02/10/2026
Help "Stack the Harrows"!
Plans are underway to breathe new life into the Ferrisburgh Town Center with the installation of a public art sculpture on the Town Green honoring the community’s rich farming heritage while incorporating reclaimed harrows discs donated by members of the community.
For many years, the Town Green has been an underutilized community space. Ongoing efforts to revitalize the Village Center are aiming to change that. The restoration of the historic Union Meeting Hall, the formation of the Town Center Committee, funding secured for sidewalks and a crosswalk, and Ferrisburgh’s designation as a “Village Center” have all helped to advance these revitalization efforts.
To further support the work in the Town Center, the Friends of Ferrisburgh began efforts to design and install an art sculpture on the Town Green. With support from a $4,000 Vermont Arts Council Animating Infrastructure Design Grant in 2024, the organization partnered with local artists to gather community feedback to shape the final concept. The resulting design celebrates Ferrisburgh’s deep agricultural roots.
According to artist Elliott Katz “Ferrisburgh is a strong agricultural community and its unique landscape defines its sense of place. This public sculpture draws from that setting by using reclaimed disc harrows. Once practical tools for turning soil, they now serve as reminders of the people who tilled the land by hand and depended on it for their livelihood while honoring the generations of labor, resilience, and care for the landscape that continues to shape the town.”
Visible from both Route 7 and Middlebrook Road, the piece is intended to catch the attention of passersby and invite them to pause, explore, and connect with the community. “We see this sculpture as a way to further activate and strengthen the Town Center,” Katz added.
Earlier in the year, the Friends of Ferrisburgh launched their “Stack the Harrows” fundraising campaign. As the organization prepares to apply for additional grant funding in early spring, community members are invited to support the project in a meaningful and lasting way. According to Friends of Ferrisburgh Board members Ashley LaFlam and Lindsey Brown “Donors have the option to not only support art and community, but to also forever be part of this amazing project by purchasing an engraved harrow disc”.
Donors may purchase an engraved harrow disc to honor or memorialize a person, place, business or cause with all proceeds supporting the fabrication and installation of the art sculpture in the near future. “We are so excited to be a part of such a unique project,” said LaFlam. “It will not only raise awareness of revitalization efforts in the Town Center, but also help put Ferrisburgh on the map”.
For full project details, visit https://visitferrisburghvt.com/stack-the-harrows or email [email protected].
