center for art classes and exhibitions. They agreed to work together, and BMAC was born. Following months of laborious cleaning and renovation done by scores of volunteers, BMAC opened its doors to the public on September 10, 1972. One side of the former train station lobby contained display cases featuring historical artifacts, the other an exhibition of new artwork by Wolf Kahn, David Rohn, and other artists with local ties. Today, BMAC is a non-collecting contemporary art museum and an anchor of southern Vermont’s cultural life. Each year, the museum presents 15 to 20 exhibitions, 60 to 70 public programs, and extensive educational offerings developed in partnership with area schools and service organizations. The Brattleboro Museum & Art Center presents rotating exhibits of contemporary art, complemented by lectures, artist talks, film screenings, and other public programs. BMAC is open Wednesday-Sunday, 10-4. Admission is on a “pay-as-you-wish” basis. Located in historic Union Station in downtown Brattleboro, at the intersection of Main Street and Routes 119 and 142, the museum is wheelchair accessible. For more information, call 802-257-0124 or visit brattleboromuseum.org. BMAC is supported in part by the Vermont Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts. Additional support is provided by Allen Bros. Oil, Brattleboro Savings & Loan, C&S Wholesale Grocers, the Four Columns Inn, Sam’s Outdoor Outfitters, and Whetstone Beer Co.

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Tough as steel. Exquisite as Magnolias. Six friends gather for hairdos, manicures, juicy gossip, and witty banter in Truvy’s salon. Anybody who’s anybody is a regular. Through thick and thin, these women form friendships strong as steel – friendships they are forced to lean on when tragedy strikes.  Director Sarah Elizabeth Wansley Director Sarah Elizabeth Wansley says “Steel Magnolias is a story about community.  This group of women gather every Saturday morning to gossip and tease and support each other (and yes, make their hair look fabulous) and Truvy’s salon becomes a second home for all of them. It’s especially joyful to tell this story as we climb out of the pandemic when we are craving these kinds of neighborly spaces.”  Currently, the BOLD Associate Artistic Director at Northern Stage in White River Junction, Sarah Elizabeth Wansley is making her directing debut at Weston. Her recent directing projects include Heisenberg (Northern Stage), The Amish Project (PlayMakers Repertory Company), Egress (Cleveland Play House), Revolt. She Said. Revolt Again. (Dobama Theatre), The Wolves (SUNY Purchase), A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and The Amish Project (Chautauqua Theater Company).   Wansley has gathered a nationally renowned creative team for the production. Scenic Design is by one of the founding organizational members of La Gente: The Latinx Theatre Design Network, Regina García (Recent: Oregon Shakespeare Festival, American Players Theatre, and the Guthrie Theater). Lighting Design is by Drama Desk Awardee, Outer Critics Circle honoree, and Tony nominee Heather Gilbert (Broadway: The Sound Inside; International: Our Town (Almeida Theatre), Pedro Peroma (Montreal),; Regional: Studio Theatre DC, Magic Theatre, Milwaukee Repertory Theatre, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Alley Theatre, Steppenwolf Theatre, and many more). Costume Design is by Weston alumni Kathleen Geldard (Weston: An Iliad, Always…Patsy Cline; Regional: Private Lives (Repertory Theatre of St. Louis), A Chorus Line, You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown, Misery (Cincinnati Playhouse); Macbeth (Alabama Shakespeare Festival); Billy Elliot (Signature Theatre)). Sound Design is by Melanie Chen Cole (Regional: Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Alley Theatre, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Dallas Theater Center, Geffen Playhouse, Goodman Theatre, The Huntington, Indiana Rep, La Jolla Playhouse, The Old Globe, PlayMakers Rep, South Coast Rep, Utah Shakespeare Festival).  Steel Magnolias courtesy of Weston Theater Starring Weston Alums and Newcomers STEEL MAGNOLIAS stars Weston alums Amy Van Nostrand as M’Lynn, Thurdsay Farrar as Clairee, Dorothy Stanley as Ouiser, and introduces Almeria Campbell as Truvy, and Nyla Sostre as Annelle, and Lexi Lapp as Shelby to Weston audiences.  