Chaffee Art Center

The building went up in the 1890s during Rutland's marble-and-railroad heyday, when the city's wealth funded some of Vermont's most elaborate homes. Its Queen Anne style piles on the era's favorite flourishes: asymmetrical towers, wraparound porches, patterned shingles, and richly carved interior woodwork.

Much of that craftsmanship survives inside, so visitors move through paneled rooms and past stained-glass windows that would be museum pieces on their own. The house was given over to the arts in the 1960s and named for the family long associated with it.

The Chaffee functions as a nonprofit community art center, mounting rotating exhibitions, representing local artists, and offering classes and workshops. The work on view spans painting, photography, sculpture, fiber, and fine craft, much of it for sale, so a visit doubles as a chance to take home a piece of Vermont.

Its annual art festivals, including an outdoor show in a downtown park, spill the center's mission out into the city and draw artists and buyers from across the region.

Rutland grew rich on marble in the nineteenth century, quarried in the nearby towns of Proctor and West Rutland and shipped across the country for monuments and public buildings. That industry paid for the mansions, churches, and the broad downtown that give the city its bones.

Today Rutland is a working small city and a gateway to the central Green Mountains, with Killington's ski slopes close by and marble still worked in the surrounding towns.

The center is an indoor, all-season stop, welcome on a rainy or snowy day and an easy pairing with a Killington ski trip in winter or a downtown stroll in summer.

Its calendar peaks with special exhibitions and the warm-weather art festivals, so timing a visit to a show or event rewards the trip. Autumn brings foliage travelers through Rutland on the way to the mountains.

The closest Boutel™ stays, so you can turn this stop into an overnight. Each is a place we chose through independent editorial review, never a paid placement.

The Chaffee Art Center, in Rutland, Vermont, is a community art center and gallery housed in a beautiful historic Victorian mansion, showcasing the work of Vermont artists and fostering the arts in the region. The elegant mansion provides an atmospheric setting for rotating exhibitions of paintings, sculpture, photography, crafts, and other fine art by regional artists, along with art classes, events, and shows. A welcoming hub for the local arts community and a lovely place to discover and buy Vermont art, it delights art lovers and visitors. With its art gallery and historic setting, the Chaffee Art Center offers a delightful destination in Vermont.

You can view rotating exhibitions of paintings, sculpture, photography, crafts, and other fine art by Vermont and regional artists in the beautiful historic mansion, browse and buy local art, attend art shows and events, and appreciate the elegant Victorian setting. The regional art on display, the historic mansion, and the welcoming community-arts atmosphere are the draws, making it a rewarding stop for art lovers and those wishing to discover Vermont artists. Its changing exhibitions reward repeat visits. With its art and historic setting, the Chaffee Art Center offers an engaging experience in Rutland, Vermont.

As an indoor art center in a historic mansion, the Chaffee Art Center is enjoyable year-round in any weather, making it a great stop in any season, with exhibitions rotating throughout the year and the center hosting popular art festivals and events at times. Because hours and exhibitions vary, checking the current schedule before you go is wise. For a special experience, time a visit to an art festival or event, or explore the galleries any time, at the Chaffee Art Center in Rutland, Vermont.

The Chaffee Art Center is a community art center in a historic Victorian mansion, so its exhibitions rotate and its hours follow a schedule that can vary, making it wise to check the current schedule and any events before you go. Admission may be free or by donation, supporting the nonprofit center, though popular festivals may differ. The historic building has some stairs. Checking hours and exhibitions ahead ensures a rewarding visit to the Chaffee Art Center in Vermont.

The Chaffee Art Center is in Rutland, Vermont, within reach of the Wonderfeet Kids Museum, Wilson Castle and the marble heritage sites in nearby Proctor, Killington and Pico Mountain, and central Vermont. That makes the Chaffee Art Center a delightful stop to combine with the Wonderfeet Kids Museum, Wilson Castle, and the other attractions of the Rutland area on a visit to Vermont.