History and Mystery of the Potteries of Buffalo, New York, 1835-1896

History and Mystery of the Potteries of Buffalo, New York, 1835-1896Stoneware Collectors Group Program – open to allCome explore Buffalo’s hidden history as revealed by its stoneware pottery treasures.  Peter Jablonski, an avid privy digger and historical researcher, wi......More

History and Mystery of the Potteries of Buffalo, New York, 1835-1896Stoneware Collectors Group Program – open to allCome explore Buffalo’s hidden history as revealed by its stoneware pottery treasures.  Peter Jablonski, an avid privy digger and historical researcher, will  uncover the secrets revealed in the collection of David Potter, a lifelong stoneware collector.  Together they will speak about stoneware artifacts unearthed from privies. Who were the master artisans who worked the clay? Who decorated these works of art?  Find out new information not included in William Ketchum’s book Potters & Potteries of New York State.  About the presenters: David Potter is a long time collector who’s always looking for different forms an designs. Peter Jablonski is a privy-digger and bottle collector who researches the context and history of his finds. How to Participate: Program fee of $12/person or $10/person age 62 and older includes admission to the Museum good for the entire day. Our galleries will stay open until 5:00 PM for program attendees only. (Regular Museum hours 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM) Bennington Museum Members: contact programs@benningtonmuseum.org for a $3 discount code! Save time and purchase your admission in advance! Purchase TicketsImage courtesy of Linda Burton

Bennington Museum

Music at the Museum: Many Hands

Music at the Museum presents Many Hands,featuring pianist Marc PeloquinMusic at the Museum returns this Spring with a piano performance by Marc Peloquin featuring compositions by Peter Lieberson, Franz Schubert, David Del Tredici, and Alison Nowak. Many Hands celebrates......More

Music at the Museum presents Many Hands,featuring pianist Marc PeloquinMusic at the Museum returns this Spring with a piano performance by Marc Peloquin featuring compositions by Peter Lieberson, Franz Schubert, David Del Tredici, and Alison Nowak. Many Hands celebrates music of extraordinary pianistic diversity and imagination in works spanning three centuries. About the Performer A New York Times critic has said “Marc Peloquin’s energetic approach yielded a performance that was refreshing and alive. Individual lines rang out with remarkable definition and clarity.” The pianist, called an “innovative ivory tickler” by Time Out, has appeared in a wide range of venues. In New York City he has performed at such venues as The Museum of Modern Art, the Guggenheim Museum, Town Hall, Miller Theatre at Columbia University, Merkin Concert Hall, Weill Recital Hall and Bargemusic. He has also performed at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C, The Chicago Cultural Center, The Gardner Museum in Boston and the American Academy in Rome. Marc Peloquin is the creator and curator of the KeyedUp Music Project, a concert series in New York City devoted to music of great composers of our time, their influences, and those they have influenced. The series, which began in 2010, has presented world premieres by composers Samuel Adler, Chester Biscardi, Steven Burke, David Del Tredici, Reena Esmail, Daron Hagen, Mario Lavista, Lowell Liebermann, Tobias Picker, and Ned Rorem. Read Marc’s complete bio. Music at the Museum is presented at no charge thanks to the generous sponsorship of Alison Nowak and Robert Cane.

Student Art Show closing reception

Concerts in the Courtyard: Mike McMann Band

CONCERTS IN THE COURTYARDWe are pleased to announce that Bennington Museum has received an anonymous grant once more for 2022, plus additional support from the Golub Foundation. Performances will begin June 3rd and run through September 2nd, 2022, and will be free of ch......More

