Arts section
Lifelong mixed-media collage artist Elizabeth Lewis is showing some “puzzling bird miniatures” at All Souls Church in West Brattleboro during the month of August. A reception for the artist will be held on Sunday, August 17, from 11.30 am to 1 pm.
Elizabeth is a resident of Putney and a member of ASC. She had her first show at the then-named West Village Meetinghouse in 1981, the year she moved to Vermont from Los Angeles, California.
Putney, VT — Next Stage Arts invites the community to the opening reception for Quiet Witness: An Homage to the Flora and Fauna of Vermont, a new exhibit of intricate etchings by Vermont-based artist Briony Morrow-Cribbs. The reception takes place Friday, August 29, from 6:00 to 8:00 pm at the NXT Gallery, located at 15 Kimball Hill in Putney. All are welcome; RSVPs are encouraged at nextstagearts.org.
Quiet Witness showcases a richly detailed menagerie of real and imagined creatures, rendered through Morrow-Cribbs’s decades-long practice as a printmaker and etcher. A self-described animal empath, she uses her art to explore what it might feel like to experience the world through the instincts and perspective of other species.
Raised on Washington’s Whidbey Island and now based in Dummerston, Morrow-Cribbs brings a deep reverence for both wilderness and craft. Her work has appeared in best-selling books, including Wicked Plants and Wicked Bugs by Amy Stewart, and in solo exhibitions across the country. Her prints are created through a painstaking etching process that dates back to her childhood, when she first learned the technique from her father.
KIMBERLY CARMODY is “Bringing it all back home”. River Gallery School of Art has been her locus and inspiration, from her first art class in 1976 to becoming Executive Director in 2023. In between, she’s traveled and taught and painted and is back in Brattleboro – a perfectly drawn full circle.
Program Update: In light of the reduced funding allocation for the Brattleboro Town Arts Fund, we have decided to postpone the launch of the 2025 application cycle until January 2026, effectively combining this year’s and next year’s application process and funding resources.
While the Brattleboro Selectboard voted in April to restore $15,000 for the Town Arts Fund in the revised FY26 Town budget, the finalized budget that was sent to and approved at Representative Town Meeting in May included an additional reduction of $5,000 from the TAF program, for a final award of $10,000 for FY26.
Putney, VT—This June Yellow Barn, in partnership with Next Stage Arts, brings Nannerl Mozart, the “other” Mozart, to southeastern Vermont.
The Other Mozart is an award-winning play telling the true, forgotten story of Nannerl Mozart, the sister of Amadeus – a prodigy, keyboard virtuoso and composer, who performed throughout Europe with her brother to equal acclaim, but her work and her story faded away, lost to history. Set in a stunning 18-foot dress, The Other Mozart is based on facts, stories and lines pulled directly from the Mozart family’s humorous and heartbreaking letters.
The Brattleboro Arts Committee will meet on Tuesday, May 27, 2025 at 5:00pm at the Brooks Memorial Library.
Throughout the month of June, local artist and teacher Lynn Zimmerman presents Watercolor Discoveries, a group show of work by her students at the Crowell Gallery in Newfane. These 20 women artists, who have studied with Lynn in her online classes, will share a variety of paintings in watercolor. Most of the artists are local, although a few live elsewhere in the U.S. Each artist will share a discovery made while exploring this challenging and rewarding medium.
LISSA WEINMANN is a powerful force in our community who has helped bring our history, people and stories together through the creation of The Brattleboro Words Project and 118 Elliot arts center. Tune in for some great stories of her other lives as a foreign agent and in international and local affairs.
Composer KEANE SOUTHARD creates unique musical experiences in a wide range of styles and topical issues. His most recent composition “Requiem for Animals” pays homage to the animal beings of the earth and premieres May 17 & 18 at Persons Auditorium at Potash Hill, performed by the Brattleboro Concert Choir. Tune in to hear Keane’s unique perspectives on music’s power to evoke positive change.
The NXT Gallery at Next Stage Arts welcomes a new exhibition, Art Array, featuring the evocative work of Vermont-based artist Ricky McEachern. The show opens with a public reception on Thursday, May 29, from 6 to 8pm, and will remain on view through August 11.
