ART IN YOUR INBOX

In this issue - July 2024

• Learn how your support positively impacted the arts in 2023-2024.
• Share your thoughts on Court Square Theater in this brief survey.
• Get a head start on arts project grant writing; register for an info session!

Arts Council of the Valley (ACV) welcomes five new members to its Board of Directors this month. "These accomplished professionals bring a wealth of experience, expertise, and passion for the arts, enriching ACV’s mission of cultivating the arts, creating experiences, and connecting communities," noted incoming President Maureen Pearson. Beginning their three-year terms are:

• Karen Silveira-Callahan, interior decorator and owner of Joyfull Homes & Co;
• Ingrid DeSanctis, Theatre Coordinator, Associate Professor of Theatre: Playwriting at James Madison University;
• Suzanne Perrine, founder of The Center: A Yoga and Pilates Studio, who holds an undergraduate degree in Art History;
• Valerie Smith, art teacher with Harrisonburg City Public Schools, former owner of Larkin Arts, and a previous member of the ACV Board; and 
• Puck Wade, a community advocate with a background in the technical aspects of theater.

Board officers for 2024-25 are: President Maureen Pearson, Vice President Ruby Hostetler, Past President Paul Riner, Secretary Beth Harter, and Treasurer Austin Sachs. Other returning board members include: Mary Rouse, Katherine Schwartz, Arnita Taliaferro, and Derik Trissel. Members concluding their board service are Jennifer Whitmore (four terms), Wesley Russ (two terms); Ben Lambert and Christopher Michael (each serving one term).

Photo: Final meeting of the 2023-24 board, held June 12, 2024 at Smith House Galleries.

Here's a quick overview of Arts Council of the Valley's 2023-2024 achievements:

Advancing the Arts Grants

ACV awarded a total of $24,013 for 18 projects designed to serve some 3,000 people in Harrisonburg-Rockingham.

Court Square Theater (CST)

Wow! 17466 patrons attended 563 showings of 159 films and live events.

First Fridays of the Valley

Forty venues are participating this calendar year, with an estimated attendance of 11,464 during 2023-24.

Public Art

We've been active behind the scenes on several initiatives, such as the recently installed North End Gateway artwork, the new Release mural honoring the late Dr. Charles Ziegenfus, and the now-in-progress Traffic Cabinet Art Wrap Project.

Smith House Galleries

Fourteen exhibitions featured works by 179 artists, drawing 3,964 in-person visitors from Harrisonburg, Rockingham, other parts of Virginia, 35 other states; and 23 other countries, from A (Argentina, Australia) to Z (Zambia). Online visitation was 35,823, and sales of works by exhibiting artists totaled $29,248.

And Wait - There's More!

Using an Earlynn J. Miller Fund for the Arts grant from The Community Foundation of Harrisonburg and Rockingham County, we offered Day of the Arts, featuring free community arts activities on May 4; a series of free Master Classes in different artistic disciplines; and awarded 30 need-based scholarships for youth to attend Summer Theater Camps at CST this month.

During Best.Weekend.Ever., ACV sponsored the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts Artmobile (more than 900 visitors); as well as chalk art by Robert Mott (rescheduled from a rainy Day of the Arts), with 498 attendees; In addition, Brenda Hounshell's watercolor painting demonstration at Smith House Galleries attracted 113 visitors.

We're also actively partnering on the 2024 Levitt AMP Harrisonburg Concert Series hosted by HDR. It has been a productive (fiscal) year - and we're already working to make the next one even better!

Top photo: Anna Marie Smith's Fall 2023 Arts for Education grant, Sole Stories Workshop Series, provided an introduction to careers in Art and Design for 65 students at Wilbur S. Pence Middle School. Bottom photo: Chalk Artist Robert Mott works on his mariachi musician, as youth artists create their own masterpieces during Best.Weekend.Ever.

Smith House Galleries hosts two oil painting exhibitions this month, with an opening reception July 5 (5-7 pm), during First Fridays of the Valley. Experiences Big and Small features works by Debra Keirce and Art for the Artist’s Sake highlights creations of Trudy L. Cole.



Sponsored by an Anonymous Fund of The Community Foundation of Harrisonburg and Rockingham County, the reception offers a chance to visit with both artists and enjoy light refreshments.

Also available online, the two exhibitions run through July 26. Visit Monday-Friday, 11 am to 4 pm and Second Saturday July 13, 10 am-2 pm.

July's First Fridays of the Valley offers even more sizzle than usual! Enjoy arts experiences at 19 venues July 5; most are open 5-7 pm. This online map and events listing show what's happening where. You can also take advantage of the Levitt AMP Harrisonburg concert from 6 to 9, with opener Florencia & The Feeling, followed by Yam Yam. And to top off the night...fireworks!

We greatly appreciate the support of Kathy Moran Wealth Group, Exclusive Sponsor for 2024 First Fridays of the Valley.

Express your appreciation for these 2024 First Fridays venues!

Aristocat Cafe

Arts Incarnate

ArtWorks Gallery

Asbury United Methodist Church

Capitol Waffle Shop

Court Square Theater

Draime Fine Art Studio

Duke Hall Gallery of Fine Art

Explore More Discovery Museum

Firefly Emporium

Frame Factory & Gallery

Friendly City Clay & Art Center

Friendly City Food Co-op

Furious Flower Broadside Gallery

Gaines Group Architects at the Depot

Gift & Thrift

The Golden Pony

Green Hummingbird

Harrisonburg Baptist Church

Harrisonburg City Hall

Hess Financial

Horizon Gifts

Hotel Madison & Shenandoah Valley Conference Center

Look West Gallery @ The Mark-It

Mashita

OASIS Fine Art and Craft

Ott Street Eats

Pale Fire Brewing Company

Parentheses Books

Park Gables Gallery at VMRC

The Perch Workspace

Pulp Cafe

Rebecca's Well (Bridgewater)

Rootstock Wine Bar and Provisions

Sage Bird Ciderworks

Saint Stephen's United Church of Christ

Smith House Galleries

Stoney Run Artisans and Highland Designs (McGaheysville)

Ten Thousand Villages

Virginia Quilt Museum

Arts Council of the Valley (ACV) is now accepting proposals for the Fall 2024 Advancing the Arts grant cycle to fund art projects benefiting the Harrisonburg-Rockingham community.

