Images from the Research & Exhibition Gallery Opening

Yesterday, we formally opened the Research & Exhibition Gallery at the Vermont History Center in Barre. It's the culmination of years of work on the part of VHS staff, first envisioned as an accessible gallery space to showcase our collection when we opened the building in 2002. You can read more about how this space came together in this article by our Director of Collections and Access, Amanda Gustin. 

The opening featured an introduction by VHS Executive Director Steve Perkins, performances by the Barre City Middle School and Barre’s Spaulding High School choruses, and remarks by Gustin and Haley Pero, the Outreach Director for the Office of Senator Bernie Sanders, who was responsible for securing the funding to see this project to completion. We also have thanks to Michelle Monroe from Senator Peter Welch's office. 

After the remarks, we held a ribbon cutting ceremony and got to watch the excitement bubble through the crowd of adults and students. It was wonderful to hear the exclamations as visitors pulled open the and gazed upon the nearly 1,500 objects sitting on their shelves.

The Research and Exhibition Gallery is now open to the public. Visitors can check in at the Leahy Library at the Vermont History.

Here are a selection of images from the opening event: