Projects

Vermont's Creative Economy: Progress and Promise

Fri, 15 Feb 2008 08:40:01 -0500

The Vermont Council on Rural Development announces the release of its new multimedia DVD Vermont's Creative Economy: Progress and Promise This free comprehensive resource is designed for communities, policy leaders, educators, businesses, and nonprofits who want to learn about what's working, and how the creative economy might fit into their future plans. Special Features:

Case study videos illustrating creative community approaches in Vermont
Documents to assist towns interested in setting up a creative community planning process.
A complete guide to potential resources, both financial and technical.
Detailed reports from the twelve towns in Vermont's Creative Communities Program.
Full color versions of creative economy studies from Vermont, New England, and beyond.
Audio of panels and speeches from the Vermont State House Conference on the Creative Economy.

Progress and Promise is available for free from VCRD, 802 223-6091 or vcrd2@sover.net. Much of the material will also be posted in a few weeks on the VCRD web site at www.vtrural.org

Artists Town Meeting

Thu, 14 Feb 2008 12:42:40 -0500

Bellows Falls, VT February 27, 2008 Robert McBride, Executive Director of the Rockingham Arts and Museum Project (RAMP) has issued a call to all local artists to attend an Artists Town Meeting on Wednesday, February 27, 2008 from 6 - 8 pm at Boccelli's On the Canal, 46 Canal Street in Bellows Falls. The purpose of the event is to gather local artists for a conversation about the "State of the Arts" in the community and to mobilize people interested in participating in upcoming arts opportunities such as affordable housing and work space, sharing ideas on exhibitions, the Vermont Crafts Council Open Studio Weekend and the annual RAMP Arts Raffle. "We're excited to present this opportunity for newly arrived and established local artists to meet each other and have a dialogue about the importance of the arts in our community." Says McBride. "There is an ever-growing community of working artists in our midst, all of whom are contributing greatly to the cultural and economic vitality of the area. One of RAMP's many roles is to be an advocate for the arts, and in order to be effective in that role, we seek opportunities to hear from local artists and assist them in making community connections that benefit us all." McBride goes on to highlight upcoming arts events in the region that give participating artists greater exposure and highlight the great examples of the arts as a vital economic force. "The Vermont Crafts Council Open Studio Weekend, held each year on Memorial Day weekend is a great opportunity for artists to gain access to potential customers, and it also serves as a terrific vehicle for economic development: people come to our town to see art, and in the process have an opportunity to shop locally, dine locally and experience the great atmosphere of a revitalized Vermont downtown. We're looking forward to a greatly expanded presence at this annual event by local artists, and are prepared to organize support and assistance to artists who wish to participate." McBride expects that the Artists Town Meeting will also contribute to another of RAMP's many goals; that of building a constituency of local artists whose impact can be felt in the political and economic life of the region. "When people who share a commitment to the arts come together and speak with a unified voice, it can have a powerful impact. One of RAMP's visions is to see artists and arts supporters fully integrated into the civic fabric of our community, weighing in on local issues, and contributing a valuable perspective to local dialogue." McBride envisions the February 27th Artists Town meeting as the first of a series of regular forums whose agendas will be largely shaped by the input gathered at this event. Interested participants are asked to RSVP by e-mailing: ramp@sover.net, with "Artists Town Meeting RSVP" in the subject line, or by calling 802-463-3252. Boccelli's on the Canal is wheelchair accessible.

National Trust for Historic Preservation Poster Project

Mon, 01 Oct 2007 15:21:39 -0500

This poster project is a new addition to the annual conference. Northeast Kingdom Arts, Hardwick, River Arts, Morrisville and The Rockingham Arts and Museum Project (RAMP) Bellows Falls collaborated on a proposal to develop three posters that reflected the roles that arts organization play in the revitalization efforts of their communities. The project was underwritten by:

The Vermont Arts Council
Preservation Trust of Vermont
Housing Vermont
The Vermont Community Foundation

Mills to Main Streets

Fri, 13 Jul 2007 09:58:20 -0500

Mills to Main Streets, a brochure created by the Rockingham Arts and Museum Project (RAMP) and the American Precision Museum, highlighted seven communities included in the Connecticut River National Byway: Brattleboro, Bellows Falls, Springfield, Claremont, Windsor, White River Junction and St Johnsbury. These communities span four counties and include the territories of three Regional Marketing Programs. The brochure uses a theme of industrial past to tell a story of how main streets developed and are still vibrant to this day. Download brochure The emphasis of the brochure is to encourage both visitors and residents to visit the downtowns regularly, celebrate their cultural history and participate in the current shopping in order to sustain economic vibrancy. In the words of the text, written by Richard Ewald: "communities still stand in a special relationship to the natural environment, and retain the physical imprint of the era when they were created, when local industries transformed rural villages into urban towns." While the brochure tells the timeless story of these communities, an insert was designed that is updated seasonally to promote events in the participating communities. Robert McBride, Director of the Rockingham Arts and Museum Project and Executive Director of the Bellows Falls Downtown Development Alliance is available to come talk to the participating communities and discuss how the brochure can effectively integrated into the marketing strategies of the participating communities. For more information please contact Mr. McBride at 802-463-3252, email: ramp@sover.net. The brochure was supported by the Southern Vermont Regional Marketing Program, The Connecticut River Joint Commission, Preservation Trust of Vermont, The Vermont Country Store and the Bellows Falls Downtown Development Alliance.

