Immersive Summer Gatherings
FILM/TALK/FOOD
In collaboration with the Architecture & Design Film Festival
RESTORATION
FILM: Frank Gehry: Building Justice
TALK: Theresa Betancourt - Shadows into Light: A generation of child soldiers comes of age
GALLERY OPENING: MY PLACE Photography Workshop | Project’s Space Gallery
FOOD: Wood-fired pizza in the garden with chef PJ Lauriello
Part of BigTown Gallery’s 25th Anniversary Programming
Join us for a powerful evening of film, conversation, and shared food as part of our Community Building series. This program centers on Restoration—exploring how architecture, research, and storytelling can help repair broken systems, restore justice, and return dignity to those too often marginalized.
Together, we’ll reflect on how vision and action—led by individuals—can create deep and lasting change.
PURCHASE TICKETS HERE
Minimum ticket price is $50. This is a fundraiser for our 25th Year of Community Programming — if you can pay more (as much as $200), we would greatly appreciate your generous support.
Thank you!
Bring your curiosity. Leave inspired!
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FILM | 3:30 PM
Frank Gehry: Building Justice
Directed by Ultan Guilfoyle
2017 | 70 minutes | US | English
“What if people changed their ways and started treating people like human beings? What would it be like? What would prisons look like?”
In this revealing documentary, legendary architect Frank Gehry joins architecture students from SCI-Arc and Yale to reimagine incarceration through the lens of design, justice, and human dignity. Traveling to prisons in the U.S. and Norway, they learn from those most impacted—incarcerated and formerly incarcerated individuals—and examine the often-overlooked role prison architecture plays in rehabilitation and reform.
With support from the Art for Justice Fund and Open Society Foundations, this initiative grew from a call to action by philanthropist George Soros, aiming to plant seeds of reform in a new generation of designers.
“A compelling exploration of design as both mirror and catalyst for justice.”
— Ultan Guilfoyle, Director
Q&A to follow with director Ultan Guilfoyle
TALK | 5:00 PM
Dr. Theresa Betancourt
Join us for an engaging discussion with Dr. Theresa S. Betancourt, author of the newly released Shadows into Light: A Generation of Former Child Soldiers Comes of Age. In this conversation, Dr. Betancourt will share insights from her 22-year-long research on the intergenerational impacts of war-affected youth in Sierra Leone. Her study reveals a remarkable story of resilience, as former child soldiers navigate their personal journeys in the aftermath of the civil war. Through vivid personal stories, Shadows into Light offers a profound look into the deep psychological and developmental effects of war and violence, while also expanding our understanding of resilience in the aftermath of conflict. Building on these insights, Dr. Betancourt explores how service-strengthening initiatives can leverage naturally occurring sources of strength and how culturally informed interventions can support the healing of children exposed to war-related separation and violence.
Theresa S. Betancourt ScD, MA, is the inaugural Salem Professor in Global Practice at the Boston College School of Social Work and Director of the Research Program on Children and Adversity (RPCA). Her work focuses on the psychosocial impact of adversity on children and families, resilience, and mental health services research. She is Principal Investigator of an intergenerational study of war-affected youth in Sierra Leone and leads implementation science research in Rwanda to examine strategies for scaling and sustaining quality in an evidence-based home visiting intervention to promote early childhood development and prevent violence (Sugira Muryango). Using community-based participatory research methods, she has co-developed similar family strengthening interventions for resettling refugee families in the U.S.raising school-age children. Dr. Betancourt has also served as an advisor for UNICEF, the International Rescue Committee, Amnesty International, the US Institute of Peace, and the World Health Organization, and served as an expert of the International Criminal Court. Dr. Betancourt’s new book, Shadows into Light: A Generation of Former Child Soldiers Comes of Age, was released January 2025 by Harvard University Press.
GALLERY OPENING | 6:00 PM
MY PLACE Photography Workshop
Participant Opening Reception in The Projects Space 6 PM
Celebrating the voices and visions of workshop participants—reflecting on place and belonging.
FOOD | 6:00 PM
Wood-Fired Pizza by Chef PJ Lauriello
Gather at the gallery for a warm community meal fresh from our outdoor oven, featuring extraordinary seasonal pizzas and good company. Featuring Foley Brothers Brewing (Beer and wine available for purchase on site)
Enjoy great food, lively discussion, and community spirit—keep building your community
EVENT INFORMATION
Parking: Rochester High School
Film: Rochester High School
Talk: BigTown Gallery
Food & Dialogue: BigTown Gallery - 99 North Main Street, Rochester VT
Want to give more?
Tax-deductible donations can be made to:
BigTown Projects, Inc. – a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit