The Academy Center of the Arts, Centra, Framatome, and the Bank of the James are proud to announce the success of the tenth annual Empty Bowls event, which raised over $9,000 to benefit the Lynchburg Daily Bread and the community members they serve. Empty Bowls was held on Saturday, March 24, 2018, with a record number of 496 attendees. During Empty Bowls, attendees selected their own beautiful, handmade ceramic bowl, donated by local potters, and enjoyed delicious soup tastings with bread, dessert, and beverages, all donated by local restaurants and individual donors. Over 50 businesses, community organizations and individual donors contributed to the event. In 2017, proceeds from Empty Bowls totaled $7,931.49. This year, we are thrilled to announce that the event raised $9,318.49! “Empty Bowls has become an event that the community looks forward to supporting every year,” said Geoffrey Kershner, Executive Director. “We’re very proud to be able to present this check to the Daily Bread, and to support our community members in need.” The donated funds will directly impact the Lynchburg Daily Bread, allowing them to continue to serve meals in our community. “We are so thankful for the tremendous community support of Empty Bowls, led by […]
Disney’s Aladdin Jr. Kicks Off with Free Performance for YMCA Campers
Last Friday, July 21, 2017, 400 Lynchburg and Altavista YMCA campers visited the Academy Center of the Arts for a first-hand look at Encore Jr.’s 2017 production of Disney’s Aladdin, Jr. Encore Jr., one of the Academy Center of the Art’s youth theatre programs, is made up of 40+ middle school students from the greater Lynchburg area. Each summer, following the high school-aged Encore camp, Encore Jr. puts together a full ‘junior-level’ show with just two weeks of rehearsal time. In addition to learning their lines and costuming, campers also take time for dance and vocal work, to create a full, stage-ready musical production. On Friday, the performers mesmerized their young audience as they brought Disney’s Aladdin, Jr. to life on stage. The story, similar to the Disney classic, follows Aladdin as he vies for the attention of the beautiful princess, Jasmine. Using a genie’s magic power to become a prince in order to marry her, Aladdin runs into a bit of trouble when Jafar and his minion Iago figure out his plan. In the end, Aladdin is able to outsmart Jafar using wit, help from his magic carpet, and a little bit of magic to save the day! According […]
Altavista YMCA Campers Experience the Arts
Through the support of the W.C. English Foundation, the Academy Center of the Arts launched our first Summer Arts Week, in partnership with the Altavista Area YMCA. From June 19th through June 23rd, over 250 campers, ages four to thirteen, took visual and performing arts classes with Academy Center of the Arts and Kid Pan Alley instructors at their local YMCA. Through this program, campers were able to participate and develop their skills in drawing, creative writing, drama, and improvisation. While a few campers had experienced these activities in the past, the majority of them were experiencing these areas of the arts for the first time! “What made [Summer Arts Week] so neat was seeing the kids have so much fun while learning new skills,” said Evan Smith, Director of Outreach at the Academy Center of the Arts. In addition to the arts, campers also developed “skills like public speaking, teamwork, confidence, and creativity which they can use throughout their lifetime.” In addition to the classes listed above, another 90 campers also had the opportunity to participate in a songwriting class and public performance with Kid Pan Alley, company led by Paul Reisler that dedicates itself to […]
Press Release: Academy Center of the Arts Launches New Summer Arts Week in Altavista
Contact: Evan Smith Director of Outreach (434) 528-3256 x114 esmith@academycenter.org For Immediate Release: 06/14/02017 ACADEMY CENTER OF THE ARTS LAUNCHES NEW SUMMER ARTS WEEK IN ALTAVISTA (Altavista) Through the support of the English Foundation, the Academy Center of the Arts is proud to launch the first 2017 Summer Arts Week in partnership with the Altavista Area YMCA. Both organizations are excited for the opportunity to work together as they strive to make meaningful impact on the lives of youth in the Altavista community. Last summer, the Academy was fortunate to provide six weeks of arts programming onsite for 150 youth as part of the Central Virginia YMCA’s Summer Learning Loss & Prevention program. In an attempt to reach more youth, particularly in more rural communities, this new Summer Arts Week in Altavista we will reach approximately 350 youth and will engage them in both visual and performing arts. The Academy will bring the program Kid Pan Alley to the region as a part of the week. Kid Pan Alley teaches song structure, rhyme scheme, and collaboration. In two ninety-minute sessions, the children brainstorm, write a song, and rehearse their songs. There will also be a […]
A Recipe for Success
We are extremely proud to announce the success of our ninth annual Empty Bowls event benefiting the Lynchburg Daily Bread on March 18. The Lynchburg Daily Bread is a local non-profit that has provided hot meals for the hungry 365 days a year, for the last 35 years. In 2016 alone, they served 60,485 meals to the homeless and hungry of the community. During Empty Bowls, attendees were able to select and keep a beautiful ceramic bowl that were hand made and donated by local potters. They then enjoyed a delicious soup tasting with bread and beverage, all donated by local restaurants and individual donors. This year a portion of the bowls were made by men and women from the Continuum of Care’s event Share the Love. Each bowl was selflessly made by these individuals knowing they wouldn’t get to keep their handiwork, but instead they would be used to raise funds for the cause. We are always so excited to see such altruistic acts, including the many service providers and resource workers who stopped by to make a bowl to contribute as well. Last year’s Empty Bowls event enabled us to give a $5617.71 check to The LynchburgDaily […]
Educate and Inspire: VA Rep’s “I Have a Dream”
