Perched on a steep hill in Montpelier, Delia Robinson’s cozy home studio is filled with dozens of whistles and vivid paintings. Robinson moved to Vermont in the early 1980s and has spent her 80-year lifetime making art. A third-generation whistle maker, Robinson learned the craft from her mother, Mildred MacKenzie, when she was a teenager; she has since sculpted thousands of whistles out of clay. She fires the intricate creations — some based on folk ballads — in her basement kiln. Upstairs in her painting studio, she fills canvases with colorful stories, often inspired by dreams. Over the years, Robinson has shown her work extensively throughout the state, country and abroad.
In the latest episode of “Stuck in Vermont,” Seven Days senior multimedia producer Eva Sollberger got a tour of Robinson’s eclectic home and heard a few whistles — and a folk ballad, too.
Filming date: 12/30/25
Music: Godmode, “Dolphin-esque”
This episode of “Stuck in Vermont” was supported by The Vermont Community Foundation.
![Mail Art [SIV22]](https://i0.wp.com/www.sevendaysvt.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/04/episode22.webp?resize=400%2C300&ssl=1)
This article appears in Jan 7-13 2026.
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