Barbara Ackerman Art Exhibit at Southern Vermont College Gallery

October 19, 2011

Southern Vermont College opened its Everett Mansion gallery with “Origins,” an exhibit of paintings by Bennington artist Barbara Ackerman on Saturday, Oct. 1. The Ackerman exhibit, in the Burgdorff Gallery, will run until Oct. 28.

Ackerman’s most recent exhibit, Origins, revolves around a theme of Eastern Africa after a trip to Tanzania with her daughter. “My sensory experience of the country was vibrant, with visions of strong patterns, engaging colors and evocative smells,” Ackerman, a fine artist who works in mixed media and pastels, said. “I returned to my familiar environment inspired by a new palette of visual references and a heightened awareness of life outside of my own village.”

Southern Vermont College Associate Professor Greg Winterhalter, who displayed the Ackerman work in the Gallery, encourages visitors from the community to share in the new exhibit. “Barbara’s paintings are imaginative and transformative,” Winterhalter said.

Barbara received a B.S. in Art Education from the University of Vermont where she studied painting with Frank Hewitt and is enrolled in the M.F.A program at Johnson State College/Vermont Studio Center, Johnson, Vt. She exhibits regularly at Southern Vermont Arts Center and has shown her work at Bennington Museum, Vermont Studio Center, The Dragonfly on Martha’s Vineyard and Puffins in Watch Hill, R.I.