VENUES TO THE WEST OF DOWNTOWN

1. C.X. Silver Gallery & Dim Sum Teahouse
814 Western Ave., (802) 257-7898 or (802) 579-9088, www.cxsilvergallery.com
Continuing Exhibits: (1) Cai Xi's Wu Ji (Infinity Within) Painting Performance. (2) Landscapes from the "Earth and Sky" series, (3) work in the gallery Portrait Studio from a July 2010 fellowship at Vermont Studio Center; (4) Contemporary Chinese Art of Xi Cai featuring six-foot canvases of new calligraphic abstractions using mops and trowels as "brushes" and recorded live for viewing on youtube. Open for Gallery Walk, 4 to 8, otherwise Mon.-Wed. 10 to 8, Thu. & Fri. 10 to 1, Sat. & Sun. 4 to 8; appt. recommended.
Enjoy two monthly venues for Cai's Dim Sum Teahouse: Second Sundays -- Feb. 12, 12-8 pm -- at the Gallery in West Brattleboro, featuring the à la carte menu (online at http://www.DimSumVT.com.), dining in, and orders to go as an option; and Third Fridays -- Feb. 17, 5:30-8:30 pm -- at Brattleboro Museum featuring selected dishes from the monthly menu, prix fixe, all-you-can-eat, Dim Sum pushcarts, and solely dining in. Reservations for both venues are recommended: (802) 257-7898 x3. Advance orders of Dim Sum can be called in for take out at other times during the month.

2. Turning Point of Windham County
112 Hardwood Way (near Exit 3, turn off Rt. 5 N by Taco Bell), (802) 257-5600, email: tpwc.1@hotmail.com
Exhibit space in February features SOLDIERS DISEASE Part I: Oil Paintings by Tahnee M. Rifaiy (TMR). These works focus on misfortune and failure in the world and our current problem with Soldiers Disease associated with PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder), a problem which doubled after 9-11. As a child of the military, born on the Fort Huachuca Army base in Sierra Vista, Arizona, TMR is familiar with the Soldiers Disease, and this work has also deepened after years spent abroad, working and being schooled in Europe and the Middle East. For more information, visit the Cotton Mill Complex, 2nd floor Unit A-203, TMR Morning Light. In addition to this group of paintings, TMR is showing a few larger works in Coffee Country (south end of the Harmony Parking Lot in downtown Brattleboro) along with oil paintings by Sage Feldman.
Turning Point provides services, free of charge, for people in recovery from addictions. The center is a safe, supportive gathering place that provides peer support and recovery support services. Check out its Facebook page.

3. The Marina Restaurant
28 Spring Tree Rd. (down behind 464 Putney Rd. - where the West River meets the Connecticut), (802) 257-7563, www.vermontmarina.com
Colorful canvases by Janet Picard are featured at the recently rebuilt Marina. Inspired by the Vermont landscape, as well as the dunes and seascapes of Cape Cod, Janet's paintings resonate with the restaurant's fresh new design: both are contemporary, big, bold, and pulsating with energy. Meet the artist during Gallery Walk on February 3 from 6 to 7 pm. The Marina Restaurant is a casual waterfront eatery with a sunset view; open 7 days 11:30 to 10, serving Sunday Brunch from 10 to 1.

