| Vaillancourt Folk Art |
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Have you ever stumbled upon something quite by accident, and then that something turns out to be the best part of your day? Vaillancourt Folk Art was one of those very happy accidents, a beautiful detour that we believe was meant to be.
When Beverly and I took our trip to Massachusetts for the Brimfield Antique Show (another story for another time), we wanted to squeeze as much out of the adventure as possible, so we planned a few little side stops here and there along the way. On the trip up, we stopped at a pottery studio that we were so excited about—only to find it closed when we arrived. Major bummer, but we didn’t let it dampen our spirits (okay, maybe we whined—but only a little). On the way home, we were still riding the thrill of our antiques haul and weren’t quite ready to see the end of our trip; so, we ended up taking a more scenic route to stretch it out a little more. We were remarking at how the homes and buildings we were passing were just so full of character, and as we passed a beautiful stone mill from the 1800s, we made a lightning decision to pull in and explore. It’s what we like to think of as one of the best decisions we have made.  When we entered the building, we found to our surprise that it was the Vaillancourt Folk Art Studio, Gallery, and Museum. We had discussed making this visit when we were planning our trip, but their web page reported that all the tours were booked, so we put it down on the “oh well, maybe next time” list. But much to our delight, we were greeted by Bette Keene, who, despite our unannounced arrival and lack of appointment, was the most gracious tour guide, and gave us an all-access, VIP tour. We felt like rock stars, only much less cool.
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Not one to sit on her hands, Judi began to look around for something else to make after she had exhausted every which way of making chocolate. She ultimately ended up with chalkware, and now has one of the largest collections of vintage moulds in the world—over 3,000. They come from all over the world, with some dating back to the 18th century. Many of the moulds were originally used for ice cream, and some of the larger moulds were used for window displays at chocolate shops. In her collection, Judi has some moulds from Riecke & Co (Holland), Anton Reiche (Germany), Sommet (France), and T.C. Weygandt (New York). These moulds are the basis for each hand-painted variation of Santas, Father Christmas, Belsnickles, and other non-Christmas figurines. To prevent wear and tear, many of the antique moulds have been recreated in latex, though Judi has created some new moulds, mostly designed for specific customers and events. Once chalkware is poured into a mould and the process begins, a few days will pass before its total completion; the unmoulded piece must dry, be painted and glazed, then sealed and finished. Once they are totally complete, each piece is hand signed and numbered. Judi uses both historical and contemporary inspiration in all her designs, but she is not some wizard behind a curtain who meters out commands; she designs and hand paints each piece from her studio. Her creativity could circle the world and back. 
One of the most popular pieces is the annual Starlight Santa, which is only produced for one year, then retired on Christmas Eve. A portion of the proceeds is donated to the Starlight Starbright Children’s Foundation, and it’s easy to see why these adorably artistic pieces are clamored for every year. Try and resist one; we dare you. The company is still family-owned and operated, with Gary handling retail and wholesale operation and their son, Luke, in charge of digital marketing and eCommerce. Every piece is 100% American-made, a fact of which the Vaillancourt family is most proud. Whether you make a planned road trip, or you happily (and maybe even accidentally) stumble upon Vaillancourt, please, push open that door and go see these beautiful, one-of-kind pieces of art; you certainly won’t be disappointed. Hopefully, you’ll even be tempted to start a collection—and a tradition—of your own. 
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