The Michael S. Currier Center Gallery at The ���Ĵ�ý School will present ‘The Weight,’ a soft sculpture show by artist Ruth Shafer. The exhibit will open January 10 — March 1. There will be an Opening Reception on Friday, January 10 from 4:30 p.m. — 6 p.m.

The Weight

Arms. Legs. Feet. A soft, comforting embrace when you get home. A place of pride and a back bent from service.

Am I describing your mother, or your couch?

Made up of four soft sculpture installations, The Weight asks the viewer to consider the myriad overlapping ways that the feminine body and domestic service are taken for granted. As our most intimate memories are formed while surrounded by fabrics, so are our expectations of domestic labor, emotional support, and gender identity. With humor (boob pillows!) and rage (are women furniture?), these pieces ask the viewer to confront their assumptions about comfort and responsibility.

This show was created with the support of a Creation Grant, awarded by the Vermont Arts Council in 2021.

About the Artist

Ruth Shafer sculpts at the intersection of craft, domesticity, and feminism. By conflating the female form with furniture and furnishings, Shafer explores the feminine body’s place in the home, in art history, and in the ways that the past becomes the future. With humor, abstraction, and the familiarity of repurposed fabrics, Shafer’s work confronts the dualities of domesticity; safety vs confinement, decoration vs identity, opportunity vs obligation. She works from her home studio in Brattleboro, Vermont.

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Nimbus Dance has performed at The ���Ĵ�ý School annually for 13 straight years, making this unique, creative, and educational partnership one of the most enduring programs of its kind in the country.

Students from ���Ĵ�ý take masterclasses from the professional company dancers, while Nimbus uses the time to develop and rehearse new dance works. This year, ���Ĵ�ý students will perform alongside company dancers of the lauded company artistic director, Samuel Pott’s newest work in progress: “Dark Water” which will premiere with the New Jersey Symphony in March 2025.

“Dark Water” is the third installment of Samuel Pott’s environmentally-themed series Anima, rounding out a 10-year collaboration between choreographer Samuel Pott and composer Qasim Naqvi. Where the earlier works: “Patch of Turf” (2015) and “Falling Sky” (2019), reflect and contrast earthly/primal and lofty/ethereal realms of experience, “Dark Water” completes the cycle by drawing inspiration from forces of ocean and liquid that are seen as a constant around us and within us.

Also on the Program: A tender and expansive new duet by Cuban choreographer, Pedro Ruiz and classic works from the Nimbus Repertory: “Six Chansons” and “The After Party”

“Nimbus’ partnership with The ���Ĵ�ý School has always been a source of inspiration and renewal for our company,” said Pott. The opportunity to explore new creative ground in such an enriching environment fuels our work, and having ���Ĵ�ý students join us on stage this year brings a unique energy to “Dark Water.” We’re proud to continue this tradition of collaboration that deepens the artistic experience for everyone involved.”

Pott also has ties to the ���Ĵ�ý community. His mother Jay Goodwin Pott graduated with the Class of ‘62 and his cousin John Byrne Cook with the Class of ‘58.

���Ĵ�ý’s Director of Dance + Performing Arts Coordinator, Jessica Batten is looking forward to the visit.

“The ���Ĵ�ý Dance Program is elated to host Nimbus Dance on our campus once again!” Batten said. “The exchange of energy and inspiration during this week-long residency is palpable and one of the highlights of our entire year. Come witness the Nimbus/���Ĵ�ý magic and see what a gift this collaboration is for all.”

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About the Artist

Johnny Swing was born in 1961 in Salisbury, Connecticut. He graduated from The ���Ĵ�ý School in 1980 followed by a BS in fine arts from Skidmore College in 1984. He attended the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture, Skowhegan, Maine in 1986. in 1990, he obtained his Class 1 Structural Steel Welding License #6120. After spending the first part of his career in New York City’s Lower East Side, where he exhibited sculptures and furniture made with salvaged industrial materials, Swing moved to Vermont in 1995, where he maintains a workshop and farm.

Swing’s coin furniture, which is available through the New York gallery R & Company, can be found in the permanent collections of notable institutions around the world, including the Storm King Art Center in Mountainville, New York; Chatsworth House, Derbyshire, England; and the Modernism Museum, Mount Dora, Florida. His work has also been on view in numerous museum exhibitions, including The Shelburne Museum, Indianapolis Museum of Art; LongHouse Reserve, East Hampton; and the Museum of Arts and Design, New York.