VENUES IN OR NEAR DOWNTOWN

4. Brattleboro Museum & Art Center
10 Vernon St., (802) 257-0124, www.brattleboromuseum.org
Admission is FREE during Gallery Walk. Current exhibits close on February 5, so this weekend is your last chance to see them. At 8 pm, after Gallery Walk, the BMAC is hosting its annual High School A Cappella Concert, a fundraiser for the In-Sight Photography Project (info below exhibit notes).
Exhibits include Four Eyes: Art from Potash Hill, featuring new work by Marlboro College art faculty Martina Lantin, Cathy Osman, Tim Segar, and 2011 Guggenheim Fellowship recipient John Willis; Elsewhere, featuring stunning, large-format photographs by Mary Heller and Ernest Kafka, depicting decades of far-flung travel, from Nantucket to New Delhi, Vermont to Vietnam, Acadia to the Amazon; and Vermont Kids Design Glass, which tasked a dozen Vermont glass artists to create imaginary creatures sketched by local kids in grades K-8; Martina Lantin: Passage, a site-specific ceramic installation in the corridor between the two large galleries; Stephen Procter: Monumental Vessels, the inaugural exhibit in BMAC's new Sculpture Garden; Wolf Kahn: Brattleboro Pastels, featuring a portion of the artist's summer 2011 work; and Salley Mavor: Sewn Stories, a selection of original work by the acclaimed children's book author.
Regular Hours: 11 to 5 daily except Tues. and Wed. Admission: $6 adults, $4 seniors, $3 students, free to members, children 5 and under, and staff of other museums.
8 pm, High School A Cappella Concert: As a warm-up event for the Museum's 8th Annual Collegiate A Cappella benefit at the Latchis Theatre, local high school groups give a show of their own at the BMAC. Proceeds benefit the In-Sight Photography Project, which offers students a creative voice and outlet, an opportunity to experience success, tools for self-awareness and self-worth, and encourages them to become actively engaged in their communities. In-Sight teaches photography to youth ages 11-18 throughout Southern Vermont, regardless of their ability to pay. "This concert is about high school kids raising money to help high school kids, in addition to helping the Drop-In Center with canned goods and much-needed funds at this time of year," said concert organizer Dede Cummings. Tickets are $10, and $5 for students, available at the door. Space is limited, so come at 7:30 to get a seat for the 8:00 show. Info: In-Sight Photography Project, (802) 251-9960.

5. Friday Night (rainbow) Lights
Marlboro College Graduate Center, 28 Vernon St., Chill Room - 2nd floor, Info: (802) 258-9038 Ken Schneck, kschneck@marlboro.edu
6 to 8 pm on Gallery Walk first-Fridays: Drop by this social and support group for LGBTQ youth 20 and under. FNrL is a safe and confidential space where participants can relax, watch a movie, play a board game, vent, bond, and talk about whatever they want. Pizza and soda provided.

6. Windham Wines & The Wine Gallery
30 & 36 Main St., (802) 246-6400, www.windhamwines.com
In tribute to Windham Wines' offerings of wine from around the world, Brattleboro photographers Cynthia Stalker and Darrell Thomas DuPont are showing a sampling of their global fine art photography, highlighting some of the wine-producing areas of France. This photoart is presented in two formats -- gallery wraps and float wraps -- displayed on archival canvas or a variety of archival photographic papers. These selections for Gallery Walk, as well as others, can be viewed at www.stalkerdupontphotoart.com.
Windham Wines sells the area's broadest range of wines from around the world, as well as many unusual beers, and is open 11-7, Tues.-Sat. The Wine Gallery next door is available for private parties, special events, and semi-monthly wine tastings open to the public. Call Frank or Marty at Windham Wines for details about reserving the Gallery for a party or training.

7. River Gallery School of Art
32 Main St., (802) 257-1577, www.rivergalleryschool.org
Gallery space in February features work from the Life Drawing classes in 2011. Stop in to see how students interpret the human form through gesture, contour, shading, and color. This diverse exhibit represents many ways of seeing and drawing the figure. Be sure to pick up our Winter/Spring schedule we are currently enrolling for classes which begin the first week of February. Please call RGS for info, or check the school's website.

8. Latchis Theatre
50 Main St., (802) 254-1109, www.latchis.com
During Gallery Walk on February 3, from 5 to 7 pm on the Main Theatre stage, the Art New England team is celebrating the launch of its January/February issue, which features a focus on Southern Vermont. Meet ANE staff and enjoy wine, hors d'oeuvres, and conversation with artists and writers.
Visitors can also enjoy a continuing show of new abstract oils on paper by Barbara Baker-Bury in the same space. Meet the artist from 4:30 to 6:45 on February 3.
Brattleboro artist Barbara Baker-Bury returns to the Latchis Main Theatre -- for a third year -- with a show of new oils entitled "Point of View." Barbara describes her paintings as "unfolding little by little, each new gesture taking the lead from previous ones rather than an outside source." She works on paper, and her paintings vary in style and size. Finished pieces are matted, framed, and ready to hang. A portion of proceeds from sales will be donated to the Brattleboro Arts Initiative to help defray expenses incurred when tropical storm Irene flooded the building's basement. The show runs through Jan. 31, with a reception during Gallery Walk on January 6 from 4 to 6:45 (note early schedule). The exhibit is open for browsing by movie and event patrons and by appointment. Limited-edition giclée prints are also available. For more information, contact Barbara at (802) 257-1029 or bbb80@comcast.net. Visit online at www.barbarabakerbury.com.

