by Morgan Yeatts Currently on display in the back room of the Ann White Academy Gallery is a collection that is perhaps one of the most unique features yet. Hailing from Baltimore, Maryland, Lavely Miller-Kershman is an artist who pushes the norms of painting technique in an extraordinary way; she paints with her fingers. “I began painting with my fingers when I ran out of brushes in college and didn’t have enough money to replace them,” she says. “Luckily for me, I found painting with a finger to be easier than using a brush. Basically anything is possible; a finger really isn’t that much different from a brush when it really comes down to it.” Lavely has been painting since childhood and can’t remember a time when she wasn’t a painter. Her father’s side of the family is strewn with artists, so it was natural for her to follow the fold. “I guess I have a genetic inclination towards artistic expression and also I grew up in a household where that sort of thing was valued and appreciated.” Lavely believes that the quality of a piece is not found in the materials used, but in […]
2019 National Juried Photography Exhibition Winners
The Annual National Juried Photography Exhibition at the Academy Center of the Arts opened on Friday, September 6, 2019, and the winners have been chosen! Over $3000 in cash awards was presented to the ten photographers listed below. Best in Show: $1000 awarded to James O. Phelps for “Emancipation Park” Sponsored by the Academy Center of the Arts 2nd Place Award: $600 awarded to Joel Coleman for “Natsukashii” Sponsored by Cary and Robert Roberts 3rd Place Award: $400 awarded to Melanie Franz for “What Have We Become” Sponsored by Jamerson-Lewis Construction Juror’s Choice Award: $300 awarded to Jessica Jackman for “Isle of Wight Culture” Sponsored by the Academy Center of the Arts Juror’s Choice Award: $250 awarded to Michelle Sons for “A Brief Dreamy Kind of Delight” Sponsored by the Academy Center of the Arts Juror’s Choice Award: $200 awarded to Chris Walker for “Jordan and Andrew, Sauk Centre, Minnesota” Sponsored by the Academy Center of the Arts Juror’s Choice Award: $200 awarded to Alan Raasch for “Progress” Sponsored by the Academy Center of the Arts Juror’s Choice Award: $150 awarded to Sandra Chen […]
Providing Access to the Arts
by Morgan Yeatts Here at the Academy, our mission is to serve the community through arts and culture. One of the means by which we accomplish our mission is through providing art classes to all members of our community. Recently, our staff was able to provide assistance to two visually impaired students in our adult pottery class. Our Potter Basics and Beyond class is Kim Rickmon’s first ever art class experience, however she hopes to take more in the future. Her instructor, Kim, has altered her instruction in the necessary ways to assist Rickman’s experience in the class. “Kim does several things to help me out.” Rickmon says. “She describes what I need to do and if that doesn’t work, she will make something that I can touch and try to recreate myself. She has also held my hands to show me how to work the clay in certain ways.” Rickmon finds working with clay a relaxing and rewarding experience. “I’m generally proud of the things I make. It’s nice to have something that’s just my own, and pottery makes me feel as though I have that.” Victoria Hauck has experience with painting classes, […]
2019 National Juried Art Exhibition Announces Winners
The Annual National Juried Art Exhibition at the Academy Center of the Arts opened on Friday, April 5, 2019, and includes 49 artists from 12 states. The exhibition encompassed a wide variety, including oil paintings, clay, mixed media paintings, sculpture, wood, fiber, printmaking, digital prints, and collage. Over $3000 in cash awards was presented to eleven artists. The winners are listed below. Best in Show: $1,000 Shaun Whiteside (Radford, VA) Body of Work Sponsored by Cary and Robert Roberts 2nd Place Award: $700 Kaitlyn Houston (Floyd, VA) “To the Left,” and “To the Right” Sponsored by the Academy Center of the Arts 3rd Place Award: $500 Katherine March (Staunton, VA) Body of Work Sponsored by the Academy Center of the Arts Juror’s Choice Award: $300 Brian Rayner (Charlottesville, VA) “Line of Sight” Sponsored by the Academy Center of the Arts Juror’s Choice Award: $200 Michael Twery (Lynchburg, VA) “Eye of the Storm” Sponsored by the Academy Center of the Arts Juror’s Choice Award: $150 Kevin Chadwick (Lynchburg, VA) “Cora and the Serpent” Sponsored by Troy Deacon and Ted Delaney Juror’s Choice Award: $125 Deliece Blanchard (Lynchburg, VA) “Goshen Wild Flowers” Sponsored by Royal […]
Lynchstock Music Festival 2018
by Morgan Yeatts The Academy Center of the Arts is proud to be presenting the sixth annual Lynchstock Music Festival! Since its beginning, Lynchstock has been one of the most attended and loved events in Lynchburg. This year, the festival will be held in the fall rather than the spring, on the 20th of October, a Lynchstock Music Festival first. It’s the perfect opportunity to break out the flannels and kick the fall vibes into high gear! This year’s lineup is one of the best yet, with headliners COIN and Dr. Dog. There will be a wide variety of artists representing numerous genres, including many of Lynchburg’s own talented bands and artists. A few Lynchstock veterans, Joel Robert Kaiser and Vacation Manor, will also be returning to their hometown for this exciting day of music and community. Other artists include The Dundies, Oceanic, L.A. Dies, Apple Butter Soul, Tony Camm and the Funk Allstars, and many others! For those of you who have attended Lynchstock in the past, you already know what goes down at this amazing event, from the performances, food trucks, local vendors, spoken word poetry, and inspiring vibe. However, if you’re a newcomer to […]
2018 National Juried Photography Exhibition Winners
