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.

Gallery Hall Exhibition July Through August - "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.”

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.”

Livestream of TED Democracy Philadelphia: Founding Futures, Saturday, June 13, Sessions at 2 and 4 PM

Libraries strengthen democracy every day.

This daylong symposium features 15+ brand-new TED Talks focused on the evolution and future of democracy, streaming live from Philadelphia during America’s 250th anniversary.

Join us for big ideas, thoughtful conversation, and a shared civic moment.

Presented in collaboration with Visit Philadelphia and partners nationwide, and sponsored by The Pew Charitable Trusts, this event connects local conversation to a national moment.

Click Here for Up to Date Speaker Lineup

RSVP Here for 2 pm session

RSVP Here for 4 pm session

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

Author Jasper Craven Book Talk and Signing—God Forgives, Brothers Don’t, Wednesday, June 10, 7 PM

Author Jasper Craven is a Northeast Kingdom native who got his start in journalism at the Caledonian Record. He today covers the military and veterans' issues for outlets including The New York Times, Harper's, The New Republic, The Nation, and New York magazine. In addition to God Forgives, Brothers Don’t (published on May 19, 2026), he is also the coauthor, with Suzanne Gordon and Steve Early, of the academic book Our Veterans. Follow him on X@Jasper_Craven.

In the tradition of Sebastian Junger’s Tribe and Chris Hedges’s classic War Is a Force that Gives Us Meaning, God Forgives, Brothers Don't is a powerful investigation into the fraught history and ominous future of military education in the United States, and how it formed and fuels increasingly volatile strains of American masculinity.

Tunnel Books will be selling and the author will be signing books. This event is free, ADA accessible, and open to the public.

Listen to Jasper on Vermont Edition on May 20: https://www.vermontpublic.org/show/vermont-edition/2026-05-20/journalist-jasper-craven-on-the-harms-of-american-military-education

Heist! How to Steal a Masterpiece (And Why You Probably Shouldn’t Try) with Erin Thompson: Wednesday, June 3, 6 PM

RSVP Here

How do thieves pull off museum heists? What happens to a stolen Picasso? Are there really so many lasers involved… or is that just Hollywood?

This talk explores the surprising world of museum heists, from the 1911 theft of the Mona Lisa to a smash and grab targeting Yogi Berra’s World Series rings to the case of a Rembrandt swiped four times from the same museum. We’ll examine spectacular security failures, the curious psychology of art thieves, and how changing ideas about the purpose of museums continue to shape modern art crime. Along the way, you’ll learn what actually works in museum security, why some masterpieces vanish without a trace, and what drives someone to steal something they can never sell.

Erin L. Thompson (www.artcrimeprof.com) is America’s only professor of art crime. She holds a PhD in Art History and a JD, both from Columbia University, and teaches at the City University of New York. She is the author of Smashing Statues: The Rise and Fall of American Monuments (Norton, 2022) and The Styrofoam Mummy and Other Tales from the Dark Side of the Antiquities Market (Norton, forthcoming in 2027).

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

Crafting Change: Kingdom Animal Shelter, Saturday, May 23, 10 AM

Stitch something meaningful at a charity crafting session led by the Yarn Bank. We’ll be making knitted and crocheted cat toys and blankets for Kingdom Animal Shelter.

All supplies are available at The Yarn Bank, but you’re welcome to bring your own. If you already have a pattern you enjoy, feel free to use it, and we will have patterns. Acrylic yarns of any weight work well when matched with the right needle or hook size. If you need help, The Yarn Bank is happy to assist.

Yarn, needle, and hook donations will be accepted by Megan at the Athenaeum leading up to the event. For any questions: mrobinson@stjathenaeum.org or 802-748-8291.

Supply List

Blankets (Crochet)

• K size hook, Worsted weight yarn, Patterns

Blankets (Knit)

• Circular or regular needles size #7 or #9, Worsted weight yarn

Toy Ball (Crochet)

• G6 size hook, Worsted weight yarn, Polyfill (for stuffing)

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

A Revolution Will Not Be Tweeted (w/ Vermont Humanities), Wednesday, May 20, 6:30 PM

“We The People” are invited to this presentation to learn the history of printing The American Revolution, and to engage in a conversation around an old printing press, pull a broadside, and imagine what The Next Revolution could be. Speaker John Vincent is a retired police officer, poet, letterpress printer, and director of A Revolutionary Press, a nonprofit, volunteer-run collective of artists in service to the Common Good in New Haven, Vermont.

