Big Picture Theater, 44 Carroll Road, Waitsfield, 05673: Still We Rise: An Immersive Art Instillation Celebrating of Joy, Light, and Community Resilience

Friday, October 16th – Sunday, October 18th Ten years after the loss of their daughters, two longtime Mad River Valley friends are coming together to create an immersive experience honoring love, community, resilience, and the enduring search for joy. About the event Still We Rise: An Immersive Celebration of Joy, Light, and Community Resilience Liz Harris and Erin Chase grew up in the Mad River Valley and became friends in middle school.

Their daughters, Mary and Janie, formed a friendship of their own from the moment they met as babies, becoming forever friends. Ten years ago, Mary and Janie, along with three other local teenagers, were tragically killed on Interstate 89.

In the years since, the Mad River Valley community has continued to experience profound loss while repeatedly demonstrating an extraordinary capacity to come together, support one another, and carry each other through difficult times. Still We Rise is Liz and Erin’s response to that journey.

Rather than creating an event centered solely on loss, they have chosen to celebrate the people, relationships, creativity, and acts of kindness that help communities heal. The experience is an invitation to remember those who are no longer here while also embracing the joy that remains. “We want to honor the people who carried us through some of the hardest moments of our lives,” say Liz and Erin. “Our communities have shown us again and again what resilience looks like.

We want to encourage people to seek joy, even in the midst of difficult times, and to remember that joy and grief can exist together.” The inspiration for Still We Rise comes from Liz and Erin’s discovery of healing through creativity and the Mad River Valley’s long history of neighbors showing up for one another. From the community response following Tropical Storm Irene to the support surrounding families experiencing devastating losses, the Valley and their extended communities have repeatedly demonstrated the power of collective care and resilience.

Together with contributing artists and volunteers, Liz and Erin are transforming that message into an immersive work of art. Visitors will enter a mystical, larger-than-life environment filled with luminescence, multimedia art, color, and abstract light.

The experience is designed to encourage exploration, wonder, connection, and above all, joy. Still We Rise is not simply an art installation.

It is an expression of gratitude to the communities that have carried its members through unimaginable circumstances and a reminder that, even after profound loss, there can still be beauty, connection, creativity, and light. The experience invites visitors of all ages to pause, explore, feel, and find their own moment of wonder.

Still We Rise October 16-18th 2026 Outside at The Big Picture Theater Waitsfield, Vermont The event is being created by Liz Harris and Erin Chase with the support of contributing artists and community volunteers. Come experience multimedia art inspired by joy and light—and celebrate the resilience, love, and spirit of our communities.