FLOWER STOP was made possible by an animating infrastructure grant, awarded to Vergennes Partnership from the Vermont Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts. Submitted in early 2023, sculpture artist Kat Clear’s proposal was of particular interest to us as her plans were to collaborate with the advanced welding students from Northland Job Corp, a federally funded training center for young adults, located in Vergennes. Once chosen, the Public Art committee met with the artist to further explore scale, feasibility and challenges in the making, installation and the upkeep. Next up, a meeting was arranged between Clear and Anthony Severo, Career Services Manager and welding instructor and Job Corp grad, Kelley Kloner. Installed in downtown Vergennes at the Tri-Valley Transit bus shelter in June 2024, the sculpture features native Vermont flowers for all to enjoy in a grandiose scale.
VERGENNES FALLS in ACRYLIC
Spearheaded by Vergennes Partnership, the painting is a creative collaboration between the Vergennes Public Art Committee and a group of local students at Handiwork Studio. Over several weeks, young artists (spanning grades K-11, in both homeschool and after-school art groups) worked together under the guidance of their teacher and studio owner, Julie Cousino. Using a photograph of Vergennes Falls as their inspiration, the students projected the image onto a large canvas, tracing its basic shapes. They then created a striking yellow underpainting to establish value before adding layers of color and detail with acrylic paints. Blues of the sky to life by the youngest artists while older students carefully developed the falls and surrounding elements, weaving their skills together into a wondrous depiction of this iconic landmark.
The 4x4ft painting on canvas will be on display at Rockers through Saturday, December 14, then on exhibit at the Bixby Memorial Free Library through February in the children's room. Vergennes Falls in Acrylic will then find its permanent home at the conference room inside Vergennes City Hall.
Public art is a component of a vibrant, livable community. Investment in public art benefits our economy, culture, and community. Public art can be temporary or permanent, visual or performance-oriented, require significant financial resources or repurpose materials at no cost. A public art master plan developed and funded by the Department of Housing and Community Development 2022 Municipal Planning Grant. Public art committee members include: Doug Mack, Adam Ginsberg, Dawn Wagner and Julie Basol.