I thought it might be handy to have a list that highlights all of the project proposals submitted for the Our Town grant. The Screening Committee is almost done narrowing this list, and the Selectboard will be authorizing 12 or 13 of these to prepare more detailed responses.
Here’s a quick look at the full list of 35 proposal submitted, and a link to all the associated materials. Which ones inspire you the most?
….
Angela Snow proposed “1,000 Feet on Main Street Showcase,” a video project that would choreograph hundreds of community members into an unedited single shot video, with everyone lip-syncing to a locally-created song.
James Banslaben proposed “The Vermont Room,” a Brattleboro morning show on BCTV, a Brattleboro song, and Brattleboro play with lyrics and music, and an outdoor solar stage with statues, possibly of Anna Marsh, Thomas Thompson, or John Allen.
Craig Gray proposed creating a stone carving of a “Rock Man,” made from community-donated stones, that symbolizes travelers walking across of New England, life, and experiences.
Scot Borofsky proposed hiring Joaquin Borofsky to create a 60-75 page website and a pamphlet to help people tour the “Pattern Paintings,” by Scot Borofsky, that are painted around town.
Scot Borofsky also proposed creating four new murals for the High Grove parking lot, two in the style of his “Pattern Paintings,” and the others as historical portraits of Jim Jeffords, Ethan Allen, and a decorated list of historical Vermont women.
Brenda Siegel proposed building an outdoor stage in a downtown park, installing a permanent sculpture, and holding community events to celebrate by expanding the Southern Vermont Dance Festival.
Terry Carter proposed “Collaborative Collage Brattleboro,” a video collage that would pool the amazing creative resources of the area for a visual and vocal narrative of the creative community.
William Chambers proposed “H. P. Lovecraft Returns To Vermont In Search Of Mysterious Creatures In The Hills,” an artist residency, community arts festival, walking mystery tour, and permanent sculpture installation. Lovecraft, in period costume, would be taking up residence in town to investigate mysteries.
Miles Chapin proposed a large-scale granite sculpture to be placed in the center of Pliny Park, 12 feet tall with a carved sphere at the top.
Chris Chapman offered a proposal to “Muralize the Industrial Facades of South-Facing Buildings Along the Whetstone Brook from Main Street to the Railroad Tracks,” with a colorful and spectacular mural created by a community team to be determined.
Dan Snow proposed “Storybook,” a large stone sculpture of an open book to be placed on the lawn between the Library and Municipal Center.
Steven Donovan proposed the “Starving Artists 374 Practice Studio,” a studio on Main Street where artists could work and show art.
Jeanne-Marie Eayrs proposed a large permanent mural that visually documents history as well as the dynamic community that contributes to Brattleboro’s unique identity.
Yetti Frenkel proposed “Brattleboro: Creative Community,” a project to have community members create a mosaic and mural for the side of the Library building.
Jonathan Gitelson and Michael Becker proposed building a 20’ round camera obscura with pinhole projections, to be placed by the river near BMAC.
Christopher Grotke proposed the “Brattleboro Hedge Maze Sculpture Garden,” a natural and playful outdoor sculpture gallery.
Karolina Kawiaka proposed using the funds to revise and implement parts of the 2015 Brattleboro Town Plan, including work on the administrative structure, information sharing, and more calls for public art.
Sandy Klein suggested a project at NEYT to have muralist Sean Greene lead a project to paint murals on the building at the corner of Elm, Flat, and Frost streets.
Larry Siegel was delighted to propose “Brattleboro Verbatim:,”a participatory musical piece to be written and performed by the people of Brattleboro, about Brattleboro’s past, present and future. This would result in a festival-like final event.
Liz LaVorgna and Wyatt Andrews proposed the “Brattleboro Homeless Stories Arts Project,” a month-long photo and video exhibit to engage conversations of resiliency, and highlight connections between the homeless and those with homes.
Deborah Lazar proposed producing a community play and video of the story of Jemina Sartwell, an early settler and Putney’s first female resident.
Deborah Lazar also proposed painting 100 portraits of Brattleboro, both people and views, and create a full color book of the results.
Tess Lindsay proposed the “Brattlebench” project, to create 10 creative, sculptural benches for placement around town.
H.B. Lozito proposed a collaborative project, “Out In the Open,” to create an oral history walking tour of Brattleboro’s LGBTQ community.
Erin Maile O’Keefe proposed “More Than Meets The Eye,” a 3 month artistic and civic project, and combining youth, mentoring, and arts exhibitions.
Michael McLaughlin proposed creating a bronze sculpture to be placed in Brattleboro.
Michel Moyse proposed a one-hour 2 channel video art installation and projection, “Brattleboro, A Celebration,” exploring history, people, and place, to be projected on a large tarp at sites around town.
Sam Pilo proposed a low cost, easy to use website for producers in the arts to communicate their arts events to the public, “A Guide To The Arts.”
