Rural Arts Collaborative Looks to the Future: A New Direction, A Grateful Farewell

A new three-year strategic plan, a focus on youth, and a leadership transition signal an exciting chapter for the Northeast Kingdom’s arts community.

Rural Arts Collaborative (RAC) has some news to share — and most of it is cause for celebration. After years of quiet, steady work building an organization rooted in three beloved community institutions, RAC is launching a bold new three-year strategic plan this July that sets a clear direction for how the arts can best serve our region’s youngest residents and their families. At the same time, the organization is marking the departure of a leader whose fingerprints are on nearly everything RAC has built.

Where We’ve Been

For those who may have lost track of RAC over the years, a quick reminder: Rural Arts Collaborative was formed through the merger of three organizations — WonderArts (formerly Wonder and Wisdom), GRACE (Grassroots Arts and Community Effort), and The Art House. Each brought deep roots in the community, and the merger was never about erasing those roots. It was about carrying them forward together, more efficiently, and with greater impact.

The years since have been ones of learning and growth. RAC has served youth, adults, seniors, and families across the Northeast Kingdom through programs in creative arts education, inclusive arts experiences, and community making. The Spark program — a makerspace offering equipment access, training, and project support — has connected makers, artists, and entrepreneurs with tools and skills they couldn’t easily find elsewhere. The connections we’ve made along the way have been deep and lasting.

Where We’re Going

This July, RAC launches its 2026–29 Strategic Plan — a document shaped by years of honest reflection on what we do best and where we can have the deepest impact. The plan makes two significant commitments.

First, RAC will focus primarily on children as our core audience. Building on the traditions of GRACE and WonderArts, the organization will bring young people into multi-generational, inclusive art spaces, and expand programming to serve them in new ways. This includes a hopeful look toward reviving the Greensboro Summer Camps that many in that community have missed, and growing new opportunities for teens in our area through our developing Teen Mentorship program. RAC’s program areas going forward will center on WonderKids out-of-school programming, Inclusive Arts experiences, Community Workshops, and Teen Mentorship — a focused, intentional portfolio that reflects what this community needs most.

Second, the plan calls for a careful look at the physical spaces RAC owns, rents, and maintains — to ensure that every space is driving mission, not draining resources. This kind of discipline is what allows a small organization to grow sustainably.

We want to be clear: RAC is not trying to be everything to everyone. We are fortunate to be part of a vibrant web of arts offerings in our neck of the woods. Civic Standard in Hardwick, Highland Center for the Arts in Greensboro, Catamount Arts in St. Johnsbury, public libraries in all towns, and community groups and schools all serve a wide and wonderful range of people and programs. RAC is proud to collaborate with and support these organizations — and to carve out our own lane as the leader in helping children envision and achieve bright futures through creative exploration.

A Note About Spark

One change this summer will affect some members of our community more directly. Spark, RAC’s makerspace and creative studio, will be transitioning back to its original self-service model. The departure of Spark Coordinator Lily McMurtrie — whose remarkable skills had expanded Spark’s offerings to include full-service graphic design, printing, and project management — alongside the organization’s sharpened focus on youth programming, makes this the right moment to refocus Spark’s role.

Spark was always designed to be a place where community members learn to use powerful equipment themselves. Going forward, RAC will offer monthly free equipment trainings and limited staff support to keep this resource accessible. Community open hours will be reduced due to staffing capacity, but members will continue to have 24/7 access to the space through our membership model. If you’re wondering how these changes affect your projects, please reach out at info@ruralartsvt.org — we want to make sure the transition works for you.

Thank You, Stephen Ferber

None of this would be possible without the people who gave their time and expertise to building what RAC is today. On June 30, Board President Stephen Ferber will step down after years of extraordinary service — first as a board member and steadfast champion of GRACE, and then as the president who carried that organization through a complex merger and guided the new collaborative through the challenges of the pandemic and beyond.

Under Stephen’s leadership, RAC achieved meaningful financial stability and developed the kind of clear-eyed focus on community impact that made this new strategic plan possible. The launch of the 2026–29 Strategic Plan is, in many ways, the fruit of his years of stewardship.

RAC also extends deep gratitude to Amelia Fritz, Chip Troiano, and Bethany Warner, who have each completed their terms as board members after six years of dedicated service since the merger. Their contributions to shaping this organization have been immeasurable.

An Invitation to Stay Connected

If you’ve supported Rural Arts Collaborative — or GRACE, or WonderArts, or The Art House — at any point over the years, we want you to know: your investment mattered, and the work continues. We are excited about what comes next, and we would love to hear from you.

Sarah Mutrux, Executive Director of Rural Arts Collaborative, welcomes the opportunity to connect with anyone who has been part of this organization’s journey — whether recently or years ago. Please be in touch at director@ruralartsvt.org.

The Northeast Kingdom has always known how to take care of its own. Rural Arts Collaborative is honored to be part of this community, and grateful for every person who has helped us get here.

— ■ —

For more information about Rural Arts Collaborative, visit ruralartsvt.org or email info@ruralartsvt.org.