Artist Statement

Art making is a social responsibility. To honor the privilege of being an artist, there are expectations I have for my work. First, it needs to be entertaining; second, it needs to spark curiosity, so that it creates a dialogue with the viewer; and third, it should have a formal quality, so that when the work is or approximates furniture, it must be comfortable.

The dialogue around art is the most complex; most work achieves this dialogue in the visual/ethereal plane. My recent sculptures which function as furniture focus on the physical. During the interaction between the viewer and the work of art a sharing occurs, the senses are alerted, and a primal experience is generated by being on/in the work. A feeling of bliss, a surprise, a sense of oneness and belonging exists. After the initial shock of the experience comes the inevitable investigation on the part of the viewer, and what was once limited to the eyes is now open to the flesh.

I have made objects of refulgence, with money–the material that makes the world go round. These, flat hard shiny coins in a circular format, which have been touched, hoarded, traveled, and traded for goods and services are now released from their original burden. Assembled together to form the furniture they become part of the play in swirls, lines and patterns.

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There will be an Artist Reception on Thursday, May 9 from 4:30 – 6 p.m. She will also speak in assembly on Monday, April 29th and spend that day with students.

Sikelianos-Carter (b. 1983) is a queer mixed-media artist from upstate New York. Her practice explores themes of boundlessness, infinitude, and futurity. She is endlessly inspired by light (both physically and metaphysically), patterns, landscape, and the dark night sky. Sikelianos-Carter lives and works in upstate NY.

A current MFA candidate at Rutgers University, Sikelianos-Carter has taken part in numerous prestigious artist residencies and fellowship programs, including NXTHVN, Fountainhead, Yaddo, and Headlands Center for the Arts, among others. She had a solo exhibition at San Luis Obispo Museum of Art in 2023, and at Chicago gallery Kavi Gupta in 2022. In 2025, she will participate in a group show at the Leslie-Lohman Museum of Art called “I’m a thousand different people—Every one is real,” which will highlight the work of queer artists.

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With an extensive background in progressive education, she also brings a strong focus in professional development, curriculum coordination, and cultural awareness.

“When I was in international schools, there were sometimes 60 different countries being represented,” she said.

She has taught in Thailand, Bangladesh, Hong Kong, Paris and Bali. Experiences such as teaching through the International Baccalaureate Program, working at an inclusive school for students with exceptionalities in Hong Kong, and teaching a college level course with a student who was legally blind, have given her a diverse perspective when it comes to art education.

“I just really learned the importance of finding different ways for all the voices in the room to be heard and understood,” Muller said.

From Bali to Brattleboro

Up until recently, Muller was “super happy, living her best life” in Indonesia, but had her eye on one job in particular that would set in motion a major change:

I thought if we’re going to go back to the States, the only place I wanted to go was The ���Ĵ�ý School. I was not going to come back for anything else.”

In fact, ���Ĵ�ý has been on her radar for about 15 years. Before beginning her international adventures she worked at both Buxton School and Middlesex School — both boarding high schools in Massachusetts — and those positions exposed her to ���Ĵ�ý. She was immediately drawn to ���Ĵ�ý’s values, especially the emphasis placed on art education, the work program, the farming and sustainability element of the school, and the idea of living in a community and being of service to something bigger than yourself.

When an opportunity became available, she knew it was time to return to her home base of Brattleboro.

Although she started at ���Ĵ�ý as a drawing and painting teacher, her background is in textiles, and she considers herself “materials agnostic.”

“And what I mean by that is as an artist myself, I’m much more interested in ideas and concepts, and it’s typically the materials that are going to follow,” she said. “My thing is about teaching students to express themselves and to build confidence in who they are as individuals, and doing that through art.” she said.

An Interdisciplinary Direction

Across visual arts, performing arts and music, one of the art department’s strengths, Muller says, is that many teachers are also working artists and performers. It’s a part of the program that she would like to expand.

“It’s so rich for students,” Muller said. “I’d love to see even more of that happening, where we have visiting artists or residencies here.”

She would also like to deepen the art department’s interdisciplinary collaboration by, for instance, co-teaching a course with a science teacher or coordinating units of study with other classes to facilitate overlapping lessons.

“We have complex problems in the world to solve right now, and you need a lot of different ways and approaches to thinking about those problems,” Muller said. “And the more that we can get people having conversations and problem solving across disciplines, I think that we have a better chance at our future.”

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Nimbus Dance has performed at the ���Ĵ�ý School annually for 12 straight years, making this unique creative and educational partnership one of the most enduring programs of its kind in the country.

