Bennington Museum | Grandma Moses | Vermont History and Art

Artillery at the Battle of Bennington
2026-06-21 14:00 - 15:00 (America/New_York)
a Bennington Historical Society presentation
Cannons played a small but notable role in the seminal August 16, 1777 Battle of Bennington. Made in England, the guns and their carriages constituted top-of-the-line military technology for the time. The men who manned, loaded, and fired the pieces were German subsidiary troops hired by the British government to supplement its war effort. Paned by Thomas Jefferson’s propagandistic pen as foreign “mercenaries,” these Hessians were, come to find out, no such thing. In this program, Eric Schnitzer will examine how the cannons were employed in battle and investigate the material culture of the cannon barrels, carriages, and the projectiles they shot. He will also explore the backgrounds and some of the stories of the officers and soldiers from Hessen-Hanau who operated these artillery pieces in both phases of the famed battle.
Eric Schnitzer has worked at Saratoga National Historical Park since 1997, becoming Park Ranger/Historian in 2000. Author of Don Troiani’s Campaign to Saratoga – 1777, he has dedicated his life’s study to the organization, personnel, and material culture of the military forces associated with the Northern Campaign of 1777. He and his wife, Jenna, live in an 18th -century house in the White Creek Historic District near Bennington Battlefield State Historic Site, N.Y.
This program is supported in part by the Vermont Humanities, the state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities, www.vermonthumanities.org.
supported by

Concerts in the Courtyard: Heavy Nettles
2026-06-26 17:00 - 19:00
CONCERTS IN THE COURTYARD
We are pleased to announce that Bennington Museum has received an anonymous grant once more for 2026. Performances are free of charge.
All events take place from 5-7pm. The Museum will remain open until 7pm on these days, regular admission applies.
Please bring your own blankets or lawn chairs!
Sage Pizza will set up shop in front of the NEW Courtyard serving delicious pie. The Museum will serve beverages.
In the event of rain, the event will be cancelled by 2pm on Fridays. Check our facebook page for updates.
Museum educators will provide free children’s activities during Concerts in the Courtyard. Kids of all ages will find a fun makerspace at the picnic tables where they can create art based on art and objects featured in the Museum.
Heavy Nettles
Mowgli Giannitti is a Burlington VT-Based singer, bassist, guitarist, and multi-instrumentalist. He’s toured internationally, performed with artists like Yo-Yo Ma and Edmar Colon, played great stages like Carnegie Hall and the Nickelsdorf Jazz Festival and currently plays full-time in a number of bands.
Mowgli blends Bluegrass, Folk, and Jazz to deliver an evening of carefully selected classic songs alongside his own original music. With a rich baritone voice, a commanding mastery of double bass, and an all-star group of performers, Mowgli engages audiences of all ages with an energetic and intimate concert.

Concerts in the Courtyard: Girl Blue
2026-07-03 17:00 - 19:00
CONCERTS IN THE COURTYARD
We are pleased to announce that Bennington Museum has received an anonymous grant once more for 2026. Performances are free of charge.
All events take place from 5-7pm. The Museum will remain open until 7pm on these days, regular admission applies.
Please bring your own blankets or lawn chairs!
Sage Pizza will set up shop in front of the NEW Courtyard serving delicious pie. The Museum will serve beverages.
In the event of rain, the event will be cancelled by 2pm on Fridays. Check our facebook page for updates.
Museum educators will provide free children’s activities during Concerts in the Courtyard. Kids of all ages will find a fun makerspace at the picnic tables where they can create art based on art and objects featured in the Museum.
Girl Blue
If you like Alanis Morissette, Brandi Carlisle, and crying in public, you’re going to love Girl Blue. Writing deeply emotional songs with strong singable hooks, singer-songwriter Arielle O’Keefe is absolutely one to watch.
She’s been featured on top Spotify playlists (New Music Friday) and charts (#2 on US Viral Charts), in national commercials, and on top blogs like the Huffington Post. She has received 10 Thomas Edison Music Awards, twice receiving Songwriter of the Year and Solo Act of the Year. It’s been said “she…has the kind of spark that makes stars” and, most especially as a live performer, she has an authenticity that regularly moves audience members to tears.
She is based outside of Saratoga Springs, NY. She records all her own music at home with her partner/producer Jimi W. and is funded entirely by her community of fans on Patreon and across social media.

