Posted By Rachel Elizabeth Jones on Wed, Nov 4, 2015 at 10:44 AM

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Courtesy of VAC/Peter Arthur Weyrauch

Sparky and Peggy Potter with Gov. Peter Shumlin

On Monday evening the Vermont Arts Council (VAC), now in its 50th year, hosted the Governor's Arts Awards at Vermont College of Fine Arts in Montpelier. The council bestowed honor and gratitude upon 10 Vermont artists for their ongoing commitment to creativity in our small corner of the country. Graciousness and ferocity were in ample supply at the event, reflecting the tight-knit community responsible for the state's creative legacy.

Waitsfield singer-songwriter Grace Potter was the event's headliner, so to speak, as the 2015 recipient of the Governor's Award for Excellence in the Arts — the state's highest honor in the creative sector. She was the youngest of the year's award recipients by far. Potter, however, was unable to attend the ceremony, due to a last-minute invitation from First Lady Michelle Obama. The singer was on her way to visit American troops with FLOTUS, along with TV late-night host Conan O'Brien. 

Tags: vermont arts council , governor's art awards , peter shumlin , grace potter , chard deniord , jon gailmor , Image , Web Only

Posted By Sadie Williams on Mon, Nov 2, 2015 at 12:32 PM

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Courtesy of Ian Bailey

Throwdown winner Abby Holden of Maglianero Café

While other folks were likely sipping herbal tea, beer or wine last night, some local coffee connoisseurs were whipping up countless caffeinated beverages for the Latte Art Throwdown at Scout & Co.’s Winooski location.

Twenty competitors went head to head in Sunday night’s laid-back competition, which was judged by Ian Bailey of Vivid Coffee (who roasts beans in-house for Scout), chef Owen Hoppe of Scout’s new Innovation Center café, and coffee lover Tim Williams. Most of the spectators were there to compete, but that didn’t stop them from cheering on their rivals in the somewhat farcical face-offs.

Tags: latte art , coffee , Image , Web Only

Posted By Margot Harrison on Mon, Nov 2, 2015 at 9:18 AM

Courtesy of Karen Golden

The Sleepless in Burlington judges: From left: Mark Covino, Eva Sollberger, Colin Trevorrow

Lots of film festivals have "film slams" — competitions in which teams of bleary-eyed students struggle to write, direct and edit a short film in, say, 40 hours. Not so many festivals have film slams judged by the director of the year's biggest Hollywood blockbuster to date.

That happened yesterday at the Vermont International Film Festival. Colin Trevorrow, director of Jurassic World — and a Burlington resident — was one of three judges at the 2015 Sleepless in Burlington competition. The others were A Band Called Death codirector Mark Covino and "Stuck in Vermont" creator Eva Sollberger.

Also notable (because it's unusual at such events): This year, three of the four student teams had female directors.

Tags: film , vermont international film festival , vtiff , film slam , colin trevorrow , mark covino , eva sollberger , sleepless in burlington , burlington college , champlain college , university of vermont , middlebury college , st. joseph's orphanage , Image , Web Only