Stereograph Retrospective - Athenaeum Hall Gallery Exhibition Through December

VSO Jukebox Turns Ten, Thursday, November 12, 7 PM *Sold Out

Tickets for this concert are sold out.

Reserve tickets here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/jukebox-turns-ten-tickets-1996491647261?aff=oddtdtcreator Sponsored by the St. Johnsbury Athenaeum and the VSO.

It’s our tenth season of the Vermont Symphony Orchestra’s Jukebox Series, and we’re playing the hits, deep cuts, and brand new songs! This series will feature wholly unique programs at our three concert stops around the state, as the repertoire is chosen in real time from 16 possible selections. You’ll hear music from the old guard of heavy hitters like Beethoven and Bach, brilliant modern composers such as Jessie Montgomery and Caroline Shaw, solos, duos, and pieces that span the myriad of different styles and genres you’ve come to expect from our Jukebox quartet. 

With the help of the audience, the program will be decided by chance as eight pieces are picked from our “jukebox” to perform. Every night will be one of a kind – it’s a game where we don’t know exactly what’s coming! Don’t miss out as we celebrate ten years of this fun, eclectic, and intimate concert series.

Brooke Quiggins-Saulnier and Joana Genova, violin; Stefanie Taylor, viola; and John Dunlop, cello. Hosted and curated by Matt LaRocca.

Author Lyn Bixby Book Talk and Signing - The Pacifist - Wednesday, November 4, 6 PM

From Pulitzer Prize winning reporter Lyn Bixby, inspired by the death of his college classmate in Vietnam, The Pacifist is a debut historical thriller about standing up to power gone bad. Listen to Bixby’s interview about the book here: https://youtu.be/Fsa5JqiEVas?si=tGA3JQqn8SEaegm-

Lyn lives in northern Vermont.  For more information, contact Megan Robinson at mrobinson@stjathenaeum.org or 802-748-8291.

This event is free, ADA accessible, and open to the public.

Unveiling the Shadows: Myths and Legends of the NEK and North Country w/ Robert Jones, Weds., October 21, 7 pm

The Northeast Kingdom and the New Hampshire North Country are lands of deep woods, granite peaks, and long winters—the perfect breeding ground for stories that refuse to die.

Join us for an evocative journey into the folklore that defines our rugged corner of New England. From the elusive Lake Memphremagog sea serpent to the whispered tales of Abenaki legends, forgotten ghost towns, and the strange occurrences that haunt the White Mountains, we will explore how these myths shaped the identity of the people who call this wilderness home.

Whether you're a skeptic, a believer, or simply a lover of a good yarn, this talk will peel back the layers of local history to reveal the magic and mystery hidden in plain sight.

Presented by Robert Jones, Owner of St. Johnsbury’s Ysbrydoliaeth Curiosity Shop / Magasin de curiosités & NEK Language School.

This event is free, ADA accessible, and open to the public.

The Athenaeum is Looking to Hire an Advancement Officer

For details click HERE.

Antique Appraisals! Art Valuations w/ Bonhams Skinner, Saturday, October 17, 10 AM *Advanced Registration Required - see our website for details

Have you always wanted to know the value of the treasures lying around your home? For $10 per item, or 3 items for $25, Bonhams Skinner’s Robin Starr and Christopher Fox will assess your items. Register with Scott Davis, sdavis@stjathenaeum.org or 820-745-1393. Starr is a fine art expert, and Fox’s expertise includes decorative arts and furniture. Starr and a crew from Bonhams came to the Athenaeum in the spring of 2026 to do an assessment of our art.

Robin Starr is the General Manager of Bonhams Skinner, New England's oldest auction house, with a distinguished history dating back to its founding in 1962. As Director of American & European Paintings & Prints, Robin Starr heads one of Skinner’s most important specialty departments. In this key role she oversees a staff of specialists who appraise and catalog prints, paintings, sculpture, and works on paper for a wide variety of Skinner clients, including arts and cultural institutions, estates, major collectors, and private individuals. She is also widely regarded as one of Skinner’s most vibrant and animated auctioneers, bringing an enthusiastic spirit to the podium at Skinner’s American & European Paintings & Prints auctions, held three times annually.

