49 Elliot Street
adoptive business:
Harmony Collective
amplifying the good work of:
Groundworks Collaborative
spotlighting local creatives:
Jonas Fricke | visual art
Zara Bodē | music
Lightning Knudson | coding
funded by:
Thomas Thompson Trust
Arts Council of Windham County
Collab
Jonas Fricke
For almost four decades I have used creativity as a walking stick. I believe wholeheartedly in the ability of artwork and creative pursuits to start fires of meaning, illuminate paths of quandary and curiosity, inspire change, make life more colorful and vibrant, as well as inspire others to live more creative lives.
I work in many mediums and use art as an exploratory process of continual revelation lead by fascination. My images function as illustrations of the experience of consciousness and the adventure of the human condition.
Zara Bode is a musician, composer, and voice actor who has lovingly called Brattleboro her home for the last decade. She is best known for her work with retro honky tonk band The Sweetback Sisters, but can more recently be found herding her children, finding hilarity in dark times, singing for local events, and creating radio jingles from her home studio here in Vermont.
“I am honored to be a part of this project and partnered with so many deeply kind and creative individuals. I’m sincerely grateful to them all for helping this city girl feel right at home in the country, and fulfilling that role for so many others throughout our community.”
“Double Back” (Ode to Boomerang)
Loretta & Matt have welcomed me into their shop with open arms more times than I can remember, offering both friendship and fashion hub for me and my costume closet. Knowing Loretta’s love of tap dance, I had to throw in a little soft-shoe for her.
“Take Care”
Jonas and I went to college together way back when, and was one of the first Vermonters I ever met. Who knew someday we’d be living in the same tiny town. His music and art are so wild and heartfelt, that I knew I needed to break out the distortion pedals for this one. The lyrics are: “Heavenly, it would be heavenly. If you and I could sleep at night and be where we wanted to be. Snuggled up warm and fed, money in the bank and a big soft bed, but until then, please, take care.”
“Like Christmas”
(excerpt from the film The Bearded Lady Project: Challenging the Face of Science)
I wrote this theme and recorded it at Guilford Sounds back in 2017 for a documentary on women working in paleontology and earth sciences. It was a fascinating film, and my first foray into scoring. Only a small portion of it ended up in the final cut, but to have a director commission my work and trust my taste and vision was a true honor, and I still consider it one of my greatest accomplishments. I’d like to dedicate this tune to The Groundworks who are a pillar of support in our small town, and sees to it that our community does more than just survive, but aspires to thrive. I want us all to have what we need.
basic needs met with dignity
Groundworks Collaborative provides ongoing support to families and individuals facing food and housing insecurities in the greater Brattleboro area. We envision a community in which every person has their basic needs met, including a safe and dignified place to call home.
We are an eclectic collective of 31 artists, working in a variety of mediums including paint, glass, clay, iron, cloth and wool. Our gallery is located at 49 Elliot Street, in lovely downtown Brattleboro, Vermont. We invite you to come see our work, and meet our artist members who work in and run the gallery! We hope you enjoy browsing our artist’s statements on this page, and our work on our individual pages, and look forward to meeting you in person at our Gallery!
