Mad River Valley Arts hosts American Abenaki COVID-19 experience exhibit – WPTZ

It's been almost four years since the start of the pandemic.Since October, Mad River Valley Arts in Waitsfield has been hosting an exhibit that shares what it was like for the Vermont Abenaki tribe during COVID-19.Curator Vera Sheehan has spent multiple years creating the "Beyond The Curve: American Abenaki Covid Experience."Sheehan's mission is to educate others and spark conversation about how people heal differently. Samantha Talbot-Kelly, Mad River Valley Arts executive director, loves showcasing educational displays like this in her gallery for those very reasons, too."Its a wonderful segway to have a conversation around all of our experiences and how were healing from all our different experiences of the pandemic," Talbot-Kelly said.The exhibit is full of crowd-sourced art pieces, crafted face masks, and photographs.More than a decade ago, the Green Mountain State recognized four of its tribes.This display showed how the group chose to cope and heal while the pandemic was at its peak."How they turned to crafts, their traditional makings, and their traditional medicines," Talbot-Kelly said.It also educated people on how they felt about the vaccine."They were hesitant to participate in traditional vaccines that non-indigenous people have access to," Talbot-Kelly said.Another outlet for many to get through the pandemic was through paintings and sculptures."The arts help provide that healing," Talbot-Kelly said. "It helped to generate what was necessary to express that tough time we all experienced."Talbot-Kelly hopes to continue to share stories like this at her gallery."Hopefully, the word gets out more and more to the community that were here," Talbot-Kelly said. "People have been coming in more and more frequently."This exhibit will be up through Saturday. It's free to the public.For more information, click here.

It's been almost four years since the start of the pandemic.

Since October, Mad River Valley Arts in Waitsfield has been hosting an exhibit that shares what it was like for the Vermont Abenaki tribe during COVID-19.

Curator Vera Sheehan has spent multiple years creating the "Beyond The Curve: American Abenaki Covid Experience."

Sheehan's mission is to educate others and spark conversation about how people heal differently.

Samantha Talbot-Kelly, Mad River Valley Arts executive director, loves showcasing educational displays like this in her gallery for those very reasons, too.

"Its a wonderful segway to have a conversation around all of our experiences and how were healing from all our different experiences of the pandemic," Talbot-Kelly said.

The exhibit is full of crowd-sourced art pieces, crafted face masks, and photographs.

More than a decade ago, the Green Mountain State recognized four of its tribes.

This display showed how the group chose to cope and heal while the pandemic was at its peak.

"How they turned to crafts, their traditional makings, and their traditional medicines," Talbot-Kelly said.

It also educated people on how they felt about the vaccine.

"They were hesitant to participate in traditional vaccines that non-indigenous people have access to," Talbot-Kelly said.

Another outlet for many to get through the pandemic was through paintings and sculptures.

"The arts help provide that healing," Talbot-Kelly said. "It helped to generate what was necessary to express that tough time we all experienced."

Talbot-Kelly hopes to continue to share stories like this at her gallery.

"Hopefully, the word gets out more and more to the community that were here," Talbot-Kelly said. "People have been coming in more and more frequently."

This exhibit will be up through Saturday. It's free to the public.

For more information, click here.

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Mad River Valley Arts hosts American Abenaki COVID-19 experience exhibit - WPTZ