Starr’s area of specialization is in American paintings and prints from the 19th and early 20th centuries. Outside her role at Skinner, Starr is a major contributor to the success of Boston’s thriving arts and culture community. She conducts numerous benefit appraisal days, lectures, and benefit auctions throughout the year. Starr has lectured in art history at various colleges throughout New England, including as a Lecturer in Art History at Boston College in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts.

Christopher D. Fox is Bonhams Skinner's Vice President and Director of Historic Arms & Militaria and Associate Director of American Furniture and Decorative Arts. He specializes in military and civil arms used in 18th and 19th century America, and early American material culture, including early metalware, ceramics, and household items.

Christopher has spent much of his life immersed in early American material culture. He has authored numerous articles and lectured on a wide variety of topics including 18th-century British military firearms and powder horns, early New York militia uniforms, Seven Years' War period barrack room arrangements, mid-18th century English ceramics, and the material culture associated with chocolate in the 18th-century. He has assisted in exhibition development at local history museums.

This event is ADA accessible.

Music in the Gallery - Benji Aresty, Friday, October 16, 1 pm

Join us in the splendid setting of the 19th-century Art Gallery for our Music Series, with Benji Aresty.

American-born songwriter and visionary Benji Aresty brings his rising independent music project to the Athenaeum. With a voice that’s lived many lives and lyrics that cut straight to the heart, Benji writes songs that feel like soul medicine—raw, real, and meant to move you. The music spans folk, blues, soul, and cinematic rock, grounded in live instrumentation and emotional storytelling.

Benji’s songwriting is deeply personal, often born from grief, love, transformation, and spiritual inquiry. His lyrics are a call to feel more, to heal more, and to live more aligned with truth. Whether it’s an acoustic ballad or an electrifying anthem, each song is created with purpose: to open hearts, spark conversations, and create moments of collective resonance.

Aresty. isn’t just about sound—it’s about soul. The project’s mission is to use music as a tool for emotional and social awakening. Its vision reaches beyond entertainment, aiming to build community, raise consciousness, and be a bridge between cultures. In a time when the world is aching for authenticity and healing, Aresty. is showing up with open arms, a full band, and a message that matters. Listeners of Ray LaMontagne, The Head The Heart, John Mayer and Michael Franti will enjoy Aresty.

Aresty. is on a journey—one rooted in integrity, driven by intention, and uplifted by the power of song.
Listen to Unconditional Loving - https://aresty.bandcamp.com/track/unconditional-loving  

This event is free, ADA accessible, and open to the public.

Music in the Art Gallery Upcoming Artists:
November 20 - Linda Warnaar
December 18 - Kingdom Mountain Dulcimers with Reeve Lindbergh

Friends of the Athenaeum Pie Sale and Secondhand Prose Sidewalk Sale, Saturday, September 26

Friends of the Athenaeum Pie Sale: 9 am until pies are gone!

Pies $20.00 each; There will be a "1 free book at Secondhand Prose” coupon on each pie box. All proceeds support programming & materials for the Saint Johnsbury Athenaeum.

Secondhand Prose Sidewalk Sale & Cookbook Giveaway: 9am - 1pm

At Secondhand Prose, 1222 Main Street, featuring a selection of cookbooks for FREE. Plus, every child who comes to the store gets one free children's book. All other book sales are priced by the buyer. So pick up your pie at the Friends of the Athenaeum Pie Sale, then come over and find your recipe for reading delight! 

Secondhand Prose is operated by the Friends of the Athenaeum. All proceeds support programming & materials for the Saint Johnsbury Athenaeum.

Athenaeum Bierstadt Fest Saturday, Sept. 19, 3-6 pm

More information HERE.

