Helen Day Memorial Library and Art Center
Helen Day Memorial Library and Art Center is a historic building in Stowe, Vermont, United States. The building, which was built in 1863 as Stowe Village School, is currently occupied by The Current, a non-profit contemporary arts and education organization, and the Stowe Free Library. The classic Greek Revival building, eventually used exclusively for upper grades, was abandoned in 1974 when a new high school was constructed at a location away from the center of town. Thanks to a bequest from Helen Day Montanari and the diligent work of local preservationists, the building, once known as “Old Yeller,” was restored in 1981 to house the Stowe Free Library and the Helen Day Art Center (now The Current). A major addition to the building was completed in 1994 through local support and a modest interior renovation was made to the library in 2002 through a grant from the Freeman Foundation of Stowe. Established in 1981, The Current hosts exhibitions of visual art by internationally and nationally recognized artists and local Vermont artists. "Exposed" is The Current's annual outdoor sculpture exhibit. The Current also offers art classes in a variety of media for youth and adults, as well as guided tours of exhibits, extensive public programs and a free hands-on room and Art Lounge.The earliest libraries in Stowe were subscription or membership libraries as was popular in the beginning of the nineteenth century. In 1866, the Stowe Free Library was founded with a donation of 51 books from a group of visiting summer artists and supplemented by a town appropriation of $100. Stowe was the first town in Vermont to appropriate a sum of money for library purposes under the state of law of 1865. After occupying several locations in the village, the library finally found a real home in the “new” town hall, the Akeley Memorial Building, in 1904. 77 years later, the library moved to the renovated old High School building at the corner of Pond and School Street. The library is operated as a municipal department of the Town of Stowe and, as such, is about 90 percent tax-supported with the remaining income from endowment interest, fees, fines, gifts, and the proceeds from an annual book sale.
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School Street,
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Latitude | Longitude |
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N 44.46389 ° | E -72.68466 ° |
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Helen Day Art Center
School Street
05672
Vermont, United States
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