In & About Town

“Tucked into the southwest corner of Vermont, Bennington offers an exceptional college experience for those who want a small- town atmosphere. The downtown is walkable, and there is a vibrant arts and culture scene. There are green spaces for hiking, biking, swimming and skiing. The Green Mountain and Finger Lakes National Forests are nearby as well. Like its community namesake, Bennington College is small and unique. The school has a strong focus on the arts but also requires all students to complete an internship to ensure they have real-world work experience prior to graduation. Bennington ranks 12th for entertainment and very highly for the percentage of adults older than age 25 who have a bachelor’s degree. The city also ranks in the top 10 percent for its median rent as compared to the median income in the area. That means it offers an affordable option for those who want to live in New England but are hoping to avoid sky-high rents.” – Schools.com

Image of Campus
The 25 Best College Towns in America

#15 Bennington

Read more.

Image of MASS MoCA
The Art Scene

Bennington’s cultural collaborations create a hotbed for arts in the community. By Heather DiLeo.

Read more.

Sheela Harden '69 at Bennington Potters
T(OWN): Alumni Entrepreneurship in Bennington

Alumni making a life and running a business in and around Bennington. By Heather DiLeo.

Read more.

The Come Back Block
The Come Back Block

The collaborative approach to revitalizing Bennington’s downtown. By Heather DiLeo.

Read more.

Image of Downtown Bennington
Downtown Assignments

Inspired classes and assignments that take the town as a class and the class into town.

Read more.

Understanding PFOA in Our Water class
Understanding PFOA in Our Water

When residents in nearby Hoosick Falls, NY and North Bennington, VT discovered their wells and water contaminated, the College stepped in to study, train, and educate students and citizens.

Read more.

Image of Mariko Silver and Ben Hall '04
A Conversation with Ben Hall '04

Making a Difference in Detroit: Entrepreneurship, Activism, and Art with Ben Hall '04

Aerial Image of Campus
The Economic Impact

A brief look at the College’s economic and cultural impact on the Bennington region.

Read more.

Ganas
Ganas: Immigration & Bennington

A student-led community partnership that weaves advocacy, activism, academics, and community partnership to make a safer, less isolated environment for Vermont’s 3,000 undocumented migrant workers.

Read more.

Awards & Honors
Awards & Honors

Read more.

Image of Robert Frost House
And Miles to Go Before I Sleep

The Friends of Robert Frost has generously gifted The Robert Frost Stone House Museum to Bennington College.

Read more.

Image of Crossett Library
Alumni Online Course

Bennington: Real and Imagined – The Libraries

Read more.

Image of Mariko Silver
From The President

The campus connection.

Read more.

Recent Releases
Recent Releases

Recently released alumni work.

Read more.

Image of Swell by Jill Eisenstadt ’85
Jill Eisenstadt ’85 (Lee Boudreaux Books, June 2017)
Image of Stand Up and Sing!: Pete Seeger, Folk Music, and the Path to Justice by Susanna Reich ’75
Susanna Reich ’75 (Bloomsbury USA Children’s Books, March 2017)
Image of Blue Money by Janet Capron ’69
Janet Capron ’69 (The Unnamed Press, June 2017)
Image of How Do I Explain This to My Kids:  Parenting in the Age of Trump, Introduction by Dr. Ava Heyman Siegler ’59
Introduction by Dr. Ava Heyman Siegler ’59 (The New Press, July 2017)
Image of I’m the One Who Got Away by Andrea Jarrell MFA ’01
Andrea Jarrell MFA ’01 ( She Writes Press, September 2017)
Image of Making the Mark by Mirka Prazak, faculty member
Mirka Prazak, faculty member (Ohio University Press, August 2016)
Image of The Assassination of Fred Hampton by Jeffrey Haas MFA ’07
Jeffrey Haas MFA ’07 (Chicago Review Press, November 2009)
Image of Dietland by Sarai Walker MFA ’03
Sarai Walker MFA ’03 (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, May 2015)
“Rockaway Beach is granted the sort of soulful reflection that knocks you flat…” New York Times Book Review
“The ‘We Shall Overcome’ songwriter’s legacy spans decades, and this will surely help a new generation understand his fervor and still-relevant message.”
Booklist
“A bracing personal narrative set against the backdrop of a simpler New York.” The National Book Review
“An overriding debate in this collection is over how forthright to be with children about the president’s proclivities and prejudices.” The Washington Post
“...one of the most buzzed-about books of fall... [a] brave and vulnerable memoir—the author’s first—that touches on themes of family, love and survival.”
Today Show
“Making the Mark provides a richly detailed grass-roots perspective of the procedure (and of male circumcision) among the Kuria people in southern Kenya.” The Washington Post
The Assassination of Fred Hampton by Jeffrey Haas MFA ’07 is being developed into a movie directed by Antoine Fuqua (Training Day, The Equalizer, The Magnificent Seven).
AMC has greenlit 10 episodes of Dietland—adapted from the 2015 novel by Sarai Walker MFA ’03—to be written and produced by Marti Noxon (Mad Men, UnREAL, Buffy the Vampire Slayer).