9. Twilight Tea Lounge
41 Main St. - Lower Level (enter through Knit or Dye or on Arch St.), (802) 254-8887, www.twilighttealounge.com
Sketches and still-life work by Brattleboro artist Sabina Gutsell continue in February. Sabina graduated in 1996 from Guilford College with a BA in Painting and a minor in Chemistry. "I have not shown my art in over 13 years, as I was pursuing other interests. Now I am showing my most recent work, a collection of color sketches. I focused on fruit because I love its vibrancy." The Tea Lounge is open for tea and treats until 10 pm for Gallery Walk. Regular hours are 12-8 daily except Monday, and until 9 on Friday & Saturday.

10. Edw. Jones/Joseph LoMonaco
51 Main St., (802) 251-0405
February features a continuing group show by area artists Susan Osgood, Barbara Merfeld-Campman, Carol Keiser, Carolyn Nelson, Judy Hawkins, and Ruby Rice. Susan Osgood says, "These drawings are made of powdered pigment, ink, and egg tempera on transparent rice paper; the title of the series is the name of an ancient Egyptian temple" ... Barbara Merfeld-Campman is showing images of light and darkness: new mixed-media works and an assemblage ... Carol Keiser shares, "I like to work from memory of intimate spaces, places of home and comfort, always with a view toward the world outside" ... Carolyn Nelson says, "I have loved collage and paper as another way to explore line and form" ... Judy Hawkins offers viewers dramatic color, expressive brushstrokes, and a bold interpretation of the Vermont landscape ... Ruby Rice is a visionary mixed-media artist displaying Fiber Wall Hangings for Sacred Spaces. Gallery Walk reception on February 3; also open weekdays 9-5 and by appointment.

11. Flat Street Brew Pub
6 Flat St., (802) 257-1911, www.flatstreetbrewpub.net
Work by Steven Leal is featured in February. Leal began painting at the age of 12 in Kent, England. Since arriving in the U.S. at the age of 26, he has lived in California, Arizona, Oregon, Detroit and Boston before settling in the "near-perfect" community of Brattleboro. He has worked in apple orchards, as a bike courier, in art galleries, as a welder and a carpenter, and now creates framed canvases for many local artists. Themes in his work include his love for horse racing, his eclectic friendships, and the madness of life transitions. The Pub offers 20 fine handcrafted ales and lagers on tap and a limited food menu. Open 5 days a week, Tues.-Sat., 4 to 12:30 last call.

12. In-Sight Photography Project
45 Flat St., Ste. 1, (802) 251-9960, www.insight-photography.org
Gallery space in February features recent experiments in HDR photography by local artist Ezra Distler. An In-Sight volunteer, he also is a professional photographer. His work can be seen on his blog at distlerphoto.wordpress.com

13. Vermont Center for Photography
49 Flat St., (802) 251-6051, www.vcphoto.org
"After Chernobyl": Documentary Photography by Michael Forster Rothbart presents images from two years of documenting the everyday lives -- the joys and the sorrows -- of the people who stayed after the world's worst nuclear accident, in 1986. Rothbart says, "Most outsiders think Chernobyl is a place of danger and despair, and so this is what they photograph. For me, however, Chernobyl tells a story about endurance and hope." Rothbart has traveled the world exploring the impacts of environmental contamination. He is now working on a new project, "Fracking Pennsylvania," documenting the effects of natural gas drilling on rural communities. The "After Chernobyl" exhibit will be traveling to communities worried about their own nuclear contamination. Through the exhibit and public forums, Rothbart hopes to start a dialogue for those communities to identify their problems and work together to find solutions. Opening reception on Friday, February 3, 5:30 to 8:30 during Gallery Walk; the exhibit is open through February 26. Visit the gallery Mon.-Fri. 1-6, Sat. & Sun. 12-5.

14. Hope Gallery at Elliot St.Café
134 Elliot St., (802) 246-1251, www.facebook.com/ElliotStreetCafe
Stop in to see the "Climate Change Wall" with art related to climate change as well as information about what is happening in the state. Also on display are photographs by Rebecca Jones. Open during Gallery Walk on February 3, 5 to 8 pm; otherwise open Wed.-Sun. 8:30 to 2:30.

