The Vermont Studio Center (VSC) is a non-profit arts organization located in the town of
Johnson, Vermont
Johnson is a town in Lamoille County, Vermont, United States. The population was 3,491 at the 2020 census. The town is home to Northern Vermont University-Johnson, a part the Vermont State Colleges system. The Vermont Studio Center is loc ...
. It conducts the largest fine arts and writing residency program in the United States, with a significant population of international
artists in residency.
The center operates two-, three- and four-week sessions throughout the year, with 20-30 visual artists and writers in residence at a time. The programs are highly selective and include a broad variety of media, cultures, and ages.
History
The center was founded in 1984 by Jonathan Gregg, Frederick Osborne, and Louise Von Weise. In January 2007, George Pearlman succeeded Jonathan Gregg as VSC's executive director, and Pearlman was succeeded by long-time development director Gary Clark as president in 2013. In June 2019, Clark transitioned to
President Emeritus
''Emeritus/Emerita'' () is an honorary title granted to someone who retires from a position of distinction, most commonly an academic faculty position, but is allowed to continue using the previous title, as in "professor emeritus".
In some ca ...
and Ellen McCullough-Lovell stepped in as interim executive director.
In July 2020, Elyzabeth Holford was hired as executive director.
About
The campus consists of twenty studio and residence buildings clustered along the Gihon River in the village of Johnson. Several of the buildings date to the nineteenth century and their restoration have won awards from the
National Trust for Historic Preservation
The National Trust for Historic Preservation is a privately funded, nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C., that works in the field of historic preservation in the United States. The member-supported organization was founded in 1949 ...
and the
Preservation Trust of Vermont.
Visiting artists and writers visit the center each session. They include established writers, painters, printmakers, and sculptors. Visiting artists interact with residents on a daily basis through readings, craft talks, slide presentations and one-on-one studio visits and writing conferences.
Intercultural emphasis
The center attracts residents from more than 40 countries and all of the U.S. states. VSC fellowships emphasize intercultural exchange, and are organized around the following cultural programs: The Triangle Arts Trust Africa/Arab World; The Freeman Foundation Asian Artists; Central America; ArtNexus Latin America Artist Award; Reed Foundation Caribbean Basin Fellowships; and CEC ArtsLink Central Europe, Russia and Eurasia. Specific international fellowships focus upon Ireland, Italy, and Mexico.
Notable authors who have been granted residencies at the Vermont Studio Center include
Un Sio San (Macau),
Rachel Valdés (Cuba),
Cherie Jones (Barbados), and
Shira Erlichman (Israel).
References
Further reading
* Vermont Studio Center Press. ''A Catalog of Prints Created by Distinguished Artists at Vermont Studio Center''. Press: Hank Murta Adams...
t Al. 1998.
* VSCPress. ''VSCPress: Print Collaborations, 2000''. Johnson, Vt: VSCPress, 2001.
External links
Vermont Studio Center website
{{Authority control
Vermont culture
Artist colonies
Writing groups and collectives
Artist residencies