Posted By Kymelya Sari on Mon, Aug 28, 2017 at 11:06 AM

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Kymelya Sari

Clockwise from far left: Heritier Badibanga, Rida Kori, Olivier Enwa, Joy Garelnabi, Abdillah Hassan, Ramzi Kori

Burlington youths will now have a space that they can call their own right in the heart of the Old North End.

Burlington Parks, Recreation and Waterfront Department and the Association of Africans Living in Vermont on Sunday hosted a kickoff event for the O.N.E Youth Center, which is located on the second floor of the Old North End Community Center, the former St. Joseph School, on 20 Allen Street.

Tags: O.N.E Youth Center , Old North End Community Center , Burlington Parks , Recreation and Waterfront Department , Association of Africans Living in Vermont , Connecting Cultures , Rights and Democracy , Champlain Housing Trust , Mellisa Cain , Jacob Bogre , Sara Moore , Nate Lague , Rida Kori , Ramzi Kori , Amerle Nemeye , Chris Donnelly , Image , Web Only

Posted By Sally Pollak on Fri, Jul 28, 2017 at 12:28 PM

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Sally Pollak

Rick Norcross at his tractor-trailer of Chew Chew Festival gear

If you participated in a lard fight in Burlington's City Hall Park in June of 1988, there's a T-shirt commemorating the event that you may want to snag. Despite the passage of time, you'd likely remember if you had flung fat in this particular food fight: It was a special event at the Chew Chew Festival that involved taking 10 paces, turning around, and lobbing a load of lard at your opponent.

The shirt — and other relics from the erstwhile Chew Chew — will be for sale Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon at a puddle-pocked trailer lot off Pine Street. The food festival was founded in 1984 by musician Rick Norcross, who is selling its memorabilia and gear.

Tags: Burlington , Chew Chew Festival , Pine Street , Image , Web Only

Posted By Sadie Williams on Thu, Jul 27, 2017 at 6:26 PM

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The Ramble

Ramblers on North Street

It's that time of year again — spring has sprung to summer, and summer's almost gone (sorry), and the creative denizens of Burlington's Old North End are gearing up for yet another Ramble.

For those unfamiliar with the fest, it is as it sounds: On Saturday, July 29, attendees will ramble and rove throughout the funky neighborhood, stopping at yard sales, checking out musical performances, playing lawn games and more. This year's Ramble is themed "Under the Sea."

Tags: The Ramble , The Old North End , O.N.E. , Darshana Bolt , Jeannie Waltz , Decaturfest , Decatur Street , Light Club Lamp Shop , the Radio Bean , Lee Anderson , Serenity Bolt , Burlington , Image , Web Only

Posted By Rachel Elizabeth Jones on Tue, May 23, 2017 at 2:08 PM

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Courtesy of Frog Hollow Vermont State Craft Center

Wendy James and John Brickels

In 1986, sculptor John Brickels was juried into Frog Hollow Vermont State Craft Center. His wife, artist and Essex High School art teacher Wendy James, began to show her work at the gallery in 2011. Now, after decades of working within and supporting the Vermont arts community, the couple have announced they will be moving to Massachusetts in June, following James' retirement from her teaching career.

To bid the pair bon voyage and honor their contributions to the state,  Frog Hollow will mount the exhibition "Here to There," opening Thursday, June 1, with a reception from 5 to 8 p.m. The show will include an array of works spanning the artists' careers, including Brickels' celebrated architectural clay sculpture and later steampunk-themed pieces, and a selection of James' paintings and photomontages.

Tags: wendy james , john brickels , frog hollow vermont state craft center , burlington , Image , Web Only

Posted By Sadie Williams on Sun, May 7, 2017 at 6:30 AM

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Pamela Polston

The entrance to S.P.A.C.E. Gallery in the Soda Plant

Last week, Seven Days learned that the owner of Brickwork Art Studios evicted its tenant artists at 266 South Champlain Street in Burlington's South End Arts District.  This week, more movement is afoot with studio spaces: Backspace Gallery, a part of S.P.A.C.E. Gallery in the Soda Plant, is going to be reclaimed by property owner Steve Conant beginning June 5, according to studio manager Christy Mitchell. Backspace houses six artists as well as a gallery and event space. Conant is the founder of Conant Metal & Light, a fabrication shop also located in the building.

