Town of Richmond Teams with Local Arts Champion Big Heavy World to Serve Champlain Basin Musicians
Press Release by Big Heavy World.
Selectboard Inspires Collaboration; Empowers Arts Community
RICHMOND: Nonprofit music office Big Heavy World and the Town of Richmond are working together to expand the resources available to the musicians of the Lake Champlain basin. In the process, artists and arts advocates of the region have come together to begin discussion and planning for even wider activation of the arts community, for the benefit of Richmond and neighboring towns.
A resolution designating Big Heavy World to be a Local Arts Agency of Richmond qualifies the music office to pursue federal funding that may be redistributed to musical artists as grants. The grant programs that are the source of re-granting funds are managed by the National Endowment for the Arts, and are competitive.
Steve May, a Richmond selectboard member, guided the proposed resolution and moderated a public discussion on Thursday, June 30. Creative transportation design and an arts center emerged as prominent topics. The conversation revealed enthusiasm for collaborative efforts to use the arts to improve the quality of life in Richmond.
“The arts, especially music, brings people together. Richmond has scenic beauty and many venues that could be the foundation of an even more vibrant cultural community. With arts enriching our lives, contributing to our economy and making us a stronger community, Richmond will have an edge as a home and a destination,” said May.
“Richmond welcomes this partnership with Big Heavy World and the enthusiasm and resources they'll bring to engage and celebrate our local music community,” said selectboard Chair Ellen Kane.
Richmond, organized in 1794, has a population of 4,100 and is located on Interstate 89 in Chittenden County on the eastern edge of the Lake Champlain Valley. Live music has historically been hosted in its public library, a bandstand on Volunteers Green, and in the 1812 Old Round Church preserved by the Richmond Historical Society, a National Historic Landmark.
Founded in 1996, Big Heavy World is an independent, volunteer-staffed music office with a mission of preserving and promoting original Vermont-made music. It operates diverse programs — many that are collaborative — serving musicians of all genres inclusively across the state. For more information, visit http://www.bigheavyworld.com
Contact James Lockridge, Big Heavy World, (802) 865-1140, jim@bigheavyworld.com, bigheavyworld.com
Photo: Justin Hoy of Halogen Media Works, co-producer of the Eat More Kale Festival and programmer of Magic Hat's Heavyfest, is introduced to Volunteers Green in Richmond. Photo by James Lockridge.