By forming healthy partnerships with local schools, municipalities, other non-profit organizations, healthcare sites and community groups, VAE is able to breathe the arts into branches of the community that otherwise may not have the opportunity to be empowered by the arts and feel the impact it can have in their environment.

Arts Education Partners:

Bennington School Inc., a residential school for emotionally challenged adolescents. Southwestern Vermont Supervisory Union (Local school system)

• Art Programs for "Drop-out students": PLUS Program, MAUS Middle School Program, Upward Bound
• Northshire Christian Academy
• Southshire School
• Tree Home homeschoolers

Municipalities:

• Bennington Fire Department
• Bennington Police Department

Local social service non-profits:

• Bennington Project Independence
• Projects Against Violent Encounters PAVE
• Bank Street Homeless Shelter
• United Counseling Service
• Sunrise Family Resource, Headstart Plus
• Center for Living and Rehabilitation

Low-Income Housing Communities:

• Bennington Fire Department
• Bennington Police Department

Local social service non-profits:

• Bennington Project Independence
• Projects Against Violent Encounters PAVE
• Bank Street Homeless Shelter
• United Counseling Service
• Sunrise Family Resource, Headstart Plus
• Center for Living and Rehabilitation

Municipalities:

• Applegate Residence Association
• Willowbrook Residence Association

Healthcare settings:

• Vermont Veteran's Home
• Bennington Senior Center
• Tewksbury Hospital
• Union Hospital
• United Counseling Service
• Crotched Mountain

The Art Bus is our "Mission in Motion" , a traveling studio on wheels that can bring you to the art or bring the art to you!

It is a reconfigured 1983 International... WAYNE school bus that has been fitted with a built-in table, counter and storage. The Art Bus can transport up to 15 people but usually is seen accommodating up to 10 people at a time as a working studio. The Art Bus has been active in community celebrations such as parades, used at summer camps, holiday festivals, conferences and retreats.

Our "inaugural trip" was to Bennington Elementary School in October for the nationwide celebration of Lights on After School. 38 children visited the bus in 2 hours and made masks under the guidance of Jose Sacaridiz, one of the VAE's teaching artists.

To discuss a visit of the Art Bus to your school, community event or humble gathering,please contact VAE.

How the Arts Transformed Starksboro, Vermont by Paulette Beete (NEA Arts Magazine)

Matthew Perry, was a participant of the Art & Soul project in the VT town of Starksborough armed with a creative perspective to bring about communitiy participation and town planning. A bucolic town of nearly 2,000 people, Starksboro, Vermont, is home to eight working farms and a cohort of maple sugar producers. It's also home to several mobile home parks, and has only recently exceeded the population peak it saw back in 1860. Like many rural towns, Starksboro struggles with planning for future growth, while at the same time maintaining the pastoral characteristics that make it an attractive community in the first place.

According to the Orton Family Foundation, founded by Vermont Country Store chief Lyman Orton, the inimitable characteristics of communities like Starksboro are their "heart and soul assets." As Orton's Betsy Rosenbluth explained, these are "what really matters to people about where they live, both in terms of the place and in terms of their connection to each other." The foundation started its Heart and Soul initiative to help communities identify these defining aspects -- such as landscape, cultural heritage, and volunteerism -- which then serve as a basis for planning decisions, including zoning laws, development of public spaces, and even municipal signage.

North Bennington visual artist Matthew Perry describes himself as a social and community artist. Perry said, "When I heard about the vision that Lyman Orton had about this project, it just resonated with meÖbecause what he was saying was that he felt that artists should have a seat at the table in town government and school boards, and people in decision making should be listening to the artist's opinion because we approach problem-solving and challenges creatively."

Read the entire story here.