Outdoor Exhibit Promotes Butternut Valley, Artists
BURLINGTON FLATS—Butternut Valley Alliance will hold its fifth annual “On the Trail of Art” Festival June 14 and 15. This year’s event will take place in the Basswood Pond State Forest in the Town of Burlington. The half-mile trail will feature student artists from Edmeston, Gilbertsville-Mount Upton and Morris central schools, as well as a new addition, Laurens Central School. Local artists with a connection to the Butternut Valley will also exhibit their works.
Approximately 125 public school and homeschool students will have pieces in the plein air exhibit. They were assisted by their art teachers and used materials provided by BVA, with the help of a substantial in-kind donation of acrylic paints and other materials from Golden Artist Colors in New Berlin.
Strolling musicians, art demonstrations and “participation art” opportunities will be part of the festival. As new components this year, there will be a poetry reading by the Bright Hill poets and the Gatehouse Fiber Guild will be hanging their fiber works in the forest. A treasure hunt for crystal balls will continue this year, on a “finders-keepers” basis.
By organizing the outdoor art festival, BVA seeks to integrate visual art with the natural environment, promote Butternut Valley artists, bring visitors to public lands and build community within the Butternut Valley.
Located in western Otsego County, the Butternut Valley comprises the watershed of the Butternut Creek, which flows from the Town of Exeter to its confluence with the Unadilla River in the Town of Butternuts.
Admission to the event is free; however, to allow for proper spacing, reservations are encouraged and may be made at BVA’s website, www.ButternutValleyAlliance.org. The reservation site closes 24 hours in advance of the event, but last-minute arrivals will be accommodated as spacing is available.
Visitors will be provided with a map and program listing participants and artwork locations at the welcome tent. Volunteers will be onsite throughout the event to assist visitors as needed. Footwear appropriate for trail-walking is recommended. The trail head may be accessed by googling “Basswood Pond State Forest Conservation Rd parking area.”
“On the Trail of Art” is funded by Earlville Opera House’s Arts in the Community Grants Program, made possible by the New York State Senate with support of the Office of the Governor, and administered by the New York State Council on the Arts.
Additional support is provided by Sidney Federal Credit Union, New York Central Mutual Insurance, Upper Susquehanna Coalition, Golden Artist Colors, Otsego County Conservation Association and Otsego Outdoors.
Butternut Valley Alliance is a not-for-profit organization serving the Butternut Valley watershed. Its mission is to encourage the Butternut Creek watershed to become an even better place to live, work and play. BVA activities connect communities, protect the environment and promote the arts.