Students from ���Ĵ�ý take masterclasses from the professional company dancers, while Nimbus uses the time to develop and rehearse new dance works. This year, students will perform alongside company dancers of the lauded company in an upbeat and humorous piece, Roseification, originally commissioned by and premiered with the New Jersey Symphony in Summer 2023.

“Many of our most renowned dances have been created in part at the ���Ĵ�ý School, including two of the works in this upcoming performance,” said Nimbus Artistic Director and Founder Samuel Pott. “The students and faculty at ���Ĵ�ý have a grounded and open sense of collaboration which produces very special moments onstage and off. The inspiring landscape and a sense of kindred priorities with the school make returning annually to work with the students and to perform for the surrounding community poignant and creatively productive.”

Pott also has ties to the ���Ĵ�ý community. His mother Jay Goodwin Pott graduated with the Class of ‘62 and his cousin John Byrne Cook with the Class of ‘58.

���Ĵ�ý Director of Dance Jessica Batten is looking forward to the visit.

“The ���Ĵ�ý Dance Program is elated to host Nimbus Dance on our campus once again!” Batten said. “The exchange of energy and inspiration during this week-long residency is palpable and one of the highlights of our entire year. Come witness the Nimbus/���Ĵ�ý magic and see what a gift this collaboration is for all.”

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Three Perspectives: Tracings, Trackings, Terrains

The three artists focus on and re-imagine the natural world. Elements of plant life are used for inspiration, for the conceptual basis for their work and in some cases for the actual medium. The work includes spore prints, foraged invasive species, industrial materials as well as traditional drawing and carved woodblocks. Drawing from nature, ecology and the heart, the artists ask us to reconsider our surroundings.

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We offer a 3-Week Immersive Workshops for Teens from June 28 – July 17, and 1-Week Intensive Workshops for Teens from July 19 – July 24. Sign up for both teen programs to turn it into a four-week experience!

In addition, we have a 1-Week Development Workshops for Adults from August 2-8.

Both programs provide a unique opportunity for young artists to immerse themselves in their chosen art form, and explore their creative passions in a nurturing and welcoming environment. Designed for students at all levels of experience, we stress the importance of practice, exploration and finding joy in art-making, and focus on each student’s individual trajectory.

We offer a wide variety of workshops to choose from across visual arts, performing arts, creative writing, farm and culinary. Under the guidance of experienced instructors, students are encouraged to refine their skills, unleash their imaginations, and embark on a transformative journey with like-minded peers in a vibrant and supportive artistic environment.

As part of a tight-knit community, we also enjoy artist talks, open studio time, museum visits, nature walks, and so much more. There will be time for bonding with new people, deepening friendships, and self reflecting as you create and connect through art.

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The work includes a wide variety of mediums including sculpture, fiber, animation, digital ceramics, painting, and photography. Each artist was inspired by their experience at The ���Ĵ�ý School—a teacher, a friend, the farm, the landscape, or other members of the ���Ĵ�ý Community.

Artists:

Bangwei Bao is a Brooklyn-based visual artist and architectural designer from southern China. He graduated from The ���Ĵ�ý School in 2015 and received a bachelor of architecture from Pratt Institute in 2020. His work ranges from painting and watercolor to photography and sculpture. As a meditation practitioner, he examines the different roles images play in reflective practice. His fascination for the religious narrative of the human condition led him to make work that imagines the afterlife, contemplates reincarnation, and challenges ancestral relations.

“In contrast to the rigid composition and symbolism used in the Tibetan mandala and tangka, I am exploring the aesthetic quality of layered spontaneity and its visual effect in reflective practice. Using techniques like layered glazing in painting and long exposure in photography, I construct complexity with simple and repeating geometry. Mimicking Indra’s net, I try to reflect the overall image in the micro details and show the micro relation in the overall composition.”

Miles Chapin grew up in Maine and was exposed to sculpture at an early age. His passion for stone sculpture developed in high school at The ���Ĵ�ý School where he first began to work as a sculptor. He continued to cultivate his skills while getting his B.A. in Human Ecology at College of the Atlantic. While he has always worked in stone, the style of his sculpture changes and grows as he is inspired by his local surroundings and interactions with nature. Miles has public art pieces throughout New England and in private collections across the country. He currently lives in Westminster West, Vermont with his wife, son, and two daughters.

“In my sculpture, I use curves and texture to mimic motion and emotion. I carve directly, developing a relationship with the stone instead of precisely copying a maquette. I embrace imperfection, and try to avoid perfect symmetry. I am constantly exploring the inter-relationship form has with itself. I strive for my artistic voice to come through my work, to touch, and connect with the viewer. I work to have outdoor sculptures be part of their environment, to relate to the landscape; to hone the viewer’s attention to the serenity of life and to develop a sense of place. The simplicity of the sculpture complements the complexity of its landscape. Stone has its own natural beauty; I aim to accentuate this and work alongside the stone’s structure. When I start carving a block of stone, it feels as if it is static or asleep. Carving into each block pulls life into the stone, awakening the stone with each curve and angle. Each piece has its own passage to completion.”

