Local Impact, Institutional News

Artistic Community in the Shires of Vermont

President Mariko Silver and faculty members Anne Thompson, director and curator of the Usdan Gallery; Megan Mayhew Bergman, director of special programming and the Robert Frost Stone House Museum; and Dina Janis, artistic director of the Dorset Theatre Festival; spoke with the Bennington Area Chamber of Commerce about the region's arts landscape.

Shires of Vermont

From "Creating Community: The Artistic Legacy, and Future, of the Shires of Vermont":

Acclaimed artists have long sought inspiration in the natural beauty and bucolic communities of Bennington county, and the region’s growing creative landscape is poised to play a pronounced role in shaping the economy, identity, and community of the Shires.

“We’re really in a hub of creative activity,” observed Bennington College President Dr. Mariko Silver, an accomplished academic who has worked to continue the College’s legacy as a leader in the arts. “You can’t underestimate the extraordinary natural beauty found here, and the opportunity to engage with multifaceted creative communities.”

Read the full article on Bennington.com.

The arts have the ability to communicate challenging issues or subjects in a way that other mediums can’t. They afford the opportunity for deeper conversations as a community.

Anne Thompson, Director and Curator of Usdan Gallery