Andy Reichsman proposed a video and audio production combining images and movies of Brattleboro, old and new, along with a soundtrack by Tyler Gibbons of Red Heart the Ticker, to be projected on downtown facades at regular times.
F. Sansone offered to do “The Keystone Project,” which would include a rock garden setting, space for sculptural elements, seating, and resting harbors.
Margaret Shipman proposed the “High Street Kimono Project,” in which there would be a permanent installation of paintings on the retaining wall along the South side of lower High Street, from Green Street to Retting Place. Eight women would create eight different kimono designs along the block-long cement wall.
Cai Xi Silver proposed “Art Transforming Life,” a community-based inter-disciplinary art work and performance dedicated to exploring personal and collective transformation of daily life through the arts and culture in and from Brattleboro. The project would combine community conversations in meal settings as participatory art pieces.
Alan Steinberg proposed a free, week-end long, hands-on clay sculpture workshop for Brattleboro residents, called “It Takes A Village To Build A Town.” The effort would result in an abstract clay model representing future Brattleboro.
Andrea Wasserman Elizabeth Billings and Evie Lovett proposed “From the River, To the River,” a project collecting voices and images from the community to bring the notion of the Connecticut River and the diversity of the town into a collective visual narrative.
John Wilmerding proposed funding “Fantastic Wantastiquet,” a multi-disciplinary and cultural festival schedule for the Fall season.
Two things struck me
Two things struck me immediately: It seems that many of these proposals are very similar- the two main themes seem to be murals and some sort of musical presentation. Secondly, I’m quite surprised that the committee chose multiple proposals from a single applicant. We’re there not enough proposals submitted?
The proposals that seem the most interesting to me are the homeless story project; the maze sculpture garden and the starving artist studio space and gallery. I guess I feel like murals have been done to death and, after a few weeks, months they just become part of the unnoticeable background.
Should be interesting to see how this progresses.
Those 3
Yes, the homeless story project, the maze-sculpture garden and the starving artist studio space and gallery seem the best ideas to me too. The maze could also be used in seasonal themes a la Halloween scares, or Easter Egg Hunt.
Those 3 seem to be the most
Those 3 seem to be the most creative – some good ‘outside of the box” thinking. I’ve been thinking recently that it would be great if there could be some kind of ongoing arts program for our homeless population. I didn’t have all the pieces put together enough to submit a proposal but the story project could be a good first step towards viewing homeless people in a very different way,
Ways to spend 50 grand...
I enjoyed this list a lot. It’s fun to read that many individual art projects encapsulated in one place… That said, only a few really grabbed me.
For nepotistic reasons, I too like the hedge maze sculpture garden. In terms of creative placemaking (and intentionally misdefining it to prove my point), creating an actual place seems like a great start and it’s clearly creative–a garden that is a puzzle that contains art. What’s not to like? The other one that Chris didn’t propose was our long standing desire for a really cool, arty miniature golf course…
Another fave for me is the Starving Artist Practice Space and Gallery. If it could also encompass a small stage/performance area, that would truly rock.
I also appreciated the proposal for a web site that could serve as a directory of local artists. I had thought about proposing that myself but decided that it might not work as a town project.
As for proposals for individual or collective works of art, my personal feeling is that they need to be really well done if we’re going to have to look at them for years to come, and really inclusive no matter what form they take.
Please, no more murals. I
Please, no more murals. I really like the hedge idea, I think it’s the most innovative and would be a really wonderful addition to the landscape. And I agree, one submission per person please.
As far as these artists
As far as these artist dedicated proposals, i.e. web site, work space, I have read the information surrounding this grant and I think this is too specific to one group of residents. The idea is to create something for the town as a whole, reflective of the town and not just so oriented towards one group of residents. I suppose one could make the argument that art is for the town blah blah but who gets to define art and artists. This should be something that is usable and reflective of the town in general not specifically. The hedge maze is great because it incorporates a lot of elements that are reflective of the area including the “green” and yet is interactive and I think kids and grown-up kids would love it. Very clever. It can change in appearance too, with the discovery of our own local Edward Scissorhands, with care will last forever and can be changed in appearance depending on how it’s trimmed. I’m really partial to this one.
I agree
Murals are so predictably boring. I love the hedge idea!
and the winner is...
What do you do if you have 2 great ideas? and you can’t pick?
My sister and I have written a script about one of the first white women to settle this area, Jemima Sartwell who lived to be 82. Let me tell you, she saw a few things happen on this land we call Brattleboro.
Not without Perril, pub 1941
republished Fort #4
quote by the author, Margeuette Allis
“…because so many forefathers have been glorified to the over-shadowing of foremothers, I have felt impelled to try to bring Jemima Sartwell to life in all her simplicity, her incredible capacity for endurance, and her dauntless courage.”
Tiny excerpt for your eyes only,
this happened 260 years ago in Brattleboro.
