16th Annual Cotton Mill Open Studio and Holiday Sale at 74 Cotton Mill Hill, Brattleboro, VT on Saturday, December 6, 10am-6pm and Sunday, December 7, 10am-4pm.
It’s that time of year again to share in the holiday spirit with family, friends, and artists at the much anticipated 16th Annual Cotton Mill Open Studio and Holiday Sale, Saturday and Sunday, December 6 and 7, 2014.
Everyone is invited to experience the hospitality of 25 resident artists, musicians, bakers, cooks, dancers, circus performers, and craftspeople of the Cotton Mill, and an additional 32 juried, local participating artists and artisans. Putney Grammar School’s K – 8 student art will also be on display. This is a festive event for the entire family. So much to see, so much to do, so much to sample and to buy!
You can start by stopping at the registration table to sign up for the free artisan food basket raffle. Try your luck at winning a product from one of the participating artists by purchasing additional raffle tickets for a small fee.Then, if you have not had your breakfast, pick up a bite from Chef Tristan Toleno at Entera. Tristan will be serving delicious food all day long, so if breakfast isn’t your thing, try lunch a little later.
The first floor is filled with all sorts of healthy food tastings and shopping opportunities. Poke your head into True North Granola and say hello to Frank and Ingrid Chrisco. Try out a few of their yummy granola or macadamia nut brittle samples, and maybe buy a few packages for the pantry. Allison Wright of Owl Food will be showcasing her natural, handmade, gluten free energy bars. Louisa Conrad and Lucas Farrell of Big Picture Farm will have scrumptious samples of their goat milk caramels and goat cheese, and John Singer of Tavernier Chocolates will offer fresh hand made delights. Finish up your first floor tasting experience with Coddle and Cossett’s tenderly handcrafted truffles by Lindsay Clark, and then head on up to the second floor.
Maybe by now you are ready to sit down and take a little break. The Vermont Jazz Center will be presenting short student and ensemble performances all day on Saturday. Or you can get a short massage from Deborah Ty and learn about her MELT method self treatment. If you are still hungry there is plenty more to sample from The Grafton Cheese Company, Sidehill Farm, The Olive Tree and Vermont Quince. If you need to whet your whistle at this point, taste a sample of Jason and Lauren MacArthur’s local Whetstone Cider, or try something from the Saxtons River Distillery.
If you just want to shop this floor you will find jewelry, felted wearables, paintings, drawings, fine art prints, maple products, holiday wreaths, hand blown glass, alpaca clothing accessories, needle felted sculptures of animals, functional and sculpted clay work, and fine wooden keepsakes.
Still more to go!
Before heading up to the third floor, take a side trip down the north end stairway for a tour of the Vogels’ Back Roads Food Company. Their delicious granola will be available for tasting and purchase.
The third floor has more performance opportunities to break up the shopping. They include Donald Saaf and Julie Zanes presenting “Santa Lucia” a 30 minute holiday marionette show, the Open Music Collective performances throughout the day, SoBo Studio’s Hip Hop, Belly Dance, Modern Dance and improvisation dance performances, Mutsu Crispin’s showing of an excerpt of the indie film Redbelly, and the New England Center for Circus Arts will strut their stuff with performances and sample classes.
Shopping experiences on this floor include blown glass, creative iron work, handmade wall art tiles, etchings, books, watercolors, personal care and cosmetic products, appliqué clothing, floral accessories, hand-cut paper pieces, cards, jewelry, wood-turned products, fine woodworking, lovely hand wovens, handmade fabric products, rag dolls and fragrant sachets. Don’t miss Terri Walton, maker of footwear for your walking pleasure, at Deer Ridge Custom Shoes.
As if this were not enough, there is a second building tour where Will Finkel and Stephen Procter’s pottery will be on display. There will be ongoing demonstrations of pot construction. It’s a perfect opportunity to see Stephen at work constructing his mind-boggling giant clay vessels.
The number and variety of activities and shopping opportunities in one location is simply amazing. Where else in Brattleboro can you see incredible craftsmanship, taste delicious foods and enjoy performances for two days running? Cotton Mill Open Studio and Holiday Sale only happens once a year. It is handicap accessible and admission is free. Don’t miss this festive event!
If you want more information about the artists and artisans and/or the performance schedule, visit thecottonmill.org