Public Art/Moving Site

Fri, 06 Jan 2006 13:29:11 -0500

NEFA 2005 Expeditions Touring Grant – Project Overview Narrative
Cambridge Arts Council, Lead Applicant for Public Art/Moving Site

Public Art/Moving Site is a traveling presentation of public art that will respond to and be presented in three New England communities. The collaborating Project Partners are: Cambridge Arts Council (CAC) in Cambridge, Massachusetts (www.cambridgeartscouncil.org); Rockingham Arts and Museum Project (RAMP) in Bellows Falls, Vermont (www.ramp-vt.org); and Artspace in New Haven, Connecticut (www.artspacenh.org) have had extensive experience bringing visual and performing arts to diverse neighborhoods, serving those who are not normally part of the traditional audience for artistic presentations.

The City of Cambridge, the Village of Bellows Falls, and the City of New Haven all grew up along rivers and were shaped by the industrial past of New England. While sharing common threads of geography and history, each town has developed a unique character determined by a combination of social, physical, and historical influences. Public art responds to these influences and offers metaphors for enriching the life of a community.

Working with a NEFA Planning Grant, project partners developed an innovative public art project that would stretch the concept of “site”. Public Art/Moving Site defines site as both stationary and moving. Project artists will respond to the characteristics of each location as well as the journey the art will take. Each artwork/performance/exhibition will retain its integrity while accumulating the experience of its residency in Cambridge, New Haven, and Bellows Falls.

Hosted by the arts organizations, three artists will each present a public art project consecutively in three states. All three projects will rotate from January through May 2006, giving each community a sequence of three six-week presentations: January 9 – February 17; February 27 – April 7; April 17 – May 26. Working closely with the artists, CAC, RAMP, and Artspace will set a course for each project that will include an installation at a prominent public site, a public performance event, an artist’s talk, and an exhibition in a public gallery space. Public Art/Moving Site seeks to engage the public in a conversation that addresses the relationship between art and site and to provide an opportunity to consider public art in its ability to make geographic and cultural connections.

The NEFA Expeditions Planning Grant has provided essential support to Public Art/Moving Site. After a nation-wide call to artists using newsletters, list-serves, and recommendations, three artists were chosen based on a review of supporting materials and interviews with five finalists. The selected artists are: Michael Oatman, Spurse - www.spurse.org (a collaborative team with Iain Kerr, J. Morgan Puett and others), and DeWitt Godfrey. Each of these artists brings a unique sensibility to art in public spaces and extensive experience in collaboration. Their work is of the highest quality. Together they will form a public art series, free and open to the public, that will respond to each community through multiple lenses – social, cultural, physical, historical. [See artists’ supporting materials.]

Public Art/Moving Site assumes the language of public art to be malleable, allowing art to adapt and respond while retaining its impact. The choice of the collaborating states of Massachusetts, Vermont, and Connecticut offers opportunities for art to find a context within divergent populations: urban/rural; resident/tourist; dominant/minority; local/global. Public Art/Moving Site will build relationships among diverse sites, diverse cultures, and diverse audiences.

Artist Studios

Fri, 01 Aug 2003 09:46:51 -0500

225 Rockingham Street, Artists Studios is a single family home that has been given to RAMP by the Town of Rockingham in August 2003 through a program offered by HUD. In Phase One of this project RAMP will develop the ground floor of the building into two working studio spaces to be rented to local artists. In Phase Two of the project, RAMP will develop the upstairs into an artist's residency program which provides living and work space.

Downtown Mural Project

Mon, 01 May 2000 13:33:05 -0500

Many residents refer to buildings in Bellows Falls according to their prior commercial purpose. On the south side of 51 The Square...also known as the "Gast Block," the "old pharmacy," or "Flat-Iron," a historically accurate turn-of-the-century mural has been painted...greeting residents and visitors as the approach the downtown square. RAMP conceptualized the mural as a way to welcome visitors to Bellows Falls and to celebrate the past and present. This timely project complements the Exner Block renovation, the Vermont Downtown Designation and symbolizes the renaissance of the town. Muralists, Cliff Clear and Bonnie Lee Turner from The Art of Life (Lincoln, Rhode Island) painted the mural using historical photographs obtained from the Rockingham Free Public Library. Sign-maker Frank Hawkins, of Bellows Falls, created the lettering style for the greeting, "Welcome to Bellows Falls" which will be added at a later date. The $17,000 project has been funded in part by:

a Municipal Arts Grant from the Vermont Arts Council
Windham Foundation
Vermont Community Foundation
and the Town of Rockingham.

