Arlene Distler took note of the “effort of the growing number of artists and appreciators of arts” in the community. I am grateful for her making these familiar statements, but I must add that there is more to the story.
We live in a large town abundant with residential artists. And, indeed, these people are “starving artists.”
What strikes me is that there is no mention of the city's largest employer, the Brattleboro Retreat, and the absence of therapeutic activities.
I serve on the Consumer Advisory Committee, and I have been a patient at the Retreat several times. Let me tell you, there is, in my mind, little to do in the way of creative expression.