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By Anna Burgin Not too long ago, a forward-thinking group of Benningtonians met to take a close look at the direction Bennington was going. After conducting a survey of local residents they came to the conclusion that that a primary need for Bennington to meet its future was an Arts Center. Not because it might attract the arts to the area - this was no pipe-dream wish list - but because it would reflect, support and unify the wealth of arts activity already here. And now, almost 10 years later, Bennington has its Arts Center and, as predicted, arts in the area continue to flourish. A variety of galleries, museums, exhibits, theatre productions, literary readings, artists' work space, classes, activities that draw in the community, dance and musical performances of all styles are confirmation that the arts are not just alive and well in Bennington County, but are robust and prolific. From spring to early fall the theatre at the 2-year-old Bennington Center for the Arts is reserved mainly for Oldcastle Theatre Company. Celebrating its 25th season this year, the Company opens for the summer on June 14 with Postmortem, by Ken Ludwig. Other plays in the season are Off the Map by acclaimed Berkshire writer Joan Ackermann(opens July 5); I Hate Hamlet, by Paul Rudnick(opens July 26); and Other People's Money, by Jerry Sterner(opens Aug. 16). A special fall foliage production will be Judevine,(parts 1 & 2), by David Budbill, beginning Oct. 4. When not in use by Oldcastle, however, the theatre is available for community performances and in the past has been host to folk musicians and classical pianists, storytellers and much more. On June 1, the Bennington String Quartet, a part of the quartet-in-residence program at the North Bennington Graded School in North Bennington, will present a recital at the Arts Center. At the west end of the Center are two art galleries. Past exhibits have included the 34th annual exhibition of the Society of Animal Artists and an international, multimedia exhibit of art portraying women. The animal and women themes continue this summer with "Art of the Animal Kingdom" opening on June 9 and closing July 28, and "WOMAN, the Artist's View II" opening Aug. 11 and running through Oct. 20. .
Around the corner from Bennington lies the village of North Bennington, home to two major art endeavors: the Vermont Arts Exchange (VAE) and the North Bennington Independent Artists' Space (No.B.I.A.S. ). Both are located in renovated old mills, where the the raw, rustic ambiance complements the creative atmosphere. No.B.I.A.S. is a community interactive forum for new artistic works of all media. Opened in May 1991, the gallery occupies 2,000 square feet of the BCIC building on Water Street. No. B.I.A.S. is unique in that it is the only gallery in the area that caters to new works and large-scale works of visual art from regional artists. In its monthly visual arts exhibitions, concerts, readings, lectures and performances, No.B.I.A.S. has presented the work of 200 artists. No. B.I.A.S.'s touring program, "Northern Voices: The No-Brow Traveling Medicine Show," is currently negotiating a European international exchange between 60 Vermont artists and artists in England, the Czech Republic and Turkey. On June 8 the exhibit "Recent Painting by Katz" will open at No.B.I.A.S.and run through July 6. From July 13 - Aug. 10 a group exhibit, "No Sanitary Facilities" will be on display. And from Aug. 17 - Sept. 14, the exhibit will be "Recent Sculpture by Hauck." An energetic young couple are gradually turning an early-1900s furniture-turned-machinery factory at the end of Sage Street in North Bennington into a 20,000-foot complex where young and old, artist and non-artist, can live, work and show their art. Envisioning a partnership of arts, education and social services that builds community, sculptor Patricia Pedreira and her husband, artist Matthew Perry, started the VAE four years ago. Keeping with its vision, the VAE offers term-long courses ranging from a general visual arts "sampler," to those addressing specific areas of sculpture, dance, music and film. Classes are held in a studio environment and are open to all ages and abilities. In one of its unique programs, the VAE joins with local and regional businesses and community groups for an environmental-arts initiative whereby outdoor areas are restored to their natural states and some of the cleared-out debris is used in art projects.In May the VAE will host a Rug Exhibition and on June 30, a festival on Paran Creek which culminates the environmental-arts program.
