WALKABOUT: Artwork on Display for Art Walk in Montpelier

By Theodore A. Hoppe

Art Walk is this Friday, December 10, from 4-8 PM. Montpelier Art Walks are presented quarterly by Montpelier Alive, which strives to "enhance a vibrant community center" and create a "unique sense of place." They have also scheduled a number of holiday events in coming weeks to help celebrate the season that include a Holiday Window Contest, a tree lighting ceremony and wagon rides.

In all there are twenty-four locations that will feature a variety of art along the walk.
A handy Montpelier Art Walk Guide is available at many locations in the city, which includes a preview of Montpelier's First Night Events, or you can simply look for signs in the windows of the downtown merchants and other public spaces that are participating as Art Walk locations.

Kellogg-Hubbard Library and City Center both feature the member artists of the Art Resource Association (ARA). At the Kellogg Hubbard Library, Rebecca Kibby has several photographs on display, among them a glowing glimpse of the golden dome of the Statehouse, and a large black and white piece titled Touch-Green Mount, one in a series of photographs from a study of marble sculptures.

ARA member William Steinhurst has two interesting digital photos from a far-off place: Sunrise - Death Valley is a breathtaking landscape that can only be captured from a lofty perch on a mountain peak in the early morning. Salt Marsh - Death Valley is the opposite extreme, an abstract design created by nature. Gladys Agell has a delightful acrylic painting that is a bright and colorful interior study, titled Oh!

The second of the ARA exhibits is at City Center, which will present the MSMS Glee Club Holiday Concert on the evening of the Art Walk. Joy Huchins-Noss’s two paintings at City Center are consistent with the style she brings to her pastel work, such as Kelton Field, which is part of the library exhibit. Anne Unangst's pastel still life Nesting is precise in its execution and worth searching out.

The Drawing Board is displaying more new paintings by Ray Brown for the Art Walk. Some of these paintings build on the style of his exhibition at the Supreme Court, which were inspired by his travels to Italy. The newest paintings (at left) set off in an entirely new direction.

As we have noted in the past, The Skinny Pancake does its best to make art a part of its decor, and this month they are featuring the Tritography of Mark Chaney, whose work I reviewed in Vermont Art Zine past spring.

Community College of Vermont will be exhibiting the art work of the students of seven visual art classes, including Drawing, Photography, Printmaking, and Design, at 50 Main Street., with a reception until 8:00 P.M.

So if you're in Montpelier, get out and Art Walk this Friday!

Images: Joy Huckins-Noss, Undercurrent; Anne Unangst, Nesting; two new paintings by Ray Brown at the Drawing Board