When the hand-written Declaration of Independence was delivered to the local print shop the evening of July 4, 1776, it was massed-produced on the printing press overnight. But only after it was entirely set by hand, one l-e-t-t-e-r at a time, and locked up in a press bed to be pulled by hand, one copy at a time.

Methods employed by the earlier revolutionaries to foment and print their Revolution of 1776 are used today at A Revolutionary Press, the print shop in New Haven, Vermont.

John Vincent is also the co-curator of “Finding Hope Within: Healing and Transformation Through the Making of Art Within the Carceral System”, a traveling art exhibition in Vermont for 2023-2026. He presents on the historical and contemporary significance of hand-setting type on the printing press in context with the past and future Revolutions in this country. Learn more on his website.

This event is free, ADA accessible, and open to the public, sponsored by Vermont Humanities and the St. Johnsbury Athenaeum.

St J Arts & Culture Community Roundtable Discussion, Tuesday, May 19, 5 PM

Join in for a conversation surrounding all things Arts & Culture in the town of St Johnsbury!
This project, in partnership between Catamount Arts and the Town of St Johnsbury, aims to build on St. Johnsbury's long-standing arts tradition to leverage distinctive assets, strengthen community identity, and position arts and culture as a catalyst for community vitality, economic development, and cultural connection.

The Roundtable Discussion at the Athenaeum is free, ADA accessible, and open to the public.

The Phoenix Queen with Author Sarah Emery- Book Launch and Reception. Monday, May 18, 6 pm

A Vermont college student who has never known her origins discovers she is the last descendant of Anne of Cleves—and the only one who can resist the pull of the immortal Phoenix Queen—while falling for the Vatican agent sworn to protect her, even if loving him may be the most dangerous choice of al

Join NEK author Sarah Emery for the debut of her first novel, The Phoenix Queen—a paranormal romance and historical fantasy that weaves New England gothic atmosphere with Tudor intrigue.

Told through the witty, modern voice of a reluctant heroine, the story explores the dark allure of forbidden history and a destiny centuries in the making.

About Sarah

Author Sarah Emery is a long-time dreamer and first-time novelist. She has spent over thirty years building a career in healthcare leadership, teaching, and technology—most recently serving as Director of Medical Staff Services in a rural hospital.

In 2018, she bravely self-published her Action Research project, which achieved a *whopping* total of $0.00 in sales. Far from discouraging her, the experience sparked a determination to keep writing, and ultimately led to her debut novel, The Phoenix Queen. Blending history, paranormal lore, and romance, the novel draws on her lifelong obsession with the Tudor dynasty and her love of New England’s uncanny corners.

She lives in Vermont with a stack of history books, a vivid imagination, and the stubborn belief that it’s never too late to chase a dream.

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

Music in the Art Gallery Concert Series with Sue Persson. Friday, May 15, 1 PM

Sue Persson is a singer/songwriter/guitarist who grew up in the Boston area. Originally a classical flute player, she was a member of the Greater Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra in high school but ignored her flute teacher’s urging that she attend conservatory after she discovered the guitar. In 1979 she moved to Vermont and has performed in the area since 1980, originally with her late husband Ed Ryan in the band Full Moon Revue. They were featured vocalists on the Re-Bops Oldies for Kids records released on Re-Bop Records. 

Sue taught vocal and instrumental music for 30 years at the Concord, Barnet and Monroe (NH) schools. After her retirement in 2019, she opened her private studio in Barnet and currently has a busy schedule teaching songwriting, guitar, ukulele, percussion, brass and wind instruments. She is also a regular performer at the Danville Inn and Restaurant, appearing the second and fourth Thursday of every month.

Join us in the Athenaeum Art Gallery on the third Friday each month for our series showcasing impressive and diverse NEK musical talent. You'll encounter new and familiar performers in the spectacular setting of the Art Gallery.  On June 19, Jon Speer and the Meld will close our spring season. Our Fall 2026 Music in the Gallery Series will commence on September 18 with Toussaint St. Negritude.

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

Athenaeum Film Fan Comedy Series-- Team Comedy: Abbott and Costello, Laurel and Hardy, Three Stooges, Tuesday, May 12 6:30 PM

Join the Athenaeum Film Fan Club for our monthly comedy movie with free popcorn and soft drinks.  This month features America’s favorite comedy teams. With an introduction by host Damian Ryan. 

There has been no shortage of comedy acts in American history, but perhaps the most famous and popular of them all is The Three Stooges, an act that has become synonymous with slapstick. Three bumbling but likable fools getting into all sorts of trouble due to their inability to think or behave properly, Moe, Larry and Curly quickly became a hit in comedy shorts on screen. Even as other similar acts like Abbot & Costello went on to make full length films, the Stooges continued to star in shorts.

