Näri Penson and Kia'Rae Hanron sat across from each other on the 148-acre property of Clemmons Family Farm in Charlotte, under the shade of mature trees surrounded by sweeping views of farmland and the Adirondacks in the distance. Though there are thousands of farms in Vermont, Clemmons is one of just 17 that is Black-owned, according to the 2017 United States Census of Agriculture...

“Life is short… Art is long.”

UVM senior Kia’Rae Hanron (’20) remembers when her Montpelier High School Art Teacher Barbara Austin-Hutchins would often refer to the quote.

“Though she passed away last summer after 40 years of being an art teacher, Barb continues to inspire me on a daily basis to leave the world a better place than I found it, and I can only hope to leave that same legacy,” says Hanron. “Life is short, unpredictable, and at times quite ugly, but the legacy we leave behind as artists and compassionate humans far outlasts our physical presence on Earth..."

Lydia Clemmons, representing the Family Farm at the event, said the goal was to present children with opportunities to examine and express themselves around racial issues of feeling hurtful, helpful … and hopeful...

Once some energy had been burned off running through the Clemmons’ hay fields, the students split into two groups. One at a time, each group had a chance to work with a teaching artist and have a guided tour of the Barn House Museum. Kia’Rae Hanron of UVM guided participants to create large murals that showed how the actions and choices each of us take impact those of others...