Lenox, MA
2026-07-09 11:00 - 17:00
Lenox, MA
Thursday, July 9
11am to 5pm
We invite you to join Bennington Museum Executive Director, Martin Mahoney to travel east lovely Lenox, MA for a tour of the historic Ventfort Hall, followed by a lunch with tea and mimosas on site. Following lunch we will head just up the road to catch a matinee of Mathew Barber’s Fireflies at Shakespeare & Company.
Open and Free to all Monument Society members
(total of 2 people per membership)
No shuttle for this event.
Limit to 14 participants.
THIS TRIP IS CURRENTLY FULL!! Fill out the form to be included on the waitlist.
Join the Monument SocietySign-Up for the Trip

Concerts in the Courtyard: Big Stone Gap
2026-07-10 17:00 - 19:00
CONCERTS IN THE COURTYARD
We are pleased to announce that Bennington Museum has received an anonymous grant once more for 2026. Performances are free of charge.
All events take place from 5-7pm. The Museum will remain open until 7pm on these days, regular admission applies.
Please bring your own blankets or lawn chairs!
Sage Pizza will set up shop in front of the NEW Courtyard serving delicious pie. The Museum will serve beverages.
In the event of rain, the event will be cancelled by 2pm on Fridays. Check our facebook page for updates.
Museum educators will provide free children’s activities during Concerts in the Courtyard. Kids of all ages will find a fun makerspace at the picnic tables where they can create art based on art and objects featured in the Museum.
Big Stone Gap
Big Stone Gap is a bluegrass and old-time band from Cambridge, NY. Formed in 2016 at an impromptu jam session, the chemistry and sound came together instantly. Big Stone Gap has played bars, barns, bonfires, hilltops, weddings, divorces, and dances. Their repertoire of over 50 songs ranges from traditional bluegrass to raucous fiddle tunes to up-tempo swing to beautiful waltzes, so there is something for everyone. Big Stone Gap is Alyson Slack on fiddle, Chris Fisher Lochhead on viola, Dave Lawlor on mandolin, Dave Cuite on bass, and Aaron Pacitti on guitar.

Vermont Vice Book Club
2026-07-14 17:30 - 18:30
Back by popular demand, it’s the Bennington Museum Book Club! This time our theme is Vermont Vice, inspired by the exhibition on view at the Museum from May 30 – November 1, 2026. Book selections include five tawdry tales of Vermont’s seedy underbelly. Scandal! Cheating! Murder! All-around awful behavior! You’re going to love it.
The first meeting of the club will be on Tuesday July 14th from 5:30 – 6:30. The following sessions will be on the first Tuesday of each month through November.
Space in the club is limited, so register now! You’ll receive location information and book selections upon completing your registration.Click to Register
The Vermont Vice Book Club is presented in partnership with the John G. McCullough Library.

Concerts in the Courtyard: The Honey Badgers
2026-07-17 17:00 - 19:00
CONCERTS IN THE COURTYARD
We are pleased to announce that Bennington Museum has received an anonymous grant once more for 2026. Performances are free of charge.
All events take place from 5-7pm. The Museum will remain open until 7pm on these days, regular admission applies.
Please bring your own blankets or lawn chairs!
Sage Pizza will set up shop in front of the NEW Courtyard serving delicious pie. The Museum will serve beverages.
In the event of rain, the event will be cancelled by 2pm on Fridays. Check our facebook page for updates.
Museum educators will provide free children’s activities during Concerts in the Courtyard. Kids of all ages will find a fun makerspace at the picnic tables where they can create art based on art and objects featured in the Museum.
The Honey Badgers
The Honey Badgers (Erin Magnin and Michael Natrin) invite you into their world the minute they step on stage. Combining radical vulnerability, humor in just the right moments, and a perfect vocal blend honed over the past decade, the two storytellers build a space where listeners can reconnect with themselves, their feelings, and the truest parts of being a human in a complicated time. For folks who love thoughtful lyrics, fun fiddle solos, and sparkling harmonies, The Honey Badgers are sure to deliver.
The duo recently released their second full-length album, “The Earth Turns and So Do We”, a mature and varied collection of original songs focused on the repeating cycles of life, death, love, and time itself. The album reached #15 on the July 2024 FAI Folk Radio Chart. A song from the album, “Bring With You Nothing,” won Gold in the Folk Category and 3rd place overall in the 2025 SAW Mid-Atlantic Song Contest. After winning the 2023 Falcon Ridge Folk Festival Emerging Artist Showcase and the 2024 Susquehanna Folk Festival Emerging Artist Showcase, “emerging” has become a guiding light for the two musicians.

