Estey Organ Museum Celebrates 20 Years of Living History 

Organ trio at Estey Organ Museum

Brattleboro, VT…. Brattleboro is home to many historic treasures, some large enough to grace the main street in town, others hidden gems that we need to seek out. The Estey Organ Museum is one of those pieces of history that is well worth a visit for many reasons. Tucked away in the company’s Old Engine House on Birge Street, it holds a century of local history that spread the Estey reputation far and wide. 

The new season starts on May 21 in celebration of the museum’s 20th year and will be open to the public on Saturdays from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. through October. It is unique in that unlike what we’re used to in most museums, the hosts in this museum say to all visitors—adults and children alike—please touch; please sit down and play the organs. Visitors even have the opportunity of walking through a pipe organ to see how the mechanism works.  


Brattleboro Art Committee Meeting Agenda

AGENDA

1. Convene, quorum check

2. [10 mins] Introductions, Intents of Art Committee Members, Announcements

3. [10 mins] Elect officers (Chair, Vice-Chair, and Clerk)

a. Motions on rotating positions terms per meeting, monthly?

b. Motions on remedying previous published AC meeting minute notes


With Something for Everyone, Bellows Falls Declares May, as Art Month in Bellows Falls

Bellows Falls, VT (May 3, 2022)—Today, Bellows Falls designates the month of May as “May, Art Month in Bellows Falls,” a town-wide celebration to build awareness and appreciation of the arts and businesses throughout the town from May 9 through Memorial Day Weekend. May, Art Month in Bellows Falls will highlight the arts and the cultural community, as well as the entire town including local businesses, creative entrepreneurs, and artists.

“We will be highlighting artists, events, shops, and restaurants that contribute year-round to the vital and cultural richness and economic stability of the community,” says Robert McBride, founder, and director of The Rockingham Arts & Museum Project (RAMP).  


Winter Sunshine Puppetry Series presents The Pied Piper of Hamelin, by CactusHead Puppets March 26th 11am and 2pm

The town of Hamelin has a rat problem, and there’s only one person who can help! CactusHead Puppets brings the story of The Pied Piper to life in this comedic, updated adaptation of the traditional folktale. Not only does the town find a musical solution to pest control, but the kids of Hamelin also teach the grownups a lesson about generosity. In the end, the townspeople all come together in celebration. Join puppeteers John and Megan Regan as they present this classic tale, told with multiple puppetry styles, and plenty of dancing rats! The show will run 40 minutes with an engaging question and answer session following the performance.


Winter Sunshine Puppetry Series presents Urban Wizard Academy, by Scotty Swan

Come witness magic maker and puppeteer, Scotty Swan with Urban Wizards Academy March 12th at 11am and 2pm. Swan’s work is a unique blend of sleight-of-hand magic, puppetry and improvisation that is woven together in an exhilarating show that gets the audience up off its feet to become part of the performance. This show is for family audiences ages 6 to 12 and sure to be a thrilling delight for parents as well.

Scotty Swan is a well-regarded artist and teacher who has been performing throughout the region since 1999. His shows are a unique blend of comedy, magic, 80s pop culture references, silly puppets, amazing illusions and hysterical audience participation, that keep his audiences laughing.


Winter Sunshine Puppetry Series presents Under Night Sky, by PuppetKabob

Putney, VT- Sandglass Theater kicks off the Winter Sunshine family puppetry series with guest artist Sarah Frechette of PuppetKabob. Performances are Saturday March 5th at 11am and 2pm at Sandglass Theater.

Under Night Sky follows three children on journeys united by threads of courage, love and hope. Unravel the stories of the Underground Railroad stitched together in Grandmother’s patchwork quilt. Hear the waves crash aside the ship as you listen to the magical tale of an Irish Memory Quilt. Quietly enter an Old School House to see a girl proudly wearing her coat of rags, stitched to patchwork perfection.


Tucker Barrett, Stringed Instrument Artist In Residence at HatchSpace

After nearly 25 years of designing and building electric violins, violas and cellos, Tucker Barrett is now dedicating his time to the repair and restoration of vintage and contemporary acoustic and electric guitars.

Trained and apprenticed under Ken Parker at Stuyvesant Music on 48th Street in NYC, Tucker has been privileged to build custom guitars for such musicians as Pete Townsend, Andy Summers, Lou Reed, and Nile Rodgers, as well as many other professional and amateur musicians. He has also repaired, maintained and set up guitars for many top groups such as the Pretenders, Foreigner, The Cars, The Police, and Joan Armatrading.


“Here We Are” with Elena Dodd

Elena Harap Dodd talks about her childhood experiences of segregation in the south, and how that has informed her focus on inclusivity in her acting, writing and collaborations. She co-founded “Streetfeet Women”, a muti-racial, multi-cultural women’s writing and acting group which is still going strong after 40 years – and with a newly published book!


The Simple Gift of Open Mic

We live in a world that pushes for bigger and better where other people try to determine what is best for us. In our little corner of the world in southern Vermont most of us know better and we determine our own standards on our own terms. That is especially true in the town of Brattleboro.

