When Lois Johnstone’s parents sold their house, the buyer decided she didn’t want it unless it came with the big hand-braided rug in the living room, one that Johnstone’s mother had made herself. She reluctantly let it go, and today the rug is at the Woodstock Historical Society. But her story indicates how cherished these rugs are, and of some of the backstories that can be heard from Vermont’s artists and artisans during Open Studio Weekend, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, May 25-26.
The self-guided, statewide tour of all things art in Vermont leads you to some corners of the state you might not discover otherwise, and some artists you might not discover otherwise, some of whom are only open to the public during this time.
Braided in Vermont
The free map and bright yellow roadside signs guide the tour to everyone from oil painters and printmakers to stone carvers and to hand-braiders like Lois Johnstone and Kathy Detko of Braided in Vermont in Wallingford. One of the only hand-braided rug businesses left, it’s a lost art, but one that people still seek out.
“We feel that we’re helping to continue the craft, because it seems like a dying art,” Detko said.
“I think the problem is we’ve lost our woolen mills,” Johnstone said. She and Detko head to Guild, New Hampshire, to the Dorr Woolen Mill, but once upon a time would find all kinds of wool and old bathrobes to rip up and use from thrift stores.
They make everything from table mats to chair pads and pie plate trivets. Both retired, they don’t ship or have a website, wanting to keep it local and simple. So when you get a rug from them you’re truly getting a one-of-a-kind piece that you’re likely to have for life.
During Open Studio they’ll have demonstrations and Johnstone said, “It’s fun when you can show people how things are done.”
Art Around Books
Art Around Books in Bellows Falls features fine art and rare books, specializing in used and rare poetry, art, literary fiction, children’s books, and first editions.
“Art Around Books is an offshoot of Brighton Press which we started in San Diego in 1985,” said proprietors Michele Burgess and Bill Kelly by email. “We moved it to Vermont in 2021. We taught in the summer programs at the Putney School during the 1990s and fell in love with this place.”
“To date, we have published 53 books that are represented in more than 100 public and private collections, including the Getty Research Institute, the Library of Congress, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art,” they said.
During the tour, they’ll have a selection of their books on view with some of the tools they use to produce them.
Art Around Books is located at 5 Canal St. in Bellows Falls; call 619-200-1326, or go online to www.artaroundbooks.com
Carving Studio & Sculpture Center
More hidden gems can be found at The Carving Studio & Sculpture Center, including work from professional artists and artisans from all over the world who come to Vermont to make everything at the old marble quarry in West Rutland.
During Open Studio they’ll have workshops like an introduction to stone carving and sculptural basketry, as well as an exhibit in the gallery, and a chance to see the models used for the Downtown Rutland Sculpture Trail.
“We have a new trail that was completed last year,” said Executive Director Carol Driscoll. “Ten installations will be here for that period of time. That’s a little gem that not a lot of people know about.”
The theme is communing with nature, and you can see the names of the artists and signs explaining what they were thinking.
The Carving Studio & Sculpture Center is located at 636 Marble St. in West Rutland; call 802-438-2097 or go online to www.carvingstudio.org
Carol Violanda Art
At Carol Violanda’s studio in Dummerston you can see a work in progress among her representational and abstract paintings in oil.
“I am constantly snapping photos of things that catch my eye,” she said by email. “I will be showing a number of paintings that I did this winter.”
“I am drawn to finding the beauty in … old vehicles, old buildings, a dirt road,” she says on her website. “I like both the structure of representational painting, and the freedom of abstracts. Maybe it’s growing up in a family of engineers that I see the artistry in functional objects and want to bring it out.”
Carol Violanda Art is located at 868 Stickney Brook Road in Dummerston; call 770-310-2409 or go online to carolviolanda.com
“This is my second year participating in the Spring Open Studio,” Violanda said. “I love being a part of something that is happening all over the state. I’ve met a lot of talented artists and some really nice folks who are coming up for the weekend.”
“Our first year (of Open Studio) was amazing,” Detko said. “People sign in, where they’re from, and the first year 52 people came through. Who knew 52 people were interested in rugs?”
“We’ve met some terrific people through Open Studio,” Driscoll concurred. “It’s really a great way to see who else is out there if you don’t cross paths.”
