Arts group set to kick off yearlong 'Action' project
Toolbox
By PATRICK McARDLE STAFF WRITER - Published: September 3, 2009
MANCHESTER — The action will be in Manchester this week as the Vermont Arts Council's "Art of Action" project begins its almost yearlong tour through Vermont with an exhibition at Hand Motors.
John Zwick, project director for the Art of Action for the Vermont Arts Council, said the council wanted to choose a nontraditional forum.
"We wanted to get the art out in front of people who are not necessarily regular visitors to art galleries. ... We put the word out to our local host communities. We needed a nontraditional space in Manchester and what could be more nontraditional than an automobile showroom," he said.
Beth Meachem, of the Manchester and the Mountains Regional Chamber of Commerce, said most, if not all, of the 10 artists whose work is included in the exhibit would be part of the official grand opening on Friday.
"We wanted it to be a community celebration, a way for us to welcome the project to our community," she said.
On Friday, beginning at 5:30 p.m., there will be food, music, a cash bar and a chance to meet the artists at the reception at Hand Motors, at the intersection of routes 1-1/30 and 7A known as "Malfunction Junction."
Other events around the project include author appearances on Wednesday, with Burr Morse, author of "Sweet Days & Beyond: The Morse Family — Eight Generations of Maple Sugaring" and Tom Wessels, author of "Reading the Forested Landscape: A Natural History of New England" on Sept. 9, both starting at 7 p.m. Pawlet artist Elizabeth Torah, a finalist for the Art of Action, will appear at 5 p.m. Sept. 10.
The closing event will be "DepotFest," during which half of Elm Street in the town's historic depot area will be closed off so visitors can enjoy food, music and vendors.
The Art of Action will be touring other areas in Southern Vermont before moving north and to its single non-Vermont appearance in Washington, D.C. It will be in Brattleboro starting Sept. 19; Windsor beginning Oct. 2; and Rutland starting on Oct. 14.
In July 2010, the exhibit will make its final appearance before the collection is auctioned off in Burlington.
The Art of Action was created after a series of public meetings hosted by the Council on the Future of Vermont over 18 months. Through those meetings, about a dozen issues, including transportation, sustainability, the economy, infrastructure and the retention of young Vermonters, were identified as being keys to the future success of the state.
In the summer of 2008, artists were invited to apply for an opportunity to be part of the project by submitting artwork that addressed one of the issues. The applicants were narrowed down to 20 before the 10 whose work would actually be in the project were chosen in January.
Zwick gave credit to Lyman Orton, chairman of the board at Vermont Country Stores, for believing in the project enough to fund it himself.
While the artists will get some money from the sale of the artwork in July, Zwick said the rest of it will go to fund future Art of Actions projects, making it a self-sustaining exhibit.
Zwick encouraged Vermonters to visit the exhibit when it reaches their community because it's more than just artwork.
"People who see the exhibit are really feeling the issues from the artwork in a way you don't necessarily get from a seminar at UVM or a pie chart," he said.
Meachem said it was exciting to see the Art of Action start its journey in Manchester.
"(Lyman Orton) is hoping this will spur the third renaissance in Vermont," she said.
For more information about the Art of Action, visit www.artofaction.org.
patrick.mcardle@rutlandherald.com
38