Museums ABCs: Sculpture Dance
2026-07-18 10:30 - 11:30
Note that this month’s program is on the THIRD Saturday.
You can find sculptures in the Museum and outside too. They look like solid, frozen statues, but they are full of movement! Dance educator, Melisa Clark, will be our special guest this month. Together we’ll look at some of the Museum’s sculptures and find inspiration for creative movement.
Museum ABCs is a collaboration between Bennington Museum and the Bennington Free Library, designed for children ages 3 to 5 and their adult companions. Siblings are welcome! Museum ABCs is FREE thanks to funding from The Bank of Bennington. Join us on the second Saturday of each month, April through November, for artwork, stories, and more!
sponsored by
additional support from

Tattoo Living Exhibition
2026-07-18 18:30 - 21:00
The Tattoo Body Art Show at Bennington Museum is Back!
Discover the artistry of tattoos. Models will share their tattoo stories, and tattoo artists will be on hand to show off their work. All Museum galleries will be open. Complete the Gallery Quest and turn it in for a chance to win a Family Membership and a gift certificate for the Museum Store. Vote for your favorite tattoos. Enjoy an evening of fun, food, music and more at Bennington Museum’s 5th Living Art event.
All official models have been selected, but if you’ve got great body art, come join the fun and show it off!
Are you a tattoo artist? Reserve a spot to display your work and meet potential clients, or consider becoming a sponsor! Contact rsenecal@benningtonmuseum.org.
$10 cover charge
Free for Bennington Museum members and kids 17 and younger
Food and drink available for purchase.

Only in Bennington
2026-07-22 19:00 - 20:30 | Bennington Theater, Main Street 331, Bennington, VT, 05201, United States
Love a good story? Us too! Come hear strange but true only-in-Bennington tales told live on stage by Bennington residents you know and love. These aren’t professional actors; they’re your neighbors!
This event takes place at the Bennington Theater. Doors open at 6:30.
Tickets are just $10 for Bennington Museum OR Bennington Theater members.
Non-Members: $15 advance purchase or $20 at the door.
Tickets will be available for purchase from the Bennington Theater.

Concerts in the Courtyard: Keegan James Blood
2026-07-24 17:00 - 19:00
CONCERTS IN THE COURTYARD
We are pleased to announce that Bennington Museum has received an anonymous grant once more for 2026. Performances are free of charge.
All events take place from 5-7pm. The Museum will remain open until 7pm on these days, regular admission applies.
Please bring your own blankets or lawn chairs!
Sage Pizza will set up shop in front of the NEW Courtyard serving delicious pie. The Museum will serve beverages.
In the event of rain, the event will be cancelled by 2pm on Fridays. Check our facebook page for updates.
Museum educators will provide free children’s activities during Concerts in the Courtyard. Kids of all ages will find a fun makerspace at the picnic tables where they can create art based on art and objects featured in the Museum.
Keegan James Blood
Keegan James Blood is a roots music singer/songwriter based in Boston. He began performing as a teen in Vermont with the power pop band Stag Line, later leading the Boston rock outfit Red Mill before graduating from Berklee in 2018. In 2021, he released his first solo single, “Way Back In,” followed by his debut album Brand New Dance in 2024, recorded with Jeff Zeigler (The War On Drugs, Kurt Vile). Keegan has spent the past two years performing around the Boston area, backed by Alex Formento (pedal steel) and Joe Everett (upright bass), and has recently been expanding the group to help explore more roots music styles. Check out his new single “I Love Financing” from an upcoming album.

