Lyman Orton presents ‘For the Love of Vermont’ slide show Sept. 7 in Weston New book details 20th-century Vermont art collection

Lyman Orton, Vermont Country Store proprietor, presents a slide show of his collection of 20th-century Vermont art at 5 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 7 at the Walker Farm Theater, 705 Main St. in Weston.

The event is free and open to the public. If you plan to attend, please fill out this form. Walk-ins are also welcome.

Anita Rafael, author of their new book, For the Love of Vermont, will join him. Their slide show is entertaining, educational and irreverent and can wander into uncharted territory.

Following the presentation, there will be a reception in the lobby; curator Donnel Barnum will have signed copies of the book for purchase.

The collection features artists who lived in or painted Weston and its surrounding towns. Bernadine Custer and Constance Heffron lived in Londonderry; Hazel Kitts Wires, one of the many artists to paint the historic Vermont Country Store, had a primary studio in Peru.

Lymon Orton stands next to part of his Vermont art collection.

Other artists like Palmer Hayden of the Harlem Renaissance, were based in New York but made trips to Weston to paint the Vermont Country Store. Artists like James Hope migrated from Europe to settle in and paint the Clarendon/Rutland area. Churchill Ettinger, whose work can be seen in museums across the country, made a home out of Weston itself.

In the fall of 2021, Orton and Rafael began collaborating on their book about Orton’s 45-year endeavor to find 20th-century Vermont artworks scattered across the nation and repatriate them to their home state.

The pair released the book in May of 2023, and Yankee Magazine celebrated Orton’s collection in its 2023 summer issue.

Weston Theater Company Executive Artistic Director Susanna Gellert says, “We’re thrilled to be hosting this event at Weston’s Walker Farm. Lyman and the Orton family are truly a part of our town and have always been central to making it such a welcoming and beautiful place. It’s an honor to welcome him, his wonderful new book, and his stories to a space he played a fundamental role in creating.”

The event is hosted in partnership with the Weston Historical Society, the Londonderry Arts and Historical Society and the Manchester Historical Society.