It comes as no surprise to anyone who’s set foot in Burlington that this area of Vermont is a thriving hub of arts and cultural activity. Burlington is Vermont’s most populous city, and Chittenden County, part of the Greater Burlington region, is Vermont’s most populous county, home to more than a quarter of Vermonters. From the Burlington Discover Jazz Festival to the South End Art Hop to countless theater performances, public murals, drag shows, cultural celebrations, and more, creativity abounds in every corner of this county.
Yet the creative spirit is not limited to Burlington—far from it. Explore creativity through a variety of workshops, view and purchase local artwork in gallery exhibitions, and participate in creative community events across the region.
If you’re looking for an immersive arts experience, check out the Milton Artists Guild, a vibrant community hub and artist support network offering a number of workshops and creative events. Other interactive opportunities can be found in Richmond at Radiate Art Space, an all-ages community art studio that offers everything from public poetry readings to family art-making nights.
Visit the Shelburne Craft School for hands-on education in a variety of artisanal crafts, including stained glass, life drawing, yarn spinning, and more. For longer-term arts education opportunities, Poker Hill Artsin Underhill offers after-school classes, summer camps, adult art classes, and more.
Interested in engaging with the arts, but don’t want to attend a workshop?
In Essex Junction, explore the work of over 400 Vermont artists at the ArtHound Gallery. A variety of local products are on sale at the gallery, from fresh jam and maple syrup to textiles and pottery. In Winooski, at the Heritage Winooski Mill Museum, you’ll learnabout this historic mill city through exhibits that tell the story of former workers of the Winooski Falls mill.
At the Shelburne Museum, engage with history through special exhibitions, events, and educational programs. Explore the museum’s vast collections of objects, each with its own story to tell. While you’re in Shelburne, visit the Abenaki Totem at Shelburne Farms, carved by Missisquoi artist Richard Menard. The totem was gifted to the Shelburne Farms in 2015, when the farm hosted the Wabanaki Confederacy Conference of the Western Abenaki people.
Creativity is abundant in the area, and these examples are just a sampling of arts and culture experiences in the region. To find more arts and culture events, workshops, and other activities nearby, visit the Vermont Arts Calendar.
This story is brought to you in partnership with the Vermont Arts Council, working for a creative state. Explore Vermont’s arts sector and discover opportunities to engage with the arts, including classes and workshops, through this series of spotlights. The Vermont Creative Network is working to advance Vermont’s creative sector in communities throughout the state.
Vermont’s Cornerstone Creative Community comprises 40 towns and villages in Orange and Windsor counties in Vermont along the east-central border of the state. The region attracts large amounts of visitors interested in the arts, especially during skiing, sugaring and fall foliage seasons. Fortunately, its towns and villages have a number of venues for the arts for their size, including festivals and markets, theaters and galleries. Here we highlight just a few. For more information, visit the Vermont Creative Network.
The Royals of Randolphand other Attractions in Orange County
The town of Randolph in Orange County is a mecca for arts and culture experiences.
Located in the historic Kimball House, the White River Craft Center offers workshops and gallery shows on various art and handcraft skills. With a mission to promote arts and craft education, its beautiful building is a place for community and connection.
The Vermont Weavers Guild is a nonprofit educational association dedicated to increasing technical proficiency and artistic experience of hand weaving and related fiber arts. The Guild holds a variety of workshops, from hand and silk dyeing to blanket weaving, rug making, and tapestry.
Live music pours out of several performance venues in Randolph, including The Underground and the Chandler Center for the Arts, a gorgeous historic theater with perhaps the best acoustics in Vermont that draws acclaimed musicians from around the world.
Randolph also has a tiny, one-screen cinema called The Playhouse, playing Hollywood hits and local indie movies.
Another gem to be found in Orange County is the Old Church Theater in Bradford, which has been operating out of the historically significant “Old Church” building since 1984. The theater has presented nearly 40 years of summer productions geared for family entertainment from live theater, music, dance, visual arts, and more. The performance space is located at 172 North Main St.
Arts Destinations in Windsor County
From Bethel and Barnard to Weston and White River Junction, a multitude of arts and culture experiences can be found in Windsor County.
