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- Painting by Elizabeth Fram
Just about every art venue in Vermont puts on group holiday shows this time of year, and Studio Place Arts is no exception. But the Barre arts center surely hosts one of the largest. From A to Z — Mary Admasian to John Zaso — a whopping 71 artists are represented.
Executive director Sue Higby couldn't say how many items are in the show, which is titled "Celebrate," as each artist contributes multiple works and often replaces ones that sell. She counted 18 printed pages of labels, with 14 per sheet, and that's just for the wall-hung pieces. "When you add up the tiny stuff," Higby said, "it's innumerable."
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- Ornament by Kristin Schuyler
Among the smalls are petite pots and figurative sculptures, handcrafted ornaments, jewelry, felted bags, wee knitted stockings, ceramic magnets in shapes from a paw print to a pig to a bluebird, and woodblock-printed cards. There are even catnip-stuffed toys designed to put the ho ho ho in your kitty's holidays.
The walls on all three floors of Studio Place Arts are adorned with an abundance of paintings, prints, photographs, textile works, wood assemblages, collages and more. Higby noted that many artists who typically work in larger formats created small pieces for this show, with gift givers and burgeoning collectors in mind.
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- Painting by Larry Bowling
"Celebrate" is a sensory overload — in a good way — but it's not actually the largest holiday show Studio Place Arts has run since the first in 2000. "It used to be closer to 100 artists," Higby said. "But 70 or so is more manageable."
That's because she and gallery cofounder Janet Van Fleet have to pull it together with Santa-like speed.
"Janet and I curate all the material that is piled up against the wall," Higby said of the unjuried entries. "After work is dropped off over 48 hours, we spend several hours doing the sort, and then everything goes up in 24 hours. It's curated on the fly.
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- Ceramics by Pamela Wilson
"We really give a lot of thought to the relationships of items," Higby continued. "That's the unnerving aspect of not knowing what's coming in ahead of time. But we like to pull out all the stops."
Sounds like someone could use a couple of elves.
"Celebrate" continues through December 28. Find more info at studioplacearts.com.