CONCERTS IN THE COURTYARDWe are pleased to announce that Bennington Museum has received an anonymous grant once more for 2022, plus additional support from the Golub Foundation. Performances will begin June 3rd and run through September 2nd, 2022, and will be free of charge. All events take place from 5-7pm. Please bring your own blankets or lawn chairs! The Avocado Pit will set up shop in front of the Museum’s gates, serving delicious tacos, beer and wine. In the event of rain, the event will be cancelled by 2pm on Fridays. Check our facebook page for updates. Museum educators will provide free children’s activities during Concerts in the Courtyard. Kids of all ages will find a fun makerspace at the picnic tables where they can create art based on art and objects featured in the Museum. The Mike McMann BandMike McMann is a native of the Capital Region of NY currently residing on the NY/MA border in the foothills of the Berkshire Mountains. From classic rock to southern rock to bluegrass, roots music to acoustic, instrumental – Mike has a wide range of styles. His recent album True has been nominated for and Eddie Award for album of the year and the title track for song of the year. Sten Isachsen has forged a career as solid as the Adirondack Mountains from which he hails. Classical string music, bluegrass, and twangy telecastings all eminate from his studio. He too is nominated for an Eddie Award this year for his work with Jim Gaudet. Kyle Esposito is a graduate of the Berklee School of Music and a well known session musician throughout NY’s capital region, Saratoga and Woodstock.   As this is the first event of the season and coincides with the closing of the student art show, Bennington Museum will offer free admission to the public from 4pm to 7pm!

Bennington Museum

Discover Marion Huse's Pownal

Discover Marion Huse’s Pownala driving tourWhile not well-know today, Marion Huse was an artist who achieved a degree of success unusual for a woman of her day, founding and operating the Springfield Art School from 1925 to 1940 and serving as supervisor of WPA art proj......More

Discover Marion Huse’s Pownala driving tourWhile not well-know today, Marion Huse was an artist who achieved a degree of success unusual for a woman of her day, founding and operating the Springfield Art School from 1925 to 1940 and serving as supervisor of WPA art projects for western Massachusetts from 1936 to 1938. Beginning the mid 1930s, Huse spent much of her time painting in Pownal, Vermont where she first spent summers and weekends, and then eventually lived full time until the early 1960s. This tour, which complements the Museum’s exhibition Marion Huse: Painting Pownal (on view April 1 – June 22) will take you to several of the locations that served as inspiration for her paintings. Your guides will share information about Huse and point out the views and landscapes that she painted. We will be exploring the narrow back roads of Pownal where Huse found some of the beautiful spots for her paintings. With this in mind, we must limit the number of cars on the tour. We ask you to consider carpooling so we may accommodate all who would like to join us. Advance registration is required and must be received by 5:00 PM on Friday June 3. Information about parking and other instructions will be sent following your registration. Your guides are Warren Broderick, independent scholar and art connoisseur and guest curator Joyce Held, an officer of the Pownal Historical Society and Jamie Franklin, curator at Bennington Museum. How to Participate Register HereFee is $12/person for Bennington Museum members and $15/person for non-members.Car pooling will be necessary with 4 individuals in each vehicle.

Solomon Wright Public Library, Main Street, Pownal, Vermont

Concerts in the Courtyard: Ray Gifford

CONCERTS IN THE COURTYARDWe are pleased to announce that Bennington Museum has received an anonymous grant once more for 2022, plus additional support from the Golub Foundation. Performances will begin June 3rd and run through September 2nd, 2022, and will be free of ch......More

CONCERTS IN THE COURTYARDWe are pleased to announce that Bennington Museum has received an anonymous grant once more for 2022, plus additional support from the Golub Foundation. Performances will begin June 3rd and run through September 2nd, 2022, and will be free of charge. All events take place from 5-7pm. Please bring your own blankets or lawn chairs! The Avocado Pit will set up shop in front of the Museum’s gates, serving delicious tacos, beer and wine. In the event of rain, the event will be cancelled by 2pm on Fridays. Check our facebook page for updates. Museum educators will provide free children’s activities during Concerts in the Courtyard. Kids of all ages will find a fun makerspace at the picnic tables where they can create art based on art and objects featured in the Museum. Ray GiffordRay Gifford is a performing songwriter with a strong ability to connect with the audience. His meaningful real world lyrics and variety of song choices are sure to help you find a gem and want to hear more.

