BRATTLEBORO — More than 35 volunteers showed up on Nov. 21 with clippers, loppers, ropes, and chainsaws in a team effort to create a view to the river from the grassy area by the former Archery Building (across Bridge Street from Whetstone Station).
This was the inaugural event for the public art project From the River, To the River, the recipient of the National Endowment for the Arts “Our Town” grant awarded to the town of Brattleboro.
From the River, To the River is a series of events and art installations seeking to reinforce the connection between Brattleboro and the Connecticut River. Volunteers, in an extraordinary effort, pulled vines, brush, bittersweet, debris and dead trees from the bank, revealing a beautiful view of the river, punctuated by healthy trees.
The artist team of Elizabeth Billings, Evie Lovett and Andy Wasserman want to express their thanks for the wholehearted community support on this day and in particular to Dylan Mackinnon, who volunteered his leadership for the clearing effort and briefed the volunteers on safety protocol; and to Bob Everingham, who volunteered and provided a chipper, both proving invaluable.
The artists invited the public to come to the site at noon to be photographed for a community portrait, to be created and exhibited on the side of the Archery Building starting in July 2016.
There will be more opportunities for participating in the Community Portrait in locations around Brattleboro in the next months.
From the River, To the River is a series of site-specific art installations considering the unique relationship between Brattleboro and the Connecticut River by three artists committed to exploring the relationships of people and place.
Invigorating two locations - the Brattleboro Transportation Center and the Archery Building green - with sculpture, photographs, video projections, public events and social media, the project seeks to connect the river and the Brattleboro community through art.