A recent transplant from Boston, McEachern is no stranger to the visual richness of New England. His oil paintings, many based on his own photographs, reflect a deep connection to the region’s layered history and striking diversity—ranging from gritty urban centers to tranquil shorelines, forgotten mills to majestic mountains.
JO DERY is a visual storyteller who thrives in community-based collaborations. She creates animated films, comics, books, multi-media performances and more. “Adoption Stories” is her most recent project inspired by her own lived experience.
BRATTLEBORO, Vt. – The second annual Palestine Film Series concludes on Sunday, April 13, with The Teacher, a plot-driven drama about a Palestinian teacher grieving the loss of his teenage son and struggling to reconcile his commitment to political resistance with his support for two students. Meanwhile, an American couple begs for the return of their son, who was kidnapped while serving in the Israeli military.
Predating the events of Oct. 7, 2023, The Teacher highlights the atrocities and inhumanities enacted upon Palestinians and shows that these horrific circumstances are not new; they have been happening for decades.
We are writing with an important update about the Town Arts Fund program and a request for your support and advocacy.
You may be aware that the Town of Brattleboro eliminated funding for the Town Arts Fund program in the proposed FY26 budget. This decision was made by the Selectboard in January without much discussion about the merits or impact of the program. The Arts Council relies on the Town of Brattleboro as the primary source of funding for TAF, and without the Town’s support, it is unlikely we can continue to maintain this program.
Brattleboro’s second annual Palestine Film Series opens Sunday, March 23, with the Oscar-winning Best Documentary No Other Land, a devastating window on the continuing Israeli settler violence, land theft and forced displacement of Palestinians from their West Bank villages.
No Other Land is one of four films in this year’s series that give audiences an opportunity to experience diverse stories about the lives of Palestinian people. The series is presented by Southern Vermont for Palestine (SVT4P) and Latchis Arts.
Although it has won more than 45 top documentary prizes worldwide including the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature, No Other Land has struggled to find a U.S. distributor and has been screened in only a handful of U.S. cities.
“I am constantly creating, that’s what keeps me alive and happy”, says Ines Zeller Bass. Tune in to hear stories of how her artistic imagination and talents help manifest the special magic that makes SANDGLASS THEATER so well-known and well-loved.
Think Spring and Gardens! JULIE MESSERVY is known world-wide as a stellar innovator in landscape design. She collaborated with Yo-Yo Ma for a public garden in Toronto. Julie also won the 2024 Vermont Woman-owned Business of the Year Award. Check out this show – her presence is dynamic and inspiring!
JIM GIDDINGS talks about early days of the local art scene, co-creating a world-class gallery, dealing with fire and flooding. He also talks about discovering art and how painting connects him to mystery…..And, a magical experience in Notre Dame.… AND this Saturday January 11th at 5pm, help Jim & Petey celebrate the 10th Anniversary of Mitchell-Giddings Fine Arts !
Fascinating stories of Kristin Sullivan’s explorations into the arts and traditions of other cultures, indigenous people here and abroad – she wraps all of that into her job here as E.D. at the Retreat Farm. Take a look, it’s an engaging ride!
Greg Lesch tells some great stories of Brattleboro’s yester-years, upcoming Holiday events by the Chamber of Commerce, and his many years as a dynamic actor.
Next Stage Arts presents multidisciplinary flamenco artist Laura Sánchez, with her work Welcome to Holland!? on Sunday, November 24 at 7:00 pm at Next Stage Arts, 15 Kimball Hill, in Putney.
Step into a world of resilience and inspiration with Welcome to Holland!?—a breathtaking multidisciplinary flamenco performance that will touch your heart and ignite your spirit.
Join us for a transformative 75-minute journey that beautifully intertwines flamenco, poetry, humor, and film, celebrating the incredible strength of caregivers. Experience the story of an immigrant mother as she navigates her unique “Holland!?”—a landscape reshaped by trauma. Watch as everyday objects transform into powerful symbols of hope, guiding her through challenges and illuminating the path to belonging. This transformative journey challenges stereotypes about motherhood and disability, shedding light on the diverse experiences of caregivers and fostering empathy towards non-traditional families.
