VT VOICES : LYMAN ORTON
of the timeless artworks , offering a chance for both casual art lovers and experienced aficionados to revel in the creative brilliance of Vermont ’ s most gifted artists . In the weeks leading up to opening day , Orton sat down with VERMONT Magazine to share the story and inspiration behind For the Love of Vermont : the Lyman Orton Collection , his reflections on Vermont ’ s art , and his boundless love for the Green Mountain State ’ s history and culture .
Q : Thank you so much for joining us , Lyman ! We ’ re incredibly excited for the upcoming exhibition , For the Love of Vermont : the Lyman Orton Collection at Southern Vermont Arts Center and Bennington Museum . You have brought together an extraordinary collection of Vermont ’ s finest artworks over the years , with works by influential Vermont and Vermont-based artists such as Rockwell Kent , Luigi Lucioni , Mead Schaeffer , and many others . How did you first begin collecting paintings by Vermont artists and building your collection ?
A : After I got married in my mid-twenties , my wife and I began to furnish our house with antiques , and we started going to auctions , as well . My late , dear friend , Barbara Melhado , would frequently go to the auctions with me , and she started teaching me about Vermont ’ s artists in greater detail . After years of seeing paintings by Vermont artists getting bought up and sent across the country , we started thinking , “ why don ’ t we try to keep these paintings in Vermont ?” Most of the paintings were getting sent off to buyers who weren ’ t from around here , and we wanted to change that . Barbara was an appraiser , and she knew who to call to look for the art . She would call galleries and auction houses across the state and let them know that I was interested in collecting Vermont art before it was purchased by out-of-state buyers . She also served as a business liaison that would give a firm price that I was willing to pay . When the internet came into play , it made it easier to start finding , identifying , and repatriating the Vermont art that had already been sold and shipped out , so
I started doing that too . After Barbara Melhado passed away in 2016 , I began working more closely with Jamie Franklin , the Curator of the Bennington Museum , to continue to grow the collection . We already had an established relationship , and it was great to work with him , Anne Corso and Alison Crites from SVAC to bring together the For the Love of Vermont : the Lyman Orton Collection exhibition .
Q : What was the most fulfilling part about scouting out the paintings and repatriating them ? Was it the thrill of the hunt , or was it seeing it gradually come together ?
A : It was both ! My curator , Donnel Barnum , is also a talented illustrator who has worked at VCS in our art department since 1986 and designed many of our covers . I once bought a painting at an auction in New Hampshire and she drove there to pick it up . When she picked up the painting and drove back into Vermont across the Connecticut River , she told me that the feeling of bringing the painting photo : Dwelling Photography
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