40UNDER40 featured at Shenandoah Valley Art Center in March

The Shenandoah Valley Art Center, during the month of March, in the Cabell/Arehart Gallery is presenting 40UNDER40, the annual exhibit for Virginia artists aged 40 and under.

This juried exhibition features forty contemporary works that push boundaries of media with no size or subject restrictions. The show will be judged and awards will be given to the top three works chosen by a juror from SVAC and a juror from Beverley Street Studio School. The top prize will be a solo exhibition at SVAC in 2018, and a $100 gift certificate and membership to Beverley Street Studio School. An opening reception will be held March 4, 6 – 8pm.  The public is invited to come, meet, and talk to the artists. In conjunction with the exhibit in our 122 S. Wayne gallery, SVAC is holding a UNDER40 Pop Up Market in the 416 Main Street gallery from 10:00a.m – 8:00 p.m. on March 4. The art market day will showcase artists and business owners under 40.

In the Members’ Gallery, the theme Orange will be interpreted by SVAC members through a variety of media and creative ideas. In the Upstairs Hallway Gallery, a tribute to art education features an exhibition of artwork by Waynesboro Public Schools art students.  The exhibit celebrates Youth Art Month, a national initiative promoting art and art education for kids.  Exhibiting artwork in a professional gallery is an important experience for the exposure of young artists to the world of art. A special Opening Reception for the young artists, their families, and teachers will be held for the public to meet the artists on March 9, 5:00 – 6:00 p.m.

Ever wonder what your art needs to be finished, successful, win awards, and appeal to buyers? Join the Shenandoah Valley Art Center’s new monthly critique class led by nationally recognized instructor Karen Rosasco. The critique will broaden your horizons, fine tune your design skills and help you to create a masterpiece every time. Bring one or two finished pieces or works-in-progress along with a sketchbook, pencil, eraser, and Sharpie pen. After critiquing the participants’ work, Karen will lead a short design exercise which will strengthen knowledge of the elements and principles of design. The class will meet Thursday March 9, 1:00 – 3:00 p.m. and cost $20. Call SVAC to register. On Wednesday, March 15, 1:00-4:00 p.m., Karen Friedlander will teach Etching Metal Jewelry.  Students will learn how to trace simple designs onto metal, and then permanently capture the image through the etching process.  Preselected designs are available or artists can create their own. ($45 – all supplies included)

Tai Chi in the Art Gallery with Linda Revis!  Join in the fun every Tuesday morning in March, from 9:00 – 10:00 a.m. in the Invitational Gallery. Discover the graceful art that is tai chi which uses gentle movements combined with breathing exercises to help open the energy passages throughout the body, leading to overall improvement in body, mind, and spirit.  Each week will add on to what was learned in previous classes, with continued practice until participants are confident.  No special clothes needed, but comfortable clothing and athletic/flat shoes are suggested.  Everything taught can be adapted for persons in a wheelchair or sitting in a folding chair. ($10 per class) All are welcome!

ARTIST OPPORTUNITIES!  Go on line to the SVACART.COM and check out artist opportunities and calls for artists.  Applications for SVAC Open Studio Tour, September 16 – 17, Fall Foliage Art Show, October 14-15, and 2018-2019 Solo/group exhibitors in the Invitational Gallery can be found.

For the young artist, Shenandoah Valley Art Center offers, the ever popular Saturday Art for Kids, presenting a creative art experience for young artists. Designed as a program that expands upon art offered in school or as an art experience for the home schooled, the classes are taught by artists who are amazing with kids. All supplies and snacks included for children ages 6 – 10.  Preregistration required. (March 4, 11, 18, and 25, 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m., $15 per class).

Open studio opportunities in the Virginia Ross Education Studio are available to printmakers and ceramic artists.  Access to top of the line clay and printmaking equipment and space to work will be furnished for $60 per quarter.   Apply on line at www.SVACart.com.

The art center is a retail alliance partner with the Artisan Center of Virginia. In the SVAC Gift Shop you can find the perfect creative gift in fiber, jewelry, wood, glass, pottery, and more by juried artisans from Virginia and SVAC member artists.

The Shenandoah Valley Art Center is located in downtown Waynesboro at 122 S. Wayne Avenue.  Galleries are open to the public 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday.  For more information, call (540) 949-7662 or visit www.svacart.com.