Tags: art , Soda Plant , Conant Metal & Light , Christy Mitchell , Steve Conant , S.P.A.C.E. Gallery , Backspace Gallery , Image , Web Only

Posted By Sadie Williams on Fri, Apr 28, 2017 at 5:02 PM

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Pamela Polston

Brickwork Art Studios in Burlington's South End

On Thursday, April 28, the tenants of 266 South Champlain Street, otherwise known as Brickwork Art Studios, received letters in the mail stating that they have 60 days to vacate the premises.  The current owner of the building is Overlake Park LLC, a company co-owned by Jesse Jacobs of Montpelier Property Management. The letter was signed by  attorney David Bookchin, and Jacobs was copied on it.

Jacobs is the son of longtime Montpelier landlord Jeff Jacobs, and is responsible for securing tenants in long-vacant Montpelier properties. He bought the Burlington building as a part of a larger portfolio of neighboring properties in December 2016. Those include 257-277 Pine Street and 266 South Champlain Street.

Tags: art studios , Burlington artists , south end arts district , real estate , Image , Web Only

Posted By Rachel Elizabeth Jones on Tue, Apr 11, 2017 at 5:16 PM

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Courtesy of Burlington City Arts

Kerri Macon

After seven years with Burlington City Arts, Kerri Macon has left her position as the organization's director of art sales and curator of the Vermont Metro Gallery. Macon joined the organization in 2010, after having worked as the Fleming Museum's business manager and as an independent arts consultant. Macon plans to dedicate herself to completing an autobiographical book about her family history, and to continue to work independently in artist development.

"I’ve spent the last seven years really supporting other people’s creative visions," Macon told Seven Days by phone, "and I sort of wanted to turn the tables a little bit and be on the other side. I was sort of at the end of my run at BCA in terms of where I could grow and the types of ideas I could explore."

Tags: kerry macon , burlington city arts , curator , Image , Web Only

Posted By Sasha Goldstein on Fri, Mar 31, 2017 at 7:00 AM

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Sasha Goldstein

Bryant Chase and his "African eland," right

Bryant Chase gazed at his latest creation and chuckled. “This one reminds me of an African eland,” he said, pointing toward a rock formation he’d erected just south of Perkins Pier on the Burlington bike path.

All winter long, Chase has made similar artwork out of rocks and driftwood along the waterfront. Some mornings, he returns to find his towers still standing. Other times, they’ve been knocked over — by the weather or, more often than not, by some unknown troublemaker.

“As long as it makes people happy, I don’t care if the kids knock it down every night,” said Chase, 65. “I’ll just come back in the morning and keep redoing it.”

Tags: Bryant Chase , Burlington waterfront , sculpture , cairns , Image , Slideshow , Web Only

Posted By Kymelya Sari on Thu, Mar 16, 2017 at 7:00 AM

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Three women who advocate for victims of sexual violence, higher education for girls and low-income families will be honored on Saturday, March 18, during an International Women’s Day celebration at the King Street Center in Burlington.

This year’s honorees are Armina Medic, victim’s advocate at the Chittenden Unit Special Investigations; Aftaba Mezetovic, instructional assistant at the Winooski School District; and Wanda Hines, director of Joint Urban Ministry Project.

The trio was nominated by a group of seven women from the Caroline Fund, the Laura Kate Winterbottom Memorial Fund and the Zonta Club of Burlington. All three nonprofits work toward female empowerment and the eradication of violence against women.

Tags: International Women’s Day , Armina Medic , Aftaba Mezetovic , Wanda Hines , Caroline Fund , Laura Kate Winterbottom Memorial Fund , Zonta Club of Burlington , Muslim Girls Making Change , Young Writers Project , Image , Web Only

Posted By Rachel Elizabeth Jones on Sun, Jan 15, 2017 at 4:09 PM

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Rachel Jones

Lindsay London

Saturday afternoon in Burlington, Winooski resident Lindsay London shouted through a megaphone at the top of Church Street: "'Hysteria' comes from the Latin word for 'wandering uterus'!"

London was met with cheers, jeers, moans and wails from a group of approximately 20 people, assembled for a "Public Panic Attack" in response to the impending inauguration of president-elect Donald Trump. "Because sometimes the only reasonable response is to PANIC!!!!!!" declared the group's Facebook event.

Tags: art , activism , burlington , Image , Web Only