Amy Van Nostrand’s previous Weston credits include The Glass Menagerie (co-pro with Gulfshore Playhouse), Death Of A Salesman, Private Lives, Lips Together Teeth Apart, To Kill A Mockingbird, Last Night of Ballyhoo, Lost in Yonkers, and others… Her other credits include: Broadway; The HotHouse ( co-directed by Pinter), Off- Broadway; The God Committee, Scrambled Eggs, Stalking The Bogeyman, Regional; Steel Magnolias (Clairee) at the Guthrie Theater, Film; Year by the Sea, Bereft, Ruby Cairo, Partners in Crime, The Flood, Outside Providence, The House of Mirth.  Making her Weston debut Lexi Lapp’s credits include: Regional; Nantucket Sleigh Ride (Lincoln Center Theater), Pushkin (The American Vicarious), Alligator (New Georges/The Sol Project), STET (Abingdon Theatre Company), Luna Gale, I Will Be Gone, That High Lonesome Sound, and At The Vanishing Point (Actors Theatre of Louisville), Mary’s Wedding (Portland Center Stage), Everything is Wonderful, We Will Not Be Silent (Contemporary American Theater Festival), TV; FBI, Law & Order: SVU, Film; Cut Shoot Kill.   Weston veteran Thursday Farrar’s recent credits include: Weston; Kiss Me Kate, Urinetown, Hairspray, To Kill a Mockingbird, Man of La Mancha, Music Man, Broadway; Aida (original Aida stand-by), Parade (Angela), and Once Upon a Mattress. TV; Poker Face, That Damn Michael Che Show, FBI, Manifest, Modern Love, For Life, Gotham, Blue Bloods, Bull, Black List, Search Party, Film; Holiday in Harlem, The Brian Banks Story, Across the Tracks, City Hall, Basketball Diaries.  Dorothy Stanley‘s many Weston Theater Company credits include last summer’s Ring Of Fire, Our Town (w/Christopher Lloyd), The Music Man, Guys & Dolls, Sweeney Todd, and Once. Her numerous Broadway shows include Annie, 42nd Street, Show Boat, Cabaret, and Follies.   Almeria Campbell is making her Weston debut and her credits include: TV; Law & Order Criminal Intent, Regional; B.R.O.K.E.N CODE B.I.R.D. SWITCHING at the Berkshires Theater.  Weston newcomer Nyla Sostre’s credits include  Peggy in Hamilton on Broadway (2016-2019), she played Dionne in Hair at The Old Globe (2021), as well as Mimi in Rent at Portland Center Stage.  Weston Theater Company STEEL MAGNOLIAS plays at The Weston Playhouse (703 Main Street, Weston, VT). Adult tickets range from $50-74. “Pick Your Price” Subscription tickets start at $39. Discounts are available for students, veterans, and Vermont residents. Prices do not include sales tax.    Following STEEL MAGNOLIAS, reminisce with the music of Woody Guthrie in WOODY SEZ. Subscriptions and tickets are available online and by calling the Weston Box Office at 802-824-5288.  Weston Theater Company builds on and enhances the unique assets of its Vermont village campus to produce a diverse, entertaining, and challenging season of live professional theater and high impact events; enrich the theater-going experience with education and outreach programs for all ages; and make significant contributions to the American theater through training programs, play development, and retreats. It is a non-profit organization supported in part by funds from the National Endowment for the Arts and an ever-growing family of individuals and organizations who believe in the impact the performing arts make on its community. Learn more at westontheater.org 

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PETERBOROUGH, N.H. — The tour is part of the museum’s Hidden in the Hills series. Light refreshments will be served. Admission is $10 (free for BMAC members). Space is limited. Register at brattleboromuseum.org or 802-257-0124 x101. Lambert’s work has been shown in solo exhibitions at Denny Dimin Gallery, Lu Magnus Gallery, and Priska Juschka Fine Art in New York City; Thomas Robertello Gallery in Chicago; and IMART in South Korea; and in group exhibitions at Asya Geisberg Gallery, Bravin Lee Gallery, the Ringling Museum of Art, The University of Michigan, The Torrance Art Museum, Weekend Space, and RH+ Art Gallery in Istanbul. Lambert received her M.F.A. in painting from Hunter College and her B.A. in visual art from Antioch College. Founded in 1972, the Brattleboro Museum & Art Center presents rotating exhibits of contemporary art, complemented by lectures, artist talks, film screenings, and other public programs. BMAC is open Wednesday-Sunday, 10-4. Admission is on a “pay-as-you-wish” basis. Located in historic Union Station in downtown Brattleboro, at the intersection of Main Street and Routes 119 and 142, the museum is wheelchair accessible. For more information, call 802-257-0124 or visit brattleboromuseum.org. BMAC is supported in part by the Vermont Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts. Additional support is provided by Allen Bros. Oil, Brattleboro Savings & Loan, C&S Wholesale Grocers, the Four Columns Inn, Sam’s Outdoor Outfitters, and Whetstone Beer Co.

