This year marks the centennial of state parks in Vermont: Mount Philo State Park in Charlotte was established in 1924, and 54 more protected areas for swimming, hiking and camping were added in the century that followed. In collaboration with Green Mountain artists and Vermont Parks Forever, Burlington boutique Common Deer is celebrating the milestone with a series of prints that highlight these natural wonders.
The project, titled the Vermont Parks Collection, currently includes 27 prints depicting wild beauty up and down the state. There’s a plan to hit every park in Vermont, but Common Deer owner Sarah Beal is in no rush — she wants to allow artists time to create meaningful works. The collection launched in 2019, guided by Beal’s goal to “help locals celebrate outdoor spaces.” Contributing artists include Casey Callahan, Dylan Fant, Elisa Järnefelt and Phoebe Lo.
Teaming up with local artists and organizations allows Beal to give back to the state that patronizes her storefront. To date, the parks collection has paid Vermont artists more than $20,000, Beal said, and donated roughly $10,000 to Vermont Parks Forever, which supports state parks.
“The prints gave us the opportunity to work with a lot of artists and get to a place-based celebration,” Beal said…