Corporate leaders ($1000 or more) included:

First Vermont Bank
the Vermont Country Store
Buffum's Supermarket
and Ben & Jerry's.

In addition, several individual contributions from supporters of the arts made this project possible.

Some History

Thu, 01 Oct 1998 11:00:39 -0500

The imposing nineteenth century pressed-tin structure was built on the banks of the first chartered canal in the United States. Bellows Falls, situated on the Connecticut River, was once a prosperous mill town, and Canal Street held the bustling activity of shopkeepers who operated stores at street level and lived above them. But when economic time grew hard, Exner Block merchants had to close their doors. The second and third floors were occupied by Mary Exner, whose eccentricities rivaled those of famed Bellows Falls resident Hetty Green, known as the "witch of Wall Streer" and once the richest woman in the world. For years, Exner lived alone in the vast building with her dog, rambling from room to room. When she passed away several years ago, the edifice sat empty. A number of plans for its future ran the gamut from limited efforts at restoration to possible razing for a parking lot. On October 7th, 1998, Housing Vermont successfully bid at auction on the Exner Block. RAMP worked along with Housing Vermont to move this project forward. The Exner Block is a historic building key to the revitalization of downtown Bellows Falls. It is a unique building that contains many of the original historic details - wainscoting, tin walls and ceilings, wood doors with the old glass and hardware. In designing this project, the team took the opportunity to retain many of these elements while creating viable residential and commercial space. The challenging tasks of combining the needs of the community with the requirements of the Vermont Division of Historic Preservation and the regulations of the Department of Labor and Industry falls on the project architect, Denny Frehsee of Williams & Frehsee in Brattleboro. Denny has completed schematics that integrate affordable housing with studio and retail space. Crowd at Exner Grand Opening We are glad to say, however, that the Exner is alive and well due to the vision of Housing Vermont and the Rockingham Area Community Land Trust, general partners (see Projects & Partners.) The building has been successfully renovated to create 10 afordable living/work spaces for artists and 6 retail storefronts with a focus on the arts. See In the Works for photos of the project in progress. On Monday, August 28, 2000, the community celebrated the Grand Opening with a ribbon cutting ceremony. Key note speakers included:

U.S. Senator Jim Jeffords
Governor Howard Dean

Sen. Jeffords, Exner Grand Opening U.S. Senator Jim Jeffords

Project Partners

Thu, 01 Oct 1998 10:02:24 -0500

Partners in this project included:

Owner:

Exner Block Housing Limited Partnership

General Partners:

Housing Vermont
Rockingham Areas Community Land Trust

Limited Partners:

First Vermont Bank
Chittenden Bank

Funded by:

Town of Rockingham & Village of Bellows Falls through VT Community Development Board
VT Housing & Conservation Board
US Dept. of Housing and Urban Development
VT Housing Finance Agency through the Low Income Housing Tax Credit program

Architect:

Williams & Frehsee, Inc.

General Contractor:

Wesfield Construction Company, Inc.

Tenancy Agent:

Rockingham Arts & Museum Project (RAMP)

Housing Vermont is a statewide nonprofit corporation which has developed over 2,000 rental apartments in partnership with local nonprofit groups since 1988. A majority of Housing Vermont's work involves the renovation of existing buildings and they are experienced with the adaptive reuse of historic structures. Several Housing Vermont projects combined residential and commercial use and served as catalysts for downtown revitalization. Housing Vermont committed to develop the Exner building and provide affordable housing in combination with commercial and in-home studio space that emphasizes the arts. For more information about Housing Vermont call (802) 863-8424.

Projects

Sun, 01 Jan 1995 14:00:11 -0500

We will be adding the many projects that RAMP has sponsored to our new website on an ongoing basis. Please check back again soon to read about what we have been doing over the past 10 years and what projects are ongoing today. Here is a short list of things we have done.

The Exner Block collaboration with Housing Vermont and The Rockingham Area Community Land Trust created ten, affordable live/work spaces for artists and six retail spaces with a focus on the arts.
The historic mural project greeting people to the downtown.
Public Art Moving Site, initiating a dilogue about about art amongst the communities of Bellows Falls, New Haven, CT and Cambridge, MA
From Mills to Main Streets linking Bellows Falls with seven other communtities along the Connecicut River National Byway through the story of their industrial history.
RAMP's participation by serving on a variety of boards including: The National Trust for Historic Preservation, Preservation Trust of Vermont, Connecticut River National Byway Council, Main Street Arts and Great River Arts

We are asking for your continued commitment to RAMP and its mission, "Art Makes A Difference!" If you have any questions or suggestions, please call me directly: (802) 463-3252 or email me: ramp@sover.net.