Posted By Dan Bolles on Mon, Jun 19, 2017 at 11:54 AM

Tags: Jared Hall , humor , standup , Vermont comedy , Image , Web Only

Posted By Dan Bolles on Thu, Jun 15, 2017 at 6:50 PM

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Dan Bolles

Utah' Phillips' flanger car

North Ferrisburgh residents might hear a folky ruckus emanating from Covered Bridge Road this Saturday, June 17, the likes of which hasn't been heard ’round those parts in many a year.

That's because an all-star collection of folk musicians of both local and national renown are gathering on the former site of Philo Records. They'll be paying tribute to one of the most famous songwriters — and certainly the most famous hobo — ever to (occasionally) call Vermont home: Utah Phillips.

Tags: Rik Palieri , Utah Phillips , Philo Records , Pete Sutherland , Young Traditions Vermont , Paul Asbell , Jon Gailmor , Bread and Bones , Image , Web Only , Video

Posted By Sadie Williams on Thu, Jun 15, 2017 at 5:18 PM

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Courtesy of Burlington City Arts

Miro Weinberger participates in the Festival of Fools, an annual affair staged by Burlington City Arts.

The National Endowment for the Arts announced its spring grants on June 14. Because, despite concerns, the organization continues to function. And while President Trump has made his feelings for the NEA clear, the 2017 budget he signed on May 5 actually included a 2 million dollar increase for the arts. Vermonters are set to benefit from the moolah flowing out of Washington, D.C., to a variety of programs.

Tags: National Endowment for the Arts , Vermont Arts Council , Burlington City Arts , Vermont Folklife Center , Burlington Discover Jazz Festival , New England Center for Circus Arts , New Music on the Point , The Flynn Center for the Performing Arts , Next Stage Arts , grants , arts funding , Image , Web Only

Posted By Kymelya Sari on Tue, Jun 13, 2017 at 2:52 PM

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Kymelya Sari

Parent University students with Mayor Miro Weinberger at the City Hall

Parent University students had a special tour of  Burlington City Hall yesterday, where they met Mayor Miro Weinberger and representatives from city departments.  The trip followed a workshop on local government that Phet Keomanyvanh, from the Community and Economic Development Office (CEDO), had conducted in April for the students.

Tags: Parent University , Community and Economic Development Office , Parks and Recreation , CEDO Parallel Justice , Fletcher Free Library , Burlington Electric Department , Burlington Telecom , Phet Keomanyvanh , Ali Dieng , Miro Weinberger , Bisharo Kassim , Image , Web Only

Posted By Sadie Williams on Tue, Jun 13, 2017 at 1:12 PM

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Sadie Williams

Alex Cook in front of his Cherry St. mural.

Boston-based artist Alex Cook paints murals with a mission. His "You Are Loved" mural series, which began in New Orleans in 1997, aims to spread a message of positivity and acceptance through simple declarations of appreciation. He's painted over 120 murals bearing that slogan — among others — from Sacramento, Calif. to Natick, Mass. This weekend, Burlington was added to that list, thanks to Cook's new mural on Cherry Street.

Tags: Alex Cook , U.S. Attorney's Office , Cherry Street , Church Street , Church Street Marketplace , mural , Image , Web Only

Posted By Sadie Williams on Mon, Jun 12, 2017 at 1:30 PM

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Courtesy of Andy Gordon

Meredith Gordon

This weekend, Off Center for the Dramatic Arts in Burlington's Old North End wrapped its newly minted Spring Open Artist Showcase series. The democratic event included four new performances — two each weekend — selected by lottery.

The first weekend, Vermont Playwright's Circle performed five 10-minute plays. Those were followed by Joe O'Brien's "The Birth of Love: The Ballad of Miro Weinberger," performed by the Cosmic Noodle Improv Federation.

This past weekend, audiences were treated to two more theatrical debuts. "The Allegory of Flowing Water," written and directed by Martin Gil, and "Outpost," a one-woman show written and performed by Meredith Gordon.

Tags: Off Center for the Dramatic Arts , Burlington , Meredith Gordon , Julian Hackney , Martin Gil , Andy Sebranek , Kate Magill , Image , Video , Web Only

Posted By Dan Bolles on Mon, Jun 12, 2017 at 12:25 PM

Tags: Tony Bates , humor , standup , Vermont comedy , Image , Web Only

Posted By Sadie Williams on Sun, Jun 11, 2017 at 2:22 PM

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Sam duPont is the bright mind behind the carefully curated racks of Project Object Vintage, an apparel and accessory boutique that sells through Etsy, Instagram and frequent pop-up events and studio sales.