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Tickets are $25 to attend in person ($10 for students) or $5 to watch live via Zoom. A limited number of $50 tickets include both the in-person presentation and a special reception with Kahlo afterward. Tickets are available at brattleboromuseum.org or 802-257-0124 x101. Wearing her trademark gorilla mask, Kahlo will share “Trade Secrets” from the Guerrilla Girls’ decades of exposing gender biases and discrimination in the worlds of art and culture. She will reveal how the activist collective creates posters, billboards, books, and actions that use facts, humor, and outrageous visuals to expose gender and ethnic bias as well as corruption in politics, art, film, and pop culture. Kahlo will discuss the Guerrilla Girls’ latest street and museum interventions around the world and their newest book, “The Guerrilla Girls: The Art of Behaving Badly,” which will be available for purchase. The multimedia presentation will be followed by a question and answer session. The Guerrilla Girls are a group of anonymous activist artists who believe in an intersectional feminism that fights discrimination and supports human rights for all people and all genders. Founded in 1985, they have created hundreds of activist projects all over the world. They also carry out “interventions” at art museums, including a stealth projection on the façade of the Whitney Museum about income inequality. Their new book, “Guerrilla Girls: The Art of Behaving Badly,” was named one of the best art books of 2020 by The New York Times and the Los Angeles Times. Recently, their work was exhibited at Tate Modern and Whitechapel Gallery, London; São Paulo Museum of Art; the Venice Biennale; Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam; Museum of Military History, Dresden; and Art Basel Hong Kong. Founded in 1972, the Brattleboro Museum & Art Center presents rotating exhibits of contemporary art, complemented by lectures, artist talks, film screenings, and other public programs. BMAC is open Wednesday-Sunday, 10-4. Admission is on a “pay-as-you-wish” basis. Located in historic Union Station in downtown Brattleboro, at the intersection of Main Street and Routes 119 and 142, the museum is wheelchair accessible. For more information, call 802-257-0124 or visit brattleboromuseum.org. BMAC is supported in part by the Vermont Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts. Additional support is provided by Allen Bros. Oil, Brattleboro Savings & Loan, C&S Wholesale Grocers, the Four Columns Inn, Sam’s Outdoor Outfitters, and Whetstone Beer Co.

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Yim describes the paintings in “Fluid Boundaries” as a blend of the adorable and the unsettling, the real and the dreamlike, the figurative and the abstract. Describing the figure in “Tequila Hangover,” one of the paintings featured in the exhibit, Yim said, “She morphed from a Hello Kitty marshmallow into a prognathous smiling topiary with a tequila hangover.” The artist said about another painting, “Rorschach,” that “there are many secret faces and heads that are tucked in that will be found if one looks at the painting for a while.” Yim will lead a walkthrough of “Fluid Boundaries” on Thursday, August 4, at 7 p.m. at BMAC and via Zoom. The talk is free and open to the public. Register at brattleboromuseum.org or 802-257-0124 x101 to participate in person or online. On Friday, August 5, from 5 to 8 p.m., during Brattleboro’s Gallery Walk, Yim will offer a free drop-in chalk art activity on the sidewalks outside BMAC. The artist will provide vibrant chalk pastels and invite attendees of all ages to draw anything they would like. At the end of the event, Yim will draw a connecting form to join the images, creating what she describes as “a giant, crazy community tree.” Mie Yim, “Tequila Hangover” (2013), oil on canvas, 60 x 48 inches Mie Yim, “Rorschach” (2022), oil on canvas, 70 x 60 inches Yim’s work has been shown in solo exhibitions at Olympia Gallery, Ground Floor Gallery, Lehmann Maupin, and Villa Magdalena in San Sebastian, Spain, as well as in group exhibitions at the Drawing Center, Feature, Ise Cultural Foundation, Mitchell Algus Gallery, BRIC, and Mark Borghi Gallery, among others. She is a recipient of a Pollock Krasner Foundation Grant, The Lillian Orlowsky and William Freed Grant, and The New York Foundation of the Arts Painting Fellowship. She holds a B.F.A. in painting from Philadelphia College of Art. “Fluid Boundaries” is on view at BMAC through October 10. Founded in 1972, the Brattleboro Museum & Art Center presents rotating exhibits of contemporary art, complemented by lectures, artist talks, film screenings, and other public programs. BMAC is open Wednesday-Sunday, 10-4. Admission is on a “pay-as-you-wish” basis. Located in historic Union Station in downtown Brattleboro, at the intersection of Main Street and Routes 119 and 142, the museum is wheelchair accessible. For more information, call 802-257-0124 or visit brattleboromuseum.org. BMAC is supported in part by the Vermont Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts. Additional support is provided by Allen Bros. Oil, Brattleboro Savings & Loan, C&S Wholesale Grocers, the Four Columns Inn, Sam’s Outdoor Outfitters, and Whetstone Beer Co.

