News from the Council for August 4, 2016 
Gubernatorial Candidates Speak About the Arts

As the primary election nears, many Vermonters are asking questions. What do the candidates think about healthcare, taxes, education?

The Council wanted to understand - and share with the public - the candidates' positions on the arts. All were willing and eager to talk about the role of the arts in community, education, government, and the economy.

During in-person interviews, each candidate was asked about:
  • the arts and social/community issues
  • personal experiences related to the arts
  • arts education
  • state government's support of the arts
  • actions planned for the first 100 days in support of the creative sector
The candidates talked about the ways the arts have touched their lives both professionally and personally; their answers were thoughtful, informed, and deeply personal. Although the priorities and approaches vary, it's clear that our next governor recognizes that the arts are vital to a healthy, thriving Vermont.
 
Hannah Satterlee is the recipient of an FY2017 Creation Grant. Photo courtesy Hannah Satterlee.
Arts Organizations and Artists Receive FY2017 Grants

The Arts Council announces FY2017 grants totaling $343,241 in four categories. Eleven individual artists received Creation Grants to support the development of new work, ranging from constructing a miniature museum inside a 1960s era camper to producing a collection of photographic lenticular images.

Arts Impact Grants were awarded to 16 organizations from Brattleboro to Brownington to support projects focused on the intersection of art and community. The Champlain Valley Office of Economic Opportunity, for example, will collaborate with artists at the Center for Cartoon Studies to produce a multilingual graphic handbook about landlord/tenant law.

Cultural Facilities Grants will support improvements at 23 Vermont institutions, including the Garipay House in Hartford and the Seven Stars Art Center in Sharon. Everything from improved heating systems to a rigging system for a historic painted curtain will help maintain and strengthen these Vermont cultural gems.

The Head Start Arts Integration Grant program supports partnerships between arts organizations and community Head Start agencies, and focuses on both student and teacher learning in early arts education. Six partnerships were funded in the FY2017 round.

We congratulate all FY2017 grantees and look forward to their contributions to the Vermont creative sector. Information on all grantees is available on our website.
Photo courtesy John Rutherford
Animating Infrastructure: Jeffersonville Dedicates its New Silo Murals

The Silos Project has been a long journey for the Cambridge Arts Council. It began with two trustees attending a Grant Seeker Workshop in 2014, and will end on August 12 with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. A formerly neglected plot in Jeffersonville has been completely transformed by murals painted on two abandoned concrete silos. Sarah Rutherford's monumental works of art honor the history of Vermont, a promising future, and the community.

The murals were funded, in part, by an Animating Infrastructure Grant from the Vermont Arts Council. The project encountered a few obstacles along the way. Some members of the community were apprehensive about the proposal. But the Cambridge Arts Council persisted in its plan, embracing community concerns and honoring an inclusive selection process.

The Cambridge Arts Council and the village of Jeffersonville invite you to join in a celebration of the murals, the artist, and the community that, together, brought the project to fruition. The dedication will take place August 12, 5 p.m. at the intersection of Route 108 and Route 15 in Jeffersonville. Read more about the Silos Project in "Building Community Out of Silos."
Arts Briefs
Does your school want to have an artist residency in the upcoming year?
It's time to apply! The
Artist in Schools grant round opens August 15.
Find out how to apply.
"Notes From
Outside the Box
,"
the monthly e-newsletter from the Vermont Creative Network, has news and information about Vermont's creative sector.
Read it here
The Flynn Center for the Performing Arts seeks applicants for a full-time Director of Education
to manage arts education programs for community and schools.
 Find information here
Vermont Arts 2016 Events Not to Miss!
Hardwick Town House
August 7 and 14
Hardwick
Brattleboro Museum & Art Center
August 5
Brattleboro
The Marble House Project
August 9
Dorset
Weston Playhouse
August 4 to 20
Weston
Multiple locations
August 5 to 7
Bennington
Oldcastle Theatre
August 5 to 21
Bennington
Southern Vermont Arts Center
August 6 and 7
Manchester
 Compass Music and Art Center
August 5 to 27
Brandon
The Sculpture Studio and Carving Center
August 10
West Rutland
Featured Story
Green Mountain Youth Symphony received an FY2017
Arts Impact Grant
.
Who Gets Grants? Who Decides?

There were 188 applications submitted for grants in FY2017 and 55 grants were awarded. All of the applicantions are reviewed by panels. Each of the panels is selected by the Council's program managers, drawing from a community of experts.

One Council trustee, Reeve Lindbergh, sat in on the Arts Impact Grant process this year. She wrote about the experience in this week's featured story, "On Impact."


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 Vermont Arts Council | 802.828.3291