PALETTEMOBILE DONATED TO COUNCIL: The Council thanks Katherine and John Paterson of Barre for their generous donation of the PaletteMobile to the Council and for their longtime friendship and support of the arts in Vermont.
SCREENSAVERS: Download the free screensavers of hundreds of palettes made by Vermonters from every corner of the state.
PHOTO GALLERY: View photos of palettes made by Vermonters.
In May 2005, renowned artist Warren Kimble presented the Vermont Arts Council with an idea for a statewide community arts project. Kimble, a resident of Brandon, VT and trustee of the Arts Council, had organized several exceptional community art projects including “A Really, Really Pig Show", “Brandon is for the Birds” and “Brandon Rocks”. The success of these efforts inspired him to propose a similar project based on that model but open to all Vermonters. The premise was simple: give people of all ages, interests and abilities the opportunity to create, showcase and celebrate art. Thus, Palettes of Vermont was born. The project was launched in January 2006. (Pictured at right: Warren Kimble and VAC Executive Director Alex Aldrich; photo by Jeb Wallace-Brodeur)
In partnership with the Vermont Wood Manufacturers Association and other sponsors, we offered 7,000 maple artist palettes and 30,000 paper palettes to any Vermonter who wished to create art. Corporate underwriting and in-kind support allowed the Arts Council to offer the palettes free of charge. The results were astounding: within 6 weeks, all of the palettes had been scooped up by individual artists, organizations, schools and community groups from all over the state.
The 12” x 16” palettes were created in every conceivable medium—paint, pastels, fabric, photography, chocolate and cheese—and were incorporated into other artistic disciplines such as theater, film, and dance. St. Albans, VT (photo at left) garnered the distinction of creating the World’s Largest Palette (12’ x 16’) but giant palettes were also on display in Bennington, Brandon and Bristol, while the village of Woodstock boasted having the smallest palettes!
The 37,000 participants represented more than 6% of the state’s total population. The collective exhibition of palettes is arguably the largest thematic art show in history, with venues in more than 100 communities, and spanning the state’s 9,615 square miles.
The PaletteMobile, generously donated to the Council for the project by John and Katherine Paterson of Barre, visited dozens of community exhibits throughout the summer and fall of 2006. The Palette Mobile functioned as a portable art gallery, displaying palettes at various community events across the state.
It was also equipped with a portable travel information kiosk for use by event attendees to learn about other arts events, lodging, dining, travel, and tourist attractions across Vermont.
- TOOL KITS - these documents described how artists and groups could participate in the project
- DOWNLOADABLE/PRINTABLE BLANK PAPER PALETTE for schools