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WESTON, VT – Weston Theater Company presents the American tribal love-rock musical: HAIR, playing July 20 – August 13 at the Weston Playhouse.  Summer of Love Let the sunshine in! Celebrate the summer of love with a group of young Americans ready to create a world of harmony and understanding. For the first time, this legendary rock musical with book and lyrics by Gerome Ragni and James Rado bursts onto the Playhouse stage. Its Grammy-Award-winning score, with music done by Galt MacDermot, includes celebratory hits such as “Good Morning, Starshine,” “Manchester, England,” and “Aquarius”. Open your heart and let it shine!   Says Director Susanna Gellert: “HAIR is about a group of people imagining the world as it could be, coming together and saying: ‘What if we all loved each other a little more? What if we all connected a little bit better? What if we all treasured each other and took care of each other’s lives as much as possible?”  As Weston’s very own Executive Artistic Director, Susanna Gellert has taken on the exciting task of bringing this legendary musical to life. Her directing work on Weston stages includes The Fantasticks (2019) and Ring of Fire (2021) Prior to leading Weston, Gellert was Associate Producer and Director of the Studio at New York’s acclaimed Theatre for a New Audience, producing award-winning productions of Thornton Wilder’s THE SKIN OF OUR TEETH and Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’s AN OCTOROON.  Design Gellert has assembled an inspiring and accomplished design team. Scenic Design is by 2022 Opera America Director/Designer Prize recipient, Frank Olivia (Recent: Weston Playhouse, Geva Theatre, Two River Theatre, Urban Stages, Kitchen Theatre; Broadway, Associate Designer: Hangmen, Oklahoma!, West Side Story). Lighting Design is by Weston alum Scott Zielinski (Weston Theater Company: Ring of Fire, The Fantasticks, Virginia Woolf; Broadway: Oklahoma!, Circle in the Square Theater; Topdog/Underdog, Ambassador Theater). Costume Design is by Jessica Crawford (November, The Shed; LORDES, New Ohio Theater; Crave, Egg & Spoon Theatre Collective). Music Direction is by Emma Weiss (New York: Radio City Music Hall, Feinstein’s 54 Below, Joe’s Pub, The Django, The Duplex, Rockwood Music Hall, The Tank; Regional: Fun Home at Weston Theater Company, Shout Sister Shout at Seattle Rep, Parallel 45 Theatre Company). Sound Design is by Lee Kinney (Daddy, New Group/Vineyard; Thom Pain, Signature Theater; The Light Years, Playwrights Horizons). Choreography is by Weston alum Felicity Stiverson (Weston: Ring of Fire, West Side Story, The Fantasticks, Seussical, Tenderly).  Equity Actors HAIR introduces equity actors Matt Rodin as Berger, Nathan Salstone as Claude, Jamari Johnson Williams as Hud, Easton Michaels as Woof, Cameron Anika Hill as Dionne, Alanna Saunders as Sheila, Megumi Nakamura as Jeanie, Michael Seltzer as Margaret Meade, and Jacob Brandt as Hubert.   Rodin is a queer singer-songwriter and multi-passionate creator. He recently starred in Hedwig and the Angry Inch (Milwaukee Repertory Theater) and released his first solo album, Matt Rodin: Live at Home.   Nathan Salstone originated the role of “Andrew Lynch” in the world premiere of Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty’s Knoxville (Asolo Rep, Original Cast Album). Credits include Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (Broadway OBC), Hadestown (1st Nat. Tour), Enter Laughing (Off-Broadway), Rags (Goodspeed), Rock Of Ages (Pittsburgh CLO), Spring Awakening (Houston TUTS).   Jamari Johnson Williams’ Broadway credits include: Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of The Temptations. National tours include the first national tour of Hadestown, Motown the Musical, and Memphis. Favorite regional: Smokey Joe’s Cafe (Fred, Riverside Theatre, Palace Theatre), Mamma Mia (Northern Stage), The Wiz (The Wiz, SDT).  Easton Michaels is making their Weston Theatre Company debut this summer season. A recent graduate of Ball State University’s BFA Musical Theatre Program, Michaels’ recent Theatre, and Film credits include Skin and Bones: A New Musical, Bring It On!, and I Dream Of A Psychopomp.  