Many people assume they have to travel to a major city to view the greatest hits from the art world, but the northeast’s intimate cultural institutions hold treasure troves of prominent artists’ works that are deeply tied to their origins. Take for example, the Bennington Museum in Bennington, Vermont, which holds the largest public collection of paintings by American folk artist Grandma Moses.
Moses, whose late-career painting renaissance depicted the rolling landscape of Washington County, spent most of her life in Eagle Bridge, New York, fifteen miles northwest of Bennington. But that’s not the only reason to plan a visit here: The museum holds the largest collection of art and historical artifacts in southern Vermont.
Housed since 1928 in the former St. Francis de Sales Catholic Church, the museum’s roots lay in the c.1852 Bennington Historical Association—founded to commemorate a pivotal Revolutionary War battle fought nearby. Fittingly, Bennington Museum’s 40,000-piece collection dates from the 18th through the 20th century and includes archival manuscripts such as documents from the Battle of Bennington and letters written by George Washington.
Modern and contemporary art has a place here, too (cue the Grandma Moses collection), as well as dynamic exhibitions like “Vermont Rocks!” The museum’s major summer/fall exhibition for 2024, “Vermont Rocks!” explores the historical and cultural significance of Vermont’s mineral wealth. The state has three official state rocks: granite, marble, and slate—all of which have been used to construct buildings and monuments worldwide. Lesser-known facts are revealed in the exhibition, too, like the state mineral (talc) and the significant iron industry that Bennington experienced from the late 1700s through the mid-1800s.
In addition to photographs, archival materials, and material culture, historic and contemporary works of art by prominent artists including James Hope, Lewis Hine, Rockwell Kent, and Edward Burtynsky explore the state’s mineral wealth in this exhibition. Of course, the exhibition also features aesthetically and geologically exceptional mineral specimens from throughout the state, including world-class examples of Vermont’s state gem—fire orange grossular garnet—from the Belvidere Mountain Quarries in Lowell and Eden.
Bennington Museum also participates in the North Bennington Outdoor Sculpture Show (NBOSS), the longest-running outdoor sculpture exhibition in Southern Vermont. This year, NBOSS runs from June 29 to November 17. Parents will also love Museum ABCs, a free program for 3-5 year olds that gets little ones up close and personal with exhibitions through interactive activities.
Looking for a relaxing way to kick off the weekend? Stop by the museum on Friday evenings through the end of August for Concerts in the Courtyard to enjoy art and a show, as well as free children’s activities and food and beverages for purchase.