In summertime at the bandshell on the town green in quaint Bethel, you’ll hear a variety of musical entertainment, from Americana to reggae. Bethel’s Council on the Arts maintains a Facebook page with the full line-up.
Cruise over to Barnard for more music, food, and fun at BarnArts Center for the Arts, founded in 2012 to create more opportunities for the rural community to engage with the arts. With a population of less than 1,000 year-round residents, Barnard can be found at the intersection of three roads in central Vermont, 40 minutes from a stoplight. BarnArts presents world-class artists while also serving the rural community through participatory arts programming, from theater to music in schools, holiday cabarets and carols, to a jazz and funk winter music carnival.
One of Vermont’s larger towns, White River Junction is a hotbed of creativity and innovation. Try your hand at cartooning through workshops at the world-renowned Center for Cartoon Studies. Take in a show at the 240-seat Briggs Opera House or Northern Stage, a year-round theater company offering professional productions of world premieres, classics, and musicals.
For those who love quirky museums, visit the Main Street Museum and its “repository of artifacts,” primarily music ephemera, including thousands of piano rolls. Founded in 1992, the space is open Friday nights for Piano Night, Tuesday nights for Movie Night, and other dates for festivals. Admission is by donation.
In Woodstock, visit the outdoor history museum Billings Farm and Museum, Pentangle Arts for movies, theater, and music, and, just up the road, in South Pomfret, ArtisTree for art classes, theater, and music performances.
In the historic village of Weston, where the Vermont Country Store might be the main attraction, you’ll also find Vermont’s oldest theater, the award-winning Weston Theater Company, which hosts a summer season of performances, as well as plays, musicals, and concerts throughout the year.
Situated on a former dairy farm in Reading lies the Hall Art Foundation, which consists of a converted 19th century stone farmhouse, three barns, and a considerable collection of contemporary art. The collections comprise works by several hundred artists including Georg Baselitz, Joseph Beuys, Nicole Eisenman, Olafur Eliasson, Eric Fischl, Anselm Kiefer, Barbara Kruger, Ed Ruscha, Julian Schnabel, Andy Warhol, and Franz West. The bucolic grounds make for a pleasant day outing. The farmhouse and barns sit next to a waterfall on a tributary of the Black River and are surrounded by approximately 400 acres of pastures, hayfields, and extensive woodland. A new reception center and cafe were recently added. Exhibitions are held seasonally, from May through November.
For more visual art, from fiber to paper, photography, pottery, wood, and more, visit Gallery at the Vault in Springfield, which has hosted workshops and houses several galleries for 22 years.
This story is brought to you in partnership with the Vermont Arts Council, working for a creative state. Explore Vermont’s arts sector and discover opportunities to engage with the arts, including classes and workshops, through this series of spotlights. The Vermont Creative Network is working to advance Vermont’s creative sector in communities throughout the state.
Vermont’s foresters are charged with overseeing conservation and land management projects in the Green Mountains. That means they get a lot of face time with the stars of Vermont’s renowned fall foliage show, the trees, including red and sugar maples, poplars, beech, and oak. Here, learn about Vermont foresters sharing their view from the woods as leaves change from green to red, orange, and yellow.
Name: Rick Dyer
County/ Region: I cover Caledonia, Essex, Lamoille, Orange, Orleans, and Washington counties for a grand total of 2.4 million acres.
How long have you been a forester? I have been a forester for my entire career of 21 years and counting. I have been with FPR for the last 10 years and was a consulting forester before that.
What makes your region of Vermont forest unique from other areas of the state? All of Vermont is unique so I’m pretty sure that there is no right answer. If I had to say what sets my region apart from other parts of the state, it would be the large tracts of forest that wrap the mountains and valleys in a continual blanket of trees. This is the working forest for the communities that live here. My region is one of the most active for logging and when combined with other activities like sugaring and recreation, it makes for a lively place with lots of opportunities to have fun and explore while also earning a living.
Where would you recommend visitors go? That’s a tough question, because I cover such a large area. Route 12 from Worcester to Elmore is always a beautiful drive . . . in the fall, the Worcester Range looks like it has been sprinkled with Skittles! It’s always nice to catch the view of Lake Willoughby from Sentinel Rock in Westmore. Driving along Route 105 from Island Pond to Bloomfield is also nice, especially when the tamaracks are changing color later in fall. I love the color contrast between the tamarack’s yellow needles and the vibrant green of the surrounding spruce and fir. If you’re looking for a hike, I recommend any of the trails throughout the Worcester Range. The views from the top of the Range are well worth the effort!