Cameron Anika Hill is on a short break from the national tour of Oklahoma! Previously, she has appeared on Broadway (Dear Evan Hansen), on tour (Summer: The Donna Summer Musical -1st National), & regionally at theaters such as the MUNY, PCLO, MTWichita, WBT, and more.   Alanna Saunders was most recently in The Marvelous Wonderettes at Alabama Shakespeare Festival. Credits include Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (Broadway); Scotland, PA (Roundabout); White Christmas (BTG); Clue (Papermill); Once on This Island (Pioneer Theatre); Into the Woods (Natl. tour); TV/film: CBS’s Bull, 18 1/2 (Bugeater Films), NBC’s Peter Pan Live! (Tiger Lily).  Alumni Weston Alumni Megumi Nakamura appeared in last summer’s season as June Carter (Ring Of Fire). Other Weston credits include The Mute (The Fantasticks), Rosalia (West Side Story), Diana (Anne of Green Gables), and Zaneeta Shinn (The Music Man). Television credits include Evil (CBS) and High Maintenance (HBO).   Michael Seltzer made his Broadway Debut in West Side Story as a principal cover for The Jet Boys. Previous Weston credits include Lost In Yonkers, Mamma Mia, and Guys and Dolls. Other credits include Jersey Boys (The Muny), Paint Your Wagon (The Muny), and Cabaret   (Asolo Rep).  Weston favorite Jacob Brandt’s most recent credits in Weston include Ring of Fire, and Once. Brandt has also done regional work at Huntington Theatre, Bucks County Playhouse, Williamstown Theatre Festival, Company One, Speakeasy Stage, New Repertory Theater, and Wheelock Family Theatre. His work in film includes a new show called Dear Edward (upcoming on Apple TV+).  Joining the equity talent is Weston’s beloved Young Company as the ensemble, with their recent credits: Eli Hamilton as Shrek (Shrek); Tomias Robinson as Donkey (Shrek); Tommy Bergeron as Farquaad (Shrek); Nadia Wilemski as Dragon (Shrek); Anthony Bologna as Pinocchio (Shrek); Bryanna Cuthill as Gingy (Shrek); Ana Laura Santana as Peter Pan (Shrek); Nile Andah as Wolf (Shrek); and sees the return of Emma Diner as Chrissy in HAIR, recently Fiona (Shrek) and Gertrude in last season’s Young Company production of SEUSSICAL.  Details HAIR plays at the Weston Playhouse (703 Main Street, Weston, VT). Adult tickets range from $50-74. “Pick Your Price” Subscription tickets start at $39. Discounts are available for students, veterans, and Vermont residents. Prices do not include sales tax.    Following HAIR, visit the small town of Chinquapin in STEEL MAGNOLIAS, and reminisce with the music of Woody Guthrie in WOODY SEZ. Subscriptions and tickets are available online and by calling the Weston Box Office at 802-824-5288.  About Weston Theater Company Weston Theater Company builds on and enhances the unique assets of its Vermont village campus to produce a diverse, entertaining, and challenging season of live professional theater and high-impact events; enrich the theater-going experience with education and outreach programs for all ages; and make significant contributions to the American theater through training programs, play development, and retreats. It is a non-profit organization supported in part by funds from the National Endowment for the Arts and an ever-growing family of individuals and organizations who believe in the impact the performing arts make on its community. Learn more at westontheater.org

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BRATTLEBORO, Vt. — The Brattleboro Museum & Art Center (BMAC) is accepting applications for its 2023 Climate Change Artist Residency. The deadline to apply is September 15, 2022, at brattleboromuseum.org. “In response to the ongoing climate crisis, BMAC has created an artist residency program to support artists seeking time and resources to engage with the profound questions and challenges presented by climate change,” BMAC Director of Exhibitions Sarah Freeman said. “Through their work, artists can foster personal and emotional connection to the complex and often abstract issue of climate change, encourage empathy and collaboration, imagine new futures, and in so doing help bring about positive change.” BMAC awards one Climate Change Artist Residency per year to an individual or group. The residency comes with a $6,000 stipend. The nature of the residency is flexible and will be designed based on the artist-in-residence’s needs and the resources BMAC is able to