Today and Tomorrow Sept 8,9 – Weekend Sampler Demonstrations at Miller’s Thumb Gallery

Join us at the Miller’s Thumb Gallery for a weekend of artist demonstrations as part of our “Cutting Edge” exhibition. Featured artist Carolyn Guest will be on hand Saturday, Sept 8 from 11 – 3 to share her her love of the Polish folk art Wycinanki (pronounced vee-chee-non-kee) which is the art of paper cutting. Using sheep-shears in honor of the Polish Women who taught her, Guest cuts intricate designs in paper depicting Vermont farm life and other folk art images. Guest, one of five Vermont artists selected to make an ornament for the White House Christmas Tree in 2002, will also cut silhouettes for visitors to the Miller’s Thumb (cost is $20).
On Sunday, Sept. 9 at the Miller’s Thumb, Carolyn Buttolph will inspire you with her passion and techniques for the traditional New England craft of rug hooking. Her use of of recycled wool fabrics in her expertly crafted rugs is an homage to the deeply ingrained wisdom of “use it up, wear it out.” Just as early Vermont homemakers brought comfort and beauty into their homes with hooked rugs, you can too with one of Buttolph’s rugs or you make your own hooked rug from one of her kits that available at the Miller’s Thumb gallery.

First Friday Event in Hardwick Tonight, July 6!

Join the Merchants and Citizens of Hardwick to celebrate First Friday in Hardwick on July 6, 2012 from 5 to 10pm.   Extended Merchant Hours & Street Vendors, Sales & Specials, Food & Beverages, Live Music at the art park, Activities for Kids and the Entire Family! For further information, see https://www.facebook.com/FirstFridayInHardwick

Participants include:
Claire’s Restaurant & Bar open to 10 with Beer, Wine, & Cocktail Specials,
Connie’s Kitchen Open to 8 pm,
Galaxy Bookshop Open to 10 pm,
Buffalo Mountain Coop & Cafe Open to 10 with Story Time for Children,
Gagnon’s Video Open to 10 pm,
Hall’s Market Open to 7 pm,
Hardwick Inn Clothing Company Open to 10 for 20-60% off,
Flower Basket’s Big Sale open to 9,
The Lamp/Shade Shop open to 8 for $5 off any lamp or shade,
Old Friends Reuse, Recycle Antiques Open to 9,
Morning Glory Essentials Open to 9,
The French Tart,
Village Restaurant Open to 8,
Street Vendors Include Caledonia Spirits, Kingdom Creamery, Heather Bryant Massage, Aloha Winds Massage and Bubbles Homemade Sodas.
Live Music in the Art Park

The Greensboro Historical society publishes it’s 37th annual newsletter

The Greensboro Historical Society’s 37th annual Newsletter has been distributed, and the offerings for this summer are varied and interesting.  Among the scheduled programs are lectures on The Greensboro Fire Department – the first hundred years (July 9),  The very First Vermonters – The Early Abenaki (August 13), and a two part seminar Vermont in the Civil War (July 16 and 23).   As always there will be the fun Ice Cream Social and Games (Aug 4) and the Annual Book Sale (September 1).   More information on these events can be found on the Greensboro Association Calendar.  In addition (and farther afield) the GHS is publicising the Vermont history Expo in Tunbridge, which celebrates the 150th Anniversary of the Civil War (June 16 & 17), as well as a fascinating Barn Raising at the Old Stone House in Brownington on June 9.

This year the GHS exhibition has two themes.   The first “The Hill Legacy” shows life in early Greensboro through an extensive collection of artefacts and items from the Hill Family.   The second “Scenes of Childhood” features a selection of the murals of long time Greensboro summer resident Anne Waterman Mattill which speak to childhood and summers in Greensboro.   These murals were drawn from a collection which Anne created over 25 years in the Children’s Library in Concord Massachusetts – a series which was an institution for library goers and generations of parents in Concord.   A contest will run during the summer with questionnaires (both adult and children) to be filled in at the Society while viewing the exhibitions.   The Historical Society is located at 29 Breezy Avenue, next to The Willey’s Store and across the street from The Miller’s Thumb.  Further information on the exhibition and it’s hours may be found on the GHS website at www.greensborohistoricalsociety.org.

For copies of the newsletter, which also features long time Greensboro resident Madeline Gebbie and comments on the Hazen Road Dispatch, become a member of the GHS.  Dues per family are $20 and go to support the programs and facilities of this volunteer run organisation.

Summer Children’s programming in Greensboro

Looking for something to do with the children this summer in Greensboro? Check out the following organizations, who are all offering programs. There are storyhours, weekly camp programs, golf and tennis lessons, art programs, music, swimming and others.

