We are open!
Seven Stars is open again for classes and individual music lessons! If you have been fully vaccinated you can come into our building without a mask. If you are not vaccinated we welcome you, and ask that you wear a mask. In Lessons, Classes and Artists, you will find contact information for each of the instructors. Reach out to them for details about their offerings. Some classes are meeting outside at different locations during the summertime. Concerts are starting to be scheduled, visit our site again for updates!
Latest Grant News
Seven Stars is pleased to let folks know that we are again the recipient of a very helpful grant to help repair our building. On May 3, 2021 we learned that we are one of 12 organizations chosen for a grant from the 1772 Foundation in cooperation with the Preservation Trust of Vermont. This is a matching grant of $4765. We have been dealing with moisture issues along the foundation of our wonderful, old building. This amount will cover half the cost of Phase 1 of an initiative dealing with these issues. This summer the grounds around the building will be regraded, and buried drains and impermeable membranes will be installed, to redirect water away from the building. In the future, Phase 2 will involve work in the crawl space.
You can read more about it here: https://ptvermont.org/seven-stars-art-center-sharon/
We do need help to make this work as the grant requires matching funds that we are still raising. Thanks so much for considering donating to make these vital structural repairs.
You can read more about it here: https://ptvermont.org/seven-stars-art-center-sharon/
We do need help to make this work as the grant requires matching funds that we are still raising. Thanks so much for considering donating to make these vital structural repairs.
Thank you so much to the The Vermont Arts Council (VAC) and the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) for helping the arts in Vermont stay afloat during this unprecedented time! The Seven Stars Arts Center is so pleased to have been the recipient of a VAC COVID Cultural Relief Grant. Though activity at our facility has been greatly reduced due to the virus, like all institutions we have our bills to pay. This grant has allowed our doors to remain “open”. As a result, during COVID we have been able to provide space for 2 of our teachers to teach virtually, and for our resident visual artist to have safe places for working. We look forward to when we can resume all of our usual offerings of in-person teaching, classes and performances. In the mean time, many thanks to the VAC!
Curtains without Borders
Curtain and Stage Ear Renovation Project
We are poised to restore an important part of Seven Stars’ history. Our application to the Vermont Arts Council for a Cultural Facilities grant has been approved! Thanks to the generosity of many folks, we have raised the matching funds for that grant. We would still welcome additional funds for renovations not covered by the grant. You can help by writing a check to Seven Stars Arts Center, or by clicking on the Donate tab in the menu bar above. Please put “curtain fund” in the check memo line or PayPal "note".
We are fortunate to have historic painted stage curtains. A large backdrop curtain which we have not been able to display because of its condition, is carefully rolled up. Here’s a glimpse:
We are fortunate to have historic painted stage curtains. A large backdrop curtain which we have not been able to display because of its condition, is carefully rolled up. Here’s a glimpse:
There are five side panels, or “ears”, which may be on display, depending on what events are taking place on stage. They also need some restoration as you can see in this photo of three of the ears:
The main curtain, or “grand drape”, no longer exists. However, in addition to the pastoral scenes, there is a modestly decorated white curtain which was used as a backdrop for showing silent movies. Once restored, we hope to revive that tradition! Our film curtain is only one of two remaining in the entire state, and the other one is not in usable form. Once it is restored, we will be the stewards of something unique in Vermont.
We know that the curtains were created after 1913, (when the Grange made renovations, including adding the stage) and 1930, (when they burned the mortgage)! A chronicle of that event mentions all the improvements made to the old church building, including the curtains. We don’t know the artist’s name, as the curtains are unsigned. However, they do not resemble the work of William Culver, a prominent local curtain painter.
Many thanks to everyone who contributed to the Curtain Restoration Fund!
We know that the curtains were created after 1913, (when the Grange made renovations, including adding the stage) and 1930, (when they burned the mortgage)! A chronicle of that event mentions all the improvements made to the old church building, including the curtains. We don’t know the artist’s name, as the curtains are unsigned. However, they do not resemble the work of William Culver, a prominent local curtain painter.
Many thanks to everyone who contributed to the Curtain Restoration Fund!
Musician Aid
Our Musician Aid Fundraiser is now complete, we thank you so much for contributing to the Musician Aid Campaign! You can still read all of the details and watch some videos about that project here
OUR MISSION IS TO NURTURE A LOVE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE ARTS THROUGH EDUCATIONAL AND CREATIVE OPPORTUNITIES AND PERFORMANCES.
Seven Stars Arts Center is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit serving East Central Vermont and beyond.
