Mural artist Mary Lacy. Photo courtesy Michael Sipe
VISUAL & PERFORMING ARTS
The arts, music and theater are staples of community life in the north country. Artists get our first early taste for creativity within a rich ecosystem of schools, community theaters, cafes, local residency programs and outreach programs.
A dense network of institutions, community-based arts organizations, businesses and independently owned venues support artists at all levels along their journey. A growing number of annual events and seasonal festivals bring international collaborators and audiences.
VISUAL & PERFORMING ARTS TRAIL GUIDES
SARA KATZ
Painter
Activist artist with a decade of experience in non-profit arts management.
MARY LACY
Mural Artist
Turns monumental flat surfaces into things of eye-popping glory. Loves bucket-loaders and time-lapse.
JIM LOCKRIDGE
Music Activist
Post-punk music activist, archivist and educator. Playing with the civic cloud, VR and LOLA concerts.
ANNI MACKAY
Arts Promoter
Curator, presenter, rabble rouser. Connecting and promoting the Cornerstone Region's vitality.
SARA KATZ
Painter
Activist artist with a decade of experience in non-profit arts management.
MARY LACY
Mural Artist
Turns monumental flat surfaces into things of eye-popping glory. Loves bucket-loaders and time-lapse.
JIM LOCKRIDGE
Music Activist
Post-punk music activist, archivist and educator. Playing with the civic cloud, VR and LOLA concerts.
ANNI MACKAY
Arts Promoter
Curator, presenter, rabble rouser. Connecting and promoting the Cornerstone Region's vitality.
LINDSAY SELIN
Photographer, Jeweler
Active outdoors and an architecture and styling photographer who also designs stunning jewelry.
KURT BUDLINGER
Photographer
Turns monumental flat surfaces into things of eye-popping glory. Loves bucket-loaders and time-lapse.
LAUREN MAZZOTTA
Photographer
Incredible people person with a careful eye for composition and color tones. Photo retoucher.
ERIKA SENFT-MILLER
Multi-media artist
Takes people on adventures where the ordinary becomes extraordinary, senses come alive, perspectives shift.
CONNECTING ORGANIZATIONS
DESIGN & ILLUSTRATION
Nationally recognized illustrators and designers have made Vermont home, making design one of the highest value-added sectors in the state. We're always spinning out new brands, creating ample opportunity for new entrants and exciting innovation.
With good infrastructure, an active chapter of the AIGA and a diffuse community, Vermont's design and illustration community is a fun and funky place to build a career.
Meet some of the design and illustration influencers.
Illustration courtesy of Rob Donnelly Art
DESIGN & ILLUSTRATION TRAIL GUIDES
ROB DONNELLY
Illustrator, Animator
Illustrator and animator with online and print clients. Using two- and three- dimensional approaches.
MICHELLE HOBBS
Illustrator, Designer
Professional communications designer and chapter president of AIGA Vermont.
STEPHANIE ZUPPO
Cartoon Artist
Artist and entrepreneur with a passion for indie Cons and growing Vermont's cartooning community.
JAMES KOCHALKA
Cartoon Artist
Artist and illustrator, sometimes musician and David Bowie fanboy. Creator of Glorkian Warrior.
CONNECTING ORGANIZATIONS
Photo courtesy of Kip Steel
INTERACTIVE &
GAME DESIGN
Just south of North America's third largest game design market, Vermont is a lower-cost and competitive environment to create new products and companies. Fueled by talent from Champlain College's Emergent Media Center and Dartmouth CS programs, Vermont's nascent game design community is quirky, savvy and fun.
Our position between Boston, Albany, and Montreal makes it easy to get around - for inspiration, connection, and capital.
INTERACTIVE & GAME DESIGN TRAIL GUIDES
MARGUERITE DIBBLE
Interactive Designer
Marguerite is a local powerhouse of good, as founder of gametheory.co and creative ally to community boards.
EDMAR MENDIZABAL
Game Producer
Edmar is a tireless indie game producer and founder of Vermont's Game Developers' Association.
