Vermont Arts Council Announces Public Art Design Grantees
MONTPELIER, VT—Infusing art with infrastructure, the three award-winning projects of the Vermont Art Council’s 2020 Animating Infrastructure grants promise to help create unique places where people want to live, work, visit and play.
The 2020 awardees are:
Town of Hyde Park: $5,000 to design themed public art installations for three locations between Main Street and the Lamoille Valley Rail Trail to achieve connectivity and continuity.
Town of South Royalton: $5,000 to design public art to be integrated into a highly traveled and highly visible underpass in downtown South Royalton.
Franklin Grand Isle Bookmobile: $5000 to design 3 to 7 literacy-themed Little Free Libraries as public art installations throughout the town and village of Swanton.
Each community organization will commission artists to create the designs, which are expected in spring of 2021.
Now in its fourth year, the Council’s Animating Infrastructure program encourages collaborative partnerships between communities and artists to integrate site-specific works of public art into existing or proposed infrastructure improvement projects. Program goals are to enhance a sense of community pride and identity, foster social connections, and to improve the livability and vibrancy of Vermont downtowns, villages, and neighborhoods.
“Animating Infrastructure grants are an investment in the vital cultural infrastructure of Vermont communities,” said Vermont Arts Council Executive Director Karen Mittelman. “Now more than ever, we are proud to support projects that weave art and creativity into the fabric of our shared public spaces.”
Previous grants have been awarded to projects in Bethel, Brattleboro, Burlington, Jeffersonville, Lincoln, Middlebury, Montpelier, Morristown, North Bennington, Poultney, Waterbury, and Wilmington.
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The Vermont Arts Council envisions a Vermont where all people have access to the arts and creativity in their lives, education, and communities. Engagement with the arts transforms individuals, connects us more deeply to each other, energizes the economy, and sustains the vibrant cultural landscape that makes Vermont a great place to live. Since 1965, the Council has been the state's primary provider of funding, advocacy, and information for the arts in Vermont. Learn more at vermontartscouncil.org
