July 13, 11 a.m.-4 p.m.—POULTNEY—Stone Valley Arts, Stone Valley Arts 145 E. Main St., Poultney holds it’s 10th anniversary summer cook out on Saturday July 13, 5-7 p.m. The event will feature a cookout, art and live music featuring the local sounds of Mean Waltons, an acoustic bluegrass duo from the Rutland area.
The gallery will be open, showcasing work by the acclaimed Pawlet photographer and documentarian, Neil Rappaport. Rappaport’s exhibition, “Capturing Time: A Neil Rappaport Retrospective” displays the work of the late Pawlet-based photographer’s life’s work including portraits from the Pawlet community study, slate industry, farms, Vermont landscapes and rare photos from Comstock Prison where Rappaport taught photography. Additionally, hand-colored photos produced by Neil Rappaport and his wife Susanne will be on display. The show will end Sunday, August 11. Curated by Chuck Helfer and Krista Rupe.
Rappaport was born in New York City in 1942. He graduated from Williams College with an English degree, but his life changed when he picked up a camera. Rappaport was a documentary photographer and taught at Bennington College for 27 years from 1970-1997. He became obsessed with recording how life in the small rural town of Pawlet, where he was a long time resident, was changing. When he died suddenly in 1998, he left behind a treasure trove of images. He referred to his works as “biographies rather than essays.”
“Through Neil’s lens he tells the history of a community letting the photos paint personal stories,” said Rupe.
“Neil’s rare ability to connect with people gives us a photographic time capsule into a Vermont community and way of life no longer present,” said Helfer.
Stone Valley Arts has been dedicated to inspiring creativity, building relationships and supporting the community throughout the arts.
For more information, visit: Stonevalleyarts.org.
