Carpenter-Carse Library Receives Grant for Art Project, and Two Other Grants
Grant Awarded to Support Projects Commemorating the 250th Anniversary of the American Revolution in Vermont
Hinesburg Record Staff
The Vermont 250th Anniversary Commission, Vermont Arts Council, and Vermont Humanities have announced $62,875 in awarded grants to 12 different Vermont communities for history, arts, and culture projects commemorating the 250th anniversary of the historic events associated with the American Revolution in Vermont.
Carpenter-Carse Library in Hinesburg won a $4,800 grant to support a collaborative art project designed to allow participants and observers to engage with ideas around what it means to be an American at this time in history. From the grant application, written by Library Director Jill Andersen:
“Keeping in mind that the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence is in 2026, this project will be asking participants to grapple with the question, ‘Who are we?’ As citizens, as Vermonters, as Americans, as people. Ideas of citizenship, belonging, history, culture, and society will be considered. Fundamental questions about what it means to be a person in the world today will be central to the creation of this collaborative art piece.
The project will be led by a professional artist, who will facilitate community participation through a series of workshops. The artist will lead participants through this exploration to create an art installation in the library. This is the beauty of public art – it is art for the community and is meant to be seen, experienced, and discussed. The humanities encourage dialogue about the human experience, and this project will create a space for that.”
Among the supported projects are museum programs on Revolutionary War history in Bennington and on Lake Champlain, a new symphonic work for the Vermont Symphony Orchestra, and short audio stories about Vermont’s roadside historical markers, monuments, and plaques.
“Our grant review team was impressed with the wide breadth of proposals submitted for 250th Project Grants, and we are delighted to be supporting projects in all corners of Vermont. We will continue to welcome additional project proposals connected to this milestone national anniversary throughout 2026 and beyond,” said Vermont Humanities Executive Director Christopher Kaufman Ilstrup.
Carpenter-Carse Library Received Additional Grants
The library also recently found out that they are recipients of two other grants.
They were awarded a grant from the Windham Foundation. They were one of 34 Vermont-based nonprofits receiving financial support for projects focused on (1) Preserving and Developing Resilient Communities, and (2) Healthy and Vibrant Communities. The funds will be used to further enhance and maintain the Children’s Reading Garden with gardening tools, improved raised beds, and composting equipment. They plan to use these tools and this equipment to further engage the community in the use of and care for the garden area.
They are also the recipients of a grant from the Vermont Council on Rural Development to install two batteries for back-up power during outages and to capture renewable energy generated from the solar array on the library roof. Andersen says, “We are excited to lean more fully into the idea of being not just an essential community resource, but also a model for preparedness and response in times of widespread need. The battery back-up system is just one of the first steps along a journey to becoming more adaptable, flexible, resilient, and sustainable. Our goal is always to meet our community’s needs, even during times of hardship. This project will help us do that.”
Andersen learned of the battery back-up grant shortly after power was restored from a 3-hour power outage - interesting timing!