provide. It may or may not include accommodations in Vermont, exhibitions or other public-facing activities, and opportunities to connect with other artists, curators, scientists, educators, and activists tackling climate change. Applications will be evaluated by BMAC staff on the basis of artistic merit of prior work, relevancy and merit of the proposed residency activities, and compatibility between the applicant’s needs and what BMAC can offer in terms of support. Winner(s) will be announced on November 1, 2022. The residency will take place from January 1 to December 31, 2023. To be considered for the residency, visit brattleboromuseum.org and submit an application by September 15, 2022. Contact Director of Exhibitions Sarah Freeman at [email protected] with any questions. During Brattleboro’s Gallery Walk on July 1, BMAC’s inaugural Climate Change Artists in Residence – Elizabeth Billings, Evie Lovett, and Andrea Wasserman – will present a pop-up installation at the museum of some of the work resulting from their residency, including tree rubbings, suspended silk panels, cyanotypes, and projections. The trio of artists known in the Brattleboro area for their “Ask the River” creative placemaking initiative has used the BMAC residency to deepen their individual practices and their relationships with the environment through writing, research, activism, and art making. Founded in 1972, the Brattleboro Museum & Art Center presents rotating exhibits of contemporary art, complemented by lectures, artist talks, film screenings, and other public programs. BMAC is open Wednesday-Sunday, 10-4. Admission is on a “pay-as-you-wish” basis. Located in historic Union Station in downtown Brattleboro, at the intersection of Main Street and Routes 119 and 142, the museum is wheelchair accessible. For more information, call 802-257-0124 or visit brattleboromuseum.org. BMAC is supported in part by the Vermont Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts. Additional support is provided by Allen Bros. Oil, Brattleboro Savings & Loan, C&S Wholesale Grocers, the Four Columns Inn, Sam’s Outdoor Outfitters, and Whetstone Station Restaurant & Brewery.

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BRATTLEBORO, Vt. — Visual artist, graffiti scholar, and educator Will Kasso Condry of Brandon has been selected as the first recipient of The Vermont Prize, a new endeavor aimed at celebrating and supporting the best visual art being made in Vermont today. A collaborative initiative of the Brattleboro Museum & Art Center (BMAC), Burlington City Arts (BCA), The Current, and the Hall Art Foundation, The Vermont Prize is juried by one representative from each of the four partner organizations and one special guest juror. This year’s guest juror, Kelly Baum, the Cynthia Hazen Polsky, and Leon Polsky Curator of Contemporary Art at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, said “Will Kasso Condry impresses in every way. Premised on deeply held ethical beliefs, his visually stunning, highly chromatic, labor-intensive drawings and paintings take their inspiration from Afrofuturism, a philosophy that privileges Black agency, creativity, and excellence, forging a political and aesthetic language that serves as a corrective to past and present wrongs. Condry is an exceptional artist doing exceptional work in and for Vermont.” “I use my art to weave the rich and layered stories of the African diaspora as an Afrofuturistic artist and educator,” Condry wrote in an artist statement. “Be it fantastical or rooted in our current reality, my work reflects the multitude of dimensions and experiences Black people navigate… I want the observer to be transported within a universe filled with infinite possibilities; to understand that the Black imagination is our key to liberation and that Black joy is the root that binds it all.” Born and raised in Trenton, New Jersey, Condry studied fine art and illustration at The College of New Jersey as a first-generation college student. He furthered his education with graffiti artist Daniel “POSE 2” Hopkins and muralist Dave McShane of Mural Arts Philadelphia. For over 20 years, he has worked with young people through a variety of community organizations, including the Boys & Girls Club and SAGE Coalition. He has served as an