KIP STEEL
VR Trainer
When not managing IT infrastructure Kip is helping to build Burlington's gig economy, including VR development.
ANN DEMARLE
Emergent Media
Ann is the director of the Emergent Media Center at Champlain College and a tireless supporter of the arts.
ELLIOTT MITCHELL
Game Designer, Artist
Chief fire starter at Vermont Digital Arts. Constantly playing with emergent tech, art forms and Unity keeps it managed.
MYSTERY CAT
Could It Be You?
CONNECTING ORGANIZATIONS
CRAFT
MANUFACTURING
Once a center of precision manufacturing in the United States, Vermont's industrial legacy is experiencing a revival in the hands of a new generation of limited production, high quality makers and fabricators.
Vermont's craft manufacturers produce world-class contemporary and modern furniture, high performance bicycles, table and kitchen ware, leather goods, cafe racers, and much more.
Photo courtesy of Josh Steel, Vintage Steel
CRAFT MANUFACTURING TRAIL GUIDES
JOSH STEEL
Mechanic, Maker
Josh is the owner and motorcycle mechanic in chief at Vintage Steel, maker of café racers in Vermont.
PEGGY FARRABAUGH
Wood Entrepreneur
As owner of Vermont Woods Studios Peggy has both eyes on high quality wood product manufacturing in VT.
ERIK COOOPER
Maker
One half of the Burlington duo Matt // Erik Design and founder of the Alternator maker space.
MYSTERY CAT
Could It Be You?
CONNECTING ORGANIZATIONS
Photo courtesy of Michael B. Fisher Productions
DIGITAL VIDEO AND FILM
Vermont's motion picture community is a tight-knit, full-production network of professionals spanning art house, commercial and feature work. Nationally known screenwriters, DPs, and production talent have chosen Vermont to life, work and play.
Pillar companies include Kingdom County Productions, Matt Bucci Productions, Mondo Media Works, Urban Rhino Productions, Velocity Media, Hen House Media, Mount Mansfield Productions, and Dreamlike Pictures.
A strong, year-round schedule of festivals and professional development opportunities include the Vermont International Film Festival, the Middlebury New Filmmakers Festival, the White River Indie Film Fest, Stowe Story Lab.
DIGITAL VIDEO & FILM TRAIL GUIDES
MICHAEL FISHER
Filmmaker
A director, photographer and educator, Michael has produced a dozen vibrant vignettes of Vermont life.
JENNIFER RUTHERFORD
Writer, Director, Producer
A director, photographer and educator, Michael has produced a dozen vibrant vignettes of Vermont life.
ORLY YADIN
Archivist, Producer
Director of the Vermont International Film Festival and founder of the Vermont Archive Movie Project.
EZLERH ORESTE
Filmmaker, Photographer
Actor. Activist. Comedian.
Filmmaker. Photographer.
Connecting Southern Vermont.
ERIC FORD
Producer, Enthusiast
When he's not watching horror and '80s cinema, Eric is scouting and producing local content for VPBS in Colchester.
NORA JACOBSON
Filmmaker, Producer
Nora is narrative and documentary filmmaker and founder member of the White River Indie Film Festival.
NATHAN BEAMAN
Writer, Director, Producer
Founder and owner of Urban Rhino Productions, Nate brings innovation and vision to digital production.
BRAD SALON
Filmmaker, Educator
Brad is the founder of Roots School and an active aerial photographer and video producer in Bradford.
CONNECTING ORGANIZATIONS
FASHION &
LIFESTYLE
Vermont has long been a source of traditional, hearty wear. Today, new production methods and a fashion forward design sensitivity have generated a growing generation of fashion and accessory producers.
Anchor enterprises include Burton, April Cornell, Salaam, the Johnson Woolen Mills, Turtle Fur, and Zutano. A restless group of emerging designers include Dam Fine Pants, A Little Lingerie Company, and Designs by Daria.
Photo of Lucy Leith and BINA-48 by Lars Hasselblad Torres