our history

Artisans Hand was founded in December of 1978, when a group of young craftspeople (including Terry Allen, Mary Azarian, Jennifer Boyer, Martha Fitch, Kileh Friedman, Rob Greene, Dana Hunt, Paul Kelton, Georgia Landau, Steve Noyes, Liisa Reid, Janet Ressler, Lisa Roman, Susan Stein, Linda Stoltzman, and Fred Varney) decided to open a temporary gallery in a slightly dilapidated storefront on Langdon Street in Montpelier. They wanted to sell their wares and to have more control over the display, pricing, and marketing of their products.

This pop-up gallery was such a success that it was decided to make it a permanent fixture in Montpelier.

The original members were joined in subsequent years by Bill Butler, Leslie Koehler, Maggie Neale, Lochlin Smith, Lucinda Rochester Smith, and Connie Hare.

Bill recalls:

"We discussed which form of incorporation we should choose, what should our mission statement say, should we get a lawyer, who’s gonna do the books? Percentages, work schedules...we all chipped in our old displays, some dug out of the snow. We all put our names on the line, and formed Artisans Hand, a not-for-profit cooperative."

The gallery subsequently moved to State Street. Then, after a huge downtown flood in the early 1990’s, it found its current home (on higher ground!) at City Center on Main Street. 

The gallery now exhibits the work of over 130 talented craftspeople and it has been in business for over 40 years. Media represented include clay, jewelry, fiber art, glass, metal, stone, wood, photography, prints and more. 

Initially, the gallery was a true cooperative. Along with creating their own work, the artists clerked in the gallery, displayed the crafts, did the promotion, marketing, maintenance, cleaning and anything else that needed to be done. Over the years, the structure changed. Now all major decisions are made by a five-member board of directors.

Paid staff includes 2 gallery managers, a promotions manager, sales staff, and a bookkeeper. Of the paid staff members, several have been with the gallery for over a decade, and all are well-versed in the world of craft – passionately educating the public about the individual artists, their work, and the value of handmade work. 

our mission

Artisans Hand’s mission is to promote and sell high quality crafts and art, handmade by Vermonters through the operation of an exceptional retail gallery. We seek to provide a friendly, dynamic working environment in which the sales staff, management, directors, and exhibitors share pride in the gallery and work productively together to maximize sales and customer satisfaction.

We wish to be known for: our attentive, informed staff; the great quality and selection of our products; our lively and dynamic displays; our contribution to making Montpelier a great place; and our happy, satisfied customers. And last, but not least, we seek to enjoy the benefits of professional support and social contact with one another.