Shenandoah Valley Art Center: August 2016 calendar of events

shenandoah valley art centerThe Shenandoah Valley Art Center, during the month of August, is exhibiting in the Cabell/Arehart Gallery the artwork of Harrisonburg artist, Ashley Sauder Miller.  Miller earned her undergraduate degrees from Hesston College (Kansas) and Eastern Mennonite University and her Master of Fine Arts in painting and drawing from James Madison University.

She actively exhibits her work and promotes the arts through her involvement as the Director of Spitzer Art Center where her studio is also located.

Miller states, “In my recent work, I am particularly aware of the demands of motherhood, preservation of memory, and repetitious patterns of thought and behavior.  Consistent in my work throughout the past number of years are my children’s mark making, textile design, Biblical text and stories, and a deep rooted passion for painting, drawing, and making.  My work often shifts between recognizable imagery and abstraction; between concrete ideas and references to intuitive ways of thinking and making. Predominant in my work over the past year are imagery of interior spaces and the reoccurring pod shape. Interior space imagery includes that of bowls, chairs, caned and woven chair seats, tables, rugs, and quilts. As much as I am simply attracted to the formal qualities of interior spaces, I am also interested in the complexities of the home: the illusion of the perfect space (both physical and psychological space).

In recent work, the pod shape continues to shift in form and meaning. Here the pods feel ambiguous, moving between chair forms and figure.  They become like little players in a game, they move in and out of the space of the picture plane, change form, latch onto one shape or another, re-clothe themselves in different patterns.”

An opening will be held Saturday, August 6, 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. and the public is encouraged to come and meet the artist.

In the members’ gallery, SVAC member artists will present works in a variety of media interpreting the theme of “BLUE.” Featured in the upstairs hallway gallery will be the Valley Painters who work in oils and acrylics.  This informal group of artists meets weekly to paint, exchange ideas, and encourage each other’s creative endeavors. Don’t miss the small oil paintings by Charlottesville artist, Anne DeLaTour Hopper on display in the docent room.

Back by popular demand!  Y-ART Sale! SVAC will hold a fundraiser to benefit renovations for the new building at 416 West Main Street. Come purchase from member artists’ donated art and craft related supplies or pieces of furniture. Find the best deals in town on canvases, easels, tools, and a multitude of art materials that were not being used by their previous owners! We are a 501(c)(3) non-profit supported by memberships, local and statewide grants, and generous donations. Please consider joining us on our journey to promote high-quality artistic programming and creative opportunities for the community by purchasing at the Y-ART Sale!(August 12, 8:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.)

Ready to expand your creative experiences! For the two dimensional artist, try your hand at no fail watercolor taught by Joe Philips. Experience the “no secrets,” “easy to master” approach to watercolor painting! The class will meet 6:00 – 9:00 p.m. on August 2 at a cost of $55. Mats and paper are provided, but the artist must bring a palette, paints and brushes.  On VACATION!!!! The ever popular Saturday Art for Kids, will not be meeting during the month of August, but will begin classes again on September 10th.  Give a gift that lasts a life time and pre-register your young artist for a creative art experience. (10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m., $50 per 4 classes or $15 per class).  Contact the art center for specific information for each class.  Open studio opportunities in theVirginia Ross Education Studio are available to printmakers and ceramic artists.  Apply on line atwww.SVACart.com.

Save the date! The SVAC 2nd Annual Studio Tour will be held September 17 and 18. Visit the studios of professional arts and artisans in Augusta and Nelson Counties. We are encouraging partnerships between artists so that a variety of media will be presented at each studio location. This will maximize the number of artists to be visited and diminish the travel time for the art collector.

The Fall Foliage Festival Art Show application for the show to be held on October 8 and 9 is online and available to professional artists.  Recently the show was voted one of the top three art events in Virginia by“Virginia Living” magazine.

The art center is a retail alliance partner with the Artisan Center of Virginia. In the SVAC Gift Shop you can find the perfect creative gift in fiber, jewelry, wood, glass, pottery, and more by juried artisans from Virginia and SVAC member artists.

The Shenandoah Valley Art Center is located in downtown Waynesboro at 122 S. Wayne Avenue.  Galleries are open to the public 10:00a.m. – 4:00p.m., Tuesday through Saturday.  For more information, call (540) 949-7662 or visit www.svacart.com.