The Gallery at the Garden in downtown Brattleboro features two new exhibits for the month of November: “The Golden Cage,” an exhibit of photographs and interviews focused on Vermont’s dairy farmers and migrant workers, and “The Beauty of Relaxation,” with creations by Maureen Mansfield.
The gallery is located at the Robert H. Gibson River Garden, home of Strolling of the Heifers, at 157 Main Street. The gallery will be open during Gallery Walk (Friday, November 6, 5:30-7:00 p.m.). Normal November hours will be Monday-Friday 9 a.m.-5 p.m. (except during special events at the River Garden).
“The Golden Cage” is a revealing portrait of Vermont dairy farmers and the hidden lives of their migrant Mexican workers, in the form of photographs and interviews, created by the Vermont Folklife Center. The concept and interviews are by Chris Urban and the photographs by Caleb Kenna.
Migrant Mexican farm workers began arriving on Vermont dairy farms about fifteen years ago and continue to work in the state living hidden lives. Through photographs and intimate interviews, this exhibit strives to create a revealing portrait of dairy farmers and their Mexican employees and offers a glimpse into their interdependent lives, exploring who they are and what they hope for.
This is a traveling exhibit created by the Vermont Folklife Center in 2008, with concept and interviews by Chris Urban and photographs by Caleb Kenna.
This installation is sponsored by the Vermont Humanities Council (VHC) as part of Latino Americans: 500 Years of History. This public programming initiative is produced under grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and the American Library Association (ALA) as part of the NEH initiative The Common Good: The Humanities in the Public Square.
“The Beauty of Relaxation” presents a collection of peaceful creations exposed through artwork as a means to reduce stress, by Maureen Mansfield.
Mansfield began her journey in art as a teenager in the rural setting of Poughkeepsie, New York, creating charcoal sketches of the beauty in the Hudson Valley. Inspired and encouraged by her mother, Maureen’s love for art grew as she continued to develop her skills using oil and acrylic paints. She continued to develop and broadened her artistic skill by paying homage to landscapes of the Adirondack Mountains, the northwest coast and south western areas of our country.
Mansfield has lived in the Brattleboro area for over 30 years and it was here that her interest in watercolor came to being. She signed up for her first formal class in art with local artist Karen Becker and began a new journey in water color creations. Brattleboro has been a tremendous inspiration for Mansfield to continue her life’s journey in art. Her artwork is currently displayed in the Oncology Department at Brattleboro Memorial Hospital where she is employed. She says that her artwork is her therapy to reduce the stress of everyday life and encourages moments to relax and enjoy life’s pleasures.