Concerts in the Courtyard: Tops of Trees
2026-07-31 17:00 - 19:00
CONCERTS IN THE COURTYARD
We are pleased to announce that Bennington Museum has received an anonymous grant once more for 2026. Performances are free of charge.
All events take place from 5-7pm. The Museum will remain open until 7pm on these days, regular admission applies.
Please bring your own blankets or lawn chairs!
Sage Pizza will set up shop in front of the NEW Courtyard serving delicious pie. The Museum will serve beverages.
In the event of rain, the event will be cancelled by 2pm on Fridays. Check our facebook page for updates.
Museum educators will provide free children’s activities during Concerts in the Courtyard. Kids of all ages will find a fun makerspace at the picnic tables where they can create art based on art and objects featured in the Museum.
Tops of Trees
Funky, Soulful… Fresh
An original Rock & Soul ensemble hailing from upstate New York quickly making a name for themselves in the Capital Region. With a sound built upon a strong foundation of drum and bass, classic organ, blistering vocals, and an unshakeable horn section, the band continues to thrill audiences with high energy performances and a modern interpretation of soulful music steeped in early R&B, funk and blues.
Releasing their inaugural EP, “The Tree House Sessions,” in 2023, Tops of Trees hit the airwaves with WEXT, WEQX, and Unsigned 518. Their compelling songwriting resonated deeply with listeners, securing two songs in the top ten on the WEXT local songs of the year for 2025, also earning them consecutive Capital Region Thomas Edison Award nominations (The Eddie’s) for “Jam Band of The Year”.
Since then, the band has continued to climb releasing their first full album Do Something in December of 2025 while opening for Blues Traveler, Joan Osborne, the Robert Randolph Band, The New Master Sounds and Ben Folds, while also being featured on WMHT’s PBS show AHA!. Tops of Trees has showcased their electrifying performances at venues like Universal Preservation Hall, Lark Hall, Putnam Place, Saratoga Springs New Year’s Eve Festival, WEXT Festival at Music Haven and Lake George Summer Concert Series.
Climb up to the highest branch to enjoy the view.

Concerts in the Courtyard: Erin Harpe Country Blues Duo
2026-08-07 17:00 - 19:00
CONCERTS IN THE COURTYARD
We are pleased to announce that Bennington Museum has received an anonymous grant once more for 2026. Performances are free of charge.
All events take place from 5-7pm. The Museum will remain open until 7pm on these days, regular admission applies.
Please bring your own blankets or lawn chairs!
Sage Pizza will set up shop in front of the NEW Courtyard serving delicious pie. The Museum will serve beverages.
In the event of rain, the event will be cancelled by 2pm on Fridays. Check our facebook page for updates.
Museum educators will provide free children’s activities during Concerts in the Courtyard. Kids of all ages will find a fun makerspace at the picnic tables where they can create art based on art and objects featured in the Museum.
Erin Harpe Country Blues Duo
Erin Harpe Country Blues Duo delivers soulful, roots-driven blues inspired by the Piedmont and Mississippi traditions. Featuring award-winning vocalist/guitarist Erin Harpe and longtime collaborator (and husband) Jim Countryman, the duo blends masterful musicianship with warm, intimate storytelling.

Museum ABCs: Odds and Ends Art
2026-08-08 10:30 - 11:30
Art can be made from anything! We’ll visit the Folk and Craft gallery to see some art made from unusual materials, then dig into the Odds and Ends Art Bin to make unique artwork of our own.
Museum ABCs is a collaboration between Bennington Museum and the Bennington Free Library, designed for children ages 3 to 5 and their adult companions. Siblings are welcome! Museum ABCs is FREE thanks to funding from The Bank of Bennington. Join us on the second Saturday of each month, April through November, for artwork, stories, and more!
presented in partnership with the Bennington Free Library
sponsored by
additional support from