15. McNeill's Brewery
90 Elliot St., (802) 254-2553, www.mcneillsbrewery.com
Pub exhibits include Brad Roth's large paintings of comic book and cartoon character "stars" such as Superman and Betty Rubble (from The Flintstones), the 2011 Mask Project by Brattleboro's Eric Reagan, and New York artist Sacha's World of Circulism figurative paintings. Paula Lavender is offering her hand-dyed, brightly colored Marbled Fabric in four different sizes as napkins, table cloths, curtains, and large quilting squares.
Eric Reagan creates large and small masks in ceramic, cast concrete, cast resin, and papier-mâché -- a celebration of ten years of mask-making. Some of those on display are works in progress, and some will change during the month. A trained graphic designer, Eric is a self-taught sculptor working in many styles and mediums. He has been developing techniques for mold-making and casting, working primarily with clay originals.
Since 2003, Sacha has found a way to mix his colors by making circles, scratching the surface of the canvas and bringing out the whiteness of the canvas with a simple toothpick. These circles of movement are brought out in a technique which he calls Circulism. His work conceptually explores human suffering but is both exuberant and hopeful, with comforting symmetries and tender depictions connecting each subject with the viewer.
Ray McNeill has earned thirteen national and international awards for his brews since opening in 1992. Sixteen varieties are listed and described on the brewery's website. Stop by the pub for a brew and some good pub munchies.

16. Frankie's Pizza
75 Elliot St., (802) 254-2420
Works by Jill Severance continue on exhibit in February. "Jill hails from the great city of Burlington, VT. She is currently a waitress at Frankie's. She's the stunningly good looking one with the impeccable fashion sense. Her artwork has been described as humorous, witty, precocious, and an experience similar to eating cotton candy. She reviewed her art and gave it an enthusiastic seventeen and a half thumbs straight up. Obviously other people enjoyed her art as well because not all of the thumbs were hers." Frankie's is open 7 days, 11 to 11:30. Specials and changes are posted on the shop's Facebook page

17. Metropolis
55 Elliot St., (802) 490-2255
Work by Anne Hunter is featured in February. Anne is both a 2-D and 3-D artist whose non-functional ceramic art is highly influenced by her personal experiences. While attending Alfred University to study Art and Education, her personal travels inspired her to create a show whose core not only reflects the practical means by which we travel but how different places "map" out a different impression on who we are. Anne can be reached at amarindah@gmail.com and does commissions upon request. The Scott Griswold & Co. Band -- Scott on bass, Jose on drums, and Heath on vocals and guitar -- performs on Gallery Walk night from 8 to 11. Metropolis has a new Winter Tapas menu of dishes created by Chef Megan Miller.

18. Experienced Goods Home Furnishings for Brattleboro Hospice
51 Elliot St., (802) 246-1305
APPRECIATION CELEBRATION & BIG SALE on Gallery Walk night, February 3: The Home Furnishings shop will close its doors on Elliot Street at the end of February. 50% off all merchandise from Gallery Walk until closing day, including vintage artwork and pre-loved pieces by local artists. Enjoy live music by Alan Partridge & Friends from 4 to 6 pm, with refreshments and gratitude for customers, donors, volunteers, and staff!

19. Inferno
19 Elliot St., (802) 258-6529 Sarah Rice, www.gotoinferno.com
Brattleboro painter/illustrator Sarah Adam works in various mediums including acrylic, oil, watercolor, pencils, and pen & ink. As a painter, she enjoys using found objects as surfaces for colorful portraits and abstract compositions. Her work also focuses on geometry, silhouettes, and big skies. Visit online: Madsahara.com. Karaoke on Wednesdays. Great selection of Craft beers on tap, specialty drink menu, trivia everyday!

20. Through The Music Gallery & Studio
Out back at the Turn It Up! music store, 2 Elliot St., (802) 779-3188 Sarah Rice, www.myspace.com/throughthemusicgallery
Just go through Turn It Up!, head up the stairs, and Through The Music (TTM) is on the right.
THE GALLERY IS CLOSED IN FEBRUARY. Be sure to come back on March 2, when it will be hosting Student Art Month's Two-Dimensional Windham County High School Art Show.

