By Karen Nevin
Seventeen years ago, a group of Mad River Valley community members joined together with the goal of establishing a vibrant summer event highlighting the many artists who live and work in the community. This event would draw tourists to the area and provide The Valley's residents and visitors with opportunities to experience, explore and participate in the making of art. By marketing all of the wonderful arts activities together, Vermont Festival of the Arts does exactly that.
Vermont Festival of the Arts has become a key summer economic driver for the Mad River Valley. Now that the 2014 festival has ended, we can look back and learn a little more about how it impacts our community.
There were 108 events put on by 63 event producers this year. These events encompassed the whole of the arts: visual arts, photography, theater, dance, music, culinary and the art of living well. Six event producers were from within Vermont and four from New England. Of the 108 events, 13 showcased Vermonters, 4 showcased works from New England and 15 from elsewhere.
Seventeen thousand people attended events in August. This is a substantial increase from 2013, which saw 14,000 event attendees. In the guest book at the Big Red Barn Art Show (the original cornerstone event of the festival) we counted people representing 58 Vermont cities and towns, 34 states, 19 countries and 4 Canadian provinces.
One hundred forty-five works of art were sold at the major summer arts events – Green Mountain Watercolor Exhibition, Great Vermont Plein Air Paint-Out, Big Red Barn Art Show, and the Photography Show. Again this is an increase from 2013. Of course, we are unable to include the countless works of arts and crafts purchased in stores and galleries throughout The Valley. Numerous businesses report that August is their best month after December.
Eighty-eight overnight stays were counted at area inns and B&Bs during the festival. This is a difficult number to count. We believe, anecdotally, that there were many more. Many reasons were given for staying overnight including seeing a Phantom Theater show, participating in the Plein Air Paint-Out, taking an art workshop, viewing the Janet McKenzie art show, or attending Taste of The Valley.
Over the four weeks of the festival, we met hundreds of people who were visiting the Mad River Valley for the first time. One family from New Jersey came to the Festival Picnic at Lareau Farm. While chatting, I learned that they were staying in Stowe, "because that was the only town I could think of when planning our first Vermont vacation." I later saw them at the Clay Play pottery workshop and then at a Crafty Kids workshop. When asked why they kept coming back, the mother responded easily "there is so much for our family to do." The family is planning a return vacation next summer – in the Mad River Valley.
We hear many similar stories all summer long. Philip White from Sea Cliff, New York, who visited a Salon Thursday at Moosewalk Studios exclaimed, "It had been the most art intensive week he had ever spent in his life!" The arts cannot be discounted when considering what brings people to the Mad River Valley. Our community has opened its arms to the artists who live, work and visit here. As we start planning for 2015 and the next Vermont Festival of the Arts, Valley Arts Foundation will continue to keep its mission in mind: to support the interests of the Mad River Valley by encouraging and promoting participation in the arts. All year long.
Nevin is the director of Valley Arts Foundation.
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