BY ALICE DUGAN

The Brandon Artists’ Guild will continue to energize not only the creative but the economic development of the area when they kick off their 2008 community art project, “Brandon: Thinking Outside the Box,” this spring. This project will involve large and small wooden boxes to be decorated by artists and school children.

Twenty artists from the community at large will decorate large 24-inch wooden cubes, and slightly smaller boxes will be distributed to area schools to be decorated by students. Members of the Brandon Artists’ Guild will be given jewelry size and smaller boxes to be painted, displayed, and sold in the Brandon Artists’ Guild gallery.

The unveiling of the boxes will take place on Friday, May 24, with a “Boxzilla” celebration to be held on the Green in the center of Brandon from noon until 3:00 p.m., says Jeff Stewart, president of the Brandon Artists’ Guild. Part of the fun will include giving out cardboard boxes to those attending which they can decorate on the spot. Plans for other activities and entertainment to be included in the event are still in the works.

The Memorial Day weekend of May 24 and 25 also celebrates the arts with the annual statewide Open Studio program presented by the Vermont Crafts Council. The studios of participating artists in and around Brandon will be welcoming visitors.

Following the celebration, the large boxes will be displayed on pedestals around town, and all the decorated boxes can be seen at various locations until the Columbus Day weekend in October, when an auction will be held on Friday, the 10th, at the Brandon Town Hall. The artists all donate their time and skills to the fund raiser, which this year, Brandon Artists’ Guild president Jeff Stewart says, is a public art project primarily for the benefit of the community as well as for the arts programs in the schools. Previous fund raisers, which began with the hugely successful “Really

Really Pig Show” in 2003, were primarily for the benefit of the Brandon Artists’ Guild, enabling the organization to buy and renovate the space they had been leasing at 7 Center Street, and, last year, to pay off the mortgage.

Each year, some of the proceeds went to support and expand the arts programs in the area schools, and more recently funds were given to the Brandon Town Hall committee to help in their efforts to renovate the Town Hall. This year they will receive a larger portion of the proceeds, and each of the schools will get the proceeds won at the auction for their projects, with the Brandon Artists’ Guild receiving a smaller portion.

That first community-wide fund raiser for the Brandon Artists’ Guild, “The Really Really Pig Show,” was successful beyond the groups’ dreams. The pig show attracted attention even beyond Vermont. The creative energy sparked in the community by efforts like this from the Brandon Artists’ Guild “has made it into a destination town,” observed Stewart. This fund raiser, and those which have followed, have not only involved area school children in the art project, but also provides funds to the schools for supplies and activities they otherwise couldn’t have.

This community-wide project became an annual event, being followed by the equally creative and attention grabbing “Brandon is for the Birds” (birdhouses) in 2004; “Brandon Rocks” (rocking chairs) in 2005; “Palettes of Vermont” (artist palettes in cooperation with the statewide Vermont Arts Council art project) in 2006; and “Brandon’s Reigning Cats and Dogs” (cats and dogs interpreted in a wide array of media) in 2007. As mentioned, the 2008 fund raiser is “Brandon: Thinking Outside the Box” (various size boxes).

The Vermont Arts Council is mounting their semi-annual statewide project for 2008-2009, “Art Fits Vermont: A Statewide Community Arts Project That’s Greater Than the Sum of Its Parts,” distributing 60,000 14-square-inch puzzle pieces around the state beginning in April. The Brandon Artists’ Guild will have some pieces to distribute to members and others in the community who wish to decorate a puzzle piece, but, this year, won’t participate as an organization.

In addition to the major projects of the annual fund raisers, the Brandon Artists’ Guild maintains a vibrant all-year schedule of artists’ shows and special events. There are more than 50 artist members from around the state, and special exhibitions of member artists are scheduled every two months throughout the year. The Student Show, which features the work of students in the area schools, was held in February, and the March/April show, which opened March 7, features the work of photographer Lowell Snowden-Klock.

The May/June show will open May 2 with a display of photographer Douglas Bilken’s “Scenes.” The July/August show, which will open July 11, will feature Barbara Efchak’s “Hybrids” paintings, and Robin Kent’s “Life’s Vignettes.” The September/October show, which will open September 5, will feature Kathy Domenicucci’s paintings “Spring Forcing” and Althea Bilodeau’s “Fabulous Fabric Art.” The November Members show will open on November 7. Each of these shows opens with a reception held from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. A selection of members’ works is also on display at the gallery throughout the year.

The Brandon Artists’ Guild also sponsors events, sometimes with other organizations. The Guild cooperated, for instance, in the recently completed Brandon Art in the Snow, which was presented by area artists, merchants, inns, and restaurants the fourth weekends of January, February, and March. Each weekend offered a variety of activities as well as opportunities to visit the gallery and a selected number of artists’ studios to see the artists at work. Drawings were held for raffle ticket winners who participated in the event each Sunday afternoon at the gallery.

Founded in 1999 by a group of 12 artists, including folk artist Warren Kimble, whose enthusiasm and energy has acted as a spark plug to set off a surge of creativity in the Brandon community, the Brandon Artists’ Guild continues to pursue its goals “as a nonprofit cultural organization dedicated to supporting the visual arts and artists.”

Throughout the year, the Brandon Artists’ Guild provides lectures, demonstrations, exhibitions, and educational programs, often with other organizations and schools. The gallery on Center Street is truly a center for creative activities, and the efforts of the organization and its members, particularly Kimble, are credited for the renaissance occurring in Brandon, attracting even more artists and new businesses.

Membership in the Brandon Artists’ Guild, which has grown to over 50 members, is open to non-artists, too, artist Coliene Moore, one of the founding members, emphasizes. Stewart, for instance, describes himself as an example of a non-artist member who was attracted to the organization because of his interest and enthusiasm for the arts and a desire to help support the goals of the organization. Members elect a board of directors, and, as mentioned, Stewart serves as president. The vice president is Steven Zorn, the treasurer is Roger Kolawsky (another non-artist member), and the secretary is Dolores Furnari. Members volunteer time to help in the gallery, making it possible for it to be open seven days a week from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.