Ask the River
Observers of the panels installed as part of the Ask the River exhibit at the Brattleboro Museum.
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 AffairsLocation:
Brattleboro, VermontRegion:
Genre/Discipline:
Visual artPopulation Density:
SuburbanLarge Intended Impact Area:
Locality/Town/CityFoundations:
Vermont Arts CouncilProject Website:
https://www.brattleboromuseum.org/2019/06/01/ask-the-river/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.