Clemmons Family Farm

Our work is to strengthen the capacity of Vermont's artists who have special expertise in the arts and cultures of the African diaspora through networking, professional development, visibility and paid opportunities. We also advocate for Vermont schools, communities and organizations to provide equitable compensation that empowers these artists to thrive in Vermont's creative economy. This is a growing, state-wide network of artists.

An arts-integrated K-12 learning program about African-American history and culture. The program includes topic overviews, curated resources, tools for teaching, downloadabe handouts and coloring pages, power point presentations, pre-recorded arts engagements, and live-streamed arts engagements led by our Vermont teaching artists of African descent.

The program uses our signature "LEARN-COMMUNE-CREATE" approach that centers core learning standards of identity, empathy, justice and action within safe, brave and creative spaces to bring the whole history of the African-American experience, which includes history not typically taught in K-12 public schools, focuses on not only the painful past but also the achievements, links lessons from history to contemporary issues, and builds the understanding of and appreciation for the life skills of resillience, resistance and joy.

Trained artists facilitate storytelling sessions with providers of COVID 19 vaccinations and Black Vermonters to learn about their vaccination experiences. The storytelling is integrated with creative visual and performing arts using semi-structured protocols and prompts to elicit the sharing of experiences. The stories are audio-recorded and analyzed to generate lessons learned and recommendations to help the Vermont Department of Health improve its health services for Black Vermonters and, as needed, its training and support to vaccination providers. The stories will also be shared with the general public, maintaining the anonymity of the storyteller participants.

This program provides free wellness arts sessions led by Clemmons Family Farm's collaborating artists who are members of the Vermont African-American and African Diaspora Artists Network. The sessions are delivered over Zoom with the goal of building, health, wellness, healing community and creativity to Vermonters around the state through the arts.

Stewardship of a 60-acre Clayplain forest and wetlands that are under a Vermont Forest Management Plan that includes invasives management, and registered with the American Tree Farm System. Stewardship of ~60 acres of prime agricultural land enrolled in Vermont's Curreunt Use Program (CUP) that produces two annual crops of organic hay, plus wheat, soy, corn, pinto beans and black beans on a rotational basis. Stewardship of an African diaspora culinary heritage hoop house garden for food crops tied to the Clemmons Family Farm's culinary arts programs (cooking classes, cooking demonstrations, tastings, catered meetings and events at the farm,and pop-up food and beverage events).

Clemmons Family Farm (CFF), in partnership with the University of Vermont's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, is piloting the African Diaspora Foodways Institute of Vermont (ADFI-VT). In the first year of the pilot, up to twelve Vermont-based African diaspora foodways entrepreneurs (culinary artists and farmers) will receive professional development, create business plans, and use the historic Clemmons Farm as a business incubator. This initiative will support these entrepreneurs to grow their African diaspora foodways businesses and will also serve as a pilot to diversify Vermont’s food and tourism sectors.