Arts for Education and Creative Inspiration awards range from $500 to $1,500 for projects taking place between Nov 1, 2024 and May 31, 2025. Electronically submitted proposals for both grant categories are due by 5 pm Friday, Oct 11. 

Online Grant Information sessions help guide applicants through the process and allow time for individual questions. Sessions last about an hour, and attendance is strongly encouraged for anyone considering a grant proposal. To register, click the date of the session you'd like to attend: Thursday, Sept 19, 5 pm or Tuesday, Sept 24, 4 pm.

More than $498,300 has been awarded to artists and art educators since ACV launched the grants program in 2001. 

A Doublewide, Texas Christmas continues through July 7 at Court Square Theater (CST). Friday-Saturday performances are at 7:30 pm, with Saturday-Sunday matinees at 3 pm. Advance tickets ($20) are available at courtsquaretheater.org.

CST's ACT ONE Musical Theater Summer Camps begin next week, with 98 participants enrolled (almost a third of whom are receiving scholarships through an Earlynn J. Miller Fund for the Arts grant from The Community Foundation of Harrisonburg and Rockingham County). Be sure to catch the free performance showcase for each camp: 3 pm on Saturdays July 13, 20, and 27 (and donate, if you're able, to help support ACT ONE experiences for people of all ages).

Also at CST this month: Steven Spielberg's Jaws (7/10-11); Friendly City Fables (7/24); and the free (courtesy of a TCFHR Earlynn J. Miller Fund for the Arts grant) ACT ONE Master Class, Preparing for the Audition with Rachel Austin (7/30, 5:30-8:30 pm; register here).

Share your ideas and insights about Court Square Theater by completing this quick community survey by July 31. Thank you!

The Waynesboro Symphony Orchestra, under the leadership of Music Director Peter Wilson, has received the 2024 Circle of Excellence in the Arts Award. Recognizing area individuals and organizations that enhance and strengthen the cultural community by promoting and advocating for artistic excellence, the annual award is co-sponsored by the James Madison University Forbes Center for the Performing Arts, Arts Council of the Valley, and JMU’s College of Visual and Performing Arts.

The Shenandoah National Park Trust is currently seeking local artists to host public workshops during the Sept 27-29 Art in the Park: Scenes from Shenandoah event. The three-day event will feature workshops and demonstrations by artists from across the region. Artists selected to lead workshops will receive a stipend for expenses including travel, art supplies, and lunch. Applications (including artwork samples) are due by 5 pm July 10, 2024. Submitting artists will be notified of their selection status by July 15. See details here.

GreeneHurlocker, PLC is proud to annually sponsor Arts Council of the Valley. As a business law firm that prides itself on creativity in its service to clients, we are committed to supporting ACV's work in supporting the creativity of artists and arts organizations in our community.  



Thanks to GreeneHurlocker,

a 2024 Cultivating the Arts Gold Sponsor!

The Friday, July 5 Levitt AMP Harrisonburg concert (6-9 pm) features Yam Yam (jazz funk) with opener Florencia & The Feeling (pop-funk fusion), followed by Harrisonburg’s Independence Day fireworks.

Arts Council of the Valley is partnering with Harrisonburg Downtown Renaissance on the Levitt AMP series. Check out the entire 2024 Levitt AMP Harrisonburg lineup here!

A new Harrisonburg Plein Air group meets the second Wednesday from 10 am to noon, and welcomes all art mediums. The July 10 gathering place is Preston Lake Clubhouse; followed by the Central Library in downtown Harrisonburg (Aug 14), Jared and Traci Stoltzfus’ farm (Sept 11), and Bluestone Winery (Oct 9). For more information, email Elaine Dunaway, eedunaway@gmail.com.

Art on Cullers Run is back, with 12 regional artists (plus a mystery artist) creating work in glass, painting, clay, textiles, fine metals, wood, mixed media, and poetry. It all happens July 5-6, 10 am to 5 pm at 460 Cullers Run Road, Mathias, WV 26812. Email Info86@hardynet.com for more information.

The Friendly City Clay & Art Center (located on South 42, near Hillandale Park) is offering summer classes for adults and children in clay, drawing, painting, metals, and other media. Learn more here.

Join Cousin Jimmy’s Stringband outside OASIS Fine Art & Craft on July 4 for some toe-tapping music between noon and 2:45 pm to help celebrate Independence Day.

The Arts & Economic Prosperity 6 (AEP6) study, commissioned by Americans for the Arts, provides an in-depth exploration of the economic and social impact of the arts in communities across the US. Among the top takeaways: 78% of the population say the arts are a positive experience in a troubled world; 69% believe the arts lift me up beyond everyday experiences; and 71% feel the arts give them pure pleasure to experience and participate in.

2024 GOLD SPONSORS

GreeneHurlocker, PLC

Harrisonburg Dermatology

LD&B Insurance and Financial Services

Sunnyside Retirement Community

See all our 2024 Cultivating the Arts Sponsors here!