Warm and Welcoming
For The Love of Vermont
Warm and Welcoming
In the months leading up to For the Love of Vermont : the Lyman Orton Collection ’ s opening day at SVAC on July 22 , the SVAC staff went to great lengths to create a memorable , unique , and interactive museum experience at Yester House . In line with Lyman Orton ’ s vision , each of Yester House ’ s gallery and hallway spaces will be purposely arranged in a manner that creates an accessible and engaging atmosphere .
According to SVAC ’ s Curator , Alison Crites , the paintings in both the SVAC and Bennington Museum exhibitions are broken down into four distinct categories : “ Picture Country ,” “ Making a Living ,” “ Coming Together ,” and “ Village Beautiful .” “ Picture Country ” showcases the incredible beauty of Vermont ’ s landscapes , and “ Making a Living ” honors and represents many of the homegrown industries in Vermont . Scenes of socialization spaces in Vermont villages and remote communities are celebrated in “ Coming Together ,” and the “ Village Beautiful ” section is focused around paintings that feature the distinct architecture of some of Vermont ’ s most iconic structures . In order to bring all of the themes together cohesively , Crites worked directly with Donnel Barnum on the layout of the exhibit . “ Working with Lyman , SVAC , and Bennington Museum on this project has been an amazing experience ,” shares Barnum . “ We all have true respect and reverence for Vermont ’ s artists , and we all feel a strong sense of emotional connection to the collection .”
When visitors first enter SVAC ’ s Yester House to view For the Love of Vermont : the Lyman Orton Collection , they will see scenic paintings depicting country fairs , farm scenes , and local swimming holes in a gallery on the left . Examples include Cecil Bell ’ s Carnival at Royalton , with colorful and dynamic composition that evokes the sights and sounds of a fair , and Dorset Quarry by Arthur Jones , which depicts the iconic , local swimming hole with sun-dappled light and colorful bands of green , grey , and blue . “ It ’ s a lush feeling in that gallery space ,” says Crites . “ People will see a lot of green , which will be very cohesive and relatable from a visual standpoint — especially when the exhibit opens in July .” Stepping into a larger gallery space on the first floor of Yester House , visitors will then be greeted by an awe-inspiring assortment of majestic , scenic paintings . “ One of the elements that will strike people visually about this collection is the range and scale of the works of art ,” notes Crites . “ There are expansive outdoor panoramas , and there are also very intimate scenes , as well . Derby View by Dean Fausett has grand scale and sweeping vistas . In Deep Vermont by Asa Cheffetz has a similar composition to the Fausett painting , yet it is rendered on a much more intimate scale with extraordinary detail and texture .
In an adjacent gallery , an eye-catching exhibit full of Vermont ephemera and historic artifacts has been arranged through a cross-institutional collaboration between SVAC and the Manchester Historical Society . Manchester Historical Society ’ s Curator , Shawn Harrington , chose several paintings from the Orton collection that depict distinctive historic structures in Manchester , such as a painting from Luigi Lucioni ’ s Nestled Barns series . “ The idea was to use the paintings as a way to bridge the gap between art and history ,” says Crites . “ Each of the pieces I have chosen has a story to tell of places that were , and in some cases still are , part of the streetscape and fabric of Manchester ,” adds Shawn Harrington . “ Having the opportunity to share what these places look like now , and how they ’ ve transitioned over time , is a delight . I believe that giving visitors photographic timelines showing what the place looked like when the artist captured it , to what is there today , will ring the bell of nostalgia for many in our local communities and leave everyone with a deeper appreciation for these snapshots of life in a small New England village .”
Continuing onward to Yester House ’ s upper floor , three of the gallery spaces will focus on the “ Making a Living ” theme . “ One gallery will be focused on scenes of maple sugaring ,” says Crites . Another gallery hosts paintings that depict scenes of farming , and a third gallery ’ s paintings touch on a variety of subjects , including sawmills . Vermont Farmer by Irwin Hoffman is a humanizing portrait of a weathered and distinguished Vermonter , and Roland Rochette ’ s Logging draws the eye along a curving road as loggers approach a riverbank with cut logs .
The “ Coming Together ” room will house paintings with traditional Vermont recreational and social activities and gatherings , such as restaurants , kitchens , living room parlors , skiing , ice skating , hunting , and auctions . A prime example is Kyra Markham ’ s Family Restaurant , which shows an intergenerational scene with a nostalgic , vintage feel . A wide variety of paintings with country stores , covered bridges ,
36 manchester life | manchesterlifemagazine . com