Disappearances
2026-08-08 19:00 - 21:00
In 2006, Vermont director Jay Craven released Disappearances, a film starring Kris Kristofferson and based on the Howard Frank Mosher novel of the same name. Now celebrating 20 years since its release, we bring you a screening of Disappearances including a discussion with Craven following the film. The themes in Disappearances relate directly to Vermont Vice, on view from May 30 through November 1, 2026.
Tickets are $15 for Bennington Museum Members and $20 for Not-Yet-Members. Use the links below to make your purchase.
About the film:
Forced to smuggle whiskey in an attempt to save his family, Quebec Bill (Kris Kirstofferson) and his son embark on a spellbinding and unforgettable trip. This treacherous journey through the wilderness will lead them to discover a haunted and elusive past. Disappearances features one of Kris Kristofferson’s finest performances in a beautifully shot western style adventure – with an added touch of Mosher’s magical realism. The cast also includes Academy Award nominee Genevieve Bujold, Gary Farmer, William Sanderson, Lothaire Bluteau, and Charlie McDermott as Quebec Bill’s son, Wild Bill.
Rated PG-13, 103 minutes
About Jay Craven:
Kingdom County Productions co-founder, Jay Craven, is an award-winning director, writer, and producer, whose narrative films include High Water (1989); Where the Rivers Flow North (1993); A Stranger in the Kingdom (1997); In Jest (1999); The Year that Trembled (2003); Disappearances (2006); Northern Borders (2012); Wetware (2018); Blood Brothers (2021), Jack London’s Martin Eden (2023) and George Bernard Shaw’s Major Barbara (2026).
Craven also directed, produced, and co-wrote the 2005 Emmy Award-winning public television comedy series, Windy Acres, along with four episodes of the Queen City Radio Hour—a comedy and music variety show performed before a live audience and broadcast over Vermont Public Radio. His documentaries include After the Fog: Interviews with Combat Veterans (2006); Dawn of the People (1984); and Gayleen (1985).
Learn more at kingdomcounty.org/jay-craven-films

A Monument Society Event
2026-08-13 10:00 - 19:00
Join Bennington Museum’s Executive Director for a tour of Fort Ticonderoga, a visit to the amazing Start Trek Enterprise replica set, and then dinner at Paper and Pencil.
Sign Up Here!Join the Monument Society

