Catamount Arts, the premier arts organization in the Northeast Kingdom, has moved and had its Gala Grand Opening Weekend October 4 and 5, 2008. The new building is just next door, in the much larger quarters of the historic Masonic Temple building at 115 Eastern Avenue.

The gala included lots of free festivities, including a ribbon-cutting by Vermont Governor Jim Douglas, along with musical performances, film showings, art exhibits, a fiber arts festival, and much more.  Now that the new building is open, arts lovers from all over will enjoy the beautiful facilities in Catamount's new home.

The lobby on the main floor has retained the historic woodwork of the building, and includes a reconstructed box office that uses paneling from other parts of the building. On the left is a lovely “gathering space” for refreshments in a large room with an imposing terra cotta fireplace. Straight ahead is the main art gallery. The opening show is a retrospective of major local artists who have exhibited their works in Catamount over the years. In the intimate Rankin Gallery, an exhibit of works by local artist James B. Drummond is the first show. Father of resident Dot Collins and a past member of the Masonic Lodge, Drummond’s paintings of scenes of the local area from the 1920s are a special treat.

There are two movie theaters in the new building. The smaller theater, Cinema 2, with 47 seats, is now the permanent home of the film series for which Catamount is so well known. The show time for the film series moves to 7:15 pm every night, with a second show Saturdays at 9:15 pm. Cinema 1, with 112 seats, screens first-run films at 7:00 pm every night. The film schedule for Cinema 1 will be flexible, to take advantage of the films available. Check Catamount Arts’ website to find the latest film showing in Cinema 1.

The completely renovated building has a brand-new performance space that can be configured for audiences from 20 to 120. Says Bob Swartz, chairman of Catamount’s Board of Directors, “We anticipate performances every weekend by talented local people. The space works for music concerts, dance performances and theatrical events.” With a professional dance floor, the performance space will also house dance classes such as tango and belly dancing.

The lower level of the building has two beautiful new classrooms for the wide variety of art classes offered at Catamount Arts. Starting in early November, classes will be offered in such areas as letterpress printing, bookmaking, drawing, the graphic novel, block printing, and European paper cutting. Space for piano lessons is also provided in a new soundproof room. Another new feature in the building is a studio for editing digital videos. With state-of-the-art equipment lent by Jamie Yerkes, the public will be able to edit their own videos and receive some guidance from trained volunteers.

“The new building allows us to really expand what we can do for the community,” says Swartz. “We have meeting space and banquet facilities available at very reasonable fees. We plan to show video simulcasts of the Metropolitan Opera on our new huge plasma screen in the gathering space, and there is WiFi access, too.”

With the Masons maintaining the top floor as their St. Johnsbury headquarters, the new home of Catamount Arts is sure to be one of the busiest places in town!

     Walk through the store to the Backroom Gallery to view special exhibits spotlighting some of Vermont’s finest artists. “We have exhibited work by some of the most well-known Vermont artists in our Backroom Gallery,” says Cathy Dwyer of the Artisans Guild. “Mary Azarian, Delsie Hoyt, and Mary Simpson have all had exhibitions here. Our gallery shows are really exciting.”
    The Northeast Kingdom Artisans Guild is located at 430 Railroad Street in St. Johnsbury, and is open Monday through Saturday from 10:30 am to 5:30 pm. It’s a wonderful place to find some of the most beautiful artwork and artisans’ crafts in the area.