Ask the River

Project Added: November 18, 2021
Project Point of Contact: [email protected]
Three people stand in the midst of strings of blue panels.

Observers of the panels installed as part of the Ask the River exhibit at the Brattleboro Museum.

Michelle Frehsee

Arts-and Intersections:

Environment, Infrastructure

Collaborators:

Brattleboro Museum and Art Center, the Connecticut River Conservancy, the Downtown Brattleboro Alliance, and Rich Holschuh, a member of the Vermont Commission on Native American Affairs

Location:

Brattleboro, Vermont

Region:

Genre/Discipline:

Visual art

Population Density:

Suburban

Large Intended Impact Area:

Locality/Town/City

OVERVIEW

Ask the River is a public art installation to inspire reconnection with the Connecticut River. The Downtown Brattleboro Alliance, in collaboration with several stakeholders, conceived of Ask the River to think about the Transportaiton Center Alleyway in new ways. The result was choreographed performances that animate the streets and walls of Brattleboro and Montpelier with streams of community members and 25-foot-long cyanotype banners. The banners are cut up into scarves and worn by a multitude of makers, connecting them and creating a convergence of river awareness. The Brattleboro town plan considers the importance of a path from the river into the town.

ABOUT THE PROJECT

The Brattleboro Museum & Art Center, with the Connecticut River running alongside, is a resonant location for this exhibit, creating awareness of the river and making a direct connection between art, community, place, and environment. With the connection comes the possibility of transformation from observers to river advocates.

PROJECT EVALUATION

Currently not available.