In 1755, during the spring, two Indians came through the gate at Fort Dummer where the settlers had gone for protection from the fighting and burnt out houses. One of them is Nolta and when he sees Jemima he says “You….Mine!” Nolta, though rough and sometime harsh, protected Jemima and later helped her to be released.
There were long hard winters’ with stops at Bradley’s Tavern, heartbreaking outcomes and deceitful actions, but through it all she always dreamed of living with her family at the Great Meadows, at the bend in the Connecticut River, which the Indians called “The Smile of God.”
idea #2
portrait and landscape book/exhibition.
An invitation the townspeople to share stories and have their portraits painted, along with public plein-air events to paint landscape paintings of the town.
To see real life examples of my paintings along with Catherine Nunn’s, there is currently a show at Stroll gallery, Main St. and the BMH Hospital main hallway, and at VT Artisans Gallery 2.
thanks for your consideration.
Deborah Lazar
Double Loser
DL DL
😀 my life story
My ballot
Wow, I wish all of you had been on the Screening Committee… : )
Alas, I don’t think the hedge maze sculpture garden made the cut to be in the proposed list of projects to further develop for the next round of consideration.
Glad to see it resonate with people, though.
….
Of the others, I like the ones that really do something difficult, or big, with the money – things that aren’t otherwise easily funded or made. The big book sculpture, the big camera obscura, a bronze sculpture, the rock garden, and the Brattlebenches all have an appeal in this regard.
I also like the meal-discussions as performance art, 100 portraits, Lovecraft in residence, and the Brattleboro song.
The idea of a stage in a park isn’t bad, but we already have one at LMP. Videos and websites, in my view, are easy to do without the grant, as are murals.
I’m a bit surprised by what isn’t here: no jazz, no circus, no Windham orchestra, no puppets, etc. Maybe I should have proposed the town-wide circus…. : )
I'm sorry to hear your hedge
I’m sorry to hear your hedge maze didn’t make the cut. A cool idea with a lot of potential uses for fun events. I like the idea of the benches and the big book sculpture. I still like the homeless story project – that one seems to be a project that could have a large impact on changing our view of homelessness. And,the process of getting to tell their own stories would, I think, be a positive and empowering experience for those people involved. I just hope we don’t end up with yet another mural.
Art
I like the story collecting, too. Both homeless and the river connections.
A number of these projects could be expanded, a la “stone soup,” if the project proposers choose to be open to greater collaboration. (i.e., the story projects could also be radio programs, podcasts, and books. That sort of thing.)
Whatever it is, I hope it is worthy of the importance and rarity of the grant, and hope we do something difficult to do otherwise without it.
50 ways to spend your money or, it is what it is...
Now that the first round of jurying is over, I can say that I am truly disappointed. Of the 3 murals I have created in Brattleboro only 1 survives. 2 were lost due to carelessness and rot. But, the Carter’s Little Liver Pills ca.1983 on Elliot St. is still there, I hope you enjoy it, and thank you for the opportunity.
I submitted 2 wonderful projects that will not see the light of day for this project. Both were so great I couldn’t choose. I didn’t even make it past the first round. I am a double loser. Oh well, Brattleboro, maybe next time.
I have created and supported the Arts Community in Brattleboro for 40 years. 3 Murals, 1 Windham Art Gallery, and the numerous arts and farming organizations I have lovingly and joyously given my time to, to help their bottom line. I was so excited to present my ideas for the people of Brattleboro to learn about their town through art. Because that is what I do. I am a visual artist, a chronicler, and I do it through painting, video, photography and graphic design.
I know the universe IS perfect. Everything happens for a reason. And I know how hard it is to jury. It’s just difficult to be rejected by the people who praise me all the time about my work, tell me they love my work, my paintings, my pro-bono work and then, when there is an opportunity to do something really meaningful for the town I love, and even support myself through that, I get rejected. Not even through the first round. It hurts, it won’t be the first time, I’ll get over it. Maybe I should give up art and get a real job.
Someone told me recently that they and their husband (who shall remain nameless) were talking about what they would do if they won the lottery. She said her husband said the sweetest thing, he said “I would like to give Deborah Lazar enough money so she could just paint”. Ok, I’m crying now. I guess this jury does not really feel the same way.
Please any of you on the jury please steer clear of me for a little while. This wound really stings. I might swat at you, nothing personal you understand …but gosh, I would really like to know why the painting exhibition/book with stories collected from the participants didn’t get get even a, what the hell let’s put it through. I don’t think the jury is required to defend their choice. That’s not how it works.
In the end it’s supposed to be about the best project for the town, and past performance shouldn’t matter. I get that. So, may the winner have a glorious time creating something we will all enjoy together. I would like to offer my best wishes to them.
sincerely and with grattitude,
thank you for looking,
Deborah Lazar
CG-I think a town wide circus would have been great. Maybe we already have one?
If you ran the zoo what would you do?
Also I’d like to give a wha wha for Cris Grotke! Thank you for giving us this excellent forum for expression.