BEAVER STREET ART PROJECT

We are the proud recipients of both a Vermont Arts Council Animating Infrastructure grant and an inaugural Better Places Grant that allowed us to commission a work of art for this wall along Beaver and School St. We are able to commission a work of art by Payne Junker Studio that honors Wilmington’s history, landscape, and community pride.

Each panel carries a different story that is representative of Deerfield Valley.

The first panel highlights nature, which formed the mountains, the gorges, and river basin to create this beautiful area. We follow the Deerfield River headwaters from State Forest land, by Somerset and Harriman reservoirs, to the Molly Stark scenic byway. This is an integral part of this ecosystem, as is the abundance of water. This wilderness area is an important draw for visitors offering recreation (depicted by hikers and kayaks) in all season, as well as supporting a diverse population of wildlife.

Panel two represents how historically, trees became a vital part of the Deerfield basin’s economy, bringing logging and trains to the valleys and mountain passes. In this panel a train hauls logs across a river chasm, eventually leading to the river and crossroads of Wilmington. A mill evokes the industries that flourished along the river.

The third panel of the sugar house depicts oncoming spring, with the light and temperatures changing, and wildlife emerging. Most sugaring is a local, family affair, carries on through the generations.

The last panel evokes the town of Wilmington, old and new, nestled under the Haystack Mountain range.