Bennington Museum

Introduction to Screen Printing

Introduction to Screen Printingwith Rhonda RatrayMarion Huse was acknowledged as one of the pioneers of the serigraph, or silkscreen, as a fine art media. In this workshop, you can explore this art form yourself. Use direct stencil processes, such as screen filler and h......More

Introduction to Screen Printingwith Rhonda RatrayMarion Huse was acknowledged as one of the pioneers of the serigraph, or silkscreen, as a fine art media. In this workshop, you can explore this art form yourself. Use direct stencil processes, such as screen filler and hand cut stencils, to create silkscreened prints. Participants will learn methods to make their own prints, which can also be used to make cards, posters, patches, or T-shirts! Bring an image to work with and we will translate it into a screen print. Size anywhere from 5″x7″ to 11″x 17″ See the art that inspired the workshop in Marion Huse: Picturing Pownal, on view through June 22nd. About the instructor: Rhonda Ratray received her BFA from Alfred University School of Art and Design, and her MFA from The School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston and Tufts University, where she also taught screen printing. Finding inspiration in printmaking, painting, sculpture, and design, she has also taught at the MFA Boston The Maud Morgan Visual Arts Center, Cambridge, MA The Essex Art Center, Lawrence, MA and The Brookline Art Center. She currently teaches at the Vermont Arts Exchange, North Bennington, VT. Rhonda has exhibited her work in many universities and galleries including Montserrat College of Art Emmanuel College The Adikman Gallery at Tufts University, Medford, MA The Bennington Museum and The Fitchburg Art Museum. Fitchburg, MA.  Rhonda is the Artist in Residence and curates The Left Bank Gallery in North Bennington, VT. Rhonda grew up in the Bennington area and also paints under the name Aimee LaPorte. You can find more information about all of her endeavors at www.ratray.com. How to Participate: This workshop is limited to 6 participants, so don’t wait to reserve your spot! Workshop fee of $55/Member and $70/Not-Yet-Member includes all materials Register Here

Bennington Museum

John Spargo: A life

John Spargo: A lifeA Bennington Historical Society PresentationJohn Spargo was a young Socialist who ended up a Goldwater Republican. In this presentation Tony Marro will discuss how Spargo started out writing about the evils of child labor and ended up writing about Be......More

John Spargo: A lifeA Bennington Historical Society PresentationJohn Spargo was a young Socialist who ended up a Goldwater Republican. In this presentation Tony Marro will discuss how Spargo started out writing about the evils of child labor and ended up writing about Bennington pottery as the founding director of Bennington Museum. About the Presenter Anthony Marro was a reporter for the Rutland Herald, Newsday, Newsweek and the New York Times. From 1971 until 1981, he was based in Washington, D.C., where his coverage of the U.S. Department of Justice included extensive coverage of the Watergate scandal. He then spent six years as the managing editor and sixteen years as the editor of Newsday. He is also co-author of Beyond the Hiss Case: The FBI, Congress and the Cold War and Philip Hoff: How Red Turned Blue in the Green Mountain State. The Bennington Historical Society is a volunteer-run program of Bennington Museum. The BHS offers its programs at no charge. Please consider supporting the efforts of the BHS to share the history of our region by making a donation. Support the BHS

Bennington Museum

A Monument Society Event- Rockwell Museum

As a leading supporter of Bennington Museum, we invite you to join us for this special Monument Society event: A curator-led tour of the new exhibit, Imprinted: Illustrating Race at the Norman Rockwell Museum at 3:30pm and dinner at Zinc Bistro at 5:30pm Space is limite......More

As a leading supporter of Bennington Museum, we invite you to join us for this special Monument Society event: A curator-led tour of the new exhibit, Imprinted: Illustrating Race at the Norman Rockwell Museum at 3:30pm and dinner at Zinc Bistro at 5:30pm Space is limited to 24 participants total and reservations will be accepted on a first come first serve basis. Please RSVP by June 8 You must be a Monument Society member to attend this free event. ___________________ Join the Monument Society TodayRSVP Here

Concerts in the Courtyard: Luminous Crush

CONCERTS IN THE COURTYARDWe are pleased to announce that Bennington Museum has received an anonymous grant once more for 2022, plus additional support from the Golub Foundation. Performances will begin June 3rd and run through September 2nd, 2022, and will be free of ch......More

