Three Contemporary Artist Couples
When art is the family business, it raises some interesting questions. Does competition enter into the relationship? Or does the financial success of one mean more money to buy both of them more time to make art? And most of all, how does it affect their relationship? To find out, we talked to three successful art couples: Sara Gay and Alan Klebanoff, Manchester; Elise and Payne Junker, Chester and Josh and Marta Bernbaum, West Brattleboro.
by Katherine P. Cox
Sara Gay and Alan Klebanoff
 “I’m always over the top. I’m always told ‘you don’t blend,’” said Sara Gay. She’s right. Between her talkative, outgoing personality and her chic appearance, she attracts attention. But what really turns heads is her jewelry—big necklaces, bracelets and earrings—that, like her, are over the top and make a bold statement.
|
|
Read more...
|
Jazz and Vermont
By Steve Noble
 They go together like maple syrup and New Mexico, right? Turns out, they fit together better than you think, and while Vermont will never be confused with Birdland, it is fertile ground for a lively and thriving jazz scene. You just have to know where to look.
In southeastern Vermont, the jazz trail leads to the Cotton Mill building in Brattleboro, an old factory space, whose 145,000 square feet house studios and work spaces for artists, artisans, food purveyors and other creative small businesses. It is there, meandering up stairs and through hallways, that you’ll find the Vermont Jazz Center, a 36-year-old institution dedicated to teaching jazz and presenting high-caliber concerts.
|
|
Read more...
|
A roundup of Southern Vermont Jazz destinations
 The Vermont Jazz Center is not the only source in the Green Mountain State for fans of the genre which the drummer Art Blakey said “washes away the dust of everyday life.” One of the important new jazz hubs in Vermont was founded two years ago and is located in the same building as the Vermont Jazz Center, the Cotton Mill in Brattleboro. With an emphasis on education and training, the Open Music Collective offers classes, workshops, faculty and student concerts and a monthly jazz jam on the second Sunday of every month. It also offers a week-long summer intensive jazz camp. Though the OMC reaches into other genres, it is rooted in the history and practice of jazz. Artistic Director Jamie MacDonald is a noted bassist and teacher in the tri-state area and had a 10-year connection with VJC as teacher and performer. He continues to play jazz with many people in the region, including the intriguingly named Jazz Demolition Project and teaches the Jazz Workshop at Brattleboro Union High School. Visit www.openmusiccollective.org.
Illustration: Linda Marcille, Jazz Band, painting on silk, http://www.crowhousestudio.com
|
|
Read more...
|
Jud Hartmann, sculptor
“Burn like the sun and have the power of storms”
by Joyce Marcel
 When the explorer Giovanni da Verrazzano reached the new world in 1524, he wrote to the King of France about the Indians he met:
“These people are the most beautiful and have the most civil customs that we have found on this voyage. They are taller than we are; they are a bronze color, some tending more toward whiteness, others to a tawny color; the face is clear-cut; the hair is long and black, and they take great pains to decorate it; the eyes are black and alert, and their manner is sweet and gentle, very much like the manner of the ancients…. Their women are just as shapely and beautiful; very gracious, of attractive manner and pleasant appearance…”
|
|
Read more...
|
|
Vermont’s Woodworkers Are Creating the Antiques of Tomorrow
by Greg Worden
 “A quarter of a million dollars! That’s unbelievable! The table has been in the family for generations, but I never would have guessed that it would be worth so much!”
Just another day in the saga of Antiques Roadshow, you say. But, in our current world throw-away consumerism, will there be any furniture that will endure and become an antique of tomorrow?
The 30 skilled members of the Guild of Vermont Furniture Makers are working to make sure that happens. And, although you won’t often find their work outside their studios except in their customers’ homes and offices, you have a chance to see some of their finest work at Vermont Artisan Designs in downtown Brattleboro through September 22.
|
|
Read more...
|
12 Tips for Buying Hardwood Furniture
by Brent Karner
 Brent Karner is a master woodworker and founder of ClearLake Furniture in Ludlow, Vermont. He is a graduate of the prestigious North Bennet Street School in Boston, Massachusetts, where he fine tuned his craft.
1. Wood finish
A smooth, lasting finish requires time. Ask about the finishing process. What product was used? Is it harmful to the environment? Is the finish water-resistant? Will it withstand spills like coffee, acidic citrus juices, and red wine? What will you need to do to keep the piece looking beautiful?
|
|
Read more...
|
Readsboro
A Little Town with Big Dreams
by Arlene Distler
 Located along the Deerfield River whose waters once powered factories making cardboard boxes and furniture, and tucked into the foothills of the Green Mountains, Readsboro still has the appearance of a mill town. Back in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries Readsboro was industrious and prospering. A postcard of the early 1900’s, captioned “Readsboro, Vt. In The Future” shows the downtown with a subway station and derrigibles flying overhead!
|
|
Read more...
|
|
|
With more than 26 artists and craftspeople spread out over a 12-mile radius, The 33rd Annual Putney Craft Tour held during the Thanksgiving weekend is worth making a weekend out of it, suggests Ken Pick, who creates evocative functional and sculptural pottery and is one of the original members of the group that gathered to organize the first tour. Make it an experience, he said. “Experience the rural environment, meander the back roads, and take the tour in a leisurely fashion. You can’t do it all in one day. Spend at least a couple of days and enjoy the rich community of artists.”