The Vermont Arts Council this week announced more than $370,000 in grants to improve cultural facilities — including libraries, theaters and town halls — and fund public art projects.
The grants are rolled out on an annual basis as part of a program established by the state legislature. Many of the projects funded will help update facilities — adding heating or cooling, energy efficient upgrades, making or much-needed repairs — and employ Vermont contractors in the process.
“Investing in our state’s cultural infrastructure and incorporating art into the public places where Vermonters gather provides many cultural, social, and economic benefits to a community,” Susan Evans McClure, Vermont Arts Council executive director, said in a press release. “We are proud to support these important projects, which both demonstrate the power of art in humanizing our public places and reaffirm the richness of our cultural heritage.”
Some organizations, like Okemo Valley TV, have received Vermont Arts Council grants in the past to help them reach fundraising goals for projects.
Patrick Cody, Okemo Valley TV’s executive director, says this year’s grant will go towards finalizing renovations to their multimedia facility.
“There’ll be acoustic treatments to make the space more accommodating and functional for our current users, but also provide for the expansion of our services, especially into the non-visual media, radio station and podcasting studios,” Cody said.
The Ludlow-based station will hold training sessions in audio and film in addition to resources available to the public in the updated space.
Investing in our state’s cultural infrastructure and incorporating art into the public places where Vermonters gather provides many cultural, social, and economic benefits to a community.Susan Evans McClure, Vermont Arts Council
Other recipients, like the Barre Opera House, will use the grant money to enhance the facility.
Dan Casey is the programming director of the event space, and says they will be using their grant to install LED architectural lights on the building’s exterior.
“The purpose will be to accentuate the architectural features of the building and create more of a presence for us,” Casey said. “We’ve heard it said many times that we could have a sold out show here, and if you were passing by on Main Street, you wouldn’t know anything was happening.”
Casey said the LED lights will also serve as a safety feature, illuminating the entrance and sidewalk.
“This is a project that’s been in the works for a long time, and the Arts Council grant brings us to the finish line as far as funding goes,” he said.
Some recipients of the public art grants, called the Animating Infrastructure grant, will be purchasing lighting as well.
Montpelier Alive, an organization working to promote downtown commerce and tourism, will use the money to colorfully illuminate the city's bridges.
“We’re really excited to see what kind of attention that this huge bridge illumination could draw for this downtown, and we think it could be really impactful to get the visitation back that we really need at this time, at this precarious time in our downtown,” said Katie Trautz, the organization’s executive director.
We’re really excited to see what kind of attention that this huge bridge illumination could draw for this downtown, and we think it could be really impactful to get the visitation back that we really need at this time, at this precarious time in our downtown.Katie Trautz, Montpelier Alive
Trautz says the grant from Vermont Arts Council has helped them achieve fundraising goals, which will allow them to install this public installation.
“We are so thrilled to have their support, we thought it was a really good fit for this particular grant,” she said. “We are literally animating the infrastructure in our city.”
Trautz says Montpelier Alive is installing the lights at the end of August, but is holding off until November to debut the display when the skies are darker and a dose of colorful illumination will come as a treat.
The grants were awarded to over 20 organizations across the state, including the Bennington Museum, Dorset Players and Braintree Elementary School.
Applications for the next series of grants will open in winter of 2025.
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