CONCERTS IN THE COURTYARDWe are pleased to announce that Bennington Museum has received an anonymous grant once more for 2022, plus additional support from the Golub Foundation. Performances will begin June 3rd and run through September 2nd, 2022, and will be free of charge. All events take place from 5-7pm. Please bring your own blankets or lawn chairs! The Avocado Pit will set up shop in front of the Museum’s gates, serving delicious tacos, beer and wine. In the event of rain, the event will be cancelled by 2pm on Fridays. Check our facebook page for updates. Museum educators will provide free children’s activities during Concerts in the Courtyard. Kids of all ages will find a fun makerspace at the picnic tables where they can create art based on art and objects featured in the Museum. Luminous CrushLuminous Crush was formed in 2015 by Laura Molinelli and Ben Campbell in Jamaica Vermont. Laura had a career as a singer song writer in the area an in NYC folk clubs, Ben got his start in the original production of the now Tony award winning Hadestown with an early collaboration with Anais Mitchell. The current band includes Christian Heins on bass from Arlington and Bill Conley on pedal steel and dobro from Dummerston. Their live music can be described as “alt pop country”

Bennington Museum

Concerts in the Courtyard: The Throwbacks

CONCERTS IN THE COURTYARDWe are pleased to announce that Bennington Museum has received an anonymous grant once more for 2022, plus additional support from the Golub Foundation. Performances will begin June 3rd and run through September 2nd, 2022, and will be free of ch......More

CONCERTS IN THE COURTYARDWe are pleased to announce that Bennington Museum has received an anonymous grant once more for 2022, plus additional support from the Golub Foundation. Performances will begin June 3rd and run through September 2nd, 2022, and will be free of charge. All events take place from 5-7pm. Please bring your own blankets or lawn chairs! The Avocado Pit will set up shop in front of the Museum’s gates, serving delicious tacos, beer and wine. In the event of rain, the event will be cancelled by 2pm on Fridays. Check our facebook page for updates. Museum educators will provide free children’s activities during Concerts in the Courtyard. Kids of all ages will find a fun makerspace at the picnic tables where they can create art based on art and objects featured in the Museum. The ThrowbacksThe Throwbacks are a local music group reviving classic tunes that everyone knows! The band brings fans back to the good old days of music through their instruments and vocal harmony. With a setlist of covers ranging from the 1950s through to the 1970s, The Throwbacks play it all!

Bennington Museum

A Stopping Stones Commemoration

Peg – we don’t know her last name – was born about 1742 in or near Hadley, Massachusetts. She was enslaved in Bennington by Stephen Fay from 1772 to 1778. On June 25, 2022, she will be remembered and honored by the people of Bennington, Vermont. Peg lived and worked at ......More

Peg – we don’t know her last name – was born about 1742 in or near Hadley, Massachusetts. She was enslaved in Bennington by Stephen Fay from 1772 to 1778. On June 25, 2022, she will be remembered and honored by the people of Bennington, Vermont. Peg lived and worked at Fay’s Tavern, better known as the Catamount Tavern, during some of the most important years of our state’s and our nation’s history. In 1778, she was sold back to the Massachusetts farm where she’d lived before being sold to Fay. Recovering the lost, discarded, and sometimes intentionally erased stories of enslaved persons is a challenge. The Stopping Stones project seeks to unearth these stories, remember the names of the enslaved, and recognize their contributions to our communities as well as acknowledge and work to repair the legacy of slavery. In October of 2021, Bennington Museum was awarded a Herbert and Louise Whitney Fund Community Preservation Grant from Historic New England as well as additional support from the Ben & Jerry’s Foundation to support placing a Stopping Stone honoring an enslaved person in Bennington. Since then, a small group of Museum staff and volunteers has worked to collect information about early Black Bennington residents and to bring their stories to light. On Saturday June 25th the Stopping Stone honoring Peg will be dedicated with a ceremony beginning at 10:00AM at the former site of the Catamount Tavern on Monument Avenue in Bennington, followed by a reception at Bennington Museum. We invite the community to join us as we share and reflect upon Peg’s story. Thank you to the trustees of the Village of Old Bennington and the current owners of the property associated with the Catamount Tavern for their support of this project, and to the volunteers who have worked on uncovering Peg’s story and those of other enslaved people in early Bennington.