In my dream, the angel shrugged and said…

‘If we fail this time, it will be a failure of imagination…

And then she placed the world, gently, in the palm of my hand.’

Brian Andreas

  (closing poem of the welcoming talk by Robert Sarly)

All ages and all walks of life came out to applaud the efforts of two visionaries whose mission is to share their passion for the contemporary arts. In a small town in southern Vermont, Robert Sarly and Abby Raeder have opened their hearts (and their wallets!) to build a venue that will not only showcase their love, but provide a gathering place in their community.  The Vermont Institute of Contemporary Art (VTica) will eventually be part gallery, part museum, part school along with a special-events venue to bring thought-provoking and out-of-the box programming to the south central Vermont arts community.

Based on the turnout, my guess is these two have an incredible start in fulfilling their vision.  Bravo Abby and Robert!  So proud of what you’ve accomplished and there’s no doubt that you hold the contemporary art world in the palm of your hands in Chester, Vermont!

It was a pleasure to photograph their event and on that note let me share with you some of my favorites from the community of Chester…