Town with a big art

Brattleboro ranks in national community poll
Reformer Staff / Reformer Staff
Thursday May 13, 2010

BRATTLEBORO — The town was among two Vermont cities recently listed among the Top Arts Destinations in American Style magazine’s annual readers’ poll.

Brattleboro was ranked No. 20 in the annual poll’s 25 Small Cities category (populations of up to 100,000); Burlington was placed at No. 12 on the list which featured Santa Fe, N.M., in the top spot, and which also included Boulder, Colo., Chapel Hill, N.C., Key West, Fla., and Carmel, Calif.

The 12th annual poll showcases the nation’s small, medium and large cities favored by art tourists and cultural travelers. Readers take into account such features as unique performance venues, premier galleries and year-round festivals.

“I’m delighted for both Burlington and Brattleboro and not at all surprised at their selection,” said Alex Aldrich, the executive director of the Vermont Arts Council. “Frankly, I am surprised that only two Vermont cities were named. My hope is that people visiting as a result of this article will discover that they have to return again and again to experience all the art and culture that Vermont has to offer.”

Wendy Rose, American Style publisher, credited the nation’s arts communities with paying a vital role in pulling the country out of the recession, with artists moving in to “dying Main Streets, shuttered factories and warehouse districts, and converted them into galleries and art scenes.

“Their murals, outdoor sculpture and other public art

enchanted tourists and helped spark new investment,” Rose said. “Artists led the way then, and they are leading the way now.”

The full list can be viewed online atwww.americanstyle.com.

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