The Greensboro Association Swimming Lessons
https://greensboroassociation.org/2012-swim-program/

Wonder and Wisdom
https://wonderwisdom.org/programs/summer-journeys/

The Greensboro Historical Society summer exhibition
“Scenes of Childhood”
www.greensborohistoricalsociety.org

Craftsbury Outdoor Center
https://www.craftsbury.com/index.php?flash=no

The Art House
https://www.vermontarthouse.com/Classes-for-Children.html

Circus Smirkus
https://www.smirkus.org/

The Greensboro Free Library
https://www.greensborofreelibrary.org/googlecalendar.html

Mountain View Country Club
https://mvccvt.com/calendars

Craftsbury Chamber Players
https://www.craftsburychamberplayers.org/concerts

The Miller’s Thumb Gallery opens in alliance with Caspian Arts

By Judy Dales

As summer approaches, our small village braces itself for the frenetic pace of the summer months and the ratcheting up of all activities–recreational, communal, social and familial. We look forward to the return of our summer residents, resumption of the many diverse summer events, and the reopening of The Miller’s Thumb Gallery. Having worked in the Thumb for the past two summers, it occurred to me that now might be the opportune moment to shed a little light on the history and current happenings at The Thumb.

As you know, The Miller’s Thumb stood empty for a a while until several of our summer residents bought it. They had no concrete plans for the building, but aimed to save it from crumbling into oblivion and hoped to discover a viable purpose for the revered historic building.

In the spring of 2011, as major renovations to the building’s exterior were reaching completion, a group of local artists and gallery owners (called The Kingdom Craft Alliance  or KCA) were searching for exhibition space as they formulated plans for a display of local art that was part of the state-wide initiative, State of Craft. When The Miller’s Thumb was offered as a place for their exhibit, KCA members jumped at it and quickly laid down plans for a cooperative gallery exhibit where artists could display and sell their work.

The show opened on the 4th of July weekend, 2010 and the response was amazing. People flocked to the building, some merely curious and others drawn by the shopping opportunities, but everyone was thrilled that the beautiful old building had found a new purpose in life. KCA decided to continue the show throughout the summer and artist volunteers took turns supervising the gallery. The exhibit was not only an artistic success, but a financial one as well, which highlighted in a unique way the need for such an attraction in the center of the village.

The exhibition also provided a much needed retail outlet for local artists, but when the owners proposed a continuation of the cooperative arrangement for the following summer, KCA declined. An on-going cooperative gallery presented greater challenges than the group’s leadership felt they could handle. Never the less, the building’s owners were so pleased with the successes of the previous summer that brought just the kind of attention and positive vibe that they had wished for, that they sought a way to continue the gallery model. Eve Passeltiner, one of the KCA artists, was hired as the gallery director for the summer of 2011, and crafts and artworks from all over the state of Vermont were offered for sale.

This is where things got confusing!  Although KCA members were all invited to participate in the gallery in the summer of  2011, they would no longer run it, which left the organization in a bit of a dilemma: the gallery was their original reason for existence, and without that responsibility, they found themselves rather at loose ends. So during the winter 2010-11, they rolled up their collective sleeves and decided what, if any, purpose they could serve now.

It was agreed that all who had participated in the first-year venture had enjoyed working together and meeting on a regular basis. The name of the organization was changed to Caspian Arts and it was decided that the group would provide networking, educational and marketing opportunities for local artists. In their first year, a brochure listing the location of CA artist’s studios was produced and distributed throughout the area, a website (www.caspianartsvt.com) is in the works, and plans for an ambitious summer event are underway. There will be a Caspian Arts Studio Tour (10-5) and Raffle Party (5:30-7) on Tuesday, July 31. This is an opportunity to visit with artists and see creativity in action. Visitors will collect tickets at each studio visited and the tickets will be entered into a raffle of artworks donated by participating Caspian Arts members. This is a unique opportunity to own art created by local artists!

The Miller’s Thumb Gallery and Caspian Arts are now two separate entities, but their histories are firmly intertwined. Hopefully this little history lesson will help clear up any confusion about who’s doing what and also serve to remind everyone that both entities need support. It is a joy to see The Miller’s Thumb bustling with activity once again, but in order to thrive, it needs not just tourist dollars, but local support as well.  Caspian Arts members appreciate the opportunity to educate the community about art in general, and the art they produce, in  particular. Buying art from Greensboro artists is not only a way to “buy local” but is also a way to support your friends and neighbors whose creativity enriches us all.