Music in the Gallery Series - Toussaint St. Negritude on Friday, September 18, 1 PM

Join us in the splendid setting of the Art Gallery for our Fall Music Series.

Recently returning from a trans-continental 5-month book & performance tour of his seminal works, Toussaint St. Negritude revels in the interstellar light of all intersecting freedoms. Author of the collection of poems "Mountain Spells" [Rootstock Publishing 2024], and former Poet Laureate of Belfast, Maine, and 2024 Nominee for Poet Laureate of Vermont, poet, bass clarinetist, and composer Toussaint St. Negritude conjures whole liberations in full tempo. US Poet Laureate Gwendolyn Brooks described his work as "full of sweet sounds and surprises." Originally from San Francisco, Toussaint has lived and broadly thrived across the African Diaspora, from the sacred mountains of Haiti to the Coltrane District of North Philadelphia. He, along with bassist Gahlord Dewald, is the leader of the band Jaguar Stereo!,  a free-form ensemble of his own poetry and improvisational jazz, and his works have been widely published and recorded for over 40 years. Having, for the last 17 years, thrived in the alpine sanctuary of northeastern Vermont, for his next spirited chapter, Toussaint St. Negritude is ramping up to soon return to his beloved west coast, thriving even further in the rain forested mountains of the Pacific Northwest.

For this event, St. Negritude will offer music on the bass clarinet as well as the music of his poetic voice.

This event is free, ADA accessible, and open to the public.

Music in the Art Gallery Series Upcoming:

October 16 - Benji Aresty
November 20 - Linda Warnaar
December 18 - Kingdom Mountain Dulcimers with Reeve Lindbergh

VT Reads Author Presentation: Tillie Walden, Friday, September 4, 6 pm

Register here
Join us for this special presentation from Tillie Walden about the creation of Charity & Sylvia, the 2026 Vermont Reads book selection.

Weybridge, Vermont in February 1807 is small, cold, lonely, and beautiful. As an unwed woman with few prospects, Sylvia Drake resides with and cares for her sister’s rambunctious family. But today the house is abuzz awaiting a guest—Charity Bryant. So opens Charity and Sylvia by Tillie Walden, the award-winning, Vermont-based cartoonist and author of Spinning and On a Sunbeam.

Created by Walden from archival materials at the Henry Sheldon Museum of Vermont History in Middlebury, and other primary and secondary sources, Charity and Sylvia is a groundbreaking biography that is also the story of 19th century America.

Tillie Walden is the award-winning, Vermont-based cartoonist and author of Spinning and On a Sunbeam and Charity and Sylvia. Tillie served as Vermont’s Fifth Cartoonist Laureate from April 2023 to April 2026. She won the 2018 Eisner Award for Best Reality-Based Work at 22 years old, for her graphic memoir Spinning, making her one of the youngest Eisner Award winners ever. She received the Los Angeles Times Book Prize in 2018 for On a Sunbeam.

Her work includes a graphic novel trilogy featuring The Walking Dead character Clementine and two middle grade graphic novels created with musicians Tegan and Sara. Clementine: Book Three by Tillie Walden is currently nominated for a 2026 Will Eisner Comic Industry Award in the category of Best Publication for Teens. She is a graduate of The Center for Cartoon Studies (CCS) class of 2016 in White River Junction and became a professor at CCS in 2021.

This event is free, ADA accessible, and open to the public. Presented in collaboration with Vermont Humanities and the Institute of Museum and Library Services.

From Earth to Earth: The Return of Natural Burial to Vermont, Saturday, September 12, 1:00 PM

Join us on a discussion about natural burial and how it has become legal again in Vermont featuring a presentation of the award-winning documentary “From Earth to Earth: The Lost Art of Dying in America.”  This short (20 minute) documentary describes natural burial and its benefits through stories from the people who worked to make it legal in Vermont, and the stories of people whose experiences have shown the ways it can help come to terms with the loss of a loved one and with one’s own mortality.  

