The Inside Scoop: Artistree

Hey, it’s Vicki and I’m here at Artistry in Palmford, Vermont. And I’m so excited. We have a fun-filled day with so many activities. I can’t wait. And I’m a little late, so I got to go.
I’m sounding good. Push towards it. Oh my god.
Happening. It’s going to fly off.
We’re going to eat them, right? So them on the wall. They’re delicious. If I put my eyes in a painting will look good.
This may take more than one class.
Hi, I’m Vicki. I’m here to take my first pottery class.
Yes. You’re going to take a wheel throwing class?
All right. I’m excited. I have no idea what I’m doing. Great. I can teach you. Perfect. Would you like an apron? I would love an apron.
Can I help you put it on? Cuz it’s a bit confusing.
Okay. It’s already I’m learning things already. Let’s move around to the wheel. All right.
Go for about a pound. Do you call it a pound? Cuz it’s British.
Do I smash it on? You bang it, but you don’t have to smash it. Okay.
It’s off center. Do it again. There you go. She’s already ahead of me. Should I be full speed ahead? Full speed ahead. Oh my god.
And you’re pushing in.
It’s going wobbly. It’s like we’re making a pot together. We are. Okay. Push down. And the elbows down. Oh, elbows down.
It’s like a candle holder.
Push it down into the middle. And you can see how much clay you have at the bottom. Fill the hole up with water. Like cup it.
Yep. And I would be terrible on Survivor. I couldn’t even get the water.
Push towards you. You will start to see it open. Oh my god, things are happening.
Now it’s a vodaf folder. It’s getting there. And this is compression. This is making sure the bottom of your pot doesn’t crack.
Socks like these. Okay.
These are your throwing fingers. And you’re going to drop your wrist. Open and release. Do you see hers is giant? This is not a competition.
This is Isn’t it? Perfect. Sorry I’m so good at this. I Oh, it’s a shocker, right? Uh-oh.
No bottom. I have a little bottom. It’s a colander.
Can we just mash it back together? Wait, we can make a little pore spout. It’s for cigarettes. It’s 1973.
Can we do that? And then you can burn the table.
It’s yours. You can do whatever you want.
Oh my god. I’m doing more an artisal approach. Uhoh. You doing great, Vicki. Oh, no.
It’s a free former. Can we save it?
Yes, we can. It’s a fruit bowl. It’s very advantage. Thank you.
It’s like a doororknob. This is going to be an add-on piece for this one. I just have a different technique. But was it fun? It was fun.
Oh, I didn’t know.
That’s my first ghost scene ever. I want you to know I have studiously avoided the ghost scenes until now.
So, now what do we do after you’ve trimmed it and it dries? It’ll go in the kiln. You’ll glaze it and it will go back in the kiln again. Take So, what does Marie leave here with?
Absolutely nothing. Her dignity intact. Didn’t seem fair.
Sorry, that was an accident. I tripped. Looks better now. More reclaim.
Something smells amazing and I’m going to check it out. That goes with play clothes.
Hello. Hi. What’s going on in here? We’re doing the Japanese cooking class. They’re making gilds out today.
Oh my goodness. Why wouldn’t you be? Can I join your class? Please do. All right. Yeah.
Okay. Great. So, this is how I do like little guy. Yeah. Then press it down. I did take a clay class.
Oh, that’s great. So, you know, there’s potato starch. Just sprinkle a little bit. It stretches more than what you think. That’s true.
The center you want to keep it a little thicker because that’s the bottom of where the filling sits.
Who would have thought you could take real pottery throwing and then dumplings?
Mine looks like the before and yours is the after.
So you hold your thumb, you do a pleat and a pleat and a pleat.
That’s correct. She’s a masterful. I’ve been pleading wrong my whole life. That looks great. So, who’s eating dumplings yet?
Sorry. Uhuh. You’re cheating. I know. They’re delicious.
I think I’m better at this eating part, maybe. We pour oil in. Yeah. So, we want to brown the bottom.
So, we brown them and then steam them.
That’s it. And then cover. And we cover it up. That’s it.
Delicious. How do you say delicious in Japanese? Oi. Oi. Oi. Hopefully, that’s all we hear.
Oh. So, how do we know when to stop? Longer because the door is not clear.
Is it because I didn’t roll them out thin enough? Who could really say? She could, but we’re not saying it.
That’s why you can’t. There you go.
He seems concerned. You guys are a lot thinner than I am. She’s also thinner than I am. Not related. Probably not related. I don’t know.
There we go. It happened here first.
Dumplings. Poor pleading, but I feel all right about it. Go for it.
Go for it. This is me poorly holding chopsticks with two hands. Okay.
How is it, Vicki? That’s perfect. It’s hot.
I only know one sentence in Japanese.
It’s atui. It means hot, isn’t it? Kind of worked out for me. Here we go. Perfect. They’re delicious. It’s light, but it has good flavor.