21. Mocha Joe's Café
82 Main St., (802) 257-7794, www.mochajoes.com
Gallery space in February features "Carrying the Logs," an exhibit of eight large photographs of logging trucks. Photographer William Dixon has attempted to portray the power and the personality of each red truck cab. Although similar in basic design, each cab is unique, whether in the detail painting or a phrase such as "Big Red," "Red Bone", or "Back to Yesteryear" on its wind deflector. Enjoy a cup of Mocha Joe's own freshly roasted coffee or a seasonal drink and freshly baked pastries.

22. Vermont Artisan Designs & Gallery 2
106 Main St., (802) 257-7044, www.buyvermontart.com
Impressionistic acrylic landscapes by Irma Cerese are featured in February along with new jewelry for Valentine's Day by Marty Kneeland. Opening reception from 6 to 8 during Gallery Walk -- enjoy the piano stylings of Jon Matthew. Vermont Artisan Designs & Gallery 2 offer the works of more than 350 American artists and contemporary craftspeople. Open seven days a week and online at www.Facebook.com/vermontartisandesigns. A portion of sales in February will benefit the Windham County Heat Fund; layaway purchases are possible.

23. Galanes Vermont Shop
116 Main St., (802) 254-5677, www.galanesvtshop.com
Watermedia artist Tim Wood, who works in acrylic and watercolor, is showing new Brattleboro cityscapes in February. "I love the beautiful and unique architecture of downtown Brattleboro. I never get bored painting these buildings -- they hold such a sense of history." Wood is best known for his night scenes but has recently been doing snowy day scenes. "I wanted to take a fresh look at the town in a new light, and actually be able to add some detail that would not be appropriate in a night scene." Prints and originals will be available for purchase at the shop, which carries signed prints by Wood all year. Originals are also displayed year-round at Grace Cottage Hospital in Townshend (he donates a portion of any sales there to the Grace Cottage Foundation).

24. The Works
118 Main St., (802) 579-1871, http://worksbakerycafe.com
"Matters of the Heart" is a Valentine-themed show featuring an array of literal or metaphorical interpretations of the heart motif by a dozen local artists. In addition to work in a variety of traditional art formats, the exhibit includes quilted fabric art, a metal sculpture, burned images on wood, and the reading of a Manifesto on Remarkability. Participating artists are Jason Alden, Erika Benson, Cindy Bowler, Lisa Charkey with her mother and daughter, Kay Curtis, Elizabeth Denny, Cynthia Parker Houghton, Scott Nelson, Randy Walton, and Julie Waters. Featured young artist Fiona has created her own heart-inspired works.
The Works offers a variety of breakfast and lunch sandwiches available on our fresh-baked bagels, artisan breads, and wraps, as well as locally sourced desserts and beverages. Open daily from 6 to 6 and until 9 on Gallery Walk Friday.

25. The Artist's Loft Gallery & B&B
103 Main St., 3rd floor, (802) 257-5181, www.theartistsloft.com
The Artist's Loft Gallery presents works on paper and canvas by award-winning New England artist William Hays. See the latest of Hays' unique, multicolor linoleum block prints of New England and Brattleboro. Enjoy oils of the Vermont landscape and portraiture. Visit online and in person. Open 10 to 6 daily on Main Street and 24/7 online.

26. Amy's Bakery Arts Café
113 Main St., (802) 251-1071
Continuing in February are photo collages created by students of Hilltop Montessori Middle School as part of a seven-week-long "Sense of Place" study exploring the true meaning of community. Poet Wendell Berry once said, "If you don't know where you are, you don't know who you are." In these works, Hilltop students share special insights gleaned through one-on-one interviews and photo shoots of local merchants, community leaders, social service providers, artisans, artists, and nonprofit directors. Amy's offers European-style breads; soups, sandwiches, salads; specialty cakes, cookies, and other treats, including Bart's ice cream; open Mon.-Sat. 8-6, till 8 on Gallery Walk, and Sun. 9-5.

27. Beadniks
115 Main St., (802) 257-5114, http://beadniksvt.com
February's featured bead is the "Chevron," one of the most commonly produced beads in the last five centuries, also known as the "Aristocrat" of beads. First invented around 1400 AD by Venetian glass artists in Italy, these beads are drawn-glass or "cane" style with multiple layers, usually tapered so as to leave a star or "chevron" pattern. The number of layers -- 4, 6 and 7 most commonly -- often indicates the time period of their creation. This bead was often produced using layers of (brick) reds, whites, and (cobalt) blues during the European expansion years 1400-1800, coinciding with the flag colors of the Dutch, English, and French; however, the Chevron was also produced in many other colors -- these being rarer and harder to obtain. A good antique specimen these days can cost anywhere from $5 to $5,000 depending on color, quality, and age. Still in production today, they hold quite a bit of contemporary value as well. The Chevron was likely one of the first glass beads to reach North America. Chevron beads will be displayed throughout the month in a variety of colors, quality, and age, most available for sale.

28. In the Moment Music & Gifts
143 Main St., (802) 257-8171, www.inthemomentrecords.com
Peace Through Music: Singer-songwriter Ali Chambliss and her daughter Casey Hagedorn, a young talent just beginning her musical journey, will delight the Window Stage audience with their solo and duo originals, as well as offer their expression of classic and contemporary Americana. Continuing exhibit featuring screen prints by West Coast artist Alan Forbes, best known for his work with The Black Crowes. Alan's artwork has graced the covers of numerous LPs and gig posters. Commissioned by the bands and completely authorized, these prints are limited editions -- a few in batches of less than 50! Open Mon.-Sat. 11-6, Sun. 11-5, later for Gallery Walk.

29. Gallery in the Woods & Dante's Infurniture
145 Main St., (802) 257-4777, www.galleryinthewoods.com
Featured through February 26 is the exhibit "Recent Paintings by Wendy Cross: Not a Pretty Picture -- America in the 21st Century." Although they are enriched with surreal distortion, Cross's landscapes are regional: cityscapes from Western Massachusetts, a county fair midway, semi-abandoned farm fields littered with detritus. Cross is hyper-real and primitive by turns. The details of fine oil glazing brushwork and sumptuous light draw us into a vision of poignant contrast. The characters are vulnerable and uncomfortably placid, surviving in burned-out worlds. Traditional American landscape painting is a visual legacy of our individual and collective ownership; these paintings ask the question, "What do we own now?" Artist's reception on Friday, February 3, 5:30 to 8:30. The Moondogs provide live music.

30. Hooker-Dunham Theater & Gallery
139 Main St., down alley and downstairs, (802) 254-9276, www.hookerdunham.org & Facebook
Continuing through February is "Memory Through Imagination," an exhibit of new works, works in progress, and sequential ideas by photographer Bob Cantius. Cantius describes his camera studies as anthropological; self-inclusive, empathetic and interactive, and ever-evolving -- "Expect the unexpected." Gallery hours during events at Hooker-Dunham Theater & Gallery and by appointment. Reception on Friday, February 3, from 5:30 to 8 pm.

31. Catherine Dianich Gallery
139 Main St., Rm. 501 (down the street-level alleyway and through the glass doors of Hooker-Dunham Bldg.), (802) 380-1607, www.catherinedianichgallery.com
Continued featured artists in February are Cathy Osman and Tim Segar, both of whom teach art at Marlboro College. Cathy Osman is showing small oil paintings on clay board. "The images continue my fascination with how layering mark, color, and texture re-combine to suggest content [such as] aerial mapping, biological fragments, or architectural debris. Having defined myself as a landscape painter for years, I now notice my references are moving from what might be considered existing in or made by nature to a more industrial urban scape. The scale of these paintings is small, intimate, and fragmentary, yet there is depth seen through a grid or network of structures."
Segar considers himself primarily a sculptor but is showing two three-dimensional pieces and otherwise selected drawings and paintings: "While my sculpture is solid, separate, definite, real, practical, and actual, my drawing is often light, open, weightless, mutable, and imaginary. These drawings represent a kind of parallel world to that of the sculpture, reflecting it, coming before or after. I am engaged in the crucial place where my imagination makes contact with both two- and three-dimensional ideas."
Artists reception from 5:30 to 8 pm during Gallery Walk on February 3. Other hours by appointment. The show closes on February 24.