Phebe Macrae Corcoran ’16

Phebe Macrae Corcoran is an interdisciplinary artist from Tivoli, NY, working and living in Oaxaca, Mexico. Engaging mostly with textiles, video, text, and found images, her work serves as a tool and/or ritual to help connect the artist and the viewer with other worlds and timelines. Macrae Corcoran is dedicated to revering the materials she uses, treating them as sensitive and responsive elements. Her scapulars, blankets, cards, quilts, gloves, and videos examine states of grief and absence in the wake of the untimely death of a friend and fellow artist.

Yining Ge ’20

Yining Ge graduated from The ���Ĵ�ý School in 2020 and is currently attending the Furniture Design program at the Rhode Island School of Design. His experience working with various materials at The ���Ĵ�ý School helped him choose furniture design as a more refined area of study. Although most of Yining’s work has focused on wooden furniture, he maintains an interest in exploring other mediums, such as textiles, ceramics, and metal.

Bronwyn Maloney is an artist and animator based in New York. Her hand drawn animation has screened at film festivals around the world. She has a background in theater and design for performance, and studied experimental animation at CalArts. Her poetic films eschew narrative and character in favor of object, lighting and sound. She is currently a professor of animation at Bennington College.

“Hand drawing animation is an exercise in slow motion. Whether spontaneous or meticulously planned, tiny adjustments accumulate over hours, days, weeks, to form something substantial. These video excerpts come from a recent project that has taken years of careful tweaking and reworking; creating illusions of depth and motion that suggest real space, real time. The works on paper are the opposite. No planning, rough sketches, or erasure. The mind and hand working together, straight ahead and in real time. The two provide a balance in practice.”

Isabel Rodriguez is a chicana artist currently based in Brooklyn, NY. Originally born in Texas, but having lived across many states and various countries including Vermont, NYC, Mexico, and Cuba, her work is heavily inspired by the beauty around her. Primarily creating using photography and occasionally performance art, her work explores themes of identity, reflection, and connection. Isabel was first introduced to photography in the darkroom at The ���Ĵ�ý School and fell in love with the magic that is the process of shooting film, developing and printing. Originally a dancer, she’s found a love for the two dimensional art form of photography that, similar to dance, has a three dimensional process filled with movement and steps that make a vision come to life in the form of an image.

“Working closely with photographer Rachel Portesi as she created her “Homage to Bourgeois” wet plates inspired me to reflect on one of my favorite series by Ana Mendieta. Forever inspired by her “Silueta Series”, I chose to honor Mendieta’s work by using Photoshop to manipulate digital self portrait images of my body onto medium format color film photographs that, once layered together, form a slightly surreal and almost secretive two dimensional experience. With each background landscape image being very personal to me, playing around with choosing which of those background images I put my body image onto became a surprisingly powerful workflow to create the final body of work. Created during a time in my life that felt deeply hopeless, making this body of work galvanized a new sense of purpose, home, and gratitude into my body and mind. Creating these images helped me better understand my relationship to what the idea of home means to me, which after some time eventually prompted me to create my video performance art piece titled, “A Tablecloth as Gratitude”.”

“My thought process when making paintings is pretty simple. I focus a lot on color, and the quality of the brush strokes. With the sculptures, I try to bring some relatable character to these stiff wooden guys, still thinking about color, texture and materials. I usually make figurative work, but I still put most of my effort into making pieces that you can read abstractly.”

“I grew up in Marlboro Vermont, and attended The ���Ĵ�ý School as a day student. I spent most of my time at ���Ĵ�ý studying photography and printmaking, but I eventually started painting, which has been my focus since then. I went to Sarah Lawrence College where I studied Painting and Art History. I currently live in Los Angeles where I currently work as an artist’s assistant, paint and sculpt.”

Jingting Wang ’21

Jingting Wang graduated from The ���Ĵ�ý School in 2021. She is currently studying textile design at The Rhode Island School of Design, class of 2025. Fiber Arts were an important and influential part of her study at The ���Ĵ�ý School. Jingting’s love of fiber, her ���Ĵ�ý experience of caring for the sheep, learning about shearing, carding, spinning, weaving and the community of people at The ���Ĵ�ý School continues to inspire her work.

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