Suggested Tweet: Seeking inspiration? #VTarts2015 welcomes #artists & #arts enthusiasts to visit #Vermont, where art is everywhere. www.VermontArts2015.com

MONTPELIER, Vt. – This year, Vermont is looking forward as it celebrates a milestone in the arts. The Vermont Arts Council’s new year-long celebration, Vermont Arts 2015, is a way to amplify, celebrate and engage in the state’s arts scene. Why now? Because 2015 marks both the Council’s 50th Anniversary and the State Legislature’s designation of “The Year of the Arts.” But really, it’s the people and places that best tell the story of how immersive the arts are in Vermont. Vermont Arts 2015 is more about growing the arts and arts engagement of today and the future than it is about marking milestones.

To get started, the Council has debuted VermontArts2015.com, bursting with events showcasing the breadth and depth of artisans and festivals thriving in this creative environment.

According to 2012 U.S. Census data, Vermont ranks third in the nation for artists as a percentage of the workforce, second for fine artists and writers, and eighth for musicians and photographers. This massive presence of the arts and artists is undeniably part of what has curated such a creative and welcoming, dance-to-your-own beat culture.

“The state’s arts scene should – and arguably does – have the same allure as our beloved landscape, its beer-cheese-food culture, and its skiing,” Alex Aldrich, Vermont Arts Council executive director said. “But this celebration will not end on December 31. The Council is implementing several initiatives to keep the arts moving forward for the next 50 years.”

In celebration of Vermont Arts 2015, arts supporters and enthusiasts are encouraged to visit and partake. Attend one of Vermont’s world-class music festivals or take a class with the state’s diverse array of artists, from potters to circus performers and weavers to poets. In Vermont, art is not solely found in the studio, museum or on stage; there are artists to meet in unconventional as well as traditional locales: inn and resort retreats, mountaintop workshops, riverside plein air festivals, farmers’ markets, and dozens of off-the-beaten-path galleries and downtown exhibits to visit.

Find more info at VermontArts2015.com and join the conversation on social media, #VTArts2015. Media interested in visiting and sharing news during Vermont Arts 2015 can contact jenbutson@gmail.com.