Begun in the 1920s as an informal artists' group for the exhibition of painting and sculpture, the Southern Vermont Arts Center grew into a leading Vermont institution devoted to performance, exhibition, and studio art. It acquired its current site, the former Gertrude Divine Webster estate, in 1950. By 2000, a music pavilion, studios, and museum had expanded its role in the local and regional community. Hundreds of artists show and perform annually, and thousands attend programs, continuing the traditional search for creativity in the inspiring hills and small villages of southern Vermont.