The 2018 National Juried Photography Exhibition, sponsored by the Academy Center of the Arts, has passed and the winners have been announced! See below for the list of cash awards given this year. Best in Show: $1000 award to Craig Shaffer (Lynchburg) for “Widow Walk” Sponsored by the Cary & Robert Roberts 2nd Place Award $500 award to Ashley Moog (Airville, Penn) for “Second Skin Series” Sponsored by the Academy Center of the Arts 3rd Place Award $350 award to George Gati (Poughquag, NY) for “Snowstorm at Midnight” Sponsored by the Academy Center of the Arts Juror’s Choice Award $250 award to Michael Hower (Enola, Penn) for ‘“Remorse Will Assail Him” Sponsored by the Academy Center of the Arts Juror’s Choice Award $200 award to Lisa Pitcher (Amherst, VA) for “Super Powers” Sponsored by the Blackwell Press Juror’s Choice Award $100 award to Rebecca Raybon (Huddleston, VA) for “Yesteryear” Sponsored by the Academy Center of the Arts Juror’s Choice Award $100 award to Sam Krisch (Roanoke, VA) for ‘“Hokkaido” Sponsored by Lynn Shapiro @ JSW Realtors, […]
Outreach in Action
by Morgan Yeatts Our goal at the Academy “is to overcome barriers in the community in order to better serve underserved and underrepresented populations, [and to] reach those with the arts who don’t have access,” said Evan Smith, Director of Community Outreach. One of the best ways we complete this mission is through camps and classes designed to provide children, from toddlers to teens, with access to arts and culture in the safe and nurturing environment the Academy provides. “Our engagement in the arts for arts sake is not enough in telling our story,” said Geoffrey Kershner, Executive Director. Referencing an article from Americans for the Arts entitled The Top 10 Skills Children Learn From the Arts, he continued, “it has been proven that all 10 of these tangible life skills,” including creativity, confidence, problem-solving, perseverance, and other skills, “are acquired through arts activity. It is these very skills that are enhancing the effectiveness of the overall program and create value in what we are providing.” The Academy’s partnership and collaboration with the Lynchburg area YMCA is a perfect example of this mission in action. The 6-week “Summer Learning Loss Prevention” camp provides rising 3rd graders with […]
Creativity in Pastels with Sarah Raessler
Sarah Raessler, the current artist featured in the Up Front Gallery of the Harrington Building, and her pastel teacher Christine Rooney joined us this week to share insight on Sarah’s history with art, what inspires her, and her process towards creating new work. Sarah began her journey with art in September of 2003 when she joined Christine Rooney’s pastel class. “She came up with her own color combinations and what she wanted to draw,” said Rooney. “She knew right away what colors went together, and it was extraordinary the way she would put them together.” All of the colors were a part of a family, to Sarah. “Sometimes I would give her a pastel that I knew wouldn’t be a part of that combination, and she’d say ‘no, no, that’s not it’.” “I think in abstract ways, and [putting colors in families] helps me understand that,” said Raessler. When asked about how she felt after finding out she would be showing at the Academy’s galleries, Sarah told us that she “was scared.” “I’ve never been shown in the Up Front Gallery before.” But now, after selling 17 of her 25 pieces, she says “it’s […]
Summer Camps and Classes are Now Online
Spend your summer at the Academy Center of the Arts! This year, we’re offering over 40 camps and classes for students of all ages. Try your hand at pottery, drawing, painting, and more! Take the stage in our youth theatre camps, or visit the darkroom to learn about black and white photography. Build your next masterpiece in the pottery studio or decorate the backyard with mosaic pieces. Whatever your interests, the Academy has something for you! Below, we’ve outlined a few of our classes and camps for summer 2018. Our full list of upcoming camps and classes can be found by visiting this link. At the Academy, we pride ourselves on offering some of the most creative summer arts camps and classes. We also pride ourselves on making sure these camps and classes are inclusive by providing scholarships and payment plans to students in need. Did you know that we provide scholarships to 30% of our class and camp participants? Let us help your class and camp fees this summer! Learn more about scholarships by visiting this page, or contact Kelly Posenauer, Director of Education, at (434) 528-3256 for more information. Need […]
2018 National Juried Art Exhibition Announces Winners
The Annual National Juried Art Exhibition at the Academy Center of the Arts opened on Friday, April 6, 2018, and includes 82 artists from 17 states. The exhibition encompassed a wide variety, including oil paintings, clay, mixed media paintings and sculpture, wood, fiber, woodcuts, and collage. Over $3000 in cash awards was presented to ten artists. The winners are listed below. Best in Show: $1,000 Bryan Rayner (Charlottesville, VA) Body of Work Sponsored by the Academy Center of the Arts 2nd Place Award: $700 Teresa Harris (St. Joseph, Missouri) Body of Work Sponsored by the Academy Center of the Arts 3rd Place Award: $500 Isabelle Martire (Laurel, Maryland) “Power” Sponsored by Cary and Robert Roberts Juror’s Choice Award: $300 Shaun Whiteside (Radford, VA) “Elegy to the Us Republic” Sponsored by the Academy Center of the Arts Juror’s Choice Award: $200 Megan Burak (Berlin, Maryland) Body of Work Sponsored by the Academy Center of the Arts Juror’s Choice Award: $125 Glen Kessler (North Potomac, MD) “Save Spend” Sponsored by Royal County Arts Juror’s Choice Award: $100 Jill Jensen (Lynchburg, VA) “Lady M” Sponsored by Lynn Shapiro @ JSW Realtors, Inc. Juror’s Choice Award: […]
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