artist-in-residence at Princeton University and Middlebury College. With Jennifer Herrera Condry and Alexa Herrera Condry, he founded Juniper Creative Arts, a Vermont-based Black and Dominican family collective that “uses visual art to uplift the voices of people on the margins.” His work has been shown in solo and group exhibitions, and his murals have been commissioned by public, private, and corporate clients in New Jersey, California, and Vermont. The four jurors representing the partner organizations were BCA Curator and Director of Exhibitions Heather Ferrell, BMAC Director of Exhibitions Sarah Freeman, Hall Art Foundation Director Maryse Brand, and The Current Executive Director Rachel Moore. “It was an honor to serve as one of the jurors for the inaugural year of The Vermont Prize,” Ferrell said. “I was impressed by the breadth of creative talent, as well as the level of artistic excellence represented by the diversity of applications the jury reviewed. The Prize serves a vital need in supporting and elevating the role of artists in our community.” Freeman and Brand also expressed appreciation for the opportunity to view work by talented artists from across Vermont. “I was excited to learn about a lot of artists who are new to me, and I look forward to seeing even more in the future,” Freeman said. Brand added, “The fact that it was such a tough choice speaks volumes about the caliber of the artists working in Vermont right now.” The Vermont Prize is awarded to one artist annually. The winner is selected on the basis of artistic excellence, regardless of career stage. The winner receives $5,000, and their work is showcased and archived at vermontprize.org and on social media. Applications are accepted from visual artists currently living and working in Vermont. The Vermont Prize is open to individuals as well as collaborating artists. Artists working in any visual medium are welcome to apply. The next application deadline is March 31, 2023. Visit vermontprize.org for more information or to apply. About the Four Partner Organizations Celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2022, the Brattleboro Museum & Art Center is a non-collecting contemporary art museum focused on the art of our time. An anchor of southern Vermont’s vibrant cultural life, BMAC brings notable art and artists to Brattleboro and provides a platform for its region’s many artistic riches. BMAC presents 15-20 exhibitions annually, complemented by 60-70 public programs and extensive educational offerings developed in partnership with area schools and service organizations. For over 30 years, Burlington City Arts has helped cement Burlington, Vermont’s reputation as one of America’s most livable cities for the arts. BCA’s physical locations include the BCA Center, a three-level, year-round exhibition space, as well as BCA Studios, which hosts art classes, camps, and open studio hours in our state-of-the-art facilities. BCA also produces city-wide festivals, events, concerts, films, artist markets, and more. The Current, a center for contemporary art located in Stowe, Vermont, was established in 1981 as Helen Day Art Center with a mission to enhance the human experience through the visual arts. The Current produces major exhibitions featuring a range of artists representing diverse geographies and career stages. Exhibitions are accompanied by a robust interpretive learning program including lectures, panels, and film screenings free to the public. The Current provides progressive arts education programs for all ages, with year-round classes, tours, workshops, and other interactive programs. Founded in 2007, the Hall Art Foundation makes available postwar and contemporary art works from its own collection and that of Andrew and Christine Hall for the enjoyment and education of the public. In Reading, Vermont, its campus of converted galleries, situated on a former dairy farm, consists of a 19th-century stone farmhouse, three barns, as well as a reception center and cafe. The property’s five historic buildings make up approximately 6,000 square feet of museum-quality exhibition space, and are surrounded by approximately 400 acres of pastures, hayfields and extensive woodland. Outdoor sculptures by world-renowned artists are installed throughout the grounds.

