Written by: Morgan Yeatts For two years now, the Academy Center of the Arts has partnered with Alpha Phi Alpha, the first African American greek fraternity, to present The Best of Us, an awards ceremony dedicated to acknowledging and celebrating the Black community, organizations, and individuals who have made contributions in the Lynchburg area. This year, over 330 people attended the ceremony, which was held on Saturday, February 2, 2019, in the Joy & Lynch Christian Warehouse Theatre. The numerous awards included Best Businesswoman, Best Businessman, Best Barbershop, and three Lifetime Achievement awards. “There are a lot of people in our community who are honored, but don’t get recognition,” says Evan Smith, Director of Community Outreach here at the Academy. “I think it’s important to be able to recognize people who have made great contributions to our community.” Members of the community who were awarded include Ethel Reeves, who received the Mary Kinkle Award for Best Educator, musician Lew Taylor, winner of the Entertainer of the Year award, and Lynchburg Police Officer, Tereika Grooms, who won the Millenial of the Year award. The recipients of the Lifetime Achievement awards were Fletcher Hubbard, Mary Payne, and Willie […]
Over 600 Lynchburg Area Music Students Gain Access to Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra
Contact: Brittany Griffith Director of Communications and Marketing (434) 528-3256 x131 bgriffith@academycenter.org OVER 600 LYNCHBURG AREA MUSIC STUDENTS GAIN ACCESS TO THE JAZZ AT LINCOLN CENTER ORCHESTRA The Academy Center of the Arts’ staff and board are proud to share that over 600 local middle and high school music students will travel to the newly restored Historic Academy of Music Theatre on Thursday, December 13, 2018, to experience the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra’s Big Band Holidays sound check with Wynton Marsalis. The sound check event will begin at 4:30pm in the Historic Theatre prior to the 7:30pm performance that evening. A question and answer portion will also be held between the students and musicians on stage prior to the concluding the event. “Youth outreach is really important to Wynton Marsalis,” said Geoffrey Kershner, Executive Director of the Academy Center of the Arts. “When arranging their visit, it was the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra who offered up this opportunity and it was something we jumped at. We loved the notion that not only would adult audiences benefit from this world-class artist but also area youth.” The Academy Center of the Arts is dedicated to […]
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 […]
Riverfront Park Concert Series Finale: Wynona and the Big Noise
Even before the gates opened at 5:00 for happy hour, fans were camped outside, waiting to claim their spot in the grass to see Wynonna Judd and her band, The Big Noise. They were soon joined by hundreds more who trickled through the entrances in pairs and groups. The mixed drinks and beer were provided by Blue Ridge Beverage. With plenty of time before the concert began, those in attendance enjoyed pizza, fries, and other crowd favorites from local food trucks Uppercust Pizza, Uprooted, Hibachi Guys, and Bistro Bros. VIP ticket holders enjoyed refreshments provided by {RA} Bistro in the shade of the VIP tent. Although the forecast had called for rain, when former Lynchburger Josh Wolfe took the stage to open the show at 6:30, the sky was blue and clear. Kids played frisbee, while the adults lounged in lawn chairs or stretched out on blankets. The ages of those in attendance ranged from infants and toddlers to the older couples slow dancing to the music, with a mix of ages between. Shortly after Josh Wolfe finished his set, The Big Noise took the stage. Led by Cactus Moser, Wynonna Judd’s husband, the group of four […]
A Session on Storytelling with Brian Reed
In April, Brian Reed visited the Academy Center of the Arts’ Warehouse Theatre to discuss all things S-Town, as well as his work on Serial and as Senior Producer on This American Life, produced in collaboration with Chicago Public Medi and delivered to stations by PRX The Public Radio Exchange. During the event, fans learned more about Reed’s storytelling process, particularly with regard to S-Town, but a special group of students from Lynchburg College’s Communications Studies department nabbed an intimate hour-long workshop with Reed prior to the event where he delved deeper into his process. “The Communication Studies Department at Lynchburg College is committed to exposing its students to experiential learning,” said Ghislaine Lewis, Assistant Professor of Communication Studies at Lynchburg College. “We were thrilled to have the opportunity through the Academy Center for the Arts for our students to have an intimate conversation with Brian Reed.” Prior to their workshop, students in Dr. Lewis’ course listened to the entire S-Town podcast, and came prepared with questions about the podcast itself, Reed’s process, and modern journalism as a whole. In a casual setting, Reed engaged these questions which ranged from how he approaches interviews, to the medium of podcasting, […]
