By Dylan Marsh
EAGLE TIMES STAFF
SPRINGFIELD, Vt. — Gallery At The VAULT is holding their annual Open Wall Show beginning in the month of October and running through December.
The show serves as an opportunity for anyone within a thirty mile radius to come and display their work at a gallery showing. The gallery, which opened its doors in 2000, is seated at 68 Main Street in Springfield, within what is referred to as the Bank Block. The Main Street location itself was a number of different banks over many years, and still houses an actual vault. Utilizing the term “vault” also serves as an acronym meaning Visual Art Using Local Talent. This concept is exactly what founder Nina Jamison had in mind when the gallery was being founded.
Jamison had taken notice of the empty storefronts on Main Street and began putting art in the empty windows. After 68 Main Street became available she, along with plenty of other folks, put in the time and effort to create what is now Gallery At The VAULT.
The gallery has housed many different types of arts and crafts over its 22 years including student art shows, floral shows, puppet making, bookmaking, weaving, as well as fine art. According to gallery manager Marilyn Miller, the gallery has roughly 140 artists represented in the space between crafts and fine arts. The gallery does four separate showings throughout the year, as well including one in January where a local artist is invited to display their work. For people to display their art or craft in the main gallery, there is a jury process each artist must go through, with five artists sitting as jury for fine arts and three crafters sitting on the jury for any potential showing of crafts.
However, for this upcoming event, anyone is invited to display their work without any juries or fees involved. The work displayed can be for sale if the artist or crafter so chooses, and while the showing’s theme is “A Festival of Color”, Miller says that it is loosely adhered to and folks can bring nearly anything they like “as long as it is family friendly,” she added.
Community outreach is a main goal of the Open Wall Show, and to a significant degree has been a theme with the gallery. When Jamison began hanging paintings in the windows of empty businesses in town, the idea was to increase morale and bring the community together over a shared love of art. “It’s such a beautiful spot and people love to come in and see the work. It’s really just such a feel-good space,” Miller said.
Anyone interested in bringing their art to the space for showing will be able to bring your creations in is Wednesday, Oct. 12, from 11 a.m. – 5 p.m., Friday, Oct. 14, from 11 a.m. – 6:30 p.m., or Saturday, Oct. 15, from 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. The show will be on display from Oct. 19 through Dec. 28.
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