November 2021
Bennington Museum Monthly
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Dear Friends,
At its core, Bennington Museum provides a warm, welcoming environment that celebrates the culture of the area and presents its materials in meaningful, engaging ways. The ebullient cries of a five-year-old who has successfully found all the goats represented in various forms within the Museum’s collections, the note of thanks from a high school intern who spent the summer cataloging maps and filming short videos for social media, and the ‘aha’ moment of a middle school teacher who has created a collaborative lesson plan that uses the Museum’s online database for a class project – these are some of the most gratifying results of working in this field because they represent a crucible of everything a museum strives to be: fun, challenging, engaging.
The potential impact that Bennington Museum can have in the community as we emerge from the pandemic is only limited by our capacity to provide quality programming both on- and off-site. When you donate to the Museum you make it possible to reach the children, teenagers, and teachers within our community, introducing them to our shared culture of history and art through firsthand experiences at Bennington Museum. Here, we want to tell the stories of all those who participate in the complex and rich intersectionality of histories that make up this region, including the stories of the ordinary folks, independent women, native peoples, and our more well-known figures. We want to tell YOUR story.
Your contribution will make these narratives accessible in our schools so that future generations can learn about why this tri-state crossroads is such a rich and unique place in the context of American history. Knowledge and understanding are the building blocks of both great museums, and great people.
Thank you for helping us share your story through these important community programs. Your gift makes a difference.
Sincerely,
Martin Mahoney
Executive Director
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Saturday, 10/30
noon - 2pm
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Join us for this outdoor celebration with the artists
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Join us to celebrate Veterans' Day and to rededicate the Civil War Memorial.
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Come explore the Museum for the first time, or join us to help welcome our new members and donors. RSVP!
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Free with Museum admission.
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Let us know you are coming by today and save!
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Thursday, 11/18
1:30pm-2:30pm & Saturday, 11/20
10:30am-11:30am
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A free in-person event for pre-school kids and families
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A free in-person BHS presentation featuring the Museum's Collections Manager
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Tuesday, 11/23
4:30pm - 6:30pm
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Meet the artists and purchase pieces before bidding begins
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In support of the Museum's annual winter fundraiser
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Acknowledging
the Lincoln Trilogy
Recently, the Lincoln Trilogy statue standing in Bennington Museum’s courtyard was vandalized. This piece has elicited many different reactions from our diverse community over the years, and we are committed to turning this act of destruction into a constructive experience. With the help of the Williamstown Art Conservation Center, the Museum plans to restore the statue and use it as a launching pad for interpretive programming with a focus on the complex and nuanced stories of native peoples, women, and all underrepresented groups in this region.
History is not written in stone, but is constantly evolving as new facts come to light and as new sentiments take hold. Therefore, Bennington Museum has a responsibility to place our collections in the context of modern-day viewpoints and issues in order to tell a more complete story and to be inclusive of everyone in our community.
Bennington Museum is cooperating with the Bennington Police Department in this investigation. Anyone with information about this incident is asked to contact Officer Amanda Knox at 802-442-1030 or provide information through the PD website.
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Grants for DEI Programming |
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SOUL STEPS
Bennington Museum is pleased to serve as a fiscal sponsor for the New York City-based African American dance troupe, Soul Steps. Our partnership has enabled this group to be the beneficiary of both the Vermont Community Foundation’s Spark Connecting Community grant program, and the Vermont Community Foundation's Landmann Family Fund. These grants, which are administered by the Museum, will partially fund a wintertime residency for Soul Steps in the area and a December reading at Bennington Performing Arts Center of their new musical under development.
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We encourage the community to support this creative cultural endeavor in our midst and to promote further understanding of diversity, equity, and inclusion in this region. To learn more about Soul Steps, their interest in Bennington, and their upcoming project, visit their GoFundMe page.
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STOPPING STONES
The Stopping Stones project is a national effort intended to engage communities with the local and broader history of slavery by memorializing the names of enslaved persons with markers in the places they were once held. The organization works toward repairing inequality in education, health, justice, and economics, the effects of American slavery, and to move our nation toward racial equity and equal opportunity. Stopping Stones believes that communities must recognize history in order to shape the future.
In support of bringing this project to Bennington, Bennington Museum has been designated as the Vermont recipient of an Historic New England Herbert and Louise Whitney Fund Community Preservation Grant.
To learn more about how you can be involved in the research required to bring Stopping Stones to fruition, please email our Director of Public Programs, Deana Mallory.
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A Community Day for Veterans |
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The Civil War Memorial is cleaned, the pavers are re-laid, the new signage has been ordered, and now it is time to celebrate. We hope to see you at Bennington Museum on our special Community Day - Saturday, November 6! |
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Transient Beauty: Responding to "Snowflake" Bentley |
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The Museum’s Winter Festival is a community celebration of the arts that takes place from just before Thanksgiving until New Year's Eve each year.
It consists of three parts which each follow the the theme of the season - Transient Beauty: Responding to "Snowflake" Bentley.
The Festival also includes special events for children such as Family Day on Saturday, December 4, and the Noon Years’ Eve party.
The annual Winter Gala will take place on Friday, December 10 and you will be receiving an invitation in the coming weeks. You may also purchase tickets online!
These events comprise the Museum’s largest fundraiser benefitting all Museum programming throughout the year. We hope you will join us to celebrate our 2021 successes and to help launch 2022 on the best possible footing!
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Fall Shopping and Changing Hours |
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They may be on display all season, but really, there is no better time than Fall to finally purchase your very own glass masterpiece. These artisanal blown pumpkins are not available for sale online, but you can purchase one when you visit our shop, or contact us to inquire about shipping potential.
You can visit the Museum Store anytime during our open hours and can browse our gift selection without paying admission to the Museum.
As a reminder, Museum hours will be changing soon. Through October we are open 10am to 4pm every day except Wednesday.
Beginning November 1st, the Museum will be open to the public Fridays through Mondays, 10am to 4pm.
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Bennington Museum engages and transforms our visitors and our community by connecting you to the region’s diverse arts, rich history, and culture of innovation.
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