The Historic Bennington Museum (VT)

Folk art lovers hear me when I say, you must plan a trip to the Bennington Museum in Bennington, Vermont. It’s filled with Grandma Moses’ delightfully naive artworks. In fact, it has one of the largest collections in the world. I visited recently with my sweet husband and we enjoyed all the museum had to offer in addition to Grandma Moses: Bennington Pottery, Gilded Age artifiacts, and Vermont Impressionistic art.

The Bennington Museum Exterior

The museum, which sits high on a hill, dates from 1855 and was originally home to a Catholic church.

Before entering the museum we were met by some beautiful art, including this driftwood stallion sculpture, Tres Bien, by Rita Dee (2014). They typically have visiting sculpure out on the grounds.

This handsome bell, manufactured in Troy (NY), also sits outside the museum. We visited Troy’s 2nd Street not too long ago.

Grandma Moses

source

Since we had come especially to see some Grandma Moses, we headed for her exhibit first. I should mention while she was born and died in the Hoosick Valley about 45 minutes away in New York, she does have a connection to Bennington.

She stayed in Bennington on a couple of occasions to help nurse sick relatives and she also painted a few Bennington scenes, including one of the Battle of Bennington. So you can understand why the town feels partial to her.

Unfortunately, when we visited, photos of her artwork were not allowed, so I located photos online to provide a taste of her artwork.

We learned that her “art career” had its beginnings in self-designed needlework projects, like this one called Mt. Nebo on the Hill.

This is the property she and her husband owned, and where her great-grandson, Will Moses, lives and paints today. In the Bible, Mt. Nebo is the place Moses climbed to get a view of the Promised Land. Isn’t that interesting, given their last name was Moses? I found that out by accident when I Googled “Mt. Nebo.”

This piece, Sugaring Off (1943), depicts one of Grandma Moses favorite subjects. The vibrancy of her paintings and the joy they give the viewer are really quite remarkable. A completely self-taught artist, she was “discovered” by NYC collector Louis Caldor, who passed a display of her paintings in the window of the local drugstore.

 

This piece was unfamiliar to me, but I love it. I’ve since learned that the checkered house shows up in several of her works. The vibrant color, texture of the checkers, and feather-like trees make the picture wonderfully appealing.

About painting, Moses once said, I like to paint something that leads me on and on into the unknown, something that I want to see away on beyond.

Her landscapes almost always do that: lead us beyond the human activity in the foreground to the beautiful, usually mountainous, regions far and away. 

This picture captures all the best things about fall: the changing leaves, warm woolies, and turkeys bound for the Thanksgiving table.

Grandma Moses’ Schoolhouse

Walking through the museum, one moves from the gallery filled with Grandma Moses’ paintings into the school house from Eagle Bridge, where she, her children, and some of her grandchildren actually attended school. Pretty amazing.

A McGuffey’s spelling book was on hand for children to look at.

All kinds of things that you’d expect in an old-fashioned school room.

Back in the corner of the schoolroom is an area where children can touch and play with a number of fun, antique items, like tins, bake ware, boxes, old bottles, and more.

Bennington Pottery

Bennington pottery is not an unfamiliar name to those of us in the vintage and antique business. Bennington has been the sight of pottery production since the 1800s, and it still is.

In fact, just before we toured the museum, we popped into their store on County Street, and found contemporary versions of their famous pottery. The piece above was presented by the founder of Bennington Pottery to his son, upon his graduation from college.

This type of salt-glazed jug with cobalt blue, hand-painted decoration, highly collectible today, would not have been uncommon back in the 19th century. Though something this large and ornate would have cost a considerable sum.

The Gilded Age

The Gilded Age in America occurred during the last quarter of the 19th century, generally corresponding with the Victorian Era in Great Britain. It was a time of both great wealth (for a few) and great poverty (for many), characterized by opulent spending on the one hand and slum dwelling on the other.

On the plus-side, it saw the rise of labor unions, the shortening of the work day, and a move toward protective child labor laws. The items in the Museum’s collection, like this beautifully detailed empire sofa, reflect the opulence of those times.

Vermont Impressionism

Final Thoughts

Learn more about Grandma Moses here:
Artsy

Bye for now,