Music provides a good example of what I am talking about. Our area is blessed with an abundance of gifted musicians. Some have risen to the level of star status, but most are happy to live life on their own terms in a place that they feel welcomes them.


New Works by Edward Kingsbury III at Gallery in the Woods

Brattleboro, VT – Edward Kingsbury III’s new works are featured at Gallery in the Woods for the month of August with an opening during Gallery Walk on Friday, August 6 from 5:30 – 8 PM. Kingsbury is a self-taught artist who works in many mediums. His artistic process is informed by a deeply prayerful, meditative life.

In 1997 he was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease and he found making art to be therapeutic as it serves the purpose of connecting at a deep level with the mystery and acceptance. He describes his work as a conversation with God, allowing the process to happen organically without preconceptions. He has been known for highly detailed abstract, black and white, stream-of-consciousness drawings.


Brattleboro-West Arts: Fresh New Exhibit at Brooks House Atrium Hallway Gallery

BRATTLEBORO:   The Atrium Hallway Gallery in the Brooks House has a fresh new look for spring, with an exhibit spotlighting the artwork of four members of Brattleboro-West Arts.

Titled New Passage, the ongoing show’s latest offerings demonstrate the diverse talents of BWA members, from Kay Curtis’s bright and active Swing Dance series of drypoint monoprints to Bobbi Angell’s detailed and elegant botanicals to Sharon Myers’s handsome prints using lingerie to Lesley Heathcote’s closely observed and beautifully rendered animal and bird pastels.


Town Arts Fund Grantees Announced

The Arts Council of Windham County announced some recent grantees and the projects that are being funded:

“The 2021 TAF Grantees include:

Puppet Companions (Shoshana Bass, Sandglass Theater) Sandglass Theater and Garden Path Elder Living team up to combat loneliness, promote creativity, and inspire story telling in residential care facilities through the magic of puppetry. Sandglass will create a collection of inviting puppets and accessories, along with a series of guided play suggestions for residents at Holton Home and Bradley House. Puppet makers will also bring Sandglass puppeteers and puppets for window visits with residents.


Sandglass’ Winter Sunshine Series Goes Virtual

Putney, Vermont- This year Sandglass’ Winter Sunshine series is going virtual to bring family fun right into the coziness of your home. Throughout March, Winter Sunshine series will present the work of regional performance artists with weekly performances and activities including: a puppet show, a workshop, two family activities, online engagement and, during the final week, an invitation to light up your community in the dark winter months with a Lantern Parade.


Keeping Local Arts Alive At The Latchis

Latchis Theatre Marquee

Like many of us, I’ve been staying safe during the pandemic and not participating too much in social events.  But I still stay in the loop with as many local organizations as I can.  Many of us with a connection to the arts worry that public performance art — of which cinema is one — may be busted back to the stone age, to put it bluntly, by our inability to gather in groups and the lack of funding that results.  The Latchis finds itself in this boat, and while they continue to show films under all the current rules for safe gathering in theatres, they have obviously taken a hit.    

Lately, I’ve been enjoying their newsletters wherein Jon Potter, director of Latchis Arts, tells it like it is to his audience of people who like movies, music, and dance.  His most recent letter, which came out January 14, notes that arts groups are starting to regroup as it were, as we all adjust to the new circumstances we find ourselves in.  Adapt or die, is pretty much the story, and artists are trying to do that.  


Virtual Putney Craft Tour

Shop the Annual Putney Craft Tour Collection from the comfort of your home: 19 Artisans…3 Days Glass blowers, Potters, Jewelers, Weavers, Painters, Woodworkers – even Artisan Cheesemakers, and Winemakers. Crafters will open their virtual studio doors, offering video demonstrations, personal shopping experiences and studio visits via Zoom. Some artists are scheduling in person studio visits or virtual video chats by appointment. Shops open: Fri, Nov 27 at 10:00 a.m. sharp through Sun, Nov 29 at 5:00 p.m. In the meantime, shoppers are free to browse the site and discover more about Vermont’s most accomplished artisans.


Celebrate Men’s Day

Celebrate Life: Viva La Vida by Namaya Art Rat Peace

To all the loving men in my life, who have inspired and nurtured me. Thank you all. Happy Men’s Day. #MensDay. from my book “Celebrate Life: Viva La Vida”

“Naches: The Pride One has in their Children”


Vermont Arts Council and Vermont Humanities COVID-19 Relief

MONTPELIER, VT—Arts and humanities organizations in Vermont facing hardship due to the COVID-19 pandemic can now apply for emergency relief funding through a new partnership between the Vermont Arts Council and Vermont Humanities.

The new COVID-19 Cultural Relief Grant Program is seeded with more than $700,000 from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act of 2020.

Grant awards are based on organization size:

Annual operating budgets of up to $200,000: $5,000.
Annual operating budgets between $200,000 and $750,000: $7,500
Annual operating budget larger than $750,000: $10,000


Mitchell-Giddings Fine Arts Responds to COVID 19

Following advice and common sense, Mitchell-Giddings has made the difficult decision to temporarily close our doors until further notice even as we remain open online for purchases and gallery activities (or at 802-251-8290).

We gladly welcome scheduled gallery visits by appointment.