In the latest stage of a fruitful eight-year partnership, feeding those in need the Academy Center of the Arts has given a $5617.71 check to Lynchburg Daily Bread, a local non-profit that provides meals to the hungry, a sum coming out of this year’s Empty Bowls event. For the past eight years, the Academy and Daily Bread have participated in the national program, Empty Bowls, and held an annual fundraising event involving local restaurants and potters from the area. Tickets for the event are $20 each. “When the customer selects a bowl, they can then get some soup, bread, and so on. However, it’s usually not a lot of soup because the event is meant to be a reminder to everyone that there are people all over this world who do not have enough to eat every day,” Ted Batt, Director of Visual Arts at the Academy Center of the Arts, explained. This year tickets sold out within an hour of the doors opening. Although some people still gave to the cause even though they couldn’t attend the event. Ted Batt made sure to follow up with those generous patrons and deliver a bowl to them in thanks. Empty Bowls […]
Archives for April 2016
Mixing the Beats
The Academy just completed a six-week collaboration with local DJ Jack Edma aka DJ ED as well as One Community Church and its youth ministry program, Unchained, that brought arts programming directly to the community. The class resulted from a shared desire between the Academy, DJ ED, and One Community Church’s student pastor Tyler Cash to bring engaging arts programming to interested youth. Class participants learned the history, culture, equipment, and software behind DJing. They also learned about music theory, beats, and how to mix records. The beauty of the arts is that there is something for everyone whether it is drawing, dance, or djing. The important thing is finding something that everyone can take an interest in since the arts can have a profound impact on a someone’s development. The DJ class came out of the Academy’s Community Outreach Initiative which strives to ensure that the arts are accessible to all. The Academy will continue to reach out to churches and other area organizations for future arts collaborations. If you have any questions or would like to partner with the Academy on community outreach, please contact Director of Community Outreach, Evan Smith, at 434-528-3256 x114. DJ Ed’s | www.iamdjed.com One […]
National Juried Art Awards
The Annual National Juried Art Exhibition at the Academy Center of the Arts opened on Friday, April 1. The juror, Siobhan Byrns, Department Chair of Art at Lynchburg College, selected 51 artists from 20 states. The exhibition of 66 pieces encompasses a wide variety of media: including oil paintings, cast paper, clay, stainless steel, wood, glass, paintings on copper, furniture, fiber, watercolors, egg tempera, and calligraphy. Over $3000 in cash awards was presented to ten artists on April 1st and the winners are as follows: Best in Show: $1000 Paul Clements of Coleman Falls, VA for “Storm” Wood, Glass, Metal Sponsored by the Academy Center of the Arts 2nd Place Award: $700 Kevin Chadwick of Lynchburg for “Dance” Oil on Canvas Sponsored by the Academy Center of the Arts 3rd Place Award: $500 Jenny Chi of Charleston, Illinois for “Golden Tomato” Oil on Copper Sponsored by the Academy Center of the Arts Juror’s Choice Award: $300 Guillermo Guardia of Grand Forks, N.D. for “Dirty Harriet II” Clay Sponsored by the Academy Center of the Arts Juror’s Choice Award:$200 Teresa Harris of St. […]
The Art of Words
Poetry is another art form that creates beautiful pieces and the Academy strives to provide a way for the community to enjoy it. On April 8 the Academy, along with Riverview Art Space, hosted the Poetry Group Reading Series. This event is held twice a year in the Lynchburg community. Guests heard from published poets, Allison Wilkins, Gary Dop, Grace Collins, John Casteen, and Wendy Miles. The majority of these poets are professors at various colleges in Virginia, while one is a student at Randolph College. The Poetry Group also teaches workshops each month. The workshops put on by The Poetry Group are structured to give attendees valuable instruction on improving their craft while also having their moment to shine later on in the evening during an open mic. These workshops are held monthly and the next one will be at the White Hart Café on May 2 at 7pm. “The Poetry Group Reading Series is held twice yearly and highlights the work of our teaching poets. It allows us to provide a platform for those poets who have given their time and skills to lead our workshops,” Christopher Gaumer, Executive Director and Founder, said. The Academy is thrilled to […]
