EveNSteve is excited to announce the opening of their newest outdoor exhibition, An Echo of Affection, which takes as its subject the covered bridges of Vermont and the stories we tell about them.

The exhibit is at the Hayfield Art Gallery at 671 River Road in Pawlet, Vermont, which is open dawn till dusk, free and open to the public. Works may be viewed by driving by or by walking the mown trail through the field. A response to the isolation demands of the pandemic, the Hayfield Art Gallery is the creation of EveNSteve, the husband and wife team of author Eve O. Schaub and artist Stephen Schaub.

“We wanted to focus on covered bridges in these new artworks,” says artist Stephen Schaub, “because they are special places; they are an unusual hybrid of indoors and out. They have a particular feeling to them, almost like a sacred space. And they represent transition: the moving from one stage to another. Which is very fitting, I think, for this moment in time.”

The artworks feature monumental photographs, “in-camera colleges on film” as Schaub terms them, coupled with brightly colored, hand-painted text which floats in and around the imagery. The photographs are mounted on large placards in the field so as to hold up to the elements and be visible from a distance.

Also part of the exhibition, the Schaubs have installed what they call “the smallest covered bridge in the world,” which sits mid-exhibition and features information about the exhibit, as well as a shady spot to pause.

“We hope everyone will come out to see the exhibit whether just driving by, stopping for a walk, or bringing a picnic to enjoy the artwork and the landscape by the side of the beautiful Mettawee River,” says Eve Schaub.

It was in May of 2020 EveNSteve installed their first hayfield artwork entitled “My Heart is Very Big” on the land across the street from their home and art studio, as “a gift to our friends, neighbors, and community.” Over time the installation grew to encompass five monumental outdoor artworks in the field.

“What began as a temporary solution to reach viewers during quarantine has evolved,” Eve Schaub explains. “Now it is an exciting and creative way to reach new audiences. It brings our art out of the gallery and into everyday life.”

The Hayfield Art Gallery has been the subject of news stories on NBC Boston News 10, New England Cable News, WTEN Albany ABC, and WCAX Burlington CBS, as well as articles in Seven Days, the Rutland Herald, and the Times Argus.

EveNSteve’s outdoor art gallery is free and open to the public, open dawn till dusk; it is located at 671 River Road in Pawlet Vermont. An Echo of Affection will be on display until Spring of 2023. For more information call 802-287-0287.