Concerts in the Courtyard: SIRSY
2026-08-14 17:00 - 19:00
CONCERTS IN THE COURTYARD
We are pleased to announce that Bennington Museum has received an anonymous grant once more for 2026. Performances are free of charge.
All events take place from 5-7pm. The Museum will remain open until 7pm on these days, regular admission applies.
Please bring your own blankets or lawn chairs!
Sage Pizza will set up shop in front of the NEW Courtyard serving delicious pie. The Museum will serve beverages.
In the event of rain, the event will be cancelled by 2pm on Fridays. Check our facebook page for updates.
Museum educators will provide free children’s activities during Concerts in the Courtyard. Kids of all ages will find a fun makerspace at the picnic tables where they can create art based on art and objects featured in the Museum.
SIRSY
S I R S Y – B I O
“Rock Pop Artist of the Year” + “Record of the Year” 2024 Thomas Edison Music Awards “Eddies Music Hall of Fame Inductee” 2025
“Solo Duo Artist of the Year” 2023 Thomas Edison Music Awards
It’s hard to imagine a sound this big coming from two people. The Boston Globe calls Sirsy “The little band with the big sound.” Fans call them “the little band with a big heart.” Hailing from NY, SIRSY plays compelling singer-songwriter rock and pop with a charming intensity, a bit of sass, lots of soul, and loads of heart. They write honest, engaging songs that are instantly relatable and catchy. The Times Union says “Sirsy’s clever, smart songs have more hooks than a tackle box”. Sirsy’s passionate and down to earth live shows also include storytelling and even some nerdy jokes. They can somehow make an audience sing along, dance, laugh, and cry – all at the same show.
Melanie Krahmer’s passionate and immediately arresting vocals are sultry and seductive. They can be a floaty whisper or at times raspy and rocking – with a little bit of a tongue-in-cheek tone, as if she’s singing with a wink. She has “one of the most powerful and flexible voices you’ll ever hear”. Mel is also the band’s drummer (and featured in Modern Drummer). She simultaneously plays bass on a keyboard with her drumstick. Live, she also plays piano, melodica, and the occasional badass flute solo too. Mel’s bandmate, co-writer, & husband/bestie is Rich Libutti. Rich masterfully plays a well-loved and road worn Rickenbacker through a pedal board full of vintage effects. He sounds like 3 guitarists all on his own. SXSW music blog says “The guitar player is flawless and raw. Clean enough to be enjoyed, and just edgy enough to make you grin.” Rich also plays bass (and at live shows often does it on a pedal board with his feet).
These 2 multi-instrumentalists manage to sound like a full band and somehow do it all with big smiles on their faces. It’s clear they love what they do. And that love is contagious when you see them live. You can’t help smiling along with them. With song lyrics that center around empowerment and resilience, it’s no surprise that Sirsy’s fans have supported the duo through the pandemic, over a dozen records, 20+ years of touring, and Mel’s 2 bouts with cancer. Every show is like a celebration for this couple and their fans. Come celebrate life with them!
Sirsy’s warmed stages for Brandi Carlile, Maroon 5, Train, Grace Potter, Joan Jett, Cheap Trick, Collective Soul, Blues Traveler, Spindoctors, Adam Ezra Group, Lifehouse & many more. They’ve had songs on the hit tv show “Shameless”, the NFL, HBO, MTV, and PBS. Their latest single, “Stupid Little Heart” (Jan 7, 2025) debuted at #10 on the folk chart. They are regulars on NPR. In 2024, Sirsy was given the lauded ‘Thomas Edison Music Award’ for “rock/pop artist of the year” and “Record of the year” and in 2023 “solo/duo artist of the year”. Their last several records were produced by Grammy-Winner Paul Q Kolderie. The SXSW Music Blog says “Sirsy’s not just a 2 piece but a head scratching WOW!” And the Houston Music Blog says “Sirsy makes edgy feel-good music that’s fun to watch. You must see them live!”
“SIRSY is your favorite band, you just don’t know it yet.” – Rochester City Newspaper.

Vermont Coppers Symposium - The 14th Star: Currency & Independence
2026-08-15 10:00 - 15:00
Bennington Museum holds an extraordinary collection of Vermont Coppers, the unique currency minted during Vermont’s years as an independent republic (1777–1791). These coins are central to Vermont’s culture of innovation and represent a rare period when a non-state entity exercised the sovereign right to coin its own money.
The Museum’s collection includes some of the finest known examples of these rare 18th-century coins.
Speakers will include Dr. Jesse Kraft: American Numismatic Society (ANS); Jamie Franklin: Curator, Bennington Museum; and Tony Corlotto: Author of The Copper Coins of Vermont and Those Bearing the Vermont Name (1998)
Admission for the symposium is $25.
Bennington Museum Members receive a 50% discount!
Purchase tickets using the link below.
Online ticket sales end at 5:00PM on August 14. Tickets can be purchased at the door on the day of the event.

Concerts in the Courtyard: The Velvet Wave
2026-08-21 17:00 - 19:00
CONCERTS IN THE COURTYARD
We are pleased to announce that Bennington Museum has received an anonymous grant once more for 2026. Performances are free of charge.
All events take place from 5-7pm. The Museum will remain open until 7pm on these days, regular admission applies.
Please bring your own blankets or lawn chairs!
Sage Pizza will set up shop in front of the NEW Courtyard serving delicious pie. The Museum will serve beverages.
In the event of rain, the event will be cancelled by 2pm on Fridays. Check our facebook page for updates.
Museum educators will provide free children’s activities during Concerts in the Courtyard. Kids of all ages will find a fun makerspace at the picnic tables where they can create art based on art and objects featured in the Museum.
The Velvet Wave
Dive into the timeless sounds of your favorite instrumental surf rock classics with The Velvet Wave, who deliver an electrifying performance that’ll have you dancing on the warm sands of nostalgia.

