Wednesday Cider
December 16, 2020
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Warm cider greetings from Mt. San Angelo.
Last Friday was Bea Booker's final day as VCCA Office Manager. Thanks to all who attended a Zoom party to celebrate Bea and the 17 years she spent with VCCA. Today's newsletter includes a parting message from Bea with a link to a recording of the party for those who weren't able to join. Special thanks to Vienna Carroll and Ayesu Lartey for helping us surprise Bea with two beautifully performed songs.
With the bittersweet news of Bea's departure comes the purely sweet news that former VCCA Board Secretary Mayalin Quiñones is stepping in to fill the role of Office Manager at Mt. San Angelo. We (re)introduce you to Mayalin below!
Please note that we're coming up on the January 15 deadline for writers, visual artists, and composers to apply for Summer 2021 residencies at Mt. San Angelo. Today, we're proud to feature another fully-funded fellowship opportunity currently accepting applications: the Steven Petrow LGBTQ Fellowship.
Speaking of Steven Petrow, he's hosting tomorrow's virtual Fireplace Series event with visual artist Susan Jamison and author Eric Weiner. The series will pick up again in January with composer Andrea Clearfield and author Doris Iarovici hosted by composer and Fellows Council member Judith Shatin.
Since announcing our new "Marketplace" in Virtual VCCA, we're happy to see posts about discount codes, holiday art sales, coloring books, and more. We hope to see Fellows continue to use this space to share their work available for sale online — this holiday season and well beyond.
We're pleased to share the December edition of our Composer Playlist series. Enjoy!
Finally, today's Fellows message comes from Beatrix Gates, who felt compelled to share an update following Bea's farewell gathering. We hope she'll inspire you to send us your news next.
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announcing vcca's next office manager |
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We happily welcome former VCCA Board Secretary Mayalin Quiñones to her new role as Office Manager.
Mayalin graduated magna cum laude from Sweet Briar College with degrees in Musical Theatre and Psychology and is a member of Phi Beta Kappa. She also holds a Master of Arts in Nonprofit Leadership from the University of Lynchburg. She previously worked at Lynchburg's children's museum, Amazement Square.
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Announcing This Month's Composer Playlist: |
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- Faye Chiao and Tasha Gordon-Solmon | Cameo Cheer
- James Wiznerowicz | …murmurings from afar…
- Noah Meites | Water and Power (2016) - for violin and viola
- Leah Reid | Reverie
- Koji Nakano | Spring Breathes
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Steven Petrow LGBTQ Fellowship |
Established in 2016, the Steven Petrow LGBTQ Fellowship is open to writers, visual artists, and composers who self-identify as LGBTQ.
This juried fellowship is awarded on a competitive basis, and the selection is made based on the quality of the submitted work. The Petrow Fellowship provides a fully-funded, two-week residency at Mt. San Angelo, which includes a private bedroom with private bath, a separate individual studio, and meals in a community of cross-disciplinary artists.
To be considered for a Steven Petrow Fellowship, complete the “Application for Mt. San Angelo Residencies” by January 15, 2021. In the very first question on the application, you can indicate fellowships for which you'd like to be considered.
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Steven Petrow is an award-winning journalist and book author who is best known for his Washington Post and New York Times essays on aging, health, and civility. Much of his work over the past decade has taken place at VCCA; he currently serves as a member of the Board of Directors.
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Join Fireplace Series 16 with Susan Jamison and Eric Weiner |
Steven Petrow will host this week's virtual Fireplace Series event featuring work by visual artist Susan Jamison and author/journalist Eric Weiner. Join in live tomorrow, and bring your questions!
Susan Jamison’s feminine iconography spans several media, including painting, drawing, textile-based sculpture, and installation, all steeped in ritualistic and mythological associations.
Tune in tomorrow, Thursday, December 17, at 7:30 p.m. ET.
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DATE AND TIME
12/17/20 7:30pm
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12/17/20 8:30pm
Interested? Sign up to receive an email reminder tomorrow:
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Our recent Fireplace Series brought Laurie Krasny Brown, Robin Farmer, and Iraj Isaac Rahmim together for readings and conversation focused on the important and challenging work of crafting stories for young audiences. The recording is still available to watch on our Facebook page and YouTube channel.
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First, I want to thank everyone who took the time out to be a part of the Zoom Party last week. Realizing that we had people from near and far, I especially thank those who made an effort to be online with us at a most undesirable hour. It was so nice to be able to see everyone once again. I appreciate the monetary gifts, cards, and special gifts from the VCCA staff, VCCA Board, Fellows, and friends.
As I move toward my next chapter in life, I look forward to having you stop by and say hello. The Amherst Habitat office is in close proximity to VCCA. We will be at our new address on January 1st. For local Fellows, there is a Habitat ReStore!
You can reach me at:
Amherst Habitat
180 S Main St
Amherst, VA 24521
(434) 946-9596
Blessings to the VCCA.
Peace and Joy,
Bea
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Fellows, please submit a message. This is a way to tell the VCCA community about how you're navigating these times as an artist and human and to spread the word about work affected by or created during the pandemic.
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"After tonight's beautiful and moving tribute to Bea Booker, a real bright light at VCCA and in the world, I wanted to catch up (with so many). Here goes:
In 2020, many circles rekindled in my life: desire lines which makes a map of memory and migration, forced and chosen, was published in a letterpress edition by Heidi Reszies at Richmond’s Artifact Press. Publishing a limited edition returned me to my Book Arts roots (Granite Press, 1975-89), and since I’ve been creating an archive, participating in design decisions meant a lot to me. Remaining translations (w Electa Arenal) of Spanish poet Jesús Aguado’s lo que dices de mi/what you say about me appeared in bateau out of Maine’s College of the Atlantic, and hybrid work on the impact and reverberation of the Pulse Nightclub murders, “For Orlando: Make Beautiful in Maine,” appeared in MAP magazine out of Scotland. Getting word out further felt good, especially with what I call the accordion feel of diminishing/expanding Pandemic times.
In the Pandemic, I invented “Reading Poetry Together: Whitman, Harjo and Neruda” for the Brooksville Library, saying, “These poets are inspiring and unafraid, and the link between them is dynamic, calling out the courage of all people and bringing gorgeous language to honor working people and the power of love.” I wanted to make a space that required only opening to the poems, ways to witness and talk about language(s) of truth and share our responses.
Neighbors are kind and generous here in Maine, and that's before Covid, but with community spread and hospitals badly understaffed, community in every form feels deep and necessary."
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🧡 Stay safe, and be well.
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