Art Notes: An invitation to wander in South Royalton

SOUTH ROYALTON When artist and photographer Kat Mojzesz was living in Philadelphia in the ’90s and aughts, it was commonplace for galleries and bars to participate in monthly art walks where visitors could spend an evening perusing work and artists could make some extra sales. There was no such event to be found when Mojzesz and her husband moved to South Royalton 18 years ago so he could pursue his studies at Vermont Law and Graduate School. That wasn’t so bad when she was still traveling to Philadelphia for work, but as she became more enmeshed in the Upper Valley, she found herself wishing for the same kind of communal event where she and other artists could show their work in South Royalton. “Let’s get the whole town involved,” she thought. The germ of that idea spawned Wander On Wednesday, or WOW, a monthly art walk, the second installment of which is slated for 5 to 7: 30 p. m. next Wednesday. A dozen or so businesses will participate, with some of them such as First Branch Coffee and Tatunka Tattoo staying open late for the event. Other participating businesses include the Mexican restaurant Carlita’s Cantina, the South Royalton Market and Green Mountain Linen. Next week’s walk is also a special holiday version, and a makers market will be set up in the vacant space on the corner of Chelsea Street. A quartet of carolers from White River Valley High School also will wander through town, and a firepit will be burning on the village green for people to warm their hands. The list of featured artists is still being finalized, Mojzesz said, but some already have work hanging in participating venues. Heather Stearns’ show “Remnants,” a series of seven collages on discarded cabinet doors, is currently on view at First Branch Coffee. Making the collages helped Stearns process the recent death of a beloved pet dog, Marshall. Also up at First Branch are outdoor scenes by East Barnard painter, Sue Schlabach, who Mojzesz collaborated with while planning the walk. The pair settled on Wednesdays so as not to overlap with the First Friday events of towns such as White River Junction. Schlabach is on the board at South Royalton-based community resource center BALE (Building A Local Economy), which is one of the locations on the upcoming walk. The South Windsor Street nonprofit also hosted several planning meetings for the walk and has been advertising the event on their website. A retrospective of black and white drawings Mojzesz has made since her college days is currently on view at BALE Commons, the nonprofit’s event space, along with fiber artist Karen Henderson’s square, earth-toned pieces. In addition to getting some more eyeballs on artists’ work, Mojzesz also hopes the walk will encourage people to venture into stores that are slightly off the beaten path like Tatunka Tattoo, which is tucked into a storefront on South Windsor Street. “I want to just get people aware of all these cool things in our town that are just hiding,” she said. For the inaugural Wander On Wednesday, Mojzesz made twinkling WOW signs to guide visitors’ path. The South Royalton Market served hot chocolate, and Crossroads Bar and Grill had live music and a drink special for the evening. “It’s just a way to bring people out and I loved it because I saw so many people that are my neighbors in East Barnard,” Schlabach said. Between 20 and 30 people stopped by Barrister’s Book Shop that night to sip a warm drink and take in the watercolor prints of Randolph artist Paul Calter, the store’s manager Amy McDowell said. “There was a great vibe in town that night,” she said. If all goes well, Mojzesz and her collaborators plan to make Wander On Wednesday a monthly occurrence, though they’ll likely take January off to catch their breath after the holidays before resuming in earnest in February. Wander on Wednesday is scheduled for 5 to 7: 30 p. m. on Wednesday, Dec. 3. To learn more, go to balevt. org. Holiday art A number of holiday art shows are on the horizon, or already up. Here are a couple big ones: AVA Gallery and Art Center’s Members Holiday Exhibition and Sale is on view through Dec. 23 in Lebanon. An open house where visitors can peek into artists’ studios is set for 11 a. m. to 4 p. m. on Saturday, Dec. 6., followed by an opening reception and holiday party from 5 to 7 p. m. For more information, go to avagallery. org. New London Center for the Arts’ members showcase titled “Illuminations” is on display through Dec. 19 at the studio and gallery. Visiting hours are 1 to 5 p. m. on Thursday through Saturday. To learn more, go to centerfortheartsnh. org. Chandler Center for the Arts has a holiday market featuring over 70 artisans that’s running through Christmas Eve. The market is open from 11 a. m. to 6 p. m. on Tuesday through Saturday; noon to 4 p. m. on Sunday; noon to 4 p. m. on Christmas Eve; and during performances. To learn more, visit chandler-arts. org or call 802-728-9878. Matt Brown Fine Art, a gallery beside the Lyme Common, will have their holiday exhibit up through Jan. 17, with a party slated for Jan. 9. The show includes a fresh selection of woodenware and pottery pieces. Learn more at mbrownfa. com or by calling 603-795- 4855. Be Kind, Rewind JAM (Junction Arts and Media) is inviting people to step back into a time before streaming, when video stores and their chunky VHS tapes were king. Starting Dec. 1, visitors to the White River Junction media center will be able to rent movies on VHS, and their requisite movie players, from a pop up store that will be open through Jan. 30. To learn more, go to uvjam. org. Album celebration.
https://vnews.com/2025/11/26/art-notes-an-invitation-to-wander-in-south-royalton/

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