MISSION
The mission of Vermont Center for Photography is to promote the photographic arts through exhibitions and education, and to stimulate dialogue, encourage inquiry, and communicate ideas using the photographic medium as its focus.
VISION
The vision of the Vermont Center for Photography is to create a vibrant community hub where photography inspires creativity, fosters connection, and empowers individuals of all backgrounds to share their unique perspectives. Through accessible galleries, public studios, and educational opportunities, we aim to cultivate a love for the art of photography and build a supportive environment where everyone can learn, create, and grow together.
HISTORY
Dating back to 1998, VCP has been a committed partner in Brattleboro’s thriving downtown arts community, participating in the monthly Gallery Walk events throughout the year. Originally operating as “Flat Street Photography“, founded by local artist Eric Slayton, in 2001 locals established its non-profit status and the center rebranded itself as the Vermont Center for Photography. After operating for 23 years on Flat Street in Brattleboro, VCP moved in September 2021 to its new spacious location in the High Street & Green building in the heart of Brattleboro’s business district. With its new gallery space and expanded facility, VCP is able to offer a robust range of exhibitions, services, and educational opportunities including a darkroom, digital lab, photography library, bookshop, and a used photographic equipment thrift store. Our new space is bright and open with a flexible floor plan that can be used for gallery openings, film screenings, artist talks and lectures. Our facility is open and welcoming, free of charge, to the public – members and non-members alike.
ACCESSIBILITY
VCP has an accessible ground-level entrance on its Green Street side of the building. Most of our facilities are ADA compliant including a wheelchair accessible restroom however we are actively working to improve accessibility features in our space in 2024. We’d love to hear your feedback on how we can better serve our community!
CODE OF CONDUCT
Please visit our Code of Conduct page HERE to read more.
OUR FACILITIES
MAIN GALLERY
Our 600 sq. ft. main exhibition space provides a blank slate for a wide variety of solo and group exhibitions and is fully equipped with LED lighting as well as A/V equipment for artist lectures and film screenings (seats up to 60 visitors). This space is available for public/private rental events upon request. The gallery is handicap accessible.
PRINT GALLERY
In addition to our Main Gallery, our new space now features a Print Gallery, dedicated to featuring the work of area artists and VCP members in rotating 1-month long exhibitions. This space features a 16′ long wall of sheet metal which is used to create a display of prints economically using magnets (provided by VCP). Matting and framing are not allowed in the Print Gallery. Our hope is to provide a space for artists to share their work in shorter-term exhibitions without the burdensome cost of framing – focusing on the craft of the print itself.
DIGITAL LAB
New as of 2021, VCP now houses a six-station publicly accessible digital lab space equipped with high-speed fiber-optic wifi for use by members and our greater community. The space features six 21” iMac computers equipped with Adobe Photoshop CC and Adobe Lightroom for photo editing. There are also 3 Epson V700 flatbed scanners for digitizing prints or film of any size. The space also houses a 24” Epson 7890 printer with an inventory of various Epson papers available for use. A roto-trimmer (36”), DSLR slide-copy stand, 42” flatscreen instructor display, 44” matte cutter, and other various tools are also available for use.
PUBLIC DARKROOM
VCP is proud to be the home of one of only two publicly accessible darkrooms in the state of Vermont. Our 4-enlarger setup can handle up to 4×5 sheet film enlarging while making prints up to 20 x 24”. Paterson tanks are available for roll film development and Sprint Systems Chemistry is provided. Users provide their own paper. The space includes a large dry-mount press, film loading closet, film drying cabinet, light-box, UV exposure boxes, and matte cutters.
PHOTOTHRIFT
PhotoThrift is VCP’s retail space boasting a large selection of used and donated photographic equipment, film, and more! Acting as a fundraiser for VCP, PhotoThrift accepts donations of used or unwanted cameras, lenses, accessories, darkroom items, paper, film, photography books, frames, camera bags, tripods, and so much more – and those items are then made available for purchase to our community at affordable prices. We thank you all for your continued support!
VCP BOOKSHOP
As you enter VCP, you’ll quickly come across a display featuring a wide variety of photographic books for sale by many of VCP’s members and recent exhibitors – plus other carefully curated options from throughout the region. These books make great gifts and are an excellent way to support local artists at an affordable price! VCP gift certificates are also available any time.
LIBRARY
Browse our ever-growing 1200+ title photography book library while you’re here! We’ve got it all – from Avedon to Adams…Talbot to Bresson…Mann to Willis. As a member of the Vermont Center for Photography, you are invited to borrow books from our collection, to take and enjoy in the comforts of your own home – though any visitors are invited to peruse our selections in the gallery.