Posted By Sadie Williams on Sat, Jan 7, 2017 at 10:00 AM

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James Kochalka

Prolific comic artist James Kochalka was recently featured on the year-old Vermont PBS mini-series InnoVaTe, a show hosted by former reddit employee Victoria Taylor that highlights local innovators.

Kochalka is known for his adorable, emotive comics such as American Elf and Johnny Boo — and for being Vermont's first comic laureate. (His successor, Edward Koren, now holds that title.) He's also the front man for band James Kochalka Superstar, with fans around the world.

Generally, Taylor's episodes — which run about 10 minutes long — focus on tech-centric businesses such as Marguerite Dibble's Game Theory or Richmond-based robotics company Greensea Systems. For his segment, however, Kochalka focused less on the tools usually associated with innovation and more on its source.

Tags: Comic artist , James Kochalka , Vermont PBS , Victoria Taylor , Image , Video , Web Only

Posted By Rachel Elizabeth Jones on Fri, Jan 6, 2017 at 2:26 PM

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Courtesy of Bill McDowell

"Mr. Tronson, farmer near Wheelock, North Dakota, 1937," detail

In April 2016, photographer and University of Vermont professor Bill McDowell released the artist book Ground: A Reprise of Photographs From the Farm Security Administration. As the year came to a close, the book was one of 11 included among the Mother Jones round-up of the best photography books.

Tags: bill mcdowell , photography , farm security administration , Image , Web Only

Posted By Rachel Elizabeth Jones on Thu, Jan 5, 2017 at 6:57 PM

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Jeb Wallace-Brodeur

Artist August Burns speaks at the unveiling of Peter Shumlin's official portrait.

Many, many paintings go unnoticed, but some are marked to hang on institutional walls — or at least be protected in institutional archives — for all of foreseeable eternity. After delivering his farewell address yesterday, outgoing Democratic governor Peter Shumlin unveiled his new forever-in-history portrait amid Statehouse clamor. The painting by Middlesex classical realist August Burns depicts a pensive Shumlin, arms crossed and eyes down, against a deep, dark, layered background.

Some — including Statehouse curator David Schutz — quickly drew parallels between Burns' 28-by-40-inch oil and the official presidential portrait of John F. Kennedy. Aaron Shikler painted the latter in 1969, years after Kennedy's assassination.

Tags: peter shumlin , katie hunt , august burns , vermont , portraits , Image , Web Only

Posted By Dan Bolles on Wed, Jan 4, 2017 at 11:46 AM

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Courtesy of Kendall Farrell

Kendall Farrell

With the formal swearing at, er, in of President-elect Donald J. Trump a mere two weeks away, millions across the country and globe are nervously wondering, What the eff do we do now? Also, Do I know any single Canadian citizens?

The uneasiness surrounding the impending inauguration crosses demographic boundaries. No one, even those who voted for him, can say with certainty what will happen next or how it will affect them. (Though the prevailing sentiment seems to be this: Fuuuuck.) That uncertainty is doubly potent for those whose job it is to observe and comment on the current political landscape. No, not journalists or pundits. We mean people with a far more important role: comedians.

Comedy has long been a source of light in the darkness. But is anything really funny about such an unfunny time? Find out tonight, Wednesday, January 4, when a new political comedy series called United We Stand Up debuts at the Vermont Comedy Club in Burlington.

Tags: standup comedy , politics , Annie Russell , Kendall Farrell , David Zuckerman , Image , Web Only

Posted By Amelia Devoid on Mon, Jan 2, 2017 at 1:25 PM

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Amelia Devoid

The mind is a time machine, y'all! I'm about to wax poetic about the local tunes that I fell in love with this past year.  We have some real boundary pushers hiding out here and the quest for the perfect tune led me to some exciting auditory zones. This year made me really stoked on what's possible to accomplish as a D.I.Y. musician in the modern age. In no particular order or hierarchy, here are some of my favorite musical memories of 2016.

Tags: Bleach Day , Apartment 3 , Ruth Garbus , Zammuto , Ivamae , Henry Jamison , the Lentils , Loupo , Burlington , Brattleboro , Playtime , Image , Web Only