On the surface, bringing area artists together for a potluck and conversation doesn't sound like a big deal.
To Rockingham Arts and Museum Project (RAMP) founding director Robert McBride, such gatherings are critical to the growth of the Southern Vermont arts scene.
“It brings artists directly together to meet and share a meal,” he said. “The more that artists in our communities directly communicate with each other, the more empowered they become.”
RAMP has been regularly putting on what they call “artists' town meetings” at various venues in northwestern Windham County. On March 7, about 25 artists gathered at the Vermont Institute for Contemporary Arts and heard presentations from McBride as well as Ann Cousins from Preservation Trust of Vermont, Zon Eastes from the Vermont Arts Council (VAC), and Lynn Barrett of SO Vermont Arts and Living.
Cousins talked about how events such as Gallery Walk in Brattleboro and Third Friday in Bellows Falls “bring life to downtowns,” and urged the artists, when choosing a location for a new arts venue, “to locate in a downtown or village center because of the economic benefit and energy that you bring to the community.”
The Preservation Trust works statewide to help community groups work to save and use historic places, and to strengthen their downtowns and village centers, Cousins said. She added that the arts “are a powerful and effective community development tool. All across the state, galleries and performance venues serve as community gathering places.”
She told the artists that the Preservation Trust could help with technical assistance and possibly with grant support.
Eastes, an outreach and advancement coordinator for the VAC, reviewed current issues in advocacy.
“Gov. Shumlin's proposed budget includes a $210,000 increase in the Arts Council's appropriation, and this is critical because this increase will allow Vermont to draw down every dollar from the federal appropriation.
Grants from the National Endowment for the Arts require a 1:1 match, and Eastes urged all the artists to contact their legislators to support the budget.
He also reminded everyone of the individual support grants available through their website, www.vermontartscouncil.org.
Eastes noted that “because the position of Arts Education Specialist at the Department of Education was recently eliminated, the Vermont Arts Council has taken up the mantle of furthering the cause of arts-infused education.” The VAC recently hired Ben Doyle, whom Eastes described as “young and energetic,” as arts education program manager.
Artist Brian Jewett said he thought the meeting “was a good beginning towards getting the local artists organized. If we can form some kind of group, I think we can focus more tourist attention on ourselves through public relations and events.”
Discussing a suggestion he brought up to the group, Jewett said, “I like the idea of having a central venue for artists who don't want to open their own homes or studios for Vermont Open Studio weekends. [It] would bring out more participating artists - having a central location with multiple artists [and] would make our area a bigger target for touring viewers.”
McBride urged artists to become involved in community committees and “actually running for public office,” and be involved in making decisions about their communities.
“RAMP is a museum without walls and maintains an open door policy for people to come in and discuss their ideas,” said McBride. “We are a collaborating organization that will work on ideas with you.”
The next artists' town meeting will be in May and announced on the website. Artists are urged to join the RAMP Google group by going to www.ramp-vt.org to “stay in touch with the arts in our area and to share postings with the group subscribed.”