Southeastern Vermont, a scenic delight and haven for outdoor activity, is also a culturally sophisticated region. Windham County is blessed with a dynamic artistic community in which art galleries abound and thrive. From Putney to Brattleboro and Bellows Falls to the West River and Mount Snow Valleys, artists and communities are joining forces to promote gallery walks and studio tours. If your interest lies in museums and gallery walks, you can find it here in abundance. Landscapes, water colors, blown glass, pottery, quilts, textiles, jewelry, sculpture, furniture, stained glass, fiber arts, handmade tiles, contemporary works and more all have a wonderful showcase in Southern Vermont.

Strolling in Wilmington, 802-464-8092, visitvermont.com
2008 Summer Strolling dates: Special Event May 24, July 12, August 9, September 13

The village strolls celebrate the artistic talent of the Deerfield Valley. Everyone is encouraged to wear a strolling hat and bring as many friends as possible. Village Strolls will continue throughout the summer on the second Saturday of July, August, and September. Musical performances, children's activities, art exhibits, wine tastings and shopping specials are all offered at the village stroll. Three fine art galleries will be hosting "little monsters" as well as their own works including Pastels of Local Scenes at Anne Coleman's, more "Small Works" at Jim McGrath's Gallery, and new monoprints at Gallery Wright. May 24th 3-7: Join the celebration barbecue for the unveiling of the Vermonsters at the Sitzmark. Details at Vermonsters.org. Rain date Sunday May 25th.

Brattleboro's Gallery Walk, First-Friday of each month, 5:30–8:30 p.m., gallerywalk.org.
2008 Summer Dates: June 6, July 4, August 1, September 5

Celebrated as one of the country's top small art towns, Brattleboro blossoms monthly during Gallery Walk. The year-round, first-Friday event has grown to include 45 to 55 or more venues – most within a four-block radius, others just a short drive from the middle of town. The lively mix of local folks, travelers, students, retirees and children all gathered in town for this one night every month creates an atmosphere of vitality and diversity that is both charming and exciting. Many stops include meet-the-artist receptions and several offer live music.

Start with the Gallery Walk guide that includes listings from participating venues as well as a map. With six separate galleries and seasonally changing exhibits of contemporary work, the Brattleboro Museum & Art Center in the old Union Station is a good bet for the one-stop shopper. Try Windham Art Gallery for thematic exhibits by emerging and experimental artists, Gallery in the Woods for visionary art, Vermont Artisan Designs for a huge and diverse display of regional craft and fine art, and…Well, there is so much to do, you might need to save some for another day. Luckily, most exhibits remain open throughout the month. Don't forget to relish the local produce and art at the farmers' market on Saturdays in season. The Gallery Walk guide also includes quality previews, reviews and feature articles about local artists and their work. All articles and venue listings are available at

Life After Dark, Third Wednesdays, 6–8pm, 802-867-0272, gmarts06@verizon.net
2008 Summer Dates: June 18, July 16, August 20, September 17

On the third Wednesday of each month beginning on June 18 local businesses in the Manchester area will keep their doors open and offer an opportunity to explore the uniqueness of Manchester's shopping districts. Catch artists demonstrating and explore the arts! All these events are free and open to the public.

June 18th: Opera Theater of Weston at the Equinox Resort and Spa
Family oriented program on June 18th "Into the Woods"—An evening of operatic samplings. The program will include songs and ensembles from operas and musical theater based on the theme "Into the Woods". As well there will be operatic excerpts from OTW's upcoming production of Hansel & Gretel, Secret Garden, Wizard of Oz and more.

July 16th Dorset Theater Festival, Manchester Green at the intersection of Rte. 7A & Rte. 11/30

August 20th Lilia's Pilates, Richville Rd with additional events in Historic Manchester Depot
All Life After Dark happenings will include a special Book To Film series at the Mark Skinner Library in Manchester Village.

Bellows Falls' Art Walk, 3rd Friday of every month, 5-8, _villagesquarebooks.com/3rd_friday_art_walk.htm
2008 Summer Art Walk dates: June 20, July 18, August 15, September 19

Twenty miles north of Brattleboro on the Connecticut River lies the Village of Bellows Falls, which has earned a reputation throughout Vermont and the region as a model of downtown revitalization. With historic architecture, cohesive neighborhoods and the scenic Connecticut River, the arts are thriving. On Art Walk night, the stores stay open later and musicians take to the streets and cafés.

Get your map at Village Square Booksellers, which features an Internet café and a gallery in addition to the bookstore. This Art Walk co-sponsor also hosts readings and lectures, giving the monthly event a distinctive literary flavor. In the summer season, catch the Bellows Falls Farmers' Market, open 3-7 every Friday at the Waypoint Visitor Center.

Bennington Public Art Project J. Seward Johnson Exhibition, Downtown Bennington May through late October Better Bennington Corporation, 802-442-5758, betterbennington.com.

The J. Seward Johnson sculptures are world renowned for their life-like, life-size appearance and have been displayed in many major U.S. cities as well as abroad. The sculptures draw thousands of visitors and onlookers who are captivated by J. Seward Johnson's representational works. The Better Bennington Corporation is working with downtown Bennington merchants and businesses to sponsor and agree on a suitable downtown location for each sculpture. Sponsors will have their names on a plaque on or near the sculpture they are sponsoring.


The 16th Rock River Studio Tour through Williamsville, South Newfane and Newfane, July 19 and 20, rockriverartists.com.

We've all heard the truism that you can't step in the same river twice. And for the Rock River in pristine Southern Vermont, that truism applies twice – once for the river itself and once for the studio tour that goes by the same name. Anyone who has done Rock River knows the tour is different every time, and many folks regularly plan their summer travels around the July event. After all these years, something keeps bringing them back.

For some, it is the scenery. The breathtaking art produced in this valley burgeons in the fertile fields of a sublime landscape. Within minutes of beginning the tour, one may see a sunny pasture overcome with daylilies, a cool forest fragrant with fallen hemlock needles, a 200-year-old barn still in use on a family farm, a dirt road that winds up a steep slope through a quaint old wood, and a covered bridge that crosses a shimmering river. It's worth coming to Rock River just for the chance to take the many roads less traveled by.

Others arrive from afar to catch up with favorite artists who have become old friends.

But for most visitors, the draw of Rock River is the unique alchemy that results when you have 20 world-class artists living within a 12-mile radius. When these artists open their homes, gardens and studios to the public for the weekend, the experience is comfortably intimate. Though this is a tour, participants are not treated like tourists: everyone is invited in as a back-door neighbor. And while the tour includes many artists whose works regularly appear in big-name galleries and museum collections, that is not the point here. A museum visit resembles Rock River the way a display of stuffed lions resembles a safari. The art in its native habitat, much of it in progress, still pulses with the ideas, emotions and other mysterious forces that originally called it into being.

This year, visitors may choose to see fine cabinetry crafted of curly maple that was harvested by Dan Dewalt on his own property; vivid portraits and family scenes layered by Deidre Scherer of fabric and thread; organically fluid sculptures composed by James Florschutz from consumer and industrial leftovers; Mary Welsh's dreamlike collages, in which many elements seem to change their edges and permeability while one watches; supple, lustrous ewers and urns raku-fired by Richard Foye; and expressive prints by Kim Hartman Colligan that bring spatial and botanical forms into joyous play.

Visitors may choose to see all this, and then find that they have barely skimmed the surface of Rock River. That's what keeps them coming back, year after year, to wade again.