32. Take a Moment for Peace
Centre Congregational Church, 193 Main St., in the parlor, (802) 257-4588 Dee and Bob Keller
5:30-6 pm, Meditations for Peace: Gallery Walkers of all faiths and persuasions are invited into the church Chapel to share in quietude, music, and quotations dedicated to enhancing personal, family, community, and world peace. On this day, Richard Brady, a teacher in the tradition of Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh, offers a meditation on interbeing, the foundation of true peace.

33. Brooks Memorial Library
224 Main St., (802) 254-5290, www.brooks.lib.vt.us
Selections from the library's Fine Arts Collection of more than 350 items -- sculptures, ceramics, paintings, rare books, maps, photographs, and historical and archaeological objects -- donated over the past 150-plus years -- are permanently displayed on three floors.
Through changing exhibits, regional artists show their artwork, and community collectors and organizations stage displays. On the Main Floor during February, Brattleboro artist Samuel McCabe offers a retrospective of his surrealist oil paintings.
The glass cases in the second-floor entryway feature international dolls from the Fine Arts Collection. Also on the second floor, display cases opposite the Children's Room feature original artwork demonstrating how picture books are made. Children's book author/illustrator Eileen Christelow's visual history of her popular "Five Little Monkeys" series continues during February.
A brochure is available to lead visitors on a self-guided walking tour of the library's art during regular hours: Mon.-Wed. 10-9, Thurs. 1-6, Fri. 10-6, & Sat. 10-2.

34. "Shall We Dance" at the Brattleboro Stone Church
210 Main St. (cor. Grove, next to the PO), (802) 579-9990 Ray Warren, ray@shallwedance.biz, www.shallwedance.biz
The Brattleboro Ballroom of Shall We Dance offers a FREE Ballroom Tango dance lesson from 7 to 8; open ballroom dancing follows from 8 to 10 pm. Cost of dance: $8 singles, $15 couples, $5 teens & seniors. Light refreshments. Please carry your dancing shoes. Check online calendar at www.shallwedance.biz for upcoming lessons and dances.

35. Brooks House Mural Project
Rounding corner of Main and High Sts., Info: starvingartist374@msn.com
Steven Donovan was asked to paint a very long, continuous mural on the windows of some Brooks House storefronts vacated after an April fire damaged the building. He started with windows between the former Book Cellar and the Underground/Wasteland shop on Main Street, then moved to High Street to work from the "tunnel" to the Brooks House entrance. "The project is being funded and I am contributing myself, my gift to the town," says Donovan. "I'm benefiting from others' losses and am overwhelmingly grateful to the town and its people for this opportunity to keep practicing my mural-painting skills till the weather gets the best of me." He hopes to save intact as much of the mural as he can when the building reopens, and will keep it safely stored until it finds a good home. "To all the people who stopped and wandered around in my mural, Thank You ... and Enjoy!"

36. Baskets Bookstore
48 Harmony Pl., (802) 258-4980, baskets@sover.net
Painter/muralist Steven Donovan is exhibiting and selling affordable, matted copies of many paintings created over the past several years, plus a dozen or so recent original works. Donovan spent the past few months creating a mural on vacant storefront windows of the fire-damaged Brooks House on Main and High Streets (see previous listing). Baskets is a predominantly used-paperback bookstore tucked in the north corner of Harmony Place. Open Mon.-Fri. 10-5, Sat. 9-4, and Sun. 10-4 for the winter.

37. David Walter Jewelry Studio
22 High St., 2nd fl., (802) 722-9620, www.davidwalterjewelry.com
Designer, goldsmith, and platinumsmith David Walter recently introduced a new line of silver and glass enameled jewelry to his collection of one-of-a-kind handmade jewelry. As with most of his jewelry, the silver pieces are an ongoing and evolving exploration of color, form, movement, and pattern. While designing and making original pieces for clients is his primary focus, he also specializes in the restoration, repurposing, modification, and repair of fine jewelry.

SPECIAL REGIONAL EXHIBITS

A. SE Vermont Welcome Center
I-91 North, about a mile before Exit 1
Featured artwork in February includes oils on canvas by Peter Batchelder and photography by John Churchman. Work is also viewable online at thedavallia.com or at the DaVallia gallery in Chester, Vermont. Zach Weinberg's one-of-a-kind stainless-steel art furniture is also being showcased during February. Historical and informational materials are always available at the Welcome Center for the convenience of visitors and residents alike. The main gallery area is open 7 am to 11 pm daily.