Young students from RS Payne Elementary School hustled from their buses to their seats in the Academy’s Warehouse Theatre last Wednesday, March 15, in anticipation for the performance of “I Have a Dream” by the Virginia Repertory. Virginia Repertory is known and commended internationally for excellence as a touring theatre company for young audiences. Having been based out of Richmond since 1975, they tour in Virginia and across the country, producing educational plays to schools and public venues. The performers captivated their young audience on Wednesday, as they brought to life the moving and inspiring story of one of the most influential and charismatic leaders of the American Century, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Depicted in “I Have a Dream”, after the arrest of Rosa Parks, Dr. King puts into action his philosophy of nonviolent protest. Inspiring the nation, he gains recognition and becomes a dominant force in the Civil Rights Movement during its decade of greatest achievement. The story of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is saturated with real life value and important lessons that are even relevant in current society. The Academy feels it is important for the young minds of today to be reminded of the social […]
Step Afrika
Students poured into the auditorium of Dunbar Middle School while the announcements blared over the intercom. Step Afrika dance troupe was here to perform and the excitement was audible. As first-year principal and new Academy Center of the Arts board member Derrick Brown attempted to settle the energetic crowd, a uniformed officer turned to me and mentioned how the din is always a precursor to special events. Principal Brown introduced Shaun Spencer-Hester who spoke about the life and contributions of her grandmother Anne Spencer. She was a renowned icon of the Harlem Renaissance as a civil rights activist, poet, and a former librarian at Dunbar. Before Step Afrika took the stage, a group of young girls from the school performed an elaborate step recital, building on the now almost tangible anticipation of the student body. Finally, Principal Brown invited Step Afrika to take the stage. The dancers began in a circle facing each other, singing, stepping, clapping, and dancing. They were as impressive vocally as they were visually. As they progressed into each new routine, it was obvious that they had practiced choreography extensively. The music and rhythms they created were completely unaccompanied by music, and yet they stayed in […]
Sharing the Love
Last week a few Academy employees had the pleasure of participating in a community event downtown: Share the Love. This event, hosted by Continuum of Care, takes a census of the homeless in our community but also connects them with various resource agencies. Many people got their hair cut, received food and toiletries and were connected to legal service agencies just to name a few. The Academy was honored to participate, especially since the event connected to one of our outreach programs. On March 18th we are holding our annual Empty Bowls event where local potters and community members make bowls of various shapes and sizes. Participants purchase a bowl for $20 and along with keeping it, they receive a meal of soup, bread and a drink all of which are donated by local restaurants. Proceeds benefit The Daily Bread, a local soup kitchen in downtown Lynchburg. We are so pleased to say that this is a wonderfully successful event that benefits another non-profit organization in our community. Many men and women from the Continuum of Care event had the opportunity to “Share the Love” by making bowls themselves. They knew that those bowls wouldn’t be something they kept but […]
Building with Bluegrass
Here at the Academy Center of the Arts, we love to jump at opportunities to work together with other nonprofits in efforts to benefit each other and the community. There was an excellent chance to do just that when assisting the Amherst Habitat for Humanity in their fourteenth annual Bluegrass: Working on a Building 2017. This is the second year our two organizations have embarked on this collaboration. During this event, guests filled the Academy’s Joy and Lynch Christian Warehouse Theatre on Jan. 14, 2017 to hear talented bluegrass bands (Deer Creek Boys, New Standard, James River Cutups and more!) and raise funds for Amherst Habitat. Debbie Habel, Executive Director of the Amherst Habitat for Humanity said, “joining forces with other non-profits helps us to keep our expenses low for fundraisers! Fundraisers are not only a means to obtain monies but they are also important for establishing goodwill and educating the public about our programs.” It was a night to remember, consisting of community, bluegrass jams, food by Dave’s Dawgs, and a pick-a-prize raffle. All this combined under a chance for the community to gather together for the greater purpose of benefiting an organization dedicated to making life better for […]
Giving Thanks
The Boys & Girls Club of Greater Lynchburg has been a great part of our community since they opened their doors in December 2005. They recently celebrated their 10th year of Clubgiving for their members and their family and friends. They have two locations: the Madison Street Clubhouse and the Dearington Clubhouse. Together, they have an average of 160 members at a time. Due to the amount of people who typically attend this annual event, The Club would have needed to split their Thanksgiving festivities into two separate events in order to keep the event at the Club. The Academy Center of the Arts, however, provides a venue large enough to host one large Clubgiving dinner. And so it happened that Clubgiving took place at the Academy for the second consecutive year. Club staff prepared ten turkeys, eight hams, mashed potatoes, homemade macaroni and cheese, green beans, rolls, and desserts for more than 300 people in attendance. For seven years, members of the Calvary Baptist Church and of the Junior ROTC at E.C. Glass have graciously volunteered to help serve food at Clubgiving. Many children served by the Club do not have the opportunity to eat a traditional Thanksgiving meal […]
