A Lifelong Love Story
For The Love of Vermont
part in the initial genesis of For the Love of Vermont : the Lyman Orton Collection . Barnum and Franklin both have immense amounts of respect for Orton ’ s discerning and cultured artistic eye . “ I choose artworks based on whether they connected with me and provoke the same feelings of love for Vermont that inspired the artists that painted them ,” says Orton . “ I gravitate towards paintings from what I call ‘ The Golden Age of Vermont Art ,’ which I believe spanned from the 1920s through the 1960s .”
Throughout the process of building his collection , Orton selflessly offered support to revered cultural institutions throughout the state of Vermont , such as Bennington Museum and Southern Vermont Arts Center ( SVAC ). He has loaned out several paintings from his collection to SVAC and Bennington
Museum in the past , and he has also made direct donations to Bennington Museum to help secure additional Vermont artworks for their permanent collections . By doing so , he ensured the continuation of the artistic legacy of Vermont ’ s most celebrated artists — and he also paved the way for the eventual mounting of For the Love of Vermont : The Lyman Orton Collection at Bennington Museum and SVAC . “ I was motivated to loan out the paintings by the same feeling that made me want to bring them back to Vermont ,” shares Orton . “ I didn ’ t have a museum , and I wanted to get more eyes on the pieces and share them with the public . We ’ re taking things even further with For the Love of Vermont : the Lyman Orton Collection . I ’ m incredibly excited to see it come together .”
A Lifelong Love Story
Throughout Lyman Orton ’ s childhood , the seventh-generation Vermonter has always had a heartfelt love for his beautiful home state . Growing up in Weston , he recalls idyllic , pastoral scenes that brought him closer to nature , his family , and his surroundings in a way that profoundly shaped his worldview . As Orton ’ s life progressed , he eventually took the reins of the Vermont Country Store ( VCS ) from his father , Vrest Orton . He brought new levels of prosperity to VCS by making use of his inborn business savvy and logistical acuity – and he applied many of the same organizational and curatorial skills towards building a phenomenal art collection .
C the floating boardwalk , and woodland trails . Visit the goat dairy and the farm in dene . Make memories to last forever .
Robert & Mary Lincoln ’ s 1905 Georgian Revival summer home 412 acres • 12 miles of trails • 600 ft . floating wetland boardwalk formal and production gardens • working farm & cheesemaking facility restored 1903 Pullman Palace railcar • historic exhibits • open year-round
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