Recent news, press releases and upcoming events.
We are growing!
We have an exciting announcement to share!
WonderArts, Spark & Grass Roots Art & Community Effort (G.R.A.C.E.) have merged!
Our organizations have united as the Rural ARTS Collaborative, with the common vision of cultivating vibrancy in our community through the arts, recreation, technology, and sustainability.
WonderArts, Spark and G.R.A.C.E each has a separate focus within the larger community, and will retain their individual brands, missions, and programs, while streamlining our administrative efforts. This will enable us to work together to create new and innovative opportunities for the communities that we serve.
We will continue to have headquarters and satellite locations in Greensboro, Hardwick, and Craftsbury, and continue to provide a strong presence in schools, community centers and partnering organizations across Northern Vermont.
Kathryn Lovinsky (G.R.A.C.E.) and Carol Fairbank (WonderArts & Spark) will be collaborating as the leadership team, with our dedicated and enthusiastic Staff and Board of Directors in the coming months as the future of our organization takes shape.
We are so excited to share this news and are hopeful for a bright future. We welcome your feedback and invite you to reach out to us for further information!
Two new exciting regional exhibitions in Fall 2020!
Gayleen Aiken: Interiors
Fort Gansevoort, New York, NY
September 15 – November 7, 2020
“Beginning Tuesday, September 15th, Fort Gansevoort will present ‘Interiors,’ an online exhibition of drawings spanning the career of Gayleen Aiken (1934-2005), organized with artist Laurie Simmons.
Born in Barre, Vermont in 1934, Aiken began honing her artistic vision at a very early age. Her father was employed by the granite industry, a lucrative business in the state of Vermont that provided his family the means to reside in a large, decorative farmhouse. The characteristics of this residence profoundly influenced Aiken and fueled her creation of a rich imaginary realm populated by dramatis personae she called the Raimbilli Cousins, a family of 24 children who accompanied her on whimsical adventures. Entirely self-taught, Aiken gradually attracted attention for her lyrical images of life in a parallel Vermont. In time she became recognized as an important figure in the field of Outsider Art. Prolific until her death fifteen years ago, Aiken produced over the decades a trove of paintings and drawings that often combine narrative text and image, as well as cardboard cut-outs and book works.” . . .
To read more and view the full collection: http://www.fortgansevoort.com/
Visionary New England
deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum, Lincoln, MA
October 8, 2020 – March 14, 2021
Reception Thursday, October 15, 2020
“Grounded in this rich history, this exhibition features original commissions and existing artwork by twelve contemporary artists who are engaged with these themes. Artists include: Gayleen Aiken, Caleb Charland, Anna Craycroft, Angela Dufresne, Sam Durant, Erin Johnson, Josephine Halvorson, Paul Laffoley, Michael Madore, Candice Lin, Tourmaline, and Kim Weston. Bridging past and present, their work will be shown alongside earlier art and artifacts that speak to these enduring qualities of the region and their relevance today.” https://thetrustees.org/exhibit/visionary-new-england/
G.R.A.C.E. Continues Workshop Collaboration with Lamoille Housing Partnership for the coming year with support from Wells Fargo Grant
Art workshops offered to residents at senior affordable housing sites and families in the community
The Lamoille Housing Partnership (LHP), Grass Roots Art and Community Effort (GRACE), and SASH (Support and Services at Home) are revamping their collaboration on a project to offer monthly art workshops to residents at several of LHP’s affordable, senior housing sites in Lamoille County, as well as twice monthly Free Family Workshops to three local communities for the coming year.
“This project has been in process for well over a year, and we are so excited to be able to continue workshops and make plans to expand with the support of a grant from Wells Fargo in the amount of $5,000 in July 2019” says GRACE Executive Director Kathryn Lovinsky. Wells Fargo’s community giving motto: creating solutions for stronger, more resilient communities” aligned with this particular project.
Wells Fargo and the Wells Fargo Foundation provide monetary support, expertise, and volunteers to national and local nonprofit organizations and causes that align with our business priorities, values, business expertise, and geographies. We support thousands of national and community-based nonprofits annually to help revitalize and strengthen communities. Wells Fargo is among the top corporate cash donors among U.S. companies, donating $286.5 million to 14,500 nonprofits in 2017 to support critical social, economic, and environmental challenges. Wells Fargo focuses their philanthropic activities on creating long-term, strategic relationships with nonprofits and other organizations to create innovative, sustainable solutions to meet local needs.
“The goal of this specific project, aptly named “GRACE Connects: Creating Art Communities within and without Affordable Housing Residences, and all GRACE workshops, is to offer quality art programming to populations in the community that might otherwise not have access to arts,” says Lovinsky. “By bringing this workshop to LHP’s affordable senior housing sites, we are reaching community members who might not be able to leave their apartments to have this experience.” In addition, this funding will help support the twice monthly workshops that are free to all families with children in Hardwick and Morrisville and soon will be adding a third location in Stowe. “Our hope is that by working with LHP on these workshops as well that we will be reaching families that reside in affordable housing while creating a welcoming space to connect all families in these communities.