It does. It’s delicious.
Toe heel. Done. Heel toe. Heel toe.
Like, are you with me? This is This is Afro Cuban drumming.
Afrouban drumming. We’re doing it with Mark. There’s something I think I’m really bad at. We’re like, why not do it? Afro Cuban drumming.
We We have a class that meets Wednesday evenings and we’re running through some of the stuff we learned last week. We’re going to try the first measure very slowly.
Basic tube bow. Heel toe slap toe. Heel toe toe toe. Heel toe slap toe. Heel toe
toe toe. Good. Now this is repetitive to get this in your head. It comes from playing slowly and then eventually your brain doesn’t have to do it.
Stop face. Should I just mime it like a bird?
I like that you looked with confidence and like connectivity like this is what’s happening and I’m like is this when I sing
it on the road guys Mark’s like I want to make you good at
this and it’s not happening now we’re just going to we’re just going to rip we’re going to drum circle form
this is where I excel Oh no. Are we adding Are we layering? I think I need like a ting ting.
There you go. I’m just a little like a sprinkle.
If I do this part, it makes sense. Cha cha cha.
They really did it.
That was good conducting. Oh, thank you.
Thank you. Awesome. That was good.
I’m never going to do this again, but you’re really great at it. That’s like totally impressive.
Okay. Besides drumming, you started artistry 2003. What were you like, “Hey, let’s build an art center.” I moved here not knowing anybody and I
had just had a baby. And I was interested in getting to know other moms and families and some connections in the area. And when we moved here, I kind of
went back to what I used to do, which was more hands-on, working with children, music, and art. I’d also, previous to moving to Vermont, had
gotten a certification as an art educator. I noticed when I moved here that there weren’t a lot of gathering spaces for families or just people.
Yeah, they’re not.
And it just seemed like, wow, we could really use a dedicated space for moms to bring their kids. Started in Woodstock.
When I moved to the other building, it sort of kickstarted a little more participation. It was a better space, better parking. I started to get help
like, wow, it started to become more of like a real business. We started expanding our programming to older children and then finally to adults. I
felt like the community needed something like this and there was lots of participation and encouragement. The negotiations for buying the building
didn’t go well. So, we started looking in the area for other buildings that could house a community art center. We found this building
which is amazing. And then you converted the whole farmhouse.
This is a big renovation project. We had to lift the barn up and put in a new foundation so we could have a first
floor. We renovated the farmhouse so it could be a gallery and we were just in the middle of starting to get interested in doing theater cuz we were
collaborating a lot with Pentangle. Then came the initiative of creating a theater program. We have a season of different things that happen in the
theater from professional shows to community shows to workshops and movies and comedians.
There you go. Pretty amazing. Are you just blown away by everything?
I guess I’m really struck with how a gathering place in a rural setting is so important and how many people appreciate
doing art. I think the big piece of it though is it’s something interesting to do and you get to do it with other
people. I think that’s really the crux of it.
Feels
like a library, but it’s a gallery. I don’t know why I want to be really quiet in here. Ooh, look at this one. I like
this window. It’s clever. I thought that was a peacock, but I guess art is like whatever it means to you. I went to art
school and I forget. I just remembered the student loans.
There’s a deer head. It’s a deer with a dance party on top of its head out of toothpicks. It’s magical.
Amazing. This looks like me on a Tuesday.
Thank you so much. It’s beautiful. This is what we started getting today. So, your piece will be a great part of the
group. Looks like somebody else is coming in. Good morning. Welcome. I don’t have a panel. Am I supposed to have a panel?
Deborah and I run this place together, the gallery. We are raising the scholarship fund. Oh, wow.
So, this is the blank panel that Oh, okay. I thought this was a snowstorm panel. This is a before panel. Okay.
That’s like a challenge taking it. We will say thank you very much.
It’s a great fundraiser. Look at all these.
Yes, it’s incredible. Noticing a bird tree theme, but I could do anything. Anything you can express your statement.
This one a tree is growing out of. Did anyone notice this? Okay, that’s a 3D there. A 3D panel.
So, what’s a scholarship program?
Artistry has a scholarship program for adults and kids who are interested in taking classes or camps here at
Artistry. We really try to make the arts accessible to our community. They’re, you know, given out based on financial need. The application’s really simple.
It’s just on our website and we just really encourage our community members to take advantage cuz they are here. I don’t I don’t think everybody knows that we have scholarships.
It’s really wonderful. What can you use the scholarships for?
Any class or camp for all ages really in particular? A lot of families ask us for scholarships for after school classes
and for summer camps because they really need child care and right now it is pretty hard to find affordable child care. Those applications will be online
in the new year. Those get processed even before a regular camp registration opens. So if you get a scholarship, you get first dibs into the camp. Fantastic.
What if you just want to give money besides buying a panel? If folks would like to give money directly to our
scholarship fund, they can go to our website. There’s a donate button. They can choose the scholarship fund. Oh, wow. Okay.
