Arion Press Books Exhibition Opens at Robert Frost Stone House Museum
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BENNINGTON, Vt. — The Robert Frost Stone House Museum will present the exhibition "Gold Dusted: The Artistry of Arion Press Books" from May 8 to Oct. 31, 2025.
The exhibition will feature a collection of fine edition artist books from Arion Press, a San Francisco-based publisher that collaborates with contemporary artists and bookmakers to reimagine literary classics. Each book has an edition of 250 copies.
Erin McKenny, Director of the Robert Frost Stone House Museum, noted Robert Frost's appreciation for compatible illustrations in his poetry volumes, citing his long collaboration with artist J.J. Lankes.
The books are on loan from the Crossett Library at Bennington College. Oceana Wilson, Dean of Library at Bennington College, emphasized the opportunity for visitors to interact directly with the collection. The collection was donated to Crossett Library by Cameo Wood ’21.
Sixteen Arion Press artist books will be displayed, including Patti Smith's "Woolgathering" with artwork by Christian Marclay, Zora Neale Hurston's "Their Eyes Were Watching God" with artwork by Kenturah Davis, Kurt Vonnegut's "Slaughterhouse-Five" with artwork by Vincent Valdez, Octavia E. Butler's "Kindred" with artwork by Alison Saar, and Shirley Jackson's "The Sundial" with artwork by Miles Hyman.
The exhibition will also feature a new interpretation of Aesop’s Fables, created to commemorate Arion's 50th anniversary in 2024. This edition includes modern morals by Daniel Handler (Lemony Snicket) and artwork by Sandow Birk, María Magdalena Campos-Pons, Enrique Chagoya, Kenturah Davis, Marcel Dzama, Natalie Frank, Tim Hawkinson, Audrey Niffenegger, Barry Moser, Michele Oka Doner, Alison Saar, Joel Shapiro, Vincent Valdez, Richard Wagener, and Kara Walker. The edition is presented in a sculptural box by Kiki Smith.
The opening reception for the exhibition will take place on Thursday, May 8, from 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at the Robert Frost Stone House Museum in Shaftsbury, VT. Representatives from Arion Press, Ted Gioia and Caitlin Kirkpatrick, will be present.
The museum will be open on weekends in May from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Starting June 1, the museum will be open five days a week, Thursday through Monday, from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Admission is $10 for adults, $6 for seniors and students, $5 for those under 18, and free for children under 10. The opening reception is free.
