Shanta Lee
Shanta Lee is a multidisciplinary artist working in the mediums of writing and photography with a range of published work and books including GHETTOCLAUSTROPHOBIA: Dreamin of Mama While Trying to Speak in Woke Tongues (Diode Editions, 2020) and author of a forthcoming collection, Black Metamorphoses (Etruscan Press, 2023).
Her work over the years in Vermont has included a range of collaborations with the Vermont Arts Council and her work within the humanities as a member of the Vermont Humanities Council.
Across her art practice and various career paths, Shanta Lee has had a deep passion for seeing the in-between from the people, places, and things that are out loud to what we don’t always notice within a landscape or our daily human experiences. Shanta Lee is bringing this love and passion for the deep dive as a writer and artist to the studios of Vermont Public. When she is not working on a latest piece for Vermont Public, Shanta Lee is a sucker for adventure which ranges from exploring abandoned places, being the friendly wedding crasher (kidding-not-kidding), playing in the woods, impromptu road trips and doing deep dives with her art.
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'Seeing' series: A pair of Vermont brothers, two drag show competitors and how to collaborate on artIn the final installment of her series "Seeing…the Unseen and In-Between within Vermont's Landscape," Shanta Lee introduces us to visual artists and brothers Jude Desmont and Julio Desmont of Burlington, and drag artists Justin Marsh and Taylor Small. Both creative pairs explain how they've learned to work together. -
For many of us, our introduction to puppets started — and probably ended — with Sesame Street. But Vermont has a rich tradition of puppetry made for both children and adults.Vermont Public’s Shanta Lee has been considering the puppeteers behind the puppets and the unique impact that this artform can have on both creators and audiences. -
Kaylynn Sullivan TwoTrees lives in Hinesburg. She’s 77, and has lived a life at the crossroads of the identities, cultures and worldviews — she has Native, African and European ancestors.TwoTrees works across mediums, including multi-sensory installations with sound, smell and visuals. -
This story is about a tree and what happens when it no longer exists. But also, so much more. -
VPR’s Shanta Lee Gander sat down with leaders from three Vermont museums to discuss how, as institutions, they navigate their legacies. What is their responsibility to their communities, and potential viewers? -
As we think about longevity in creating art, who becomes responsible for preservation? Is it the artist, or those who dwell within the artist’s community? -
John Cleaveland is a landscape artist who paints in, and regularly visits, the Enosburg Falls area. His work is hanging in the Quincy Hotel there. -
Independent producer, artist and writer Shanta Lee Gander has this reflection on the photography exhibition "Performative Acts: Dona Ann McAdams," currently on view at the Bennington Museum. -
What comes to mind when you hear the words: palm oil, rum, honey, yellow flowers? The Brattleboro Museum & Art Center has an exhibition with that title by Kenny Rivero. Kenny Rivero is a New York artist who works across mediums. And it was the title that drew me, in addition to other key things about this work that Kenny describes. -
I couldn’t write about this particular spring without thinking of it within the context of mythic proportions. In Greek mythology, we know the season as a moment of renewal and regrowth, because Persephone is able to travel back to visit her mother. Within other traditions, spring connects with Ostara, what we call Easter.