The documentary will be followed by a Q&A session led by Michelle Hogle Acciavatti, founder,  and Jim Hogle the Communications and Outreach Coordinator of the Vermont Forest Cemetery. 

This event is free, ADA accessible, and open to the public.

RSVP for Vermont 250th Trivia w/ Vermont Historical Society, Tuesday, August 18, 6 PM

Teams and individuals RSVP on the Athenaeum website.

Do you know which battle of the Revolutionary War was actually fought in Vermont? How about the original name for Camel’s Hump? Or who was the first governor of Vermont? Test your wits while spending time with family and friends.

Vermont History Trivia is great way to have fun with friends and family. Expertise isn't necessarily needed: questions are multiple choice to help newbies and history lovers of all ages engage with our state's past and present! For 2026, we've created special sets of questions that explore aspects related to the 250th anniversary of the U.S. within Vermont. You may learn about things like early Vermonters, significant battles, Indigenous culture, or Vermont place names.

You'll compete against other teams for prizes and learn fun new facts about the Green Mountain state. Join the Vermont Historical Society and the Athenaeum for fun & prizes.

Questions? Contact Megan Robinson at 802-748-8291 or mrobinson@stjathenaeum.org.

This event is free, ADA accessible, and open to the public.

Summer Fall 2026 Event Calendar

Friends of the Athenaeum Tea, Sunday, July 26, 1 PM

Come enjoy delectable tea and treats in the air-conditioned splendor of the historic Art Gallery. Browse treasures in our silent auction.

$30.00 per Person/Limited Seating Available. RSVP by July 20.

3 ways to reserve your seat:
          1) Mail your name, contact information and the number in your party, along with payment to the Athenaeum.
         2) Stop by the first floor circulation desk and fill out a RSVP card, or
         3) Sign up online HERE.

Proceeds from this event will support youth & adult programming for the St. Johnsbury Athenaeum.

Saturday, September 26-Friends of the Athenaeum Pie Sale

Friends of the Athenaeum Pie Sale in front of the Athenaeum: 9 am until pies are gone!

Pies $20.00 each; There will be a "1 free book at Secondhand Prose” coupon on each pie box. All proceeds support programming & materials for the Saint Johnsbury Athenaeum.

Secondhand Prose Sidewalk Sale & Cookbook Giveaway: 9am - 1pm

At Secondhand Prose, 1222 Main Street, featuring a selection of cookbooks for FREE. Plus, every child who comes to the store gets one free children's book. All other book sales are priced by the buyer. So pick up your pie at the Friends of the Athenaeum Pie Sale, then come over and find your recipe for reading delight! 

Secondhand Prose is operated by the Friends of the Athenaeum. All proceeds support programming & materials for the Saint Johnsbury Athenaeum.

Gallery Hall Exhibition Through September - "The Bellows Brothers" Photography by Bob Jenks and Jim Kipfer

Fourth-generation St. Johnsbury photographer Bob Jenks collaborates with Jim Kipfer of Maine for a joint exhibition of their photographs entitled “The Bellows Brothers.” The exhibition will be on view during library hours from July through September in the second floor Hall Gallery. The Artists’ Reception will be held on Saturday, July 18 from 4-6 pm, and the public is invited to attend.

Robert C. Jenks, Master Photographer and Craftsman, is a 4th-generation photographer keeping the family-run business going. The business was established in 1886 by Robert’s great-grandfather, William H. Jenks. Robert graduated from Culinary Arts School in 1979 and didn’t feel like heading into work in a hot kitchen, so he started working for his dad and never stopped. He took over the business in 1986, following in the footsteps of his ancestors. Robert has a love for black & white images and hopes someday in the future to shoot only black and white.

Bob believes the Jenks Studio may be the oldest family-run studio in the United States. Other photographers may have been in business longer, but have sold out to non-family members.