If there’s one thing that Vermonters value, its our unbeatable quality of life. Surrounded by a pristine environment and stunning landscapes, Vermont continues to be a nationwide leader in addressing complex issues. Vermonters are committed to preserving and sharing the land they live, work, and play on.
Vermont’s values, its communities, and unparalleled advancement opportunities make Vermont an attractive place to move to. Initiatives like the Declaration of Inclusion reinforce that Vermont is welcoming and values the positive effects of diversity in our communities. As of April 2024, 144 towns and cities, home to roughly 75% of the population, have adopted a declaration that condemns discrimination in all of its forms and commits to fair and equal treatment of everyone.
Consistently ranked one of the best states for quality of life and safest places to live, Vermont’s top-rated schools and thriving small business economy also make this a great place to raise a family or pursue the business idea you’ve always had a passion for.
With 1,400 miles of mountain biking trails and 20 alpine ski areas throughout the state, you’re sure to find an excuse to get outdoors year-round.
Vermont’s commitment to inclusivity, the environment, arts and culture, business entrepreneurship, and the local food system are evident in the innovations found in every corner of the state. Read on to find out why Vermonters love where they live, work, play, and do business.
Izzy Johnson
What brought you to Vermont?
What originally brought me to Vermont was the bike industry. I had helped to run a women’s gravel clinic in Richmond, Vermont, and fell in love with the community of strong women and people up here.
Vermonters are so genuine in their connection to each other, making spaces in the bike world feel safe for new and current folks. They care about the trails, and they push each other athletically as well, which I love. Those characteristics were some of what I was looking for in a new living environment and community.
What keeps you here?
The things that have kept me in Vermont are the tight-knit community, the beautiful natural spaces, and the mutual desire of the communities to make people feel welcome and care for our natural world.
Something else that has made me stay is my desire to increase the racial diversity here in Vermont. As a person of color, this is deeply important to me. You don’t often see a lot of folks of color living here, and I want people to know that Vermont is a safe place, so more people know that they are welcome here.
I recently started a bike tour and backpacking company with a friend called Color the Valley. While we offer inclusive trips for all, we also offer trips exclusively for BIPOC and queer folks and focus on getting BIPOC folks outside. We created this company because we wholeheartedly believe that representation matters and we want folks to be safe, included, and welcomed into intimidating spaces such as bikepacking and backpacking. We are excited to show everyone the natural beauty that Vermont has to offer.
Pathways of Vermont is a documentary series of short career stories that examine the prevalent stereotype that a four-year college degree is the only path for a successful career. Beyond individual stories, the bigger picture of Vermont’s economy supports the availability of alternative career paths.
GS Precision Coatings machined metal parts and coatings start local and travel far. From Brattleboro, Vt. to the aerospace industry, these Vermont-made parts can be found on space equipment, commercial jets, and as part of U.S. defense systems.
Standing behind the integrity of those parts is Bryce Fletcher.
Fletcher, quality control manager for GS Precision Coatings, loves the variety of his job. He studied at the GS Precision school while working in a starting role as a CNC machinist, and as he studied at the company’s on-site school, he found immediate opportunity to apply what he was learning in real-time. “You didn’t really have any time to forget,” he said with a smile. “You would learn it and then go implement it.”
Fletcher had been planning to go to college, but didn’t want to take on student loans, and instead, decided to attend GS Precision’s program, paid for by the company and Vermont Technical College. Without the overhead of debt, Fletcher’s career path was lucrative for him from the beginning. After his time as a CNC machinist, he moved up into a quality engineer role, then became a sales engineer before earning his current management role.
Fletcher’s career also gives him the opportunity to enjoy a healthy life-work balance. Outside of work, he’s proud to call Vermont his home base. He loves mountain biking, dirt biking, and travel and says he’s looking forward to continuing to grow his career.
Angela Snow is the producer behind the Pathways of Vermont series. With 15 years of filmmaking and project management experience, Snow lives in southern Vermont. This series will showcase real Vermonters’ lives, highlighting people in nursing, manufacturing, and carpentry.
