Good things come in little boxes. I “unwrapped” quite a few in my first year as Seven Days‘ visual art editor — and now I’d like to share them with you. I’m referring, of course, to small galleries across the state doing big things. Despite the occasional art review, venues such as these still escape notice, especially when they have odd hours or steep stairs. Each of these hidden gems is well worth a visit in the coming year — and sure to contain something sparkly.
Hexum Gallery
16 State St., Montpelier. Open Friday, 4 to 8 p.m., and Saturday, noon to 5 p.m. hexumgallery.com
It’s surprising to come across a central Vermont artist who doesn’t yet know about Hexum. True, the gallery hours are limited, and the location — above Capital Kitchen on State Street in Montpelier — doesn’t lend itself to foot traffic. That said, it’s where you’ll see some of the best shows in the state.
John Zaso opened the gallery in spring 2023 with “Wild Things,” a selection of works from his own collection. The curator started out as an artist and clearly became a collector out of love; his aesthetic is very particular.
Zaso has a soft spot for black-and-white artwork that is anything but simple. “Black & Bloom,” currently on view, shows works on a grayscale botanical theme by 12 artists; the show’s concept was inspired by a still life in Zaso’s collection by Casey Gray. Last year’s “Righty Tighty, Black & Whitey” brought together monochrome graphite and charcoal drawings, and Zaso is planning a follow-up to that show for 2025.
One of Hexum’s hallmarks is work that you could indeed call “tighty” — precise, with accomplished technique and visible control of the medium, as in Elizabeth Powell’s “Bound in Abstractions,” which Hexum presented this fall. The human body, specifically through a queer lens, also, um, pops up often at Hexum; stay tuned for an LGBTQ-themed show next year.
Zaso and his husband, Richard Davis, are great hosts at Montpelier’s bimonthly Art Walk, and that’s the best time to stop by — the music is bumping, and artists are happy to chat. It’s like a little slice of Brooklyn in the Capital City.
Safe and Sound Gallery
2 Church St., #2M, Burlington. Open by appointment. safeandsound.gallery
I’m always thrilled to learn of a new gallery, especially when it’s right under my nose. I hadn’t been to Safe and Sound before last summer, even though it’s right at the top of Church Street in Burlington.
Marin Horikawa opened the gallery almost six years ago. A former creative director at JDK Design, he spent his time finding artists and graphics to grace Burton snowboards. When he started his own design firm, Moderate Breeze, Horikawa decided his office would double as an exhibition space.
Safe and Sound’s sensibility is design-adjacent. Both Chris Colbourn’s “Primarily Flowers” (2024) and Clark Derbes’ “Skateboarding Is Performance Art” (2022) focused on the ties between art and skateboarding — Colbourn, aka “Cookie,” is a pro skater — and “Crew Neck” (2019) featured artist-created T-shirts. The overall vibe is friendly, international and very cool.
“I love art that has depth to it,” Horikawa said by email; the way that depth manifests is different for each artist. “It could be their incredible painting/drawing skill or just simply their personal story.”
Shows at Safe and Sound are sporadic — Horikawa is hoping to do four annually. He used to put out a sandwich board when the gallery was open, but last year, prompted by safety concerns, his landlord installed a new door that restricts access to the Richardson Building’s second floor. That means the gallery is now appointment-only. My suggestion? Subscribe to Safe and Sound’s email list; whenever there’s a show, it’s worth skating on over.
K. Grant Fine Art
37 Green St., Vergennes. Open Wednesday to Saturday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. kgrantfineart.com
It was more than toasty at Vergennes’ newest gallery when I visited in August. The former carriage house was like a little oven full of brightly colored confections — all part of “Soft Openings,” K. Grant Fine Art’s inaugural show. The gallerist, Kristen Grant, had moved back from New Orleans a year earlier, planning to start an art consulting business; when the little house where sculptor Ross Sheehan had run his studio became available, it was too good of an opportunity to pass up.
The space is adorable, with wonky floors, a vaulted ceiling and exposed beams. Sunny and bright, it offers just enough space for the small group shows Grant has produced so far: In addition to “Soft Openings,” which featured six women artists and a loose botanical theme, Grant showed works by Neil Berger, Clark Derbes and Lydia Jenkins in “Eternal Harvest” this fall. “Process & Presence,” her winter show up through January 31, highlights Burlington artists Jasmine Parsia and Viscaya Wagner, straddling the line between art and design.
Grant has a knack for finding talented artists and an unusual eye for balancing a group presentation. Without a great deal of physical space, she has so far been able to present enough from each artist to give a sense of their overall project without any redundancy. I’m excited to see more of K. Grant’s concise, poetic exhibitions in the year to come.
