Artists in Vermont clearly have an affinity with barns. The many barns that dot the Vermont landscape provide inspiration to artists, are a treasured subject matter, and remind us of their purpose and history.
The Compass Music and Arts Center’s new exhibit “Barn Art” is a juried collection of works from 31 different artists in celebration of these functional, yet stunning, architectural gems. The exhibit runs from April 6 through June 16, with an opening reception on Friday, April 6, from 5-7 p.m., at the Brandon gallery.
Watercolorists C. Asheley Kapelewski and Barbara A. Brosnan focus on, perhaps, the not-so-obvious “tenants” of a barn — like the birds who use it as a perch, or the back shed often used by cats as a shelter. Conversely Jeanne Lamoureux-Wood’s mixed-media piece reflects her idea that barns are an “integral part of a highly functional, working unit.” By incorporating photographs of her farm animals, Lamoureau-Wood confirms the “true essence of a barn is derived from its inhabitants, the animals.”
Other work in the exhibit offers an artistic record of barns that sadly no longer exist. Leonard Duffy calls them “icons of time and place” and said that “painting barns, like painting flowers, is an attempt to capture an ephemeral moment for future generations.”
Daniel Doyle’s photograph profoundly shares the continual loss of Vermont’s dairy history. Peg Lawrence also shares a similar perspective. Her work titled “The Last Farm” is her response to the fact that, not just in Vermont, but as a nation, we are losing our lovely old barns, in large part, because of urban sprawl.
Some artists, like Hope Wurmfeld, used materials from old barns —  like a barn window as the “canvas” for photographs. Others like Lori Pietropaolis took a more abstract approach.
Other exhibiting artists include: Amanda Amend, Glen Bartolomeo, Terry Boyle, Gayl M. Braisted, Carol Calhoun, Jean Cannon, Susannah Colby, Virginia Creighton, Mary Ann Duffy Godin, Lydia Gatzow, Dan Gilman, Sarah Koehl Sanfilippo, Margaret Lampe Kannenstine, Marie LaPre Grabon, Norton Latourelle, Phil Laughlin, Anne Majusiak, Christina Morris, Julia Purdy, Judith Reilly, Linda Reynolds, Nancy C. Rowe and Lowell Snowdon Klock.
Three major resident Vermont artists, Susan Bull Riley, Denise Letendre and Stephanie Stouffer, were invited to jury the exhibit and select winners.
“We are so grateful to each of the jurors,” said Edna Sutton, managing partner for the Compass Music and Arts Center. “We know and value each of them as talented artists and now, as jurors, we can appreciate further the unique perspective, skill, knowledge, insight and thoughtfulness they brought, as they considered each of the submissions.”
Catch this exhibit at the Compass Music and Arts Center in Brandon. It will be on view through June 16. For more info visit cmacvt.org or call (802) 247-4295.