Bob will show images shot by his great-grandfather, grandfather, father, and some of his own, including his recent photo of Stevie Van Zandt of the E Street Band and the Malvado Maple Mezcal produced by the St. Johnsbury Distillery.

James A. Kipfer is a fine art photographer whose studio is in Alna, ME. “I consider myself a photo-documentarian,” says Kipfer. “I focus on places that are distinct, with character, that are unique; places that are on the verge of disappearing either by nature or by man’s overwhelming need to homogenize our culture. My tools are analog, yet complex. I primarily use large format view cameras and gelatin silver film to record what I’m feeling. The quality of the finished contact prints capture a detail and depth that I feel is unmatched by modern digital images.”

Poetry Reading In The Art Gallery- Carlene Kucharczyk and Tim Mayo, Thursday, July 9, 6 PM

Carlene Kucharczyk’s debut poetry collection, Strange Hymn, won the 2024 Juniper Prize for Poetry, and the 2025 VT Book Award for poetry. She is the recipient of a Creation Grant from the Vermont Arts Council and holds an MFA from North Carolina State University. Her work has been published in journals such as Mid-American Review, Green Mountains Review, Poetry Northwest, Tupelo Quarterly, and Conduit, and has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize. Kucharczyk earned an MFA in poetry from North Carolina State University and works at Dartmouth.

Tim May’s third full-length collection, Muscles Memories of Love and Disaster, was published in March, 2026 by Bainbridge Island Press.  A ten-time Pushcart Prize Nominee, and a two- time finalist for the Paumanok Award, Mayo is also the recipient of three Vermont Writers Week Fellowships from the Vermont Studio Center. He lives in Brattleboro, VT, where he is a founding member and organizer of the Brattleboro Literary Festival author committee.

The event is free, ADA accessible, and open to the public.

Memory Café - Golden Ball Tai Chi, Tuesday, July 7, 10:30 AM

Interested in improving your balance, boosting stamina, building community, and encouraging a sense of calm?  After a well-received presentation of Golden Ball Tai Chi in January, Patricia Anderson will once again join the Athenaeum’s Memory Café, presenting a gentle form of Tai Chi and working with anxiety. Anderson has led the Golden Ball Tai Chi program in the NEK for over 20 years, and recently introduced the program to elementary students.  

A compelling case for Tai Chi is presented in studies done by Harvard Medical School, the Veterans Administration, and reports published in the American Journal of Health. They showed, “evidence sufficient to suggest bone health, cardio fitness, better balance, and boost in mental health.”

What is a Memory Café? A welcoming social gathering for people living with changes in their memory or thinking, and the people who care about them, where participants have fun together, talk with others in similar situations, and try something new!

The event is free, ADA accessible, and open to the public.

Music in the Art Gallery –Jon Speer and The Meld, Friday, June 19, 1 pm

Jon Speer is a local singer-songwriter from West Burke, VT. Although he has been writing songs for almost 35 years, he only recently began playing around the local open mics at the end of 2024 and has found a wonderful and supportive community who share his love for music. Although he was brought up on a good diet of grunge and rock and roll, Jon has naturally gravitated towards acoustic guitar from the beginning and over time has honed his skill in Travis style picking which helps him to achieve a dynamic sound, even when playing solo with bass, lead, and rhythm parts, all happening simultaneously, and sometimes while he is singing! He almost exclusively plays original music and his goals for 2026 include sharing those songs in more venues and getting started on a formal album, not likely to be released before 2027. His style would be described as Americana, Bluegrass, Indie-Rock, Country, and R&B.  Come check him out and see what his newly acquired music community is so excited about! Jon will be joined by local multi-talented musician Stos playing harmonica.

Join us again in the fall on the third Friday each month for our series showcasing impressive and diverse NEK musical talent in the spectacular setting of the Art Gallery.  Toussaint St. Negritude gets the series rolling on September 18.

These concerts are free, ADA accessible, and open to the public.