Steele Community Room now available for visual arts exhibitions

February 15, 2024  |  By Waterbury Roundabout 

The Waterbury Historical Society and the town of Waterbury will now make space available for rotating exhibitions in the Steele Community Room at the municipal center. 

From the current exhibition of George Woodard Jr.’s historical family photos titled, ‘The Roots of My Raising.’ Photo courtesy of George Woodard and Waterbury Historical Society

“Waterbury has really embraced public art projects in recent years and these projects deeply enrich community life,” said Cheryl Casey, president of the Waterbury Historical Society. “The new hanging system in the Steele Community Room is an exciting approach to expanding access to public exhibits in a more flexible way, supplementing the long-term or permanent installations throughout town.”

The new effort will involve an application to a selection committee that will choose and schedule visual art installations to be put up in the Steele Room. 

The committee will consider exhibits based on artistic quality, educational content, and suitability of format. 

The Steele Community Room is now equipped with a STAS brand picture hanging system that can accommodate wall-hung works up to 75 pounds. The STAS company is based in the Netherlands and its hanging systems are used around the world in museums, galleries, etc.   

Comprised of several town staff and historical society members, the committee would like to see at least three exhibits in the room per year. 

An exhibit currently is on view from Waterbury Center farmer and filmmaker George Woodard Jr., titled “The Roots of My Raising.” The exhibit of historical family photographs will remain in the Steele Room through the winter season. It can be viewed during regular hours at the Municipal Center on weekdays between 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 a.m. around the room’s meeting schedule posted on the town website, waterburyvt.com. 

More details about the guidelines and application for exhibits in the Steele Community Room can be found online on the town’s Recreation Department webpage under the Register tab and Programs heading labeled Art Exhibit Partnership.