The family workshops will resume in September 2019, with three locations: GRACE’s Old Firehouse in Hardwick, River Arts in Morrisville, and a TBD location in Stowe. For more information about these workshops please visit the GRACE website: www.graceart.org
Lovinsky hopes that the project’s model is successful enough to not just continue into the future, but also expand – her goal is to replicate the program, and partner with other affordable housing organizations throughout Vermont to offer the program to affordable senior housing sites statewide.
In addition to this project, GRACE offers a number of free workshops open to the public, instructional classes for adults, and is involved in several community improvement projects such as the Community Mural Project.
Grass Roots Art and Community Effort (GRACE) is focused on empowering individuals through transformative art experiences, which lead to creative growth and self-discovery. At the core of GRACE is a commitment to unite diverse communities through the process of art making and exhibitions. The Lamoille Housing Partnership (LHP) develops, rehabilitates and maintains safe, decent, energy efficient affordable housing through rental, home ownership, or other means to low and moderate income persons and families living within Lamoille County and the Town of Hardwick. LHP provides such assistance without discrimination or prejudice using a combination of private and public funding partnerships. Support and Services at Home (SASH,) part of Vermont’s Blueprint for Health, is an innovative, supportive-services model that combines the strengths of social service agencies, community health providers and nonprofit housing organizations to help Vermonters remain living safely and healthily at home. Created by Cathedral Square in 2011 and now operating in more than 100 Vermont communities, SASH supports participating seniors who live in affordable housing, as well as those receiving Medicare and living in communities where SASH is in place. The program is voluntary, with services provided free of charge to those who sign up.
Changes to the Old Firehouse Thursday Community Workshop
August 2019
The Thursday Community Workshop will be held only on the 1st and 3rd Thursdays of each month 1 – 3 pm(previously it had been every week) for the time being, effective immediately in August 2019. These workshops will have a workshop leader, while the other weeks there will be an open studio during that time. All are welcome, there is a $5 suggested donation. Contact us if you have any questions or concerns.
A Big THANK YOU to the Sponsors of Our Annual Summer Benefit
Lois Eby
Peggy Smith
Stephen Ferber
Becky & Stewart Arnold
The Yellow Barn in East Craftsbury
Barn Quilt Collaboration with Hazen Union High School
In June 2019 we collaborated with Hazen Union High School on a Barn Quilt Project as part of our EXPLORE program and Hazen’s J-Term. With a generous grant from the Green Mountain Fund of the Vermont Community Foundation we were able to provide materials at no cost for students and community members. We visited the Chelsea Arts Collective (https://www.chelseavt-arts.com/) and saw some of their barn quilts, and then worked for the next two weeks on designing, construction and painting. There was a community expo on Monday June 17th including a raffle for a barn quilt made by one of the high school students with the proceeds to benefit future barn quilts at GRACE and Hazen! Tickets for the raffle will be on sale at the GRACE Annual Summer Benefit on Friday July 12th from 5:30-8pm.
Some photos of the process, our field trip to Chelsea and the final products:
This Quilt is being Raffled to support the barn quilt project continuation! Tickets available at our Annual Summer Benefit on July 12th 5:30 – 8:00 pm. Details and tickets available on our home page!
Mill Street Mural
We are excited to announce the completion and installation of The Mill Street Mural Project. This project was organized and sponsored by Grass Roots Art & Community Effort (GRACE) with Community Organizer Gary Michaels. The mural was designed by Tara Goreau with input from the community to celebrate Hardwick – it’s rich history and vibrant present day. Kathryn Lovinsky, GRACE Executive Director describes the vision for the mural: “There are elements of history woven through the mural in buildings, the granite and railroad industry as well as Abenaki peoples. There are also recognizable landmarks like the Judevine Library, Buffalo Mountain as well as depictions of the Memorial Day Parade/Tulip Festival, and celebration of our rich outdoors culture, agriculture and more!” This project has been supported by many community donors as well as Hardwick businesses, in-kind materials donations grants from the “Pleasants Fund of the Greensboro United Church of Christ” and “Spark! Connecting Community, a grant program of the Vermont Community Foundation.” “It’s wonderful to see so much support from the town for this project in many different arenas from monetary donations, time, fundraising efforts, materials and creative participation,” says Lovinsky. There will be a celebration at GRACE’s Old Firehouse Building on Saturday June 29th from 3 -5 pm with Rhubarb Cake and a Champagne Toast. We hope to see you there!
In Tara Goreau’s words:
Panel 1:
The first panel depicts the intertwining of some of the first granite mining industry from settlers in the area of Hardwick with the Abenaki presence, who were the original inhabitants of the area before the majority migrated North to Quebec by the end of the 17th century.* This image depicts the natural beauty of the area in and around Hardwick, mixed in harmony with the first inhabitants, as well as the impact generated by the railroad and mining enterprises. A hiker perched on Nichol’s ledge views this historical landscape, as if contemplating her presence in the balance between economic advancement and environmentalism, themes that Hardwick residents continue to embody.
Panel 2:
The second panel celebrates Hardwick by tying in its people and architecture of the past and present. In front of a longhouse an Abenaki woman reclines next to a pumpkin, while a present-day Vermont girl harvests vegetables. The season is highlighted by the changing foliage in the background. Buildings include the fire station – now home of G.R.A.C.E., Grange Hall and the old Hardwick Academy, and the iconic “Pickle” bus peeks through. Enormous tulips, while off-season, will be a motif in the entire 50-foot mural, as they add vibrancy and remind us of the spring festival and the hopeful growth after winter.
Panel 3:
Panel three is a scene of the Memorial Day Parade in downtown Hardwick, including Veterans, the floats from farmers, the library, and Hogback mountain. This is just a snippet of Hardwick’s vibrancy as an increasingly demographically diverse hub in the NEK.
Panel 4:
The fourth panel shows a scene in the woods of the Hardwick Trail system. A young girl is going on a trail run dressed up as a fairy, as a buck stands in the foreground. The nature in and around Hardwick is something to be celebrated, as is the community supporting its accessibility.
Panel 5:
The fifth panel highlights agriculture, which is a huge part of Hardwick’s economy, as is the harmony between enterprise, ecology, and social responsibility. A woman teaches children about herbs at Perennial Pleasures, as a farm bustles with harvesting, and livestock activity across the road. This mural celebrates migrant farmworkers, who are key to supporting our agricultural economy and farmers.
Full Mural:
Visit the Mill Street Parking Lot to see the full mural
Special Thanks:
Tara Goreau
Gary Michaels
Tony & Toni Colletti
Jim & Mary-Ellen Lovinsky
Mike Lance
Dave Gross
Anonymous Donors
Hardwick Community Artists
Businesses & Grants
FREE Family Art Workshops
Workshops will continue in September 2019
Stay Tuned for Dates and Locations in Hardwick, Morrisville & Stowe!
9:00 – 11:00 am
FREE workshop
Coffee, Drinks and snacks will be provided
at the Old Firehouse in Hardwick across from the post office
Come for all or part of the workshop, no art experience necessary, all ages welcome. We will have lots of art materials to explore including paints, watercolor, markers as well as three-dimensional projects!
All children must be accompanied by an adult
Call or email with any questions! 472-6857 kathryn.graceart@gmail.com
GRACE Collaborates with the Lamoille Housing Partnership and SASH
to offer workshops to residents of Senior Affordable housing in Lamoille County. Read on to learn more about this exciting program:
LAMOILLE HOUSING PARTNERSHIP COLLABORATES WITH GRACE
Art workshops offered to residents at senior affordable housing sites
Jeffersonville, VT | September 10, 2018. Lamoille Housing Partnership (LHP), Grassroots Art and Community Effort (GRACE), and SASH (Support and Services at Home) are collaborating on a project to offer monthly art workshops to residents at several of LHP’s affordable, senior housing sites in Lamoille County.
On a steamy summer morning at Lamoille Housing Partnership’s senior apartments in Jeffersonville, four elderly women gather around a table painting, drawing, and coloring, chatting and laughing amiably. They are participating in a free art workshop organized and offered by GRACE, a Hardwick based non-profit that works with underserved populations such as seniors and adults with disabilities, and focuses on “empowering individuals through transformative art experiences, which lead to creative growth and self-discovery.”
“The goal of this specific project, and all GRACE workshops, is to offer quality art programming to populations in the community that might otherwise not have access to arts,” says GRACE executive director, Kathryn Lovinsky. “By bringing this workshop to LHP’s affordable senior housing sites, we are reaching community members who might be able to leave their apartments to have this experience.”
Fran Recchia, an instructor from GRACE, facilitates the workshop. “Today, we are working with color,” she says. Recchia has brought watercolors, crayons, colored pencils, and paper; participants are also encouraged to bring personal art projects to the workshop. While the women craft, they share stories about their families, reminisce about the past, and admire each other’s creations. The conversation is occasionally interspersed with Recchia’s supportive and gentle instruction, but the workshop is otherwise open ended; this is intentional, and allows the participants to engage their own creative voice. The participants like that the program gives them a reason to get out of their apartments and connect with their neighbors. Another perk? “I like it because I don’t have to drive anywhere.”
