The Big Red Barn at Lareau Farm and Forest in Waitsfield is known to most people as a venue for holding outstanding art shows from May to October, but the barn went through numerous permutations before becoming a gallery. Established in 1794, the Lareau Farm is among the oldest in the Mad River Valley. The original 30-by-42-foot barn was lengthened to 100 feet in the 1890s to accommodate the growing economy of dairy farming eventually housing both cows and horses.
George Schenk purchased the farm and barn in 2001 to meet the needs of his expanding American Flatbread business; however, the major portion of the barn sat empty and unused. When the local art show needed a new home, Schenk offered the use of the barn as a gallery.
"There's a natural synergy between Flatbread and the gallery," said Schenk. Problem was, the roof leaked, the frame was rotting and the foundation was no longer square. In 2016 the barn was raised from its old foundation, a new foundation was formed, the floors were leveled and a new roof capped the structure.
In 2002, after the fifth annual art exhibit at Warren Town Hall, the art show committee was told the town planned to move the library into the old Town Hall and the show needed to vacate. “A conversation with George Schenk, now the owner of Lareau Farm, led to a lasting and beautifully symbiotic relationship and the “Big Red Barn” became home to the art show. The relationship continues to this day,” said Valley Artists Guild spokesperson Gary Eckhart.
in 2023 the Big Red Barn Art Show celebrates 25 years of bringing art to the Mad River Valley and, just as the barn went through an evolution over the years, so has the show itself. Originally started as a “paintings-only show,” fine art prints such as etchings, art ceramics and pottery, sculpture and glass are now part of the exhibition. More changes are planned for 2023.
The Big Red Barn Art Show, sponsored by the Valley Artists Guild, opens July 27, and runs through September 3. Hours are Thursday and Friday from 4 to 9 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from noon to 9 p.m. The Red Barn is located at Lareau Farm and Forest on Route 100 in Waitsfield.
