February 2021
Bennington Museum Monthly
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January proved to be a busy month at the Museum this year. Although closed to the public we launched the collaborative Carrie Mae Weems project (pictured above), hosted a live-streamed Music at the Museum concert viewed by nearly 100 people, and began to deconstruct our 2020 exhibits to make room for some fantastic new installations coming up in April. Read on to see what frigid February has in store at YOUR museum! |
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A free virtual roundtable discussion
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Tuesday, 02/02
noon - 1pm
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A virtual conversation with curator, Jamie Franklin
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Thursday, 02/11
1:30pm - 2:30pm
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A free virtual event for pre-school kids
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A free virtual event presented by the Bennington Historical Society
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Friday, 02/26
5:30pm - 7pm
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A free virtual event for our highest membership level
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Grants for Bennington Museum programming |
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FREE PROGRAMMING
You may have noticed that many of the above events are offered to the public free of charge or on a donation basis. At Bennington Museum, we do our best to make programming accessible to all, and removing cost as a barrier is one way to achieve that goal. Recently, we have been helped in this endeavor through an anonymous grant that is specifically to be used to further free programming initiatives at the Museum, like Tours at Ten, or the Concerts in the Courtyard that were so popular last summer. In the case of Concerts in the Courtyard, musicians, too, will benefit from this funding, which will allow us to offer them a stipend for their services.
There are fourteen weeks to be filled this summer, from June 4 through September 3. If you have a group that you would like to hear outside at the Museum, please share this notice with them. All interested performers are invited to apply via the link below prior to May 1st.
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MUSEUM ABCs
We are thrilled to announce that Bennington Museum has just received a $25,000 grant from the Henderson Foundation to expand the reach of the Museum ABCs preschool program to families in Bennington whom we have not yet been able to serve. The first step to making full use of these funds will be to hire a Community Engagement Coordinator who will facilitate partnerships between the Museum and our target communities.
The Community Engagement Coordinator application is open through February 12th and we invite you to share this notice with any interested candidates.
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Meet Lucia!
Lucia Faye Rosenast is the Museum's Field Work Term curatorial intern and second-year Visual Art and Enviro-Sci major at Bennington College.
"I'm from Seattle Washington, born and raised. My family is comprised of artists and pioneers, influencing my relationship to rules and curiosity. Because of my nurturing, I've always had the nature of an artist, so I've loved my time in the Bennington Museum thus far. Being in Bennington, admiring the Maple trees, and the art made in admiration of the trees, I'm consistently inspired."
Lucia is busy distributing Carrie Mae Weems yard signs to the business community. In the coming month she looks forward to putting in some Robert Frost research in support of the upcoming exhibit.
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What's going on with the Library?
Libraries serve as clearinghouses for information, and the tools they use to get patrons that information are always changing. When the Bennington Museum’s library was founded in the 1960s, its primary purpose was to help people doing family research on their ancestors who came through Vermont. Today, genealogists can find most of this information from the comfort of their homes using websites such as Ancestry.com. Even many of the books themselves in our library are now available online in digital format. Libraries still play an important role in our lives. Although the format of the information has changed, librarians still help guide people to online resources and facilitate research. The Museum also has extensive archives, that are only available in-house. Making this information accessible is a priority.
Since our long-time librarian Tyler Resch has retired, the Museum is taking a serious look at how our Museum Library functions, and how we might use our limited resources to serve our public better. Whether we end up changing a lot, or a little, we are planning to have the library back open in some capacity when the Museum reopens in April. If you would like to share your thoughts with us, please email ideas@benningtonmuseum.org.
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The Bennington Historical Society
The latest Bennington Historical Society (BHS) newsletter includes fascinating articles about the old Catholic Church (now part of the Museum), architectural insights into the columns of Bennington, a look back at the 1918 pandemic, and a look ahead to the 250th anniversary of the Revolutionary War. Access the newsletter via the link to the right, or on the BHS pages of the Museum website, which have recently been updated. It is now easier than ever to access the fruits of these many volunteer hours of labor.
If you are interested in digging deeper into the history of this place we call home, get in touch. Take a moment to fill out this survey and let us know what your interests are and where you would like to see the BHS go in the future.
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Happy Valentine's Day!
Share a handcrafted notecard with someone special to let them know you care AND show Bennington Museum some love at the same time!
Proceeds from card sales will be split equally between the Museum and the artist. Cards are available for purchase until the 14th and may be shipped or picked up at the Museum by appointment.
These unique valentines by local artist Rhonda Ratray are sure to bring a smile to anyone's face. Click on the links below to get your Valentine on! |
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Bennington Museum engages and transforms our visitors and our community by connecting you to the region’s diverse arts, rich history, and culture of innovation.
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