The current location of paintings by one of Vermont's most famous artists, Thomas Waterman Wood, is somewhat hidden in plain sight.
The gallery, originally opened by Wood in 1895, now resides in a defunct elementary school on Barre Street in Montpelier. When it opened over a decade ago it contained more than 40 watercolors and etchings trusted to the city of Montpelier by Wood. Now it's also home to an extensive collection of paintings from the New Deal WPA Federal Art Project.
For another week, the storied gallery will also exhibit the unique works of two Vermont artists with very different takes on life in the Green Mountain state: Edward Kadunc and Robert Brunelle.
Kadunc works in graphite, oil paint and watercolor. His depictions of Vermont's people and scenes are imaginative and at times fantastical. He says he works from memory, imagination and from real scenes around the state. Brunelle paints in acrylic, with bright blocks of vibrant color.
The gallery has moved around quite a bit since the 19th century, and after a brief period of having no home at all, it now has a permanent home after the Center for Arts and Learning purchased the downtown school building.
The T.W. Wood Gallery teamed up with the Monteverdi Music School and the River Rock School to buy the building; the new space offers artist studios, a space for musicians and writers, and art classes open to the public.
