ShowSchedule

19th Annual Hildene Fall Arts Festival

Fall in Vermont is a stimulating time of year. As the green leaves transform to brilliant red, yellow, orange, and gold, the days offer gentle daytime temperatures and the evenings are cool enough for a cheery fire in the fireplace. The long shadows cast by the October light in the late afternoon frames the resplendent leaves before dusk closes in.

Adding to the allure of Nature, the colossal Camelot tents set in the valley are a veritable cathedral of creativity. 200 jury selected artists and artisans display and sell their latest creations. This is the perfect season for thinking about the home. After all, winter is the season most of us spend prolonged periods indoors.

People flock to this show simply to get ready. They want to decorate their homes and offices with handmade works, both traditional and innovative. There are lamps, lampshades; cabinets, desks, beds; coffee mugs, dinnerware, and tea pots; stained glass windows; mirrors; paintings, prints, and photography for the wall; woven rugs for the floor; birdbaths, marble benches, stone tables, and wooden birdhouses for the garden; pokers, brooms, and shovels for the fireplace; and on and on.

The handmade works are not only for the home, garden and office but for the body and soul. The assembled jewelers offer traditional and contemporary fashions, from glittering diamonds set in platinum and gold to funky recycled jewelry for the tattooed set. Seriously, there is a great selection of inexpensive jewelry for every kind of fashion statement. The leather workers offer designer bags and purses, even “man bags” for the cosmopolitan audience who visit Vermont during the foliage season. Let us not forget the clothing. There are shirts, blouses, skirts, pants in a variety of contemporary styles. For the traditionalist, weavers show their latest styles straight from the loom. To top it off, hats. All kinds of hats are available from wool to felt in all colors and sizes.