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 […]
2017 National Juried Photography Exhibition Winners
The 2017 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 