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‘Art Excursions in the Time of COVID’: Regional tours to enjoy the arts of Vermont

By Janelle Faignant
Arts Correspondent
Last weekend Karen Mittelman was meeting up with her sister and needed an in-between spot — Mittelman lives in central Vermont, her sister is farther south. They were looking for a midway place with something COVID-19-safe to do, and found the answer through the Vermont Arts Council.

“We met in Rutland and did a walking tour of downtown,” Mittelman said by phone recently. “There are wonderful murals tucked away on the sides of buildings and in alleys and unexpected places all over.”

Mittelman is executive director of Vermont Arts Council based in Montpelier, which recently shared a compilation of places around the state offering COVID-safe art excursions, including the one she chose in Rutland with its murals, sculpture trail and art ramble.

“It was such a great way to get together with someone and, honestly, I wouldn’t have done it if it weren’t for COVID,” Mittelman said. “We would have met indoors at a coffee house or a restaurant, but neither of us wanted to do that in the middle of COVID. I think a lot of people are in that situation, and outdoor art is a perfect way to do both.”

“COVID-19 is incredibly challenging, but it’s also pushing arts organizations to be innovative and creative,” she added. “We know how difficult winter’s going to be as we all have to move indoors, but I’m convinced Vermont arts organizations are going to find ways to keep audiences engaged, even in the dead of winter.”

“Art Excursions in the Time of COVID” features six different excursions that span the state from the Northeast Kingdom to Brattleboro. Each has clear COVID-precautions — masks, sanitizer and social distancing. It also includes “Picnic Pairings” for premium picnic spots.

Some of the suggestions include Burlington’s renovated City Hall Park, a roadside museum-in-a-barn in the Northeast Kingdom, a gallery walk on the first Friday of every month in Brattleboro, and Beethoven walks at Putney’s Yellow Barn.

There are also drive-in events for concerts, movies and even parades, as well as some unique approaches like the recent “vertical concert” by musician Kat Wright through Catamount Arts, where audiences watched from the balconies of hotel rooms.

“The thing that’s worth mentioning is how many really inventive ways arts organizations are finding to stay open and keep people engaged,” Mittelman said. “But we also know that all of those creative strategies are not making any money for arts organizations. There’s still a need for another wave of relief in recovery funding. So at the same time that we’re celebrating the inventiveness and resilience of our arts community we also know how terribly difficult and frightening this winter’s going to be for a lot of our arts organizations that are struggling to survive.”

The Fall Art Excursions also encourage people to stay connected.

“Let us know about (your) favorite arts excursions,” Mittelman said. “We’d love to (include) personal stories of how people are enjoying the arts.”

Post photos on social media using hashtag vtartsexcursions, or visit www.vermontartscouncil.org to share an art excursion and see the statewide list.

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