And give money directly to that. We’re really grateful to all of our donors.
And in this case, to all of the artists who’ve just donated these panels of their own work they spent so much time on. That’ll just all be auctioned off
and sold for the fund. Fantastic. I’m going to paint a Pamela. I’m excited to see what you make.
Vicki, I want to welcome you to the uh painting class here at Artist Tree.
We’re going to run you through the beginning to the end of how to do a painting. This is my wonderful class.
I’m Ray Newell and these are my great friends and co-workers, so to speak.
We’re going to put out colors on this wet on wet paper towel so it doesn’t dry out.
Right. I did a lot of paint and sips for a while and this was our way of if you sip too much. You may not be paying attention to what’s happening.
We’re going to start with a large brush.
A lot of water. Maybe that red really just really thin, very watery, very transparent. I covered my square with
this pink color. There’s just so little places here and there where the pink shows through and that just is fine because I’d rather the pink than the white.
We’ll start with the darks in the background. Going back to the light strokes.
So, if you squint and you look at these darks, we’re going to look for patterns.
He says, “Squint your eyes.” Maybe if I squint my eyes, my painting will look good. I think I would be good at the sip and paint class, though.
All right, now it’s all coming together.
Did I just break a second brush? The brushes are rejecting me. It’s booby trapped. They’re like, we’re not letting the new lady in. This may take more than one class. When do we make it a Pollock?
We just throw stuff on it.
Once you got all the dark darks in, then you can start in with this sort of shadowy gray. Good. Good. That’s perfect.
This is her being positive reinforcement. Absolutely. I broke four of your paint brushes. Okay. You can add it up at the end.
I like that it’s like everyone supporting each other. I for some reason have painted a mustache on here and I don’t know. It was not intended. I don’t
know how to get away from it. Is it a happy little tree? Remember him? He was fun. Yeah. I think if I talk really positive, it’ll work out. Oh my god.
This is fantastic.
So, you put the lights on the wrong side.
I see. This has to be light. Now he looks a little possessed, but I think I can fix it.
How do you fix the foreground and the background? Ray, his head looks a little like he’s got a a little problem. But it’s cute. It’s It’s lovely.
Like you should be my therapist. Or you are now. You’re almost done.
You’re just saying nice things, but I like that about you. When do you know to walk away?
Yeah. Just just stop right now.
Yeah. Step back. You’re You’re right there.
She’s like, “Step outside and with your eyes way back. Way way back. Oh, look at him.
Yeah. See, he looks pretty happy. I did it. I did it. Come on. That’s cute. It’s It’s lovely.
This is my self-help group, right?
I’m asking you nicely to present on some of the things that your brilliant team has already discovered in order that they will be able to coordinate.
Sorry, I didn’t know there was rehearsing. Oh my god. Come in. Come in. Sorry to interrupt. Come in. We need you.
We need someone, Mr. Here’s a mask for you.
I’m Vicki. Nice to meet you. Good to see you.
I didn’t know you were rehearsing. And you’re going to be Caldwell. Oh my gosh.
Now, we just finished. You’re in town, so we’re experimenting with voices and styles. Dr. Hunt and Mr. Gray are not tourists.
Professor, no one else on your team knows as much as you, Professor Dangleer. It’s Dan Chapter.
Oh, sorry. And scene. Is that what they say? Scene. No. All right. Thank you.
Very good.
Oh, and red leather. Yellow leather. Red leather. Yellow leather. Red lever.
Yellow leather. An eye patch. Yes, that is a good one.
Try this one. A tutor who tooted the flute. A tutor who ted the flute. Oh, this is the will I am.
Taught two tutors to toot on the flute. Taught two tutors to toot on the flute. Are we ready to dance? Oh, sure. Let’s dance it out.
I did afro drumming. We dance.
Step, touch, step, touch. It’s like when you’d hand a bank the note, give me a money.
Touch paper. Here we go. And it’s more than tata dot dot.
That gets our mouth adjusted. A thing distinctly hard to say. A thing distinctly hard to say.
This one says, “I’d like to be in the theater.” But harder still to do.
Harder still to do. You’re following very well.
Sorry, I like a reveal. Feels like my dad in a weird way. But anyway, it’s free form.
We go back to the top.
No. Why don’t I hear more about your theater? You have programming all year.
Several big productions, some one-offs, and you have amazing directors and set designers. They’re they’re pretty good. Yeah.
They’re I would say bordering on genius and you do it cuz you love it then and the honor of being next to people
who are professionally doing this and in this craft daily to come in just that growth personally that happened for me was astounding.
All right, I’m coming back. I had a blast. Take a mask with you. I will. I’m wearing it out.
My god, that was such an amazing day. I had so much fun. I loved all of it. And I learned like dumplings and Afrouban
drumming and pottery. Sorry about the pot. So many things to do at Artistry. It was great. I’m coming back.
Get to artistry, guys.