Concerts in the Courtyard: Soul Porpoise
2026-08-28 17:00 - 19:00
CONCERTS IN THE COURTYARD
We are pleased to announce that Bennington Museum has received an anonymous grant once more for 2026. Performances are free of charge.
All events take place from 5-7pm. The Museum will remain open until 7pm on these days, regular admission applies.
Please bring your own blankets or lawn chairs!
Sage Pizza will set up shop in front of the NEW Courtyard serving delicious pie. The Museum will serve beverages.
In the event of rain, the event will be cancelled by 2pm on Fridays. Check our facebook page for updates.
Museum educators will provide free children’s activities during Concerts in the Courtyard. Kids of all ages will find a fun makerspace at the picnic tables where they can create art based on art and objects featured in the Museum.
Soul Porpoise
Soul Porpoise lays down all original organ driven funk and soul inspired by artists such as Stevie Wonder, Dr. John, and Herbie Hancock. Collin Cope’s gritty vocals have been compared to Joe Cocker and Ray Charles and breathe fire into Ira Friedman’s heartfelt original songs. This soul drenched band will move your body with craft songs and airtight grooves.

Museum ABCs: My Family Tree
2026-09-12 10:30 - 11:30
Your family tree starts with you and branches out from there. Add your siblings if you have them and the grown-ups who take care of you at home. Do you know who they grew up with? More leaves for your tree! Each family will go home with a copy of today’s story, Alma and How She Got Her Name, by Juana Martinez-Neal.
Museum ABCs is a collaboration between Bennington Museum and the Bennington Free Library, designed for children ages 3 to 5 and their adult companions. Siblings are welcome! Museum ABCs is FREE thanks to funding from The Bank of Bennington. Join us on the second Saturday of each month, April through November, for artwork, stories, and more!
presented in partnership with the Bennington Free Library
sponsored by
additional support from

Annual Meeting and Arnold Ricks Award
2026-09-13 14:00 - 16:00
Join the Bennington Museum Board of Trustees for our annual meeting where we will review all the successes of Bennington Museum in fiscal year 2026 that you have helped to make possible, and discuss exciting projects slated for the coming year.
At this meeting, which is open to members and non-members alike, we will also be presenting the Arnold Ricks Award which is given to an individual or organization in recognition of exceptional contributions to the Bennington community and Bennington Museum.
This year we are pleased to honor Tom Dee, recently retired President and Chief Executive Officer of Southwestern Vermont Health Care (SVHC). Under his leadership, the health system attained twelve consecutive years of positive operating performance, became an institutional member of Dartmouth Health, and received numerous state and national awards for quality of care, community leadership and workplace excellence. During his tenure, Tom also made sure to give back to the community by directing SVMC’s philanthropic priorities in ways that made a local difference at Bennington Museum and beyond. He encouraged and helped lead economic development in Bennington through his involvement with the repurposing of the former Southern Vermont College campus and the renovations of the downtown Putnam building. With his late wife, Rita, he committed countless hours of personal advocacy and volunteerism across many sectors including to equine and animal rescue efforts, Catholic charities, and the arts and culture.
“Tom has stewarded a truly transformational change in the way the people of this area experience health care,” says Martin Mahoney, Executive Director. “But more than that, he understands that a healthy community is built through strong partnerships. This exemplary vision has paved the way for organizations like ours to begin bold projects, to make new connections, and to dream bigger for the benefit of the entire region. For that, we are deeply grateful.”
Suggested donations of $20 will support our education programming so that we can continue to provide equitable access to the arts and culture for our youngest community members throughout the year!
Refreshments and light hors d’ouevres will be served in the Ada and Paul Paresky Court.
The annual report will be available at this meeting, and will also be available for download and viewing online.
RSVP

