BRATTLEBORO-Arts Council of Windham County (ACWC) announces the grantees for the 2026 Brattleboro Town Arts Fund (TAF) program. Sixteen community-centered creative projects were selected from a competitive pool of proposals in the program’s sixth year.
TAF supports the development and presentation of projects that strengthen community connection and contribute to the vibrancy and diversity of Brattleboro’s arts and cultural life. Funded projects engage social and quality-of-life issues, foster collaboration, expand access for underrepresented artists and audiences, and celebrate the unique character of Brattleboro.
This year’s cycle invited proposals for low-cost creative projects, ranging from $1,000 to $3,000, open to various media, artists, organizations, and creative practices. Since 2020, TAF has received nearly 200 applications and funded 69 initiatives, reflecting the depth and diversity of creative work across the community.
“We’re continually inspired by the creativity and care reflected in these proposals,” TAF co-coordinators Chrissy Lee and Sharon Fantl said in a news release. “Each year, artists and organizations bring forward ideas that not only enrich Brattleboro’s cultural landscape but also create meaningful opportunities for connection, expression, and belonging. We’re proud to support projects that invite the community to participate, reflect, and imagine together.”
Together, these grants support artist-led and community-rooted projects that expand access to the arts, foster collaboration, and create opportunities for shared creative experience across Brattleboro.
Here are the 2026 Town Arts Fund Grantees:
• Brattleboro Portrait Series (Bobby DiTrani) — A series of small-scale portrait paintings capturing the varied and diverse people of the Brattleboro area. The project includes two public exhibitions, with opening and closing events aligned with Gallery Walk.
• Focus Forward (Vermont Center for Photography) — A seven-week introductory digital photography program for individuals in recovery, offered in partnership with Turning Point of Windham County. Participants receive cameras, hands-on instruction, and the opportunity to share their work in a culminating public exhibition.
• Deep-Rooted Songs: A Recording Project (Audrey Kivimäe Batchelder) — A studio recording project featuring original songs rooted in personal experience and a sense of place in Brattleboro, created in collaboration with local musicians and shared with the broader community.
• 2026 Brattleboro Festival of Miniatures (Brattleboro Festival of Miniatures) — A free, town-wide celebration inviting businesses, schools, and artists to create small-scale scenes across Brattleboro. Building on the success of its inaugural year, the 2026 festival expands programming, participation, and public engagement to amplify the unique creative spirit of Brattleboro.
• Community Circus Day (New England Center for Circus Arts) — A free opening day for the Vermont Circus Festival, developed in collaboration with local community partners. The day features performances, workshops, and participatory activities, culminating in a family-friendly acrobatic clown show.
• HUMAN School Show Initiative (Sandglass Theater) — School-day performances of Human, a multimedia puppetry work by Nehprii Amenii, presented as part of the Puppets in the Green Mountains Festival. The project connects visiting artists, students, and educators through interactive storytelling centered on empathy and human connection.
• GRRRLS 2 the Front: Future Beat School (The Stone Church) — A multi-session DJ workshop led by Maria Pugnetti (DJ Wooly Mar), offered through The Stone Church’s GRRRLS 2 the Front program. Designed for women, trans, and nonbinary participants, the program builds skills and access within a supportive, community-centered learning environment.
• Vermont Trans Literary Festival (Out in the Open) — A pilot series of free literary events in spring and fall 2026, presented in collaboration with Everyone’s Books and Brooks Memorial Library. The festival will feature at least four established and emerging trans writers through readings, conversations, and community engagement, creating space for dialogue, visibility, and connection in a rural context.
• Illuminated Trash (Amber Paris) — A pilot artist-in-residence program at the Windham Solid Waste Management District, culminating in a collaborative public installation created from reclaimed materials. The project engages local students in the creation of a quilted banner and establishes a framework for future artist residencies in partnership with the transfer station.
• Afro-Fusion Dance & Drum: Africa to the Americas (Ammaya Dance & Drum) — A participatory performance and workshop led by the Ammaya Dance & Drum ensemble, rooted in West African dance and drumming traditions and interwoven with Latin and American musical influences. Featuring live percussion and movement, the project invites community members into an energetic, shared experience of rhythm, cultural exchange, and collective expression.
• Vermont Crankie Fest Family Shows (Vermont Crankie Fest) — Expanded festival programming, including a free daytime family concert. This free programming builds on ongoing efforts to increase access to the festival, such as the addition of live ASL interpretation.
• Brattleboro-Built Band Music: Composer + Students (Keane Southard) — A new composition by local composer Keane Southard, inspired by Brattleboro and developed in collaboration with Brattleboro elementary school band students and music educators. Students contribute ideas, rehearse the work, and premiere it in performance alongside the composer.
• Bringing Literary Characters to Life (Brattleboro Words Project, Vermont Folklife Center) — A collaborative project of the Brattleboro Words Project, Brooks Memorial Library, and the Tiny Theater Acting Ensemble, bringing Brattleboro’s literary history to life through live performances. Events include the June 2026 ribbon-cutting of the new Brattleboro Amtrak Station and the unveiling of an interactive Brattleboro Words Trail exhibit, as well as a performance at Brooks Library as part of town-wide America 250 commemorations.
• The People’s Living Wisdom Museum (Jamie Mohr, Sarah Freeman) — A nomadic, pop-up exhibition series developed by collaborators from Epsilon Spires and the Brattleboro Museum & Art Center. Hosted in downtown spaces, the project invites community participation through open calls and creative prompts that playfully inspire open-ended exploration (and interpretation).
• Making Community (River Gallery School of Art) — Free, drop-in art-making sessions for adults, facilitated by River Gallery School teaching artists and developed in collaboration with downtown partners. Participants are invited to engage in drawing, mending, and other accessible creative practices in a welcoming, social setting that fosters connection and creative confidence.
• The Brattleboro Cabinet of Wonder (Taylor Allison Dunne) — A public art vending machine developed in collaboration with local artists, featuring affordable, original works in a curated, rotating format. Installed in a shared community space, the project expands access to art beyond traditional venues and includes themed open calls and a companion website connecting audiences directly with participating artists.
Updates on TAF projects and future opportunities can be found at artswindhamcounty.org/taf and @artswindhamcounty on Facebook and Instagram. The Brattleboro Town Arts Fund is a program of the Arts Council of Windham County and is made possible through support from the town of Brattleboro. To help sustain this program and support future community-based creative work, donations can be made at artswindhamcounty.org/donate.
This Arts item was submitted to The Commons.