ST. JOHNSBURY — Storefront windows across town are dotted with work from local artists as the third seasonal show of the StJ Art on the Street series kicks off.
The displays, which feature work from 13 artists, went up earlier this month and will run through May 28.
“It’s just having that accessibility for people that normally probably wouldn’t go to an art museum or feel that isn’t the place for them,” said Heather Alger, one of the organizers of the effort. “This is the place for them — it’s their street.”
The campaign to adorn downtown facades with artwork began late last summer. It evolved from a volunteer group — dubbed the Window Warriors — that in late 2019 set out to transform dusty and vacant storefront spaces into vibrant displays.
The group had its eye on some storefront windows that had been empty for 10 years, Alger said.
“They were filthy and neglected,” she said.
For the holidays in 2019, the handful of volunteers cleaned windows, vacuumed display spaces, and filled them with lights and decorations. Quickly, the group’s numbers rose to about 20, Alger said.
After Covid-19 arrived in Vermont, the group decided to focus on promoting the arts — a sector particularly hurt by the economic impact of the pandemic.
“We just shifted it because artists were being the hardest hit by Covid,” Alger said. “We have such a tremendous resource here in the Northeast Kingdom of artists, and their work was not able to be seen at all.”
Galleries, museums and other venues had been closed or strictly limited their operations. But storefront windows provided a safe and easy way for passersby to still view art and contact artists about buying it.
“A lot of the art is actually selling,” Alger said, “which is phenomenal.”
Around the end of last summer, she said, the grassroots program began working with Catamount Arts, a Northeast Kingdom arts and cultural organization.
“The Window Warriors started this program, and it was very, very well received within the community,”said Jody Fried, the organization’s executive director. “It needed a home to take it to the next level.”
That next level came in the form of a $3,000 grant from the Vermont Community Foundation in mid-December, which Fried said will help sustain the program.
“We felt that it was a critical public art and placemaking project for downtown St. Johnsbury,” he said. “It not only helps with the beautification of downtown, but it emphasizes the importance of arts culture and creativity to our community.”
The effort has also been a way to spark more interest in downtown St. Johnsbury and the shops and restaurants that line the Railroad Street area.
“There’s more interest in stores than there has ever been in the last decade,” Alger said.
Andrea Otto, a community liaison with Catamount Arts involved in the art program, said a few of spaces have been rented.
“It’s a great problem for us to have,” Otto said.
Town Manager Chad Whitehead said local officials support the efforts, particularly because they contribute to the town’s goal of attracting more business downtown.
“When we talk to building owners, they’re indicating that they’re marketing the spaces. … I think a lot of it has to do with the appearance of the downtown,” Whitehead said.
He gave the volunteers and community organizations credit for taking the initiative. “They took it on themselves,” he said. “They saw some problems and some places that could be improved.”
Catamount Arts is working now on a video series to coincide with the spring show, a virtual gallery opening of sorts that will feature interviews with the artists.
“We will be conducting interviews with them, talking about their process, and we’ll be sharing images of their work,” Otto said. “We’ll be putting that all together as kind of a way to launch the show and share that with our community.”
Correction: The surname of Heather Alger was misspelled in an earlier version of this story.
