Roots & Wings: Celebrating One Year of Vermont Creative Works

One year ago, Vermont Creative Works opened its doors with a big idea: create a place where artists and creativity could thrive, and where the community could come together through art.

To celebrate our Grand Opening, we invited local artists to transform simple wooden circles into original works of art inspired by the theme Nature. The finished pieces filled our hallway with an incredible variety of styles, mediums, and perspectives, and were auctioned to support this brand-new creative space.

At the time, Vermont Creative Works itself was brand new, too.

We were just putting down roots.

What a difference a year makes.

Over our first year, Vermont Creative Works has grown into so much more than an art supply store.

We've welcomed artists into our private studio spaces, filled our gallery walls with work from local creators, hosted workshops and creative gatherings, brought artists and makers together for special events, welcomed vendors and volunteers, and helped people find the materials, knowledge, encouragement, and community they need to create.

We've watched people walk through our doors looking for a particular art supply and leave with a connection to another artist.

We've seen people try something they've never done before.

We've given local artists more opportunities to teach, exhibit, sell their work, connect with customers, and build their creative businesses.

And through it all, we've continued working toward the same mission we started with:

Empowering Artists. Enriching Communities. Through Creativity and Connection.

This year, we're celebrating our roots—and our wings.

For our First Anniversary Celebration and Open Studio Weekend on October 3, we're returning to the project that helped us celebrate the beginning of Vermont Creative Works.

Once again, participating artists will receive a 12-inch wooden circle and turn it into an original work of art. The completed pieces will come together in a special hallway exhibition before being offered through our anniversary auction.

But this year's theme couldn't be more fitting:

ROOTS & WINGS

Where you're planted inspires where you'll fly.

Roots are where we begin.

They're the people who support us, the communities that hold us, the experiences that shape us, and the places where we finally feel that we belong.

Wings are what happen when we have enough support to take a chance.

Over the past year, Vermont Creative Works has been planting roots in this community—and helping artists grow their wings.

That's what we want this anniversary exhibit to celebrate.

Each participating artist will interpret Roots & Wings in their own way, creating an entirely original piece for the exhibition. Together, those circles will once again fill our hallway—this time representing not the beginning of Vermont Creative Works, but everything that can grow from a beginning.

When you bid, you're supporting more than one piece of art.

You're supporting a place where artists can sell their work.

A place where someone can teach their first workshop.

A place where a new artist can ask questions without feeling intimidated.

A place where established artists can find customers, students, collaborators, and community.

A place where creativity is treated as something worth investing in.

The proceeds from this auction will support Vermont Creative Works as we enter our second year and continue creating opportunities for artists and our broader community.

A year ago, we planted something.

Now let's see how far it can fly.

Thank you for being part of our first year—and for helping us grow into the next one. 💙

Vermont Creative Works
Morrisville, Vermont
Empowering Artists. Enriching Communities. Through Creativity and Connection.

The Past Inside the Present by Charon Henning