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WESTON, VT (June 22, 2022) – Weston Theater Company announces the beguiling Sondheim musical: MARRY ME A LITTLE, playing July 6 – July 30 at Walker Farm.  Rife with whimsy and elegant reveries, this dialogue-free revue conceived and developed by Craig Lucas and Norman René shapes a story of longing in Manhattan. Tony Award winner and legendary composer/lyricist Stephen Sondheim’s “songs that got away” breathes life into the yearnings of two single dreamers who live in the same building, just one floor between them. Alone in their separate apartments on a Saturday night, they imagine sweet fantasies and dream of love. This charming and bittersweet musical finds meaning in a collection of sparkling songs from Anyone Can Whistle, Follies, Company, Forum, A Little Night Music, and other favorites.  “Marry Me a Little is a multifaceted gem of a musical, full of Sondheim’s rich and witty song and poetry and tremendously evocative of the stories and experiences we all have shared so recently,” says Weston’s Executive Artistic Director Susanna Gellert. “David Bonanno and Margo Seibert, beloved stars of Weston, are as excellent as ever in this bittersweet and charming exploration of love, loss, and hope.”  Returning to Weston to direct is Tony- and Olivier Award-nominated actor and Obie-winning director, Michael Berresse. His previous Weston productions include Once, Million Dollar Quartet, Next to Normal, Peter and the Starcatcher, Round and Round the Garden, and the world premiere of Analog & Vinyl. Berresse has appeared in over 9000 performances on Broadway including Kiss Me, Kate (Tony nom.), The Light in the Piazza, [title of show] (director, OBIE award), The Cher Show, Chicago, A Chorus Line, Damn Yankees, and Guys and Dolls among others. Other direction: Darling Grenadine (Roundabout), The Golden Apple (Encores!), Now. Here. This. (Vineyard), The Last Five Years (ACT).   Berresse’s talents will be musically complemented by a familiar face to Weston audiences, Music Director Yan Li. Li’s most recent work with Weston was seen in An Iliad and The Fantasticks (2019). Other recent music direction includes Fun Home (NYU), Ah, Wilderness! (Hartford Stage), Promenade (NYU), Oh What a Lovely War (Marymount), Anna Karenina: a riff (Notch Theatre), Marguerite (Astoria Performing Arts Center), Age of Innocence (Hartford Stage, McCarter Center), and Side Show (Trinity Rep). His work as a composer/lyricist includes Made In China (NY Times Critics’ Pick), The Ghost Says Boo, Sweet Nothings, Enjoy the Ride, The Puzzling Disappearance of Yinxing Villa, and Bethune: The Musical.  The cast features longtime Weston veteran David Bonanno as The Man, an aspiring novelist; and 2020 Drama Desk Awardee Margo Seibert as The Woman, a singer-songwriter stuck in the 70s. Bonanno’s memorable productions at Weston over the past 35 years include An Iliad, Fun Home, Vanya and Sonia, and Masha and Spike, The Music Man, Stones in His Pockets, The Full Monty, Of Mice And Men, Death Of A Salesman and Floyd Collins. He was in the original Broadway company of The Light In The Piazza, the Chicago companies of Ragtime and Lend Me A Tenor and the National Tour of I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change. He has been seen regionally at The Goodman, Indiana Rep, Milwaukee Rep, Delaware Theatre Company, Shaker Bridge, and Northern Stage.  Joining Bonanno is treasured Weston veteran Margo Seibert (2019’s Always..Patsy Cline). She received a 2020 Drama Desk Award for her performance in Octet at Signature Theatre Company. The award-winning musical was recently reprised at Berkley Rep. Other theater credits: Broadway: Rocky (Drama League Award Nomination), In Transit. Off-Broadway: Unknown Soldier, The Thanksgiving Play; Tamar of the River (Drama Desk Award Nomination), The Undeniable Sound of Right Now. Television: FBI: International, Instinct, Elementary, The Good Cop, and Boardwalk Empire.  Says Director Michael Berresse: “The opportunity to present a treasure trove of rarely heard material from one of our greatest ever musical theatre artists doesn’t come around every day. For that reason alone, Marry Me a Little is a gift. The immense charm, insight, and beauty of these extraordinary Sondheim songs also offer a timely reminder that from moments of isolation can emerge great joy, humor, and inspiration. Add in Margo and David’s exquisite talents and Marry Me a Little is yet another example of Sondheim’s uncanny ability to make “being alive” endlessly entertaining  MARRY ME A LITTLE plays at Walker Farm (703 Main Street, Weston, VT). Adult tickets range from $50-74. “Pick Your Price” Subscription tickets start at $39.  Discounts are available for students, veterans, and Vermont residents. Prices do not include sales tax.    Following MARRY ME A LITTLE, take a psychedelic journey with HAIR, visit the small town of Chinquapin in STEEL MAGNOLIAS, and reminisce with the music of Woody Guthrie in WOODY SEZ. Subscriptions and tickets are available online and by calling the Weston Box Office at 802-824-5288.  Weston Theater Company builds on and enhances the unique assets of its Vermont village campus to produce a diverse, entertaining, and challenging season of live professional theater and high-impact events; enrich the theater-going experience with education and outreach programs for all ages; and make significant contributions to the American theater through training programs, play development, and retreats. It is a non-profit organization supported in part by funds from the National Endowment for the Arts and an ever-growing family of individuals and organizations who believe in the impact the performing arts make on its community.  Learn more at westontheater.org

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