SVAC UNVEILS DIGITIZED ARCHIVE OF ITS PERMANENT COLLECTION, UNLOCKING DECADES OF ARTISTIC HISTORY

February 26, 2025—Manchester, VT

Southern Vermont Arts Center (SVAC) is excited to announce the launch of a digitized archive of its Permanent Collection, making a wide range of 20th-century American art accessible to the public for the first time in over a decade. This online database invites art lovers, scholars, and the broader community to explore a rich compilation of artworks that have been foundational to the arts center’s mission since its inception. The database contains over 700+ works of art and objects collected over time. Additional records will be released on a rolling basis as digitization and recording continues.

The SVAC Permanent Collection is an abundant resource of work by some of the most prominent American Regionalist artists of the 20th-century, many of whom helped shape the organization and its role in fostering both local and national cultural engagement. Among the highlights of the collection are pieces from a significant number of women artists whose contributions were instrumental in the creation of the Manchester campus and the expansion of membership criteria. These visionary women not only helped define the arts center’s early identity but also broadened opportunities for artistic collaboration in the region.

Judi McCormick, Trustee of the Board and Chair of the Collections Committee at SVAC reinvigorated work on the Permanent Collection in 2024 with Ruth Greene-McNally and Georgine MacGarvey. MacGarvey, also a member of SVAC’s Collections Committee and former Trustee of the Board, was the original artist-member to contact Greene-McNally regarding the project.

McCormick stated in reference to the project, “The work of the Permanent Collections Committee has been a passionate and very successful campaign to complete the documentation and publication of our substantial and historic Permanent Collection. We have recently launched over 700 works from the Permanent Collection online at svac.org, so that members, scholars and interested parties can have access to the images, stories, and artists. This is a rabbit hole you will be glad you went down.”

The online database, launched officially in Fall of 2024, offers an opportunity for individuals to explore these works from anywhere, creating a bridge between SVAC’s rich history and today’s art world. Artworks that have long been out of public view can now be experienced digitally, including portrayals of local landscapes, interpretations of rural life, and the people who helped shape the region. The collection’s unique combination of artistic expression and historical context assures that these works will continue to inspire future generations.

Consulting Curator, Ruth Greene-McNally, has been dedicated to this project since it began in 2013. Ruth has served as architect of the project, completing research, reorganization of the collection, cataloging, writing, and design, for SVAC’s new publicly searchable database.

Greene-McNally expressed, “More than the day-to-day care and maintenance of collections objects and archival records, I’m intrigued by the documentarian aspects of curatorial practice. Southern Vermont Arts Center is fortunate to house a diverse Permanent Collection of 20th-century American artists who laid the foundation for what SVAC is today—an active, multidisciplinary campus for member, regional, and national exhibitions; artist-training opportunities; performance art; and a network for community engagement. Significantly, a substantial number of women artists, as architects of “the Manchester idea,” served the organization as founding officers and helped to expand membership criteria to include broader artist and community participation. It would be hard to imagine any region of the world without artistic representation as the primary agent of story-telling and measure of cultural significance.”

SVAC’s founding members envisioned an arts center that would serve as both a platform for artistic expression and a means of community connection. This online archive serves as a powerful reminder of the integral role art plays in telling stories and preserving cultural records.

As SVAC continues to evolve, the unveiling of this digital archive ensures that the stories of these groundbreaking artists, their views, and their impact on the community will remain accessible and celebrated in perpetuity. SVAC’s ongoing efforts to enhance its programs, physical campus, and its digitized records, are designed to foster creativity, inspire collaboration, and provide a welcoming space for artists and audiences of all backgrounds.

“We’re thrilled to offer the archive of SVAC’s Permanent Collection to the world,” remarked Amelia Wiggins, Executive Director of SVAC. “As an artist-member organization, the digitization of our historical records through the decades aligns with our mission to nurture and promote the artistic talent and history of this region. We know this will be a community resource for decades to come.”

To explore the collection and view these works in digital format, visit www.svac.org/permanent-collection/.

About Southern Vermont Arts Center

Southern Vermont Arts Center (SVAC) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to nurturing the arts and culture of the Northshire and beyond. With a mission to provide a vibrant center for the visual and performing arts, SVAC serves as an important cultural hub for artists, art lovers, and the community. The Arts Center is home to world-class exhibitions, theater performances, workshops, and educational programs. It also offers an expansive 100+ acre campus, with onsite dining at curATE café, and breathtaking views of the surrounding Green Mountains, making it a year-round destination for visitors from near and far.

For more information about upcoming events and programming at Southern Vermont Arts Center, please visit svac.org or follow SVAC on social media at @sovtarts on Instagram, and @southernvermontartscenter on Facebook.