Villainous Vermont
2026-09-20 14:00 - 15:00
a Bennington Historical Society presentation
Author Lawrence Gooley reveals shocking discoveries made while researching Villainous Vermont, his collection of 32 true murder stories from the past. Learn about the murderess later cited as a Montpelier icon, unpunished vigilantes, the stomach-churning secrets behind a young girl’s death, the worst criminal incident in Vermont history, and more.
Lawrence Gooley is an award-winning author with a lifetime love of research, writing, and history. He has authored 22 regional books on history and true crime. For ten years he wrote a weekly history column on Adirondack Almanack, the region’s award-winning and most popular online journal. He and his partner, Jill Jones, founded Bloated Toe Enterprises in 2004. They have published over 100 titles including 35 historical Adirondack reprints of vintage books. His book, Oliver’s War: An Adirondack Rebel Battles the Rockefeller Fortune, won the Adirondack Literary Award for Best Book of Nonfiction in 2008. Another title, Terror in the Adirondacks: The True Story of Serial Killer Robert F. Garrow, was a regional best-seller for four consecutive years. Other best-sellers include Escape from Dannemora and 25 Diabolical Adirondack Murders.
supported by

Museum ABCs: Preschool Printmakers
2026-10-10 10:30 - 11:30
Printmaking is fun and easy! We’ll explore a few ways to make prints using things like Q-tips, styrofoam, and plants. Dress for a mess for this inky, painty program!
Museum ABCs is a collaboration between Bennington Museum and the Bennington Free Library, designed for children ages 3 to 5 and their adult companions. Siblings are welcome! Museum ABCs is FREE thanks to funding from The Bank of Bennington. Join us on the second Saturday of each month, April through November, for artwork, stories, and more!
presented in partnership with the Bennington Free Library
sponsored by
additional support from

Winter's Time
2026-10-18 14:00 - 15:00
a Bennington Historical Society presentation
In November 1926, Cecelia Gullivan, treasurer of the Cone Automatic Machine company of Windsor, Vermont, was brutally killed in her home. Local police quickly arrested Cone Automatic machinist John Winters on suspicion of the crime, and the trial that followed was sensational and swift. The author of Winters’ Time: A Secret Pledge, a Severed Head, and the Murder that Brought America’s Most Famous Lawyer to Vermont, shares the story.
Jeffrey L. Amestoy, the former Vermont Attorney General (1985-1997) and Chief Justice of the Vermont Supreme Court (1997-2004), has spent years researching a fascinating and dramatic episode of Vermont’s history: the time that Clarence Darrow, America’s most famous lawyer, came to Vermont to defend a convicted murderer before the Vermont Supreme Court.
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Museum ABCs: Toys of Long Ago
2026-11-14 10:30 - 11:30
Bring in a favorite toy and we’ll talk about what it is made of. Then we’ll travel back in time to see what kinds of toys children played with long ago. Were they made of the same materials? Did they need charging? Were they fun to play with? Come find out!
Museum ABCs is a collaboration between Bennington Museum and the Bennington Free Library, designed for children ages 3 to 5 and their adult companions. Siblings are welcome! Museum ABCs is FREE thanks to funding from The Bank of Bennington. Join us on the second Saturday of each month, April through November, for artwork, stories, and more!
presented in partnership with the Bennington Free Library
sponsored by
additional support from

Bridges of Bennington County
2026-11-15 14:00 - 15:00
a Bennington Historical Society presentation
Vermont is home to the third highest number of covered bridges in the United States, after Pennsylvania and Ohio. If you look at the number per square mile, Vermont ranks number one. There are five of them right here in Bennington County – three in Bennington alone! These bridges are part of Vermont’s identity, captured in paintings, the subject of ghost stories, and part of many of our daily commutes. In this presentation, local researchers will share what they know about our county’s beautiful and historic covered bridges.
Avis Hayden lives in Sunderland, on property that adjoins the Chiselville Covered Bridge. She has a curiosity about local history, spurred on by her genealogical research involving Vermont residents. She holds a Certificate from Boston University in Genealogy. She volunteers at Bennington Museum’s Regional History Room and assists with projects at the Russell Collection (Arlington/Sunderland/Sandgate).
David Pilachowski has lived in Bennington for 25 years, worked in college and university libraries, and has long been interested in history. He volunteers in Bennington Museum’s Regional History Room (RHR) and is a Museum Trustee. He was one of several people involved for the past several years in reorganizing and cataloging the RHR collection. Through that work, he became aware of Professor Louis Puffer’s remarkable collection of covered bridge materials and associated resources donated to the RHR.
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