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 […]
Facebook and NEA Reps Head to Create Lynchburg 2018
The City of Lynchburg Office of Economic Development & Tourism, the Small Business Development Center, and the Academy Center of the Arts have teamed up to host the second annual Create Lynchburg Conference on Saturday, February 24, 2018, at the Academy Center of the Arts’ Warehouse Theatre. Create Lynchburg is a conference for Lynchburg’s community of artists and creatives, with a goal of supporting area arts & entrepreneurship, and equipping artists and organizations with the tools, resources, and connections to be successful in business, while making a positive economic impact in the greater Lynchburg community. “We are really excited to bring this conference back to Lynchburg and to continue the collaboration between the Office of Economic Development & Tourism and the SBDC,” said Academy Center of the Arts’ Executive Director, Geoffrey Kershner. “Last year’s conference touched on a real need to bring our creative community resources that will help them succeed not just as artists and creative but as small businesses and entrepreneurs.” Anna Bentson the Assistant Director of the Office of Economic Development said, “from Lynchburg’s participation with Americans for the Arts national economic impact study we know that the arts in Lynchburg generate at […]
The Big Draw was a Big Hit
Written by: Kristin Harris Saturday afternoon, October 14, the Academy Center of the Arts in Lynchburg, VA hosted a Big Draw17 Living Lines event. I knew I was going to have a good time and was thrilled when we had a full house with kids and adults making art and animation and loving it. I am most indebted to the Academy Center of the Arts for sponsoring this program. As a family event, it was very exciting to have so many adults actively participating, parents and adults who came to experience the Big Draw in Lynchburg. I had not realized, we were one of only three Big Draw happenings in the US this year. Time is running out, but not too late for you to register for a Big Draw event at your school, museum, art space, park during the month of October. Table One Zoetrope We had four activity areas, three were hands-on drawing with traditional tools, but animation related. Table One was all about zoetropes. These pre-film animation devices spin a sequence of images to simulate motion. Learn more about my process in fabricating one in this post. I was a little surprised the zoetrope table was a big hit and consistently full. I […]
Oh, What a Night!
Oh, What a Night! Victor and I want to thank every single soul who contributed to the magic of this year’s Academy Gala. We loved every second working on the event. We loved collaborating with the Academy’s fabulous staff and a truly gifted Gala committee, who made it such a wonderful team effort, and we all certainly enjoyed being together on that most sparkly night. The time, talent and treasure contributed by everyone who was part of the event was gracious, good-natured, and generous. We are so grateful to our fantastic Gala volunteers from Lynchburg College and Liberty University, and to Mac Foster, Megan Gibbons, Laura Bailey, Sallie Carson, Laina Vitalie, and especially VTA’s Anna Wehr, who directed traffic throughout the evening in support of Volunteer Chair Brandon Landes’ thorough planning. We are grateful to Endstation’s Chris Bailey for his able stage management, to Geep Howell for sound support, and of course to the Academy staff and Gala Committee, who worked tirelessly for the months leading up to September 16th. Auction Chair Anne Ainslie’s leadership throughout was nothing short of spectacular; Decor Chair Troy Deacon’s Warehouse Theatre transformation was beautiful, aided by his brilliant sidekicks Heather Zippel and Dabney […]
The Academy 2017 Gala: A Production Unlike any Other
“The plan is to fan this spark into a flame.” —Hamilton Are you ready? We are just four weeks out from the 2017 Academy Gala and the excitement and anticipation is almost too much to bear! On Saturday, September 16th, 2017, the Academy Center of the Arts, the Gala committee, and the ticket holders for this annual fundraiser will experience a “production” unlike any other as we time travel back to the glamorous 1930s and the vintage nightclub culture known as Café Society. At this year’s Gala, the star of this show is indeed “the show.” Straight from Birdland in Manhattan’s theatre district, our host Jim Caruso brings his world famous Cast Party, joined by acclaimed pianist Billy Stritch – straight from Tony Bennett’s world tour! Also stepping up to take their turns at the mic are hometown heroes you’ll not want to miss. So many of our community members – Hope Harris, Spence White, Paul Fitzgerald and others – are “coming from away” to join local favorites Tony Camm, Taylor Rodriguez, Mary Dalton, and Whitney O’Brian in raising their voices for the Academy. In addition to the talent, the Gala will also host a pre-show supper […]