Many of GRACE’s workshops take place in participants’ residences, such as nursing homes and senior care centers; Lovinsky explains that because of this, “it seemed natural to partner with LHP and SASH to offer workshops in affordable senior housing.”
“When Kathryn proposed this collaborative project to LHP, we were immediately on board,” says Kerrie Lohr, LHP’s public relations manager.
SASH coordinator Maxine Adams was in support of the project, too. As the resident coordinator for LHP’s senior housing sites, Adams is in tune with the unique needs of and accommodations for elderly populations. “Positive social interaction contributes to the maintenance of physical health and a clear mind,” she explains. “This type of arts programming, which has a prominent social aspect to it, is important to the maintenance of older Vermonters’ independence. Bringing it directly to home locations is crucial since it’s difficult for folks to get out due to individual mobility issues and a lack of convenient transportation.”
Lovinsky hopes that the project’s model is successful enough to not just continue into the future, but also expand – her goal is to replicate the program, and partner with other affordable housing organizations throughout Vermont to offer the program to affordable senior housing sites statewide.
In addition to this project, GRACE offers a number of free workshops open to the public, instructional classes for adults, and is involved in several community improvement projects such as the Community Mural Project.
Grass Roots Art and Community Effort (GRACE) is focused on empowering individuals through transformative art experiences, which lead to creative growth and self-discovery. At the core of GRACE is a commitment to unite diverse communities through the process of art making and exhibitions. The Lamoille Housing Partnership (LHP) develops, rehabilitates and maintains safe, decent, energy efficient affordable housing through rental, home ownership, or other means to low and moderate income persons and families living within Lamoille County and the Town of Hardwick. LHP provides such assistance without discrimination or prejudice using a combination of private and public funding partnerships. Support and Services at Home (SASH,) part of Vermont’s Blueprint for Health, is an innovative, supportive-services model that combines the strengths of social service agencies, community health providers and nonprofit housing organizations to help Vermonters remain living safely and healthily at home. Created by Cathedral Square in 2011 and now operating in more than 100 Vermont communities, SASH supports participating seniors who live in affordable housing, as well as those receiving Medicare and living in communities where SASH is in place. The program is voluntary, with services provided free of charge to those who sign up.
Family Art Workshop
Thursday November 8th & 29th
Thursday December 13th & September 27th
9:00 – 11:00 am
FREE workshop
Coffee, Drinks and snacks will be provided
at the Old Firehouse in Hardwick across from the post office
Come for all or part of the workshop, no art experience necessary, all ages welcome. We will have lots of art materials to explore including paints, watercolor, markers as well as three-dimensional projects!
All children must be accompanied by an adult
Call or email with any questions! 472-6857 kathryn.graceart@gmail.com
Mill Street Mural Project
October 2018
The first of 5 panels to be installed on the Mill Street Parking Lot wall as part of the Mill Street Mural Project, organized and sponsored by Grass Roots Art & Community Effort (GRACE). On Saturday October 6th, the mural artist Tara Goreau and GRACE staff set up a Community Paint Day in the park next to Positive Pie, and invited the community to participate in a “Paint by Numbers” rendition of Tara’s design on three of the 5 mural panels. The result was fun, engaging and fruitful. “This project has been in the works for a couple of years now – we are so excited to see the first panel complete and installed on the wall, and it was so encouraging to have so many community members participate in our community paint day!” says GRACE Executive Director Kathryn Lovinsky. The mural was designed by Tara Goreau to celebrate Hardwick – it’s rich past, present and looking into the future. Lovinsky describes the vision for the mural: “There are elements of history woven through the mural in buildings, the granite and railroad industry as well as Abenaki peoples. There are also recognizable landmarks like the Judevine Library, Buffalo Mountain as well as depictions of the Memorial Day Parade/Tulip Festival, and celebration of our rich outdoors culture, agriculture and more!” This project has been supported by several local private donors as well as Hardwick businesses, in-kind materials donations and a grant of $1,000 from the Pleasants Fund of the Greensboro United Church of Christ. We are also excited to share the award of a grant from Spark! a grant fund of the Vermont Community Foundation. “It’s wonderful to see so much support from the town for this project in many different arenas from monetary donations, time, fundraising efforts, materials and creative participation” says Lovinsky. The first panel will be installed through October, then it will return to Tara’s studio for the winter where the others will be completed and the entire mural rehung in May 2019.
Family Art Workshop
Thursday October 11th, October 25th
Thursday September 13th, September 27th
9:00 – 11:00 am
FREE workshop
Coffee, Drinks and snacks will be provided
at the Old Firehouse in Hardwick across from the post office
Come for all or part of the workshop, no art experience necessary, all ages welcome. We will have lots of art materials to explore including paints, watercolor, markers as well as three-dimensional projects!
All children must be accompanied by an adult
Call or email with any questions! 472-6857 kathryn.graceart@gmail.com
