Living by "Making"
Over the past 50 years, Vermont has become one of the rural epicenters of the national studio craft movement as a result of an influx of young people who were drawn to the state during the 1960s and '70s back-to-the-land era.
The exhibit will:
Examine the cultural roots of the early and successive generations of craftspeople,
• the challenge of sustaining an artistic career in a small rural state,
• How individuals have become professionals through formal education, apprenticeship and other ways,
• How craftspeople work (eg. production work or one-of-a-kind art pieces; alone or with others, etc.),
• How technology has affected making and marketing their work, and if craft can sustain a new generation of artists.
Communities and Connections
Communities of craftspeople have developed throughout Vermont as creative individuals gravitated towards geographic regions for education, marketing reasons, or because of a strong artist culture.
The exhibit will recall:
• Historic creative enclaves such as the Weston Priory where Brother Thomas Bezanson made his renowned ceramics, and
• Clusters (such as Putney, Plainfield, Bradford) devolved from intentional communities formed during the counterculture movement.
The exhibit will also explore:
• Connections formed through craft media, guilds, organizational marketing efforts, teaching, internet marketing and international associations.
Inspirations
There are a variety of reasons for the diverse nature of contemporary craft in Vermont today.
The exhibit will explore:
• The interplay between traditional craft and expressive craft
• The multiplicity of artistic influences, including:
• Vermont's pastoral and forested landscape
• Global and ethnic awareness
• Counterculture movement values and their current manifestation as environmental responsibility.
Events | Showcase Application | Exhibit Themes
