Located in picturesque downtown Bristol, Art on Main has been supporting local artists and their endeavors for the past nine years. Art on Main is a “non-profit, community-supported artist-cooperative gallery” that exhibits and sells pieces of art of various mediums ranging from woodwork and photography to textiles and paintings.
The gallery is sustained by the Bristol Friends of the Arts — a not-for-profit organization that is dedicated to providing opportunities for community members to engage in and appreciate artistic endeavors in the Bristol Area. In addition, featured artists play a role in sustaining the gallery as many decide to work volunteer shifts to fulfill the cooperative aspect of being members.
“Most of our ‘staff’ are exhibiting artists who have signed up to work shifts in the Gallery as part of their contract,” said Carolyn Kay Ashby ’94, the gallery manager.
Ashby worked several years at Frog Hollow Gallery upon graduating from Middlebury with a degree in Russian. Although she left Vermont to pursue other endeavors, she came back to Addison County to work at Art on Main as the gallery manager. Ashby works along side her fifteen-and-a-half-year-old dog named Kayli who greeted me during my visit to the gallery.
“Kayli has been with me the whole way, and she very much enjoys her ‘job’ at the gallery,” said Ashby.
The artistic ingenuity of the local community becomes highly evident at Art on Main. Visitors can browse through the vast selection of artwork, which varies from more typical renderings of the iconic Vermont landscape to interpretive wood carvings and glasswork. The light and airy atmosphere of the gallery is often accompanied by the music of local artists and it is a relaxing place to browse even if your college budget doesn’t allow room for you to purchase original artwork.
One of my favorite local artists was Barbara Ekedahl from Lincoln, Vt., who has been focusing on the Japanese woodprint form “Moku Hanga.” Ekedahl has an interesting series of works in which she prints historical maps of Vermont on a block of wood as a backdrop, then overlays it with a hand-printed silhouette image.
The woodwork of New Haven-based Keith Hall was some of the most ingenious work featured at the gallery. Hall created a series of walking sticks that had the heads of a duck, clown and giraffe carved into the handles.
The next few months will be a busy time at Art on Main as gallery events. From March 1 to 27, the gallery is featuring the Emerging Artists Exhibit, which shows artwork produced by students at Mount Abraham Union High School. The students’ works were carefully selected by their teachers for the quality of the art and their potential to become future artists. Although the works are not for sale, the beautiful pottery, collages and paintings are definitely worth checking out.
Additionally, the gallery is preparing for the Third Annual Community Art Show, which will take place from April to mid-May. The basis of this event is to provide amateur artists a free venue to display and sell their works. Inspiring artists of all ages are encouraged to submit their favorite pieces to the gallery starting March 20 with the hope of being featured in the show. This community outreach event has been highly successful because it allows amateur artists to showcase their talent to the public and have to opportunity to make a profit from it.
“For community-based shows, all profits go directly to the artists,” said Ashby. “It’s a part of the not-for-profit community mission at the gallery”.
This emphasis on garnering a community-based appreciation for the arts is evident by various other events held at Art on Main throughout the year.
An open studio workshop will take place in late May with artist demonstrations, followed by a series of featured artists exhibits with receptions throughout the latter half of 2010.
You don’t have to be an art virtuoso to appreciate the locally crafted pieces featured at Art in Main. Stop by, take a gander at the work and don’t forget to pet Kayli — the gallery’s canine mascot — before you leave.
Local Wanders
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