The Hesterly Black
7 Stowe St., Waterbury. Open during the Phoenix’s regular hours, Tuesday to Friday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday, noon to 6 p.m. thephoenixvt.com
Since opening in June 2023, the Phoenix has become a Waterbury mainstay for expansive art shows, such as this fall’s “Collage/Uncollage,” as well as music and events. But not everyone notices that there’s another gallery upstairs, nestled between the building’s art studios.
The Hesterly Black is named for longtime Stowe resident Hesterly Fearing Black, whose granddaughter Anna Black co-owns the Phoenix with curator Joseph Pensak. Hesterly, who died in 2023 at age 90, was described as “feisty, beautiful and intelligent,” and that spirit permeates the gallery.
It’s a quieter space than the one downstairs, with elegant curved walls. Shows overflow into the lounge next door, where visitors can hang out on couches and read art magazines. Each exhibition I’ve seen there has felt intimate and secret, like the work is there only for a single viewer.
In early summer, Ana Koehler presented “Revealed/Revered,” a series of luscious and provocative collaged drawings in the space. More recently, Erika Lawlor Schmidt’s collages, prints and assemblages complemented “Collage/Uncollage” downstairs. The shows gave each artist the perfect amount of room to present a cohesive, complex body of work.
In the coming year, look for exhibitions by Mary Admasian and Anna Black. Black’s show, opening in January and titled “Be Radical?,” is sure to follow in her feisty family footsteps.
Kishka Gallery & Library
83 Gates St., White River Junction. Open Thursday to Saturday, noon to 6 p.m., and by appointment. kishka.org
The Upper Valley’s art spaces come in all varieties, from Dartmouth College’s staid Hood Museum to the wacky Main Street Museum. Among them, Kishka Gallery & Library in White River Junction stands out. A little spot on Gates Street with bright vintage linoleum floors and a wall full of art books, it’s a cozy gem. Owners Ben Finer and Bevan Dunbar put a great deal of thought and effort into their curation, and it’s obvious they care deeply for artists.
Kishka shows artists from everywhere and represents just a handful: Lakea Shepard, Megan Bogonovich, June Gutman and Denver Ferguson. Finer met Ferguson when the latter was working at the Upper Valley Food Co-op, drawing on the backs of shredded receipts when he wasn’t helping customers. A self-taught artist, Ferguson had moved to the area from the U.S. Virgin Islands after Hurricane Maria devastated his home in 2017. In January, Kishka will bring his drawings to the Outsider Art Fair in New York City, along with works by Gutman and Jessy Park, one of three artists in “Winter Color,” up through February 15. Going to fairs is a serious investment of time and energy; it’s unusual for a Vermont gallery but can make a big difference for artists.
Kishka hopes to present several longer shows in 2025, including one featuring comics artist Richard Blake and a new solo presentation from Shepard. When looking for people to exhibit, Finer said that although they do show a few self-taught artists, that’s not Kishka’s focus. He and Dunbar select artists, he said, because, “something strikes us about what they’re doing, whether it’s a dedication to craft or a dedication to an idea.”
Canal Street Art Gallery
23 Canal St., Bellows Falls. Open Tuesday to Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.; and 3rd Fridays, 5 to 7 p.m. canalstreetartgallery.com
Canal Street Art Gallery is tucked next to the river in Bellows Falls on the Exner Block, which primarily offers studios and affordable housing for artists. It’s got a scrappy, art-for-all vibe, and cofounder Mike Noyes has lots of ideas. He has run the gallery since it opened in 2017, and he’s changing things up going into 2025.
Canal Street is shifting from themed group shows to shorter, mini solo ones: six artists at a time, each with their own wall. Joshua Aaron Gray, Theresa Karpinski, Kathleen Kemp, Amy Raab and Sandy Sherman are currently on view. It’s not a lot of room, but it’s enough for a series or small body of work.
The gallery also has six slots for its Working Artist Program — cubicle-style studios open to the public where artists can create work and display it when they’re not there. While not for everyone, it’s an intriguing model that Noyes hopes will offer more ways for artists to support themselves.
He’s most excited about another initiative: “Free Self Expression” events during Bellows Falls’ monthly 3rd Friday art strolls. The gallery will be a forum where anyone can perform, speak or leave free artwork for others to take. “Gathering together creatively” is going to be increasingly important in the coming years, Noyes said. “We’re going to have to be louder than ever.”
The original print version of this article was headlined “Little Boxes | Six Vermont art venues to keep an eye on in 2025”
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This article appears in Dec 25, 2024 – Jan 7, 2025.
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