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MONTPELIER, VT—Eleven regional arts and cultural organizations from across Vermont are preparing for resiliency after disaster through a new, year-long training program offered by the Vermont Arts & Culture Disaster and Resilience Network (VACDaRN).
The Resilient Cultural Organizations Cohort includes Bennington Museum, Brattleboro Museum and Arts Center, Catamount Arts (St. Johnsbury), Chandler Center for the Arts (Randolph), Clemmons Family Farm (Charlotte), Island Arts (North Hero), Northern Stage (White River Junction), Rural Arts Collaborative (Greensboro), Town Hall Theater (Middlebury), and Weston Theater Company.
For arts and cultural organizations like these, preparedness planning might mean first aid training for staff, improved storage for collections, evacuation planning for public events, risk assessments for IT systems, coordination with emergency managers, development of policies and procedures, and much more.
Given severe flooding events of recent years in Vermont, many cohort members have already experienced disaster and recognize firsthand the importance of preparedness. “We joke that it has become my second full-time job at Weston dealing with some of the aftermath of the flooding, how much time I spent working with FEMA [the Federal Emergency Management Association] and other state agencies, just trying to get back on our feet. And we still have a lot to do,” said Weston Theater General Manager Rebecca Rebecca Marzalek-Kelly.
“I’m hoping that we’ll come out of this feeling very prepared and never have to experience another disaster again,” she said.
For Bennington Museum, which already has a disaster plan in place as a part of its accreditation, joining the Resilient Cultural Organizations Cohort strengthens its preparedness. “I know that you can’t have a perfect plan that will cover everything, but just having those tweaks, it’s like going to a masterclass,” said Executive Director Martin Mahoney.
The work of the cohort kicked off in June with an in-person training and networking day in Montpelier. Following the training, over the course of a year, cohort members will conduct a comprehensive risk assessment, identify and complete action items for emergency preparedness, and create a plan to mitigate disaster impacts, using an online tool that was designed for arts and cultural organizations. Cohort members will meet online and in-person to review programs, share ideas, and gain support.
The program is made possible with generous support from the Waterwheel Foundation.
“From the pandemic to floods to federal funding, unprecedented challenges have demonstrated the strength and creativity of Vermont’s culture sector. This program will further increase the resiliency of these important, regional organizations through planning for the future and building relationships with each other,” said Vermont Arts Council Executive Director Susan Evans McClure.
“Vermont’s creative and cultural institutions are not luxuries, they’re crucial infrastructure,” said Vermont Secretary of State Sarah Copeland Hanzas. “Just like roads and bridges, they connect our communities and keep them moving forward. It’s important that we support their continued health and vibrancy for years to come.” The Vermont State Archives and Records Administration (VSARA), which is a division of the Secretary of State’s office, is the co-lead of VACDaRN.
A partnership of the Vermont Arts Council and VSARA, VACDaRN was formed in 2019. The Network enables artists, creative workers, and cultural organizations to share expertise and resources, mobilize response for mutual assistance during emergencies, and engage collectively with first responders and government emergency management agencies.
For more information about VACDaRN, visit the website.
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