Bennington Chamber and CAT-TV Release Second “Bennington Made” Episode Focused on Bennington Museum’s 3D Digital Exhibit

(Bennington, Vermont) -- The Bennington Area Chamber of Commerce, in collaboration with Catamount Access Television (CAT-TV), launched the second in a series of episodes for their show “Bennington Made” on Monday afternoon. “Bennington Made,” a show hosted by Bennington Chamber executive director Matt Harrington, focuses on locally made Bennington products and the owner, operators and staff that make these quality products.

The series, scheduled to air throughout the year, takes its sophomore episode and highlights Bennington Museum’s recent exhibit “3D Digital: Here and Now.”  All the pieces in the exhibit have some connection to Bennington.

“Each episode has significance.” Harrington explains.  “This one was important for multiple reasons.  One, we wanted to focus on this historic institute and the value that it continually brings to our community.  Second, we thought Robert’s [executive director of the Bennington Museum] vision for bringing what he calls ‘Bennington Modernism’ to the museum is crucial in telling the Bennington Made story.  Not only were the pieces in the exhibit made, designed or produced with some affiliation to Bennington, but also the idea of 3D design is so progressive and forward thinking.  The direct line to Bennington, as well as the advanced manufacturing and technology that was used excited us.  It really shows a Bennington of the future. We hope our audience watches the episode knowing that local things are happening that are really revolutionary.”

The first episode, which highlighted Bennington Potters, currently has over 600 views on YouTube, and 5,500 impressions on Facebook with 110 likes since its launch on April 8^th.

The second episode, “Bennington Made - Bennington Museum” is available online at https://youtu.be/dS5_3IG3ep0, on CAT-TV’s YouTube channel and will air continuously on CAT-TV.  The series will also be available online at both www.catamountaccess.com and www.bennington.com.

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Jane Stickle Quilt on Display at the Bennington Museum

Bennington, Vermont - From September 11 through October 21 the quilt that inspires quilters all over the world will be on its yearly display at the Bennington Museum.  Brought to the museum 60 years ago, the Jane Stickle Quilt is only shown for a short time each year due to the fragility of the fabric; Quilters from around the country and world plan trips to the region during that time to see the 1863 quilt.    The Jane Stickle quilt is comprised of 169 five-inch blocks, each in different patterns, containing a remarkable total of 5,602 pieces surrounded by a unique scalloped border. The craftsmanship of the quilt has been mentioned in numerous quilting books, and is the topic of Dear Jane, The Two Hundred Twenty-Five Patterns from the 1863 Jane A. Stickle Quilt, by Brenda Papadakis.
         
"The significance of quilts, with their vibrant colors and precise geometric patterns, goes beyond the comforting, everyday use they received by their original owners. Today, within the context of museums, these early textiles can be re-envisioned as works of art on par with any abstract painting of the twentieth century. The Stickle quilt, with its dizzying array of printed cloth patterns and individual block designs, surely embodies this idea of quilt as art,” states Jamie Franklin, curator of the Bennington Museum.

Jane Stickle was born Jane Blakely on April 8, 1817 in Shaftsbury, Vermont.  Married to Walter Stickle sometime before 1850, they did not have a family of their own.  They did, however, take responsibility for at least three other children in the area. In an 1860’s census, Jane Stickle was listed as a 43 year-old farmer living alone.  She eventually reunited with her husband, but during that time alone, she lovingly created what is now known as the Jane Stickle Quilt.  As a reminder of the turbulent times the country was going through, she carefully embroidered “In War Time 1863” into the quilt.
         
The Jane Stickle Quilt can be viewed with regular museum admission. The Bennington Museum, located at 75 Main Street (Route 9) in Bennington, has the largest public collection of Grandma Moses paintings in the world as well as the largest collection of 19th-century Bennington pottery.  In the other nine galleries, the museum presents a 1925 Wasp touring car, one of only twenty produced, military artifacts, one of the earliest ‘stars and stripes’ in existence, fine and decorative arts and more.  The museum is complemented by the Hadwen Woods and George Aiken Wildflower Trail.  On view through October 30 is Rockwell Kent’s “Egypt”: Shadow and Light in Vermont, the first exhibit to focus on the artist's life and work during his years in Vermont, 1919-1925.  The museum is just a short ride from Manchester, Williamstown, and eastern New York, and is open every day through October. Regular admission is $10 for adults, $9 for seniors and students over 18.  Admission is never charged for younger students or to visit the museum shop.  Visit the museum’s website www.benningtonmuseum.org or call 802-447-1571 for more information.