BRATTLEBORO — When the election has passed, the time for healing will be at hand. VTArt-Rising invites art-makers to be part of “the great reconciliation” in the weeks that follow.
In collaboration with 350VT, organizers say they are planning “an open-arts spectacle in downtown Brattleboro designed to initiate the rebuilding process our nation will need.”
“350VT is dedicated to protecting election results and making sure every vote is counted,” Abby Mnookin, co-director of 350VT, said in a news release. “But we're also thinking beyond Nov. 4. This arts initiative feels like one step towards healing the wounds of division in our communities.”
VTArt-Rising encourages artists of all ages to submit works “which speak to the courage and openness our nation will need as it strives to recover from the divisiveness and fears we've all been experiencing.”
All are invited to submit images to be projected in the windows of Main Street stores in the weeks to come.
“We're asking art makers of all kinds, and citizens of all political stripes, to join in this act of community creation and social regeneration,” said organizer Steve Wangh. “While we work towards a peaceful transition, we also want to start imagining a transition towards peace and reconciliation.”
VTArt-Rising encourages all Vermonters “to examine the sources of our divisions, and urges everyone to create works that ask, 'How do we mend the tears in our social fabric, and how do we reweave that fabric to create a more-inclusive future?'”
From Nov. 4 to Nov. 17, the project will be accepting and reviewing all submissions, then creating a public slide show for the holiday season.
For more information and submission format requirements, send an email to Wangh at [email protected] or Julie Snorek at [email protected].