With a discerning eye, the Burlington-based entrepreneur has put together a collection of vintage clothing, shoes and accessories for a variety of body types and tastes. She gravitates toward natural fibers — think flax, linen, silk and cotton — but isn't opposed to the occasional synthetic fabric if the garment's cut is flattering.

But fashion isn't duPont's full-time game: The 34-year-old splits her time between farming and Project Object. She started the latter four years ago in November while living on Mount Desert Island in Maine. Like many seasonal workers, duPont was anticipating a long winter without a job.

Tags: Sam duPonte , Project Object Vintage , Brickwork Art Studios , Molly Conant , Rackk & Ruin , secondhand clothing , Image , Web Only

Posted By Sadie Williams on Sat, Jun 10, 2017 at 3:07 PM

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Courtesy of Burlington City Arts

Recently, Burlington City Arts posted a curious request for qualification on its website titled "Saffron Fabric Design and Installation."  The project aims to find an artist, or group of artists, to create an outdoor fabric installation using 18,500 square feet of silk-like synthetic fabric for the annual "Of Land and Local" exhibit. The result will be installed in Burlington's City Hall Park and on the grounds of Shelburne Farms.

BCA has mounted installations in City Hall Park before, but this is "an unusual project," said assistant director Sara Katz. "It isn't necessarily a City Hall Park-specific project — it's about connecting two places. We haven't had one that feels quite this temporal," she noted.

Donor Martha Perkins has made the project possible. The octogenarian Charlotte resident discovered the fabric almost a year ago while volunteering at the Green Mountain Habitat for Humanity 

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Courtesy of Martha Perkins

Martha Perkins

ReStore in Williston.

"They were tablecloths," Perkins explained. "They are different sizes, but huge. I think Vermont Tent Company gave them to ReStore."

Perkins said she fell in love with the fabric as soon as she saw it but didn't know what to do with it. "Then one morning I woke up and said, 'Christo!'"

She was referring to Bulgarian artist Christo, who, with his French wife Jeanne-Claude, designed numerous highly ambitious installations around the world. (Jeanne- Claude died in 2009.) One of their projects consisted of 7,503 panels of saffron-colored fabric placed at intervals over 23 miles of paths New York City's Central Park. After decades of planning, the installation, titled "The Gates," went up on February 12, 2005, and remained on view for 16 days.

Perkins knew the fabric she found could be used for a large art project — if not quite as complex. To get the wheels turning in Burlington, she said, "I took a package of fabric, wrapped it up in a nice white box and left it at the mayor's office. And that got it started."

A mountain of textiles isn't Perkins' only gift to Burlington City Arts. She's also undertaken a fundraising effort with a goal of $20,000. Up to $15,000 of that will be given to the selected artist or artists to pay for time, materials and installation costs. Perkins has already raised $5,000.

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Courtesy of Burlington City Arts

BCA is accepting portfolios until June 19. These will be reviewed by a panel consisting of artists, community members, BCA curators and Shelburne Farms staff. Katz said those panel members have not yet been selected.

The finalists will be announced on June 26, and their project proposals will be due on July 24. A winner will be chosen on July 31, after which the artist or team will have almost two months to complete the project. It will be installed September 18 to 22.

"Of Land and Local" will open at Shelburne Farms on October 5 and in Burlington on October 20.

Tags: Burlington City Arts , Of Land and Local , Martha Perkins , Sara Katz , Shelburne Farms , art installations , Image , Web Only

Posted By Sadie Williams on Fri, Jun 9, 2017 at 5:48 PM

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Sadie Williams

Lucy Leith and BINA48

This week, a special guest showed up to lead Generator's Stitch and Bitch session, which is organized and led by designer Lucy Leith. BINA48 is a "sentient robot," whose name stands for "Breakthrough Intelligence via Neural Architecture." While Bina doesn't have hands — right now all she has are a head and shoulders —  she can chat up a storm.

For the first hour of the Stitch and Bitch, her handler, Bruce Duncan, assisted the attendees in asking her questions about life, politics and her own "humanity." The results were more than a bit amusing — and sometimes frightening.

Tags: BINA48 , Bina Rothblatt , Martine Rothblatt , Bruce Duncan , Lucy Leith , Generator , Image , Web Only , Video