Seven Stars Arts Center. All photos © Erica Houskeeper
The Seven Stars Arts Center is one of those rare places that blends history, community, reinvention, and a touch of quirkiness.
The building began as a Baptist church, later became a grange hall, then a garage, and eventually a healing arts center. Now it’s an education and performing arts venue run by volunteers.
Located a few doors from the Sharon Post Office on Route 14, it still resembles an old church,but the steeple and an exterior clock from its earlier days are long gone. Instead, the top of the building is flat and musical notes are etched in the framed circle that once told you the time.
The center gets its name from a 1990s creation: On the yellow front doors are two stained-glass windows hand-painted with seven stars. Yet despite its whimsical exterior, the inside is where the magic happens.
“There’s a great extended community that like to come to Seven Stars. They love the hall, and they love the music,” says Anne Mapplebeck of Sharon, a visual artist who, with her husband, Michael Barsanti, helps anchor the corps of volunteers that keeps Seven Stars going.
Sweet sounds
The affection for Seven Stars was evident on a snowy night in March, when more than 100 people gathered at the hall for a St. Patrick’s Day concert.
Musicians Jim Rooney, Colin McCaffrey, Patti Casey, Geordie Lynd, and the trio Footworks performed Irish songs about love, joy, memories, and loss. Fiddles, flutes, and guitars sparked a festive mood as the audience clapped, laughed, and drank beer. A patron or two even kicked off their boots to jig in wool socks.
Jim Rooney performs at the St. Paddy’s Day concert.
Rooney, a key figure in the folk revival of the 1960s, lives in Sharon. Whenever he performs at the center, he attracts a big crowd. “Jim is a musician, record producer, and engineer. He's in his 80s and still going and loves everything about music,” Mapplebeck says. “He loves to just make all this music happen and be here on stage.”
Concerts move outdoors to Rooney’s Star Mountain Farm in Sharon during the summer. In the colder months, monthly shows return indoors to the arts center.
Space and sound
With 16-foot ceilings, large windows, wood floors, and a stage with old painted curtains, the hall feels like classic Vermont. Its standout acoustics come from donated four-by-eight panels mounted on the venue’s ceilings and walls.
Musicians Patti Casey and Geordie Lynn perform.
“Any musician who’s played here will tell you how much they love the sound in the room. The audience always comments on it, too,” says Barsanti, who chairs the arts center board of directors.
At the St. Patrick’s Day concert, Barsanti sat behind the audience, blissfully monitoring sound using an iPad with a wireless mixer.
Michael Barsanti manages the sound from his iPad during a concert at Seven Stars.
“I should have been a sound engineer, but that’s another story,” jokes Barsanti, who recently retired from teaching at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston.
A love for each other and the arts
For years, Barsanti and Mapplebeck sang in a local cover band called Still More Cats, named after a town road and their love of felines. For seven years, the band played classic rock, pop, and folk, covering artists from Bob Dylan to The Talking Heads. They performed at places like Seven Stars.
“Anne, in my opinion, has a fabulous voice. And I think I'm not alone,” Barsanti says. “I just felt like she needed to sing and perform so people could hear her. So, we put the band together and it was a good stretch. It was fun.”
Michael Barsanti and Anne Mapplebeck in front of the stage before a concert at Seven Stars. The couple are long-time volunteers there, and Michael chairs the organization’s board.
But as they became busy with other things, the band decided to stop performing. At the same time, the couple was taking on more work at Seven Stars, so their focus shifted from playing music to helping the arts center.
Today, the couple’s equipment—speakers, microphones, and amps—stands on the stage for other performers to use at concerts.
This is just one way they show their dedication. The couple, and other board members, oversee volunteers, events, classes, finances, and building repairs.
Mike Zwikelmaier, A.J.Zwikelmaier, and Tom Cain chat before a concert.
“Anne and Michael have taken Seven Stars to an entirely different level,” says volunteer Becky Bailey of Strafford. “They both know music. Michael knows how to manage sound, and Anne is an amazing organizer, project manager, and systems person.”
A way forward
Experiencing Seven Stars in person is the best way to understand its atmosphere, music, and enduring sense of community. Those qualities linger long after you visit.
Behind the scenes, Seven Stars stays afloat from ticket sales, grants, and a small group of dedicated volunteers and board members. But with a tight budget, it’s challenging to add more programs or take on bigger projects.
Ben Linehanof Brocklebank Craft Brewing serves a customer at a Seven Stars concert.
The reality is that getting the next generation involved is key to Seven Stars’ future.
“We know so much about this place. If something were to happen to us tomorrow, there would be a serious problem,” Mapplebeck says, half-joking.
More than anything, the couple wants to share what they know, make sure the center’s legacy lasts, and keep Seven Stars’ creative spirit alive for future generations.
“It feels like a lot of wonderful things have happened here,” Barsanti says. “This place is warm and welcoming. And I hope we can find the next generation of people who want to come in and make Seven Stars their own.”
There are plenty of additional historic details, plus Erica’s interview with Mapplebeck and Barsanti, on her Happy Vermont podcast.
Find upcoming concerts, classes, and workshops at www.sevenstarsarts.org.
Erica Houskeeper is a freelance writer and photographer who lives in Burlington, Vermont. She publishes Happy Vermont, a website, newsletter, and podcast about exploring the Green Mountain State.
