Weston's Lyman Orton Presents Slide Show of His Art Collection Along with Anita Rafael, Author of Their New Book “For the Love of Vermont”

Prepare to be transported back in time as Lyman Orton – Vermont Country Store proprietor – presents a slide show of his extraordinary collection of 20th century Vermont art on Thursday, September 7 at 5:00 PM at Walker Farm theater in Weston. Anita Rafael, author of their new book, For the Love of Vermont, will join him. Their slide show is entertaining, educational, irreverent, and can wander into uncharted territory.

The event is hosted in partnership with the Weston Historical Society, Londonderry Arts & Historical Society, and Manchester Historical Society and will be followed by a reception in the lobby, where curator Donnel Barnum will have signed copies of the book for purchase.

Says Weston Theater Company Executive Artistic Director, Susanna Gellert, "We’re thrilled to be hosting this event at Weston’s Walker Farm. Lyman and the Orton family are truly a part of our town and have always been central to making it such a welcoming and beautiful place. It’s an honor to welcome him, his wonderful new book, and his stories to a space he played a fundamental role in creating. We hope you’ll join us for an evening full of art, history, storytelling, and hometown pride.”

The collection features artists who lived in or painted Weston and its surrounding towns. Bernadine Custer and Constance Heffron lived in Londonderry, and Hazel Kitts Wires - one of the many artists to paint the historic Vermont Country Store - had a primary studio in Peru. Other artists, like Palmer Hayden of the Harlem Renaissance, were based in New York but made trips to Weston to paint the Vermont Country Store. Artists like James Hope migrated from Europe to settle in and paint the Clarendon/Rutland area. Churchill Ettinger, whose work can be seen in museums across the country, made a home out of Weston itself.

In the fall of 2021, Orton and Rafael began collaborating on their book about Orton's 45-year endeavor - a fervor kindled over four decades that became Orton’s mission to find 20th century Vermont artworks scattered across the nation and repatriate them to their home state. The pair released the book in May of 2023, and Yankee Magazine celebrated Orton's collection in their 2023 summer issue.

The event will take place on Thursday, September 7th at 5:00 pm at Walker Farm (705 Main Street, Weston, VT).