By the 1920s, English comic Stan Laurel had been in dozens of films and American Oliver Hardy had appeared in hundreds, but it was not until they formed a duo together in 1926 that they began to truly be noticed. Once they did, however, Laurel & Hardy became one of the most famous comedy teams in American history, with a career that spanned 4 decades and included over 100 combined shorts and feature films. Even today, nearly 60 years after their last performances together, Laurel & Hardy are still popular, alongside legends like The Three Stooges and Abbott & Costello, and their routines are still watched across the globe.

Ironically, one of America’s most famous comedy duos, and the performers of the country’s most famous skit, came together in part because Lou Costello had already failed to cut it in the film industry. In fact, Costello had appeared in a Laurel & Hardy film in 1927 before meeting his partner, Bud Abbott, on the burlesque circuit in New York City. 

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

Bike-Safe Neighborhood with LINK VT, Wednesday, May 6, 6:30 PM

This bicycle week, come join a discussion about bike safety from a neighborhood perspective.  Learn steps you can take to slow traffic on your individual block and make walking and biking safer, especially for children and other vulnerable users.  Learn how these changes can benefit you and your loved ones' health, save you money, and even lower our taxes. 

Dr. John Raser is a family physician and local community health advocate based in St Johnsbury.  He has served as leader and consultant for active transportation advocacy, safe routes to school, and transit-oriented development efforts.  He currently serves on the St Johnsbury Bicycle Pedestrian Committee and Board President of the non-profit community bicycle program Link 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.

Energy Savings Help: 1-on-1 Consultations with Efficiency Vermont, Friday, May 1, 2026, 10 AM-Noon

Are your energy bills high? Stop by for a one‑on‑one conversation with an Efficiency Vermont representative to learn how you can lower your energy costs and find out whether you qualify for income‑based services, such as free appliance replacement.

For more information, contact Megan Robinson at mrobinson@stjathenaeum.org or 802-748-8291.

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

The Light Pirate - Vermont Reads Book Discussion with Dr. Alan Berolzheimer, Thursday, April 30, 6:30 PM

Join Dr. Alan Berolzheimer, Vermont Humanities scholar, as he leads a community book discussion of the Vermont Reads book The Light Pirate by Lily Brooks-Dalton. Named after a catastrophic storm, Wanda is born into a world that’s rapidly changing. Rising sea levels and devastating weather patterns transform her coastal Florida town. As she moves from childhood to adulthood, Wanda adapts to this remade landscape, finding adventure, love, and purpose in a place largely abandoned by civilization. 

Told in four parts—power, water, light, and time—The Light Pirate  is a meditation on the beauty and violence of an untamable wilderness. It considers the dissolution of the human-made world, and helps us see how human connection, adaptability, and a little bit of magic might guide us to a new future.  

Copies of the book are available at the Athenaeum circulation desk to read before the discussion.  

Contact Megan Robinson at mrobinson@stjathenaeum.org or  802-745-1392 for more information. 

Vermont Humanities Scholar Alan Berolzheimer has directed the book publishing program of the Vermont Historical Society since 1998. He is also the project historian and assistant director of The Flow of History, a Teaching American History program providing professional development activities to Vermont teachers. Alan received a Ph.D. in 20th-century U.S. History from the University of Virginia in 1996. He lives in Norwich.

Vermont Reads events are sponsored by Vermont Humanities supported in part by the National Endowment for Humanities.

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

RSVP Here

The Librarians Free Film Screening with Indie Pop-Up Lens, Wednesday, April 22, 6 PM

Indie Lens Pop-Up, presented by ITVS, INDEPENDENT LENS, and St. Johnsbury Athenaeum will host a special screening of “The Librarians."

“The Librarians” follows a courageous network of besieged librarians as they unite to examine how book restriction policies are shaping library collections.

When lawmakers seek to review a list of books, librarians find themselves on the frontlines of a national battle. Across the U.S., librarians face the impact of uniting against library collection standards that include restrictions on race-related and LGBTQIA+ content. Drawing on historical context, The Librarians explores the broader implications for education and public life.

Filmmakers: Kim A. Snyder (director/producer), Janique L. Robillard (producer), Maria Cuomo Cole (producer), and Jana Edelbaum (producer).

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

Bringing Up Beaver- Saturday, April 18, 10 AM

Licensed volunteer wildlife rehabilitator John Aberth presents on his book, Bringing Up Beaver, a lively and engaging account of one human’s relationship with a wild animal.