Just off the north end of historic Vermont Route 7A, nestled in a 407-acre estate on property that once belonged to Charles Orvis, sits Yester House, a 28-room Georgian Revival mansion that is home to the Southern Vermont Art Center(SVAC). Each year the Center graciously hosts exhibits of visual arts and studio arts, as well as an international travel program and more recently, an educational outreach program. Nearby, the Louise Ryalls Arkell Pavilion, a 430-seat performance space, is the site for concerts, theatre productions, dance recitals and benefits. Summer is an especially busy time for the SVAC and this year the lineup is no exception. The anchors of the summer events are the People's Choice Film Festival and the Manchester Music Festival, both opening the second week in July. On six Tuesday evenings ,from July 9 through Aug. 13, the SVAC offers vintage films for viewing in a relaxed coffee-house atmosphere in the Arkell Pavilion. Exceptional desserts and coffee, donated by local restaurants, are included in admission and can be enjoyed 30 minutes before lights go down at 8 p.m. This summer's movies were chosen by last year's attendees as the ones they would most like to see in the next series. They are (in order of showing): An Affair to Remember, a drama/romance with Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr; Out of the Past, a mystery thriller with Robert Mitchum, Kirk Douglas and Rhonda Fleming; The Belles of St. Trinian's, a comedy with Alastair Sim and Joyce Grenfell; Spellbound, a drama with Ingrid Bergman and Gregory Peck; The Last Metro, a drama with Catherine Deneuve and Gerard Depardieu; and The Awful Truth, a comedy with Irene Dunne and Cary Grant. World-class musicians have traveled to Manchester each summer for 22 years to participate in the renowned Manchester Music Festival, under the direction of Michael Rudiakov. This season's theme is "Schubert: Master of Melody." Festival concert performances are on Thursday evenings beginning July 11 and going through August 22 at 8 p.m. at the Art Center. In addition to Schubert, the performances will also include works by Mendelssohn, Mozart, Chopin, Francaix, Beethoven and Gershwin. For the final performance on Aug. 22, "Young Stars from the Met" will sing selections from the great operatic repertoire and Schubert's Shepherd on the Rock for soprano, clarinet and piano. The opening exhibition in the SVAC gallery is especially exciting: Not only does it include works by several artists including Aliber, Chupack, Cole, Egg, Schmalz and Witten, but also the Vermont Country Store exhibition, never before on display, in celebration of its 50th anniversary. The exhibit opens May 18 and runs through June 30. Another exhibit opens June 8, with works by Gridley, Kanzler, O'Brien, Parker, Smith and Floribunda; this show runs concurrently with the Vermont Country Store exhibit. The 67th Annual Members Exhibition opens on July 6 and closes July 30. And opening Aug. 3 is an exhibition with works by Bullock, Cotter, Crane, Khachian, Mathiesan and Vagin and the "Go West" exhibit. SVAC makes a good destination point for a day trip, with its Boswell Botany Trail for walking and perusing the unusual ferns and wildflowers, and a 350-year-old maple tree. The Collector's Gallery and Gift Shop has art gifts, prints and posters and original art work. And visitors donšt need to leave the Center to find refreshment: The Garden Cafe overlooking the Sculpture Garden provides a tasty lunch. Other events at the SVAC include The West Point Jazz Knights (June 14, 8 p.m.); Manchester Dance presents "Feet Accompli" (July 20, 8 p.m.); Carlota Santana Spanish Dance Company (July 24, 8 p.m.); The Vermont Jazz Ensemble(July 27, 8 p.m.); and An Evening of Pas de Deux with members of the New York City Ballet (July 31, 8 p.m.). Arts in the area are by no means limited to the events, galleries and centers named above. Bennington College also has a full schedule of events including concerts, lectures, films, dance and drama productions, art exhibitions, and readings. Also busy with public performances/events this spring/summer are the Sonatina School of Music, Bennington; the Bennington County Choral Society, Bennington;Frog Hollow Pottery, Manchester; Beside Myself Gallery, Arlington; the Bennington Museum; and the Park-McCullough House, North Bennington. With such a full palette to choose from, deciding what to do may be difficult for some. But one thing's for sure: The arts-hungry visitor to the Bennington area won't go away unsatisfied! |
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