BRATTLEBORO-The Brattleboro Museum & Art Center (BMAC)'s annual gala raises vital funds for the museum's contemporary art exhibitions, transformative education initiatives, and dynamic public events serving thousands of local residents and visitors to Brattleboro.
This year's gala, what organizers call "a festive evening of appetizers, drinks, dinner, dessert, dancing, and a silent auction," will take place at the museum on Saturday, Sept. 21, 6 to 10 p.m., and will honor Sara Coffey and Dave Snyder of Guilford for "their extraordinary contributions to art and culture in Brattleboro and beyond."
"For over two decades, Sara and Dave have enriched the artistic and cultural life of our entire state, not just Brattleboro," BMAC Director Danny Lichtenfeld said in a news release. "They are true Vermont art champions, and we are grateful for the opportunity to honor them."
The museum is offering two ticketing options for the gala: For $125, guests may attend the entire event, starting at 6 p.m. For $30, guests may attend the dance party beginning at 8:30 p.m., which includes complimentary desserts and a cash bar by Saxtons Distillery. The dance party will take place outside the museum, under a tent, with music provided by DJ Wooly Mar.
BMAC invites those unable to attend to contribute to the cause by making a donation in honor of Coffey and Snyder or in support of one of four special initiatives:
• Museum exhibitions featuring the work of emerging, overlooked, or historically underrepresented artists.
• Head Start with Art, which serves local infants, toddlers, and preschoolers.
• K–6 field trips to the museum.
• Glasstastic, a popular bi-annual event in which children's drawings of imaginary creatures are transformed into glass sculptures and exhibited at BMAC.
Graduates of Marlboro College, Sara Coffey and Dave Snyder returned to southern Vermont 20 years ago to raise their two children after working in the arts in New York City, Coffey as an administrator for a dance nonprofit and Snyder as a musician and music producer.
They launched Vermont Performance Lab (VPL), an artist residency and performance incubator, and Guilford Sound, a recording studio. Together, they have brought noted artists to the area to create work, perform, and collaborate with community members, and they have created opportunities for local artists to broaden and deepen their practices.
Coffey founded VPL in 2006 as a place where dancers, choreographers, musicians, and theater artists could conduct research, partner with regional cultural organizations, and engage with local performing artists and audiences throughout Windham County.
VPL's innovations have been recognized by the Andrew Mellon Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, the New England Foundation for the Arts, and the Vermont Community Foundation. Coffey went on to serve three terms as a representative in the Vermont Legislature.
Snyder built Guilford Sound more than six years ago, creating an environment with perfect acoustics and cutting-edge equipment but with a notably smaller environmental footprint than traditional recording studios. This established Guilford Sound as an industry leader in energy-efficient, eco-friendly construction.
In the studio, Snyder has worked with internationally known performers such as The Pixies and Noah Kahan and local artists such as Eugene Uman of the Vermont Jazz Center, as well as numerous young emerging performers.
Both Coffey and Snyder have served as leaders and volunteers for dozens of organizations in Guilford, Brattleboro, and throughout the region, including the Brattleboro Music Center, the Boys & Girls Club of Brattleboro, the Vermont Arts Council, the New England Foundation for the Arts' Advisory Council, and Guilford's Broad Brook Grange and Community Center.
"Sara and Dave know that a healthy community requires a vibrant cultural life, with opportunities for people of all ages and backgrounds to express themselves, broaden their individual perspectives, and make meaningful connections with one another," said Lichtenfeld. "They turn that knowledge into action every day; the funds we raise on September 21 will enable BMAC to do the same in the coming year and beyond."
The BMAC gala is sponsored by Brattleboro Savings & Loan and The Richards Group. Tickets and more information are available at brattleboromuseum.org. Donations may be made online, in person at the museum, or by calling 802-257-0124, ext. 101.
This Arts item was submitted to The Commons.