The Art of It - Rockwell Kent

Late last year, Southern Vermont Arts Center (SVAC) announced a transformative gift from Lyman Orton: his acclaimed art collection, For the Love of Vermont: The Lyman Orton Collection, along with the funding for a major expansion of Yester House, the historic centerpiece of SVAC’s campus. Together, these gifts represent a landmark moment for SVAC and a lasting cultural legacy for the people of Vermont. 

The expansion of Yester House adds more than 10,000 square feet of new gallery and collection space, designed to house the Orton Collection and to host temporary exhibitions, a roof terrace, and modern storage facilities. Every element of the project reflects Orton’s focus on accessibility, comfort, and community. 

First exhibited in 2023 at the Bennington Museum and SVAC, For the Love of Vermont includes more than 250 works by artists who defined Vermont’s “golden era,” among them Asa Cheffetz, Rockwell Kent, Luigi Lucioni, Kyra Markham, Marion Huse, Bernadine Custer, and William Dean Fausett. These works will join SVAC’s permanent collection of approximately 1,000 pieces, enriching its holdings and its reach.

About the Artist 

Rockwell Kent (1882 – 1971) had a deep connection to Vermont, living on a 200-acre farm on the slopes of Red Mountain in Arlington, Vermont, from 1919 to 1925. This six-year period served as a critical turning point that solidified his status as a highly influential American painter, printmaker, illustrator, writer, and adventurer. He blended rugged, real-world wilderness exploration with a stark, dramatic visual style. 

Archival photographs show that the original version of Mount Equinox Summer, painted first between 1921 and 1923, was altered significantly in 1940, creating a very different mood and landscape. Under raking light, the outlines of the original painting can still be seen.