Art Rooted in the People and Place of the Mad River Valley

Fall is always a special time in the Mad River Valley—and not simply because of the foliage.

It is the time of year when many of the events that best capture the character of this place come together. The Mad River Valley Craft Fair fills Kenyon’s Field with artists and makers. The Big Red Barn Art Show transforms an old barn into a wonderfully eclectic gallery. Siptemberfest brings independent brewers and beer lovers together at Mad River Glen. The Green Mountain Photo Show invites us to see Vermont through the eyes of talented photographers. Farmers, musicians, craftspeople, pilots, volunteers and more all find their place on the fall calendar.

These events are very different from one another, but they share something important. They are rooted in this community and created by people who care deeply about this place.

Unplowed Realities, opening September 10 at the Mad River Valley Arts Gallery, belongs squarely in that tradition.

The exhibition brings together the work of Montpelier artist Joan Brace O’Neal and Warren’s George Shenk—an experimental farmer, writer, creative and longtime community activist. Through different perspectives, their work explores the relationships among farms, land, animals and the people who care for them.

O’Neal uses portraiture to turn our attention toward the dairy cow, exploring the idea of the animal gaze and presenting the cow as a subject with its own presence rather than simply as an agricultural resource.

Shenk focuses on the human side of small-scale agriculture—the labor, commitment and care required to sustain farms, animals, land and local food systems. His work reveals the connections among agricultural labor, ecological health and the well-being of a community.

Together, the artists ask us to look beyond agriculture as simply an economic system and consider the deeper relationships connecting land, labor, animals, food and community.

It is hard to imagine a more fitting subject for the Mad River Valley.

Our sense of place has always come from more than mountains, covered bridges and beautiful views. It comes from the farmers, artists, craftspeople, independent business owners, volunteers and true Valley characters who make up the fabric of this community. They are people willing to try something different, create something original and put their own stamp on the place they call home.

That independent and creative spirit is what makes the Mad River Valley feel authentic and real. It cannot be manufactured, packaged or easily replicated. It grows from the people who live here, the work they do and the relationships they build with one another and with the land.

You can see it in an art show held inside a barn, a beer festival at a cooperatively owned ski area, a farmers market beside the river or an exhibition that asks us to think more deeply about the cows, farmers, fields and food systems surrounding us.

Unplowed Realities is not simply another event on the fall schedule. It is another expression of what makes the Mad River Valley special.

The exhibition will be on display from September 10 through November 19 at the Mad River Valley Arts Gallery, located at 5031 Main Street in Waitsfield. Gallery hours are Wednesday through Saturday from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m.

The public is invited to meet the artists and experience the exhibition during a reception on Friday, September 18, from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m.

And this is only one piece of a busy and wonderfully eclectic fall season. Visit the Mad River Valley Chamber of Commerce Event Calendar to discover art, music, food, outdoor adventures and community gatherings happening throughout the Valley.

The calendar may tell you what is happening. Taken together, these events tell the story of who we are.