Revelers who were bundled against the cold hurled cotton snowballs — not at each other but at a “Snow Throw” target. Their frosty breath and steam from mugs of hot chocolate misted the frigid air. Dancers clad in parkas and woolen hats vibed to music from DJ Amelia Devoid, while others sculpted mini snowmen and printed winter-themed graphic T-shirts under a canopy of light-adorned trees.
That was the scene on the Church Street Marketplace last Friday during the Snow Ball, an outdoor party hosted by Burlington City Arts and Love Burlington. The evening event, held in front of Homeport, was part of “Downtown Lights,” a collaboration of BCA and the Church Street Marketplace District Commission that kicked off in December and features lighting displays by local artists throughout the downtown corridor.
“We were looking for ways to light up the place in the evenings,” Homeport owner and commission chair Mark Bouchett said. “Anything that we could do to make the street feel alive — and especially in the winter, when it gets dark at 4 p.m.”
Bouchett explained that his store loses money every year from January through March — a trend at many downtown businesses, he said. The luminescent art installations are intended to entice shoppers by making the city feel warmer and more welcoming. “Downtown Lights” continues through February 23.
At the Snow Ball, a projection from Burlington design studio Vanish Works dazzled attendees. Illuminating the façade of the former CityPlace Burlington mall from 5 to 10 p.m. every night, “Dwell Time” is a roughly 30-minute video loop featuring works from several Vermont artists. More are added weekly during the “Downtown Lights” run.
Highlights include footage of Lydia Kern’s “Anthology,” a sculpture at City Hall Park that displays hundreds of resin-preserved flowers collected by Burlington residents, and Lisa Jamhoury’s “Maquette: The Metaverse,” a digital contemporary dance of avatars fighting for the spotlight.
The idea of “Dwell Time,” Vanish Works founder Alex Reeves said, is “to take in these local artists and see them in a new way.”
He designed the project with the Gruen effect in mind. That’s a psychological tool employed by retailers to enthrall shoppers so that they stay longer — and buy more. Reeves hopes his artistic application of the phenomenon causes downtown shoppers to linger, perhaps increasing foot traffic at local businesses.
“People walking down Church Street will see these ambient projections and lose themselves in a good way, lose themselves in the art,” he said.
“Downtown Lights” began in December a couple of blocks south, where Vermont artist Stephen Rhoades’ “The Obelisk” glowed in the heart of City Hall Park. The 16-foot-tall structure was one of the project’s first installations and operated until the end of January, according to the artist.
Constructed by Rhoades and his team at Florentine Farms in Essex, the monument was outfitted in laser-cut mirrors, ornate geometric patterns and ancient script. By day, the mirrors refracted sunlight onto the park. At night, 10,000 multicolored LEDs generated “a spectral whimsy that seems to come from the great beyond,” according to a description on the Florentine Farms website.
Rhoades said he hopes the piece, and other art downtown, inspires residents to come together and embrace their creativity.
“It’s a tough time in the world right now,” he said, “and we need to make sure that everyone knows that we have a public space for people to gather.”
Bouchett said it’s difficult to measure the impact of “Downtown Lights” on local commerce, but he hopes that Church Street, and Burlington, will continue to present similar projects in the future.
“The long-term success of this marketplace is these kinds of things,” he said. “It ends up delighting you, and certainly with light, that’s one of the things Church Street is known for.” ➆
The original print version of this article was headlined “Come to the Light: Illuminated Art Aims to Attract Shoppers to Downtown Burlington”
This article appears in February 11 • 2026.
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