NOW IS ALWAYS: Artist Talk & Book Signing with Vaune Trachtman

Saturday, February 28th, 2026 at 5:30pm
Free & open to the public

 

Come celebrate the release of Vaune Trachtman’s book NOW IS ALWAYS. Vaune will give a talk about the making of the book, her use of photopolymer gravure, and how family photographs, handwriting, and archival materials shape her work. Copies of NOW IS ALWAYS will be available for purchase, and Vaune will be signing books.

In addition to the images in the book, NOW IS ALWAYS includes a foreword by Major Jackson and an essay by the artist. The book received the Trifolio 2025 Special Prize, alongside titles from the Museum of Modern Art (Hilma af Klint: Flora), the Aperture Foundation (Richard Misrach: Cargo), and the Metropolitan Museum of Art (Man Ray: When Objects Dream).

“Vaune Trachtman takes us on a journey in NOW IS ALWAYS; untethered, we float between light and dark. Her gorgeous gravure prints tell stories and truths about time and memory—NOW IS ALWAYS opens our souls.” Crista Dix, Executive Director, Griffin Museum Of Photography, Published by Tusen Takk Press. 

 

About the Book: 

Much of my work has been a constant, usually unconscious, exploration and evocation of what it feels like to have lost my parents at an early age. We all have our particular circumstances in life, of course. Mine are at the heart of what leads me to create liminal, dreamlike images and to work with archival negatives, mark-making, and text.

When we speak about what photographers do, we often use phrases like “take a picture” or “shoot a scene.” But as I get older, I find that I’m not interested in taking or shooting—I’m interested in staying. I think this is because no matter how deeply or how often we reach into memory, what resides there remains forever beyond our grasp. I enjoy exploring this feeling of holding what can’t be held. It’s a feeling I think we all share when recalling a first love, a first loss, a first sense of bygone youth. To do this, I work with a process that spans photographic history and is both analog and digital; by integrating layers of technology and image-making history, I want to feel like I’m not only drawing with light, I’m drawing with time.

Find copies of the book available here. 

 

About the Artist: 

Vaune Trachtman is an artist specializing in photography and printmaking, whose work honors historic processes without relying on toxic chemicals. Formerly a master printer of silver-gelatin prints and asphaltum-based photogravures, she began rethinking her materials after feeling that traditional methods were compromising her immune system. She now creates photopolymer gravures with little more than light and water.

Vaune’s work has been exhibited throughout the country, and she has been recognized by the Critical Mass Top 50, The Print Center’s ANNUAL International Competition, the Denis Roussel Awards, Rfotofolio, and Fresh, and she was shortlisted for the international Hariban Award.

Vaune was born in Philadelphia and now lives in Brattleboro. She received her BA from Marlboro College and her MA from New York University and the International Center for Photography.

The creation of the images in NOW IS ALWAYS was supported by the Tussen Takk Foundation, the Vermont Arts Council, and National Endowment for the Arts.

 

 

This event is supported by the Brattleboro Museum & Art Center. Founded in 1972, the Brattleboro Museum & Art Center presents rotating exhibits of contemporary art, complemented by lectures, artist talks, film screenings, and other public programs. BMAC is open Wednesday-Sunday, 10-4. Admission is “pay as you wish.” Located in historic Union Station in downtown Brattleboro, at the intersection of Main Street and Routes 119 and 142, the museum is wheelchair accessible. Visit brattleboromuseum.org to learn more.

 

This event is free, open to all, and no advance registration is required. We hope to see you there! 

Find a complete list of upcoming artist talks and events at VCP here.