Sunday dinner through Friday noon

Artist: $830
Optional nightly dinner guest: $375
Please see below to apply for the Betty Jones Scholarship

Welcome, returning members of last year’s wonderful inaugural group! Welcome, painters new to the tradition! Join us for five days of magnificent landscapes, delicious food, artmaking time and the opportunity to make new friends.  Manchester is spectacular in autumn, and this week is always right around the peak of leaf color. Artists will paint in some of the region’s most beautiful places, in many cases by special arrangement. Toward the end of the week, the Retreat will take over an SVAC gallery for a pop-up “wet paint” public sale.

Daily Plans
Artists will have a map and directions to two locations Monday–Thursday and one for Friday. These are some of the SVAC staff’s favorite places, but we know it can be nice to choose your own adventure a bit too, so the schedule is flexible. Each morning, artists will be invited to meet at a new location. Spend a few hours there–or the whole day. Those who are ready for a new spot will have a lunch break and then meet at the afternoon location. Local professional painters will offer demos on site throughout the week (or in the studio if weather necessitates).

The SVAC painting studio is reserved for Retreat artists; you’re always welcome to opt out of a plein air session to use the studio as you please. If at any point you find that it’s time for a break from painting, it’s lovely to explore Manchester’s famous bookstore, local galleries, historic and cultural sites, or many miles of hiking trails including the Equinox Preservation Trust trail system (there’s a trailhead at SVAC). Please contact Erin if you’d like to hear more about what’s in the area.

Evenings
Eat together at SVAC–plentiful portions of delicious, creative food by curATE café. Afterward, choose to go to the studio to finish paintings or try new techniques you’ve learned from others; stay to enjoy beverages at curATE’s cash bar; draw one another and share stories; or discover the artwork in SVAC’s galleries. 

What’s Included

• Free admission to SVAC’s galleries–historic Yester House and the the brand new transformative 12,000 square-foot addition to Yester House
• Artwork entry in Thursday evening’s pop-up “Wet Paint” art sale (no commission!)
• Painting locations map, permits arranged, fees paid, and information provided
• Studio dedicated to artists’ use
• Dinner at SVAC Sunday–Thursday
• Bagged lunch Monday–Thursday
• SVAC Artist Membership, which includes free reciprocal admission to 1,000+ museums, participation in member exhibitions, listing on the SVAC website, and more.

Lodging Suggestions
There is a wide array of options close to SVAC. Discounts of 10–15% are available to Retreat guests at The Inn at Manchester, The Equinox Resort & Spa, The Taconic Hotel, and The Hampton Inn (all within a mile of SVAC). A few rooms are also available in a motel about four miles away for about $150 total, for the whole five days, thanks to a partnership with Stratton Mountain. Please contact Erin to find out more about the motel opportunity. 

Connect Ahead
Participants will be able to reach out to one another via a Facebook group in order to send greetings and plan for potential room and/or vehicle sharing. Please contact Erin if you are interested.

The Betty Jones Scholarship
Southern Vermont Arts Center is very grateful to the family of artist Betty Jones for their gift of $600 in Betty’s memory. The scholarship honors Betty’s heart, intellect, strength and creative gift.

Passionate about art, Betty had talent that others recognized even when she was very young. Decades of work to put herself and her husband through school and then to support her family left little time for painting, however. Then, at the age of 56, in the wake of the sudden loss of her husband, Betty turned to art. She poured herself into painting, and it quickly became an essential part of her life. Over the next 25 years, she built her art-historical knowledge and an accomplished, prolific practice. She developed skills at a high level and a distinctive style in which she expressed her love of family and landscape. The posthumous sale of some of Betty’s paintings funds this scholarship, which is given with her family’s hope that it will allow plein air painting to bring purpose and joy to another artist who comes to the opportunity in adulthood–as did Betty.

To submit a confidential application for the Betty Jones Scholarship, please email Erin. Include a brief statement attesting to the need for support. Please note the amount of financial aid that you are requesting, up to $600, and any government benefits for which you’re eligible.

Cancellation Policy
Through May 4: 100% refund less $50 processing fee
May 5 – July 4: 50% refund less $50 processing fee
After July 5: no refunds are possible

Questions? Please call (802) 362-1405 or email Erin Kaufman, SVAC Manager of Education.

Images: Abby Raeder