WARDSBORO — Each year, the Friends of the Wardsboro Library sponsors a raffle to benefit the support of the Gloria Danforth Memorial Building, the home of the Wardsboro Public Library.
This year's prize for “The Best Raffle Ever” is a one-of-a-kind 37 1/2 inch by 37 1/2 inch wall hanging titled “Simply Vermont,” depicting the icons of Vermont. It was designed, pieced, and quilted by Wardsboro fiber artist Christy Foote-Smith.
Foote-Smith is currently focused on art quilts. She and her husband, Bob, lived in Massachusetts until they retired in 2015 and moved full-time to Wardsboro, where they have owned a home since 2005. In a news release, they said they have shared a love of Vermont for many decades, and moving full-time to Wardsboro was like coming home for them.
Foote-Smith has drawn, painted, and sewn since early childhood and taken art classes at the Art Institute of Chicago (Junior School), the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, and the de Cordova Museum and Sculpture Park in Lincoln, Mass.
Now that she is fully retired, she uses her background to create fabric images. She loves having the time to explore the Vermont landscape with this medium.
“Simply Vermont” incorporates a variety of Vermont scenes and icons in one piece. “I loved creating it and hope it finds a home with someone who truly shares my passion for this wonderful place,” she said.