'A People's History'

In her artist bio, Vanessa Compton writes that she prefers open, rural spaces “where landscapes are vast and people are few.” Growing up in the Northeast Kingdom, she participated in theater, music and art communities, then pursued her interests abroad: studying world-music instruments in Senegal and Ghana. Back home in Greensboro, she has curated the seasonal Miller’s Thumb gallery for nine years. Earlier this year, Compton attended a six-week artist residency in the Navajo Nation, living in a hogan and making her signature painted collages. This month, she’s in residence at the Vermont Studio Center in Johnson. Compton’s current exhibit at the Barre Opera House features 23 collage works that illustrate her deep engagement with political and social justice and what she calls her “semi-nomadic” life.