On May 10, 2020, an orphaned beaver kit was found in St. Albans, Vermont and handed over to John Aberth, a licensed volunteer wildlife rehabilitator. Over the next two years, John raised the kit, whom he nicknamed "BK," and prepared him for release back into the wild. During that time, John and BK developed a special and unique bond, which John documented in a daily diary. That diary became the basis for Bringing Up Beaver, a lively and engaging account of one human’s relationship with a wild animal.
Bringing Up Beaver is more than just a feel-good story about human encounters with nature. Full of fascinating observations about beaver behavior and biology, Bringing Up Beaver also documents the unique challenges and obstacles to be faced and overcome in rehabbing a wild beaver kit. Populating the story are plenty of other wild creatures that John encounters in the course of his journey with BK, including other beavers—one of whom became BK’s mate—as well as hawks, owls, mink, and weasels.
For anyone who has been charmed by a beaver's "smile" or enjoyed books like Fox and I and Eager, Bringing Up Beaver is a must read that will give us a new perspective on the wildlife and natural world all around us.

John Aberth is an author and historian who lives in Roxbury, VT. He received his Ph.D. in Medieval History from the University of Cambridge in England and spent twenty years as a professor of history, publishing ten books. Upon his retirement, he received his license from both the Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to rehab both birds and mammals, training at the Vermont Institute of Natural Science and apprentecing with head wildlife keeper, Allison Stark. He now specializes in the rehab of raptors—namely, owls, hawks and falcons—and also in some mammals, including beavers, bobcats, coyotes, minks, and weasels.

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

Music in the Gallery Concert Series –Tom Stamp, Friday, April 17, 1 PM

Singer and guitarist Tom Stamp grew up listening to the music of the 60s and 70s: folk, rock, country and blues. Tom brings all those influences to the stage, playing a mix of time-tested classics and under-the-radar gems.

Join us for our series showcasing impressive and diverse NEK musical talent. You'll encounter new and familiar performers in the spectacular setting of the Art Gallery on the third Friday of each month at 1 pm.

Upcoming Artists:

May 15  Sue Persson

June 19  Jon Speer and the Meld

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

Jazz Pianist David Childs in Concert, Thursday, April 16, 6:30 PM

David Childs brings his special talent of creating playful, spontaneous jazz performances of well-known classics and standards. A favorite performer at the Athenaeum, Dave charms and entertains his audiences while offering impressive improvisations.

Dave Childs has been working as a pianist for 30 years. At seven years old, he began playing piano, started French horn in grade school and the drums in junior high. He spent his last summer of high school in Europe where he traveled and played drums in a big band. Dave attended Berklee College of Music in Boston and has been fortunate to study under such jazz luminaries as Steve Allee, James Williams, and Donald Brown. In the mid-1980’s, Dave spent several years traveling and working as a pianist in the Far East.

Dave has shared the stage with jazz greats Jimmy Heath, Eddie Bert, James Moody, Lionel Hampton, Larry Ridley, Roswell Rudd, Dick Oatts, Bill Watrous, and the Nelson Riddle Orchestra, to name a few.

Over the years, Dave has been featured on a variety of recordings including three of his own full-length CDs, including a jazz trio with sax and bass. 

Dave’s interest in a variety of musical genres has led him to various positions as a church musician, including at Hastings on the Hudson Lutheran and Rowayton Methodist Churches. For over 6 years, Dave has been the pianist for the Unitarian Universalist Church of Greater Bridgeport where he combines jazz, classical, pop, folk, and world music for services and other events.

In addition to performing, Dave teaches piano at Fairfield University and the Cider Mill Conservatory in Wilton, Connecticut.

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

Athenaeum Gala Thursday, May 14, 6:30 pm

Go to the Gala page HERE

Freedom to Read Panel Discussion (preregister): Wednesday, April 15, 6 PM

Join us for an engaging and timely conversation on the state of intellectual freedom in the United States. This special Freedom to Read Panel Discussion will take place just before the free screening of The Librarians on April 22, setting the stage for an evening centered on access to information, the power of stories, and the challenges facing readers and libraries today.

A diverse group of panelists will explore the current landscape of book challenges, censorship pressures, and the ongoing fight to protect the public’s right to read. Their perspectives will illuminate both the obstacles and the opportunities shaping intellectual freedom across the country.

Our panel will include :

St Johnsbury School Librarians: Christine Owens & Caitlin Wallingford

Tunnel Books Owner: Merlin Heima

Vermont Author: Jo Knowles

Moderator: Loralee Tester

Youth Moderators: Donley & Florie Johnson

This event invites everyone who cares about open access to ideas to listen, learn, and join the conversation. The event is free, ADA accessible, and open to the public.

Register here: https://bit.ly/4bAD71w