Руководитель галереи The Current в Вермонте уходит в отставку после 15 лет работы

When Rachel Moore, executive director of The Current art gallery, came to Vermont with her husband, a Stowe native, she figured she’d give the venture three years, tops. That was 15 years ago. Now, Moore is preparing to pass the baton. She will officially be stepping down from the role by the end of the year. “I don’t know,” she said, looking around a quiet corner of the gallery last week. Video installations currently on display from New York-based artist Miles Greenberg, looped in the background. “It’s really special.” Before Moore came to the area, she had been working in Thessaloniki, Greece, on a Fulbright fellowship. When she finished, she and her family had plans to go back to Illinois where she had planned to teach at the Art Institute of Chicago and run a gallery at Columbia College. “Then my husband, who’s from Stowe, was like, ‘What if we try living in Vermont for a little bit?’” she said. The couple and their one-year-old child took the leap. Almost immediately after, she was introduced to Nathan Suter, the gallery’s former executive director. He hired her as an independent curator and later on staff in 2011 as the assistant director and chief curator. When Suter made the announcement that he was stepping back from his role in 2016, Moore was promoted — despite thinking her time at the gallery was over. She had to see the transition through, though, she said. At the time of her hiring for the top role, Jay Ericson, board chairman at the time, said Moore was “instrumental in advancing the organization’s brand as a contemporary art destination whose programming — exhibitions, education and public programs — are distinguished for their quality and ambition.” The words still ring true, according to The Current board chair Courtney Percy. “There’s definitely some sadness with having such an amazing person leave us, but at the same time, we are carrying on this path that that she has built and that previous boards have built, and so we’re feeling very positive,” Percy said. A shift in the center’s mission started around the same time that Moore was curator, but she said two of her largest focuses over the years have been the educational programming that comes along with the mission of the art center. That ranges from bringing the community in through public programming to help inform about the topics on display, or education for students. “Those two things became really important, like bringing kids in and working with the artists that we show, which was something that we developed over the last maybe 10 years, but especially five years,” she said. Stowe sculptor Chris Curtis noted the expanded scope of the organization under Moore’s tenure, particularly as it pertains to outreach. He added she’s mounted shows that, at times, depict the disturbing, troubling and moving realities of the world around us. “Overall, the outreach and the quality of the work that she’s been able to attract to, basically, a little small-town gallery has been really impressive,” Curtis said. Around 2020, the art center underwent a rebranding and changed its name from the Helen Day Art Center, which had for decades been named after a woman with alleged antisemitic ties. The Current, she said, was a name that reflected the space as welcoming of everyone. “We felt more mission driven as a board to kind of present things on like social justice and climate justice and racial justice,” Moore said. She pointed to one of her favorite shows, “Unrest: Art, Activism, and Revolution,” which brought all of these components together, particularly as it pertained to bringing youth into the process. “It was the first show where I had worked with teachers in local schools,” she said. “I put together a curriculum where these different topics fit into, and they brought it back to their class. They taught you this little piece on activism, and then brought all the kids in.” Most of those kiddos hadn’t ever seen an exhibition in an art gallery before, she said. Aside from expanding the national recognition and curatorial prowess of the gallery, the organization itself grew. When Moore first started, there were four people on staff, and only one full-time. Now, there’s regularly six full-time employees and four part-time. Aside from that, connections within the community are particularly strong and the organization is currently embarking on an endowment campaign. The foundation is set up for success in both the long and short term, Moore said, adding that that ultimately added to her decision to step down. The board plans to hire two separate positions for a curator and executive director. “She has just been able to do amazing things. However, we’re growing and it’s hard to do both,” Percy said regarding the split in the positions. “It makes sense at this point.” Moore, also an accomplished artist, said she is looking forward to something that has an impact and “creates meaning in the world,” somewhere between the intersectionality of art and community. “It’s time for the next chapter,” she said.