The Resolutions Project
We’ve had the good fortune of spending time with some talented people as of late. People who live in Vermont and do extraordinary things. We ask them about their background, their work, their communities, and we always end with the same question: what is your resolution for 2020? This opportunity to learn and be inspired by someone else’s life and commitments, well, that’s been a gift. And it’s given us pause to reflect on our own. So, if you were wondering:
“State14’s Resolution for 2020:
To play more. To connect with our community. To celebrate and share the stories of changemakers who stand for a just, healthy, and beautiful world. ”
How It Started
Back in October of 2019, we received an email from Alex Lalli, owner/director of Signal Kitchen. Together with Burlington City Arts, Signal Kitchen spearheads Highlight, Burlington’s new-ish citywide New Year’s Eve event, now going into its third year. At its core, Highlight is a collaboration of and for the Vermont community. It incorporates crowdsourced ideas for events, along with workshops, parties and performances going around the clock on New Year’s Eve involving local artists, musicians, chefs, entrepreneurs, and countless businesses. Needless to say, producing an event of this scope is a massive undertaking. December 31st has come and gone so there’s no spoiler alert here—Highlight 2019 was a huge success.
When Alex asked if State14 would help produce the Resolutions Project, a series of interviews and portraits co-sponsored by Hello Burlington that would profile influential Highlight partners, the answer was immediately, “Yes, please.”
Below you will find images and excerpts from the first three Q+A’s with links to the full interviews in Highlight’s journal. We hope you enjoy these conversations as much as we did.
DWIGHT & NICOLE
Musicians
Do you feel like your community in Vermont is different than communities you’ve been a part of elsewhere?
Nicole: Yeah, very much so. It’s like family. It feels like soul-family. I always liken it to a flock of birds that are joining in and finding a formation together. It seems random. It’s obviously not random as far as the way that things actually work. Like attracts like. So we kind of come together and we love each other, even pains-in-the-asses and we’re like mm you make me crazy but I will do anything for you.
Click here to link to the full interview with the soulful duo, Dwight & Nicole.
BENJY ADLER
Founder of The Skinny Pancake
What’s been the best part of this last year for you and your work community?
Tough question. I think we’ve had a really positive year of morale at The Skinny Pancake, at least on a leadership and administrative level. The anticipation around our growth and the impact it has is very energizing. Because most of us in the leadership here are really driven by the mission. The mission is endless.
The thought that we’re really grabbing the bull by the horns in terms of using this capitalist mechanism to effect positive change, and not just doing it locally, and preaching to the choir in a way that’s patting ourselves on the back . . . it’s good. It’s good that we’re doing it. Taking that fight to the front lines, and pushing out into New England, that has been, for me, very inspiring.
Click here to link to the full interview with Benjy.
GUTHRIE GALILEO
Performer, producer, chef, and creator of Nightshade Kitchen
What’s your resolution for 2020?
It’s just to keep growing, keep doing more. I definitely want to continue establishing Nightshade Kitchen in one place. You know, where people can continue to know us for what we do and come out to our events, just with the expectation that it’s going to be good.
Vermont is a place that people have always gravitated towards, that’s kind of like an abode for the arts and for sustainability, sustainable thinking, and agriculture. There are people who are makers, artists, and appreciators of all different ages, like-minded people, living in different pockets of Vermont. And it’s been really cool to gain the attention of those people and bring them to our shows. And I want to continue doing that. Definitely.
Click here to link to the full interview with Guthrie.
Resolutions are meant to be carried into the year, and we are determined to stay on track with ours. Stay tuned for more inspiration from some of Vermont’s brightest and best.
