Bessie Drennan:

Real Worlds Imagined

This year Art at the Kent spotlights Vermont artist Bessie Drennan (1882–1961). Her charming paintings of real and imagined places, people, and activities have been celebrated across the years by fans and collectors, The Vermont Folklife Center, her hometown of Woodbury, and now, friends in the Calais and Kent family communities.

Thanks to the Kent family for their time and generous loans of art.

Detail, Kents’ Corner, Bessie Drennan (c. 1950), Kent family collection

Measuring Time, Observing Weather

Many works throughout Illuminated Worlds speak to themes of time, weather, and universe. Don’t miss the ways in which Kent casts its eyes upward:

Skyview

A collaborative project between artist Stephanie Wolff, designer Syver Rogstad, and the Kent team prompts visitors to look skyward and observe the beauty and complexities of weather. Find this interactive sculpture outside on the Kent grounds.

Sun as Star

We are delighted to team up with the Fairbanks Museum & Planetarium and sundial designer Bill Gottesman for a special event on the Autumnal Equinox, Sunday, September 22. Ask questions, learn about tracking time with sun and shadow, and observe sunspots through the Planetarium’s electronic telescopes.
See our Events Page for details.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Illuminated thanks to our amazing team: web designer, Kate Burnim; Mary Elder Jacobsen, who shepherds Words Out Loud, and goes beyond; Linda Mirabile of RavenMark; Neha Shukla, celebration and event maven; and our dedicated cast of volunteers and docents.

With deep gratitude to Syver Rogstad and Stephanie Wolff for a novel collaboration with us on Skyview, bringing weather, time, and observation into focus.

Special thanks to Bill Gottesman for generously sharing his knowledge and collection of remarkable sundials, and to Lawrence Hayes, Damon Cawley, and Christian Bradley Hubbs from the Fairbanks Museum & Planetarium for their expertise and astronomical enthusiasm.

Enormous appreciation to Rob Hitzig, Alan Paschell, J. Langdon Antiques and Art, and the Vermont Historical Society for exhibition furniture.

Thanks to Mary Admasian of Lights on Marketing and to Seven Days, our 2024 media sponsor.