Vision & Voice Gallery Director on "The Story Matters"

Vermont Folklife Center Vision & Voice Gallery director and curator, Ned Castle, recently sat down with Len Rowell to discuss the work of the gallery program on The Story Matters, a Middlebury Community Television show where Len invites guests from all walks of life to share stories and personal philosophies of storytelling.

Watch the complete show, below: 

Ned and Len covered a range of topics, including the role of the Vision & Voice Gallery as a platform for storytelling that “makes Vermonters more visible to one another.”  Ned further explained the Center’s approach to conveying stories in a gallery setting. The visitor experience, he said, should be rooted in the exhibition subjects’ lived experiences and displayed in a way that immerses the visitor.   

Ned introduced an exhibition in the works--the photographer Federico Pardo will explore the culture of ice fishing in Vermont through a series of photographs, audio interview excerpts, short films, and 360 degree virtual reality pieces.

Len asked Ned how he got his start as a portrait photographer, and Ned told a story about his time abroad in Italy during college, where he photographed pilgrims holding a vigil in Rome after the death of Pope John Paul II.

 The conversation continued on from there, drifting from how to build community and relationships through storytelling, to the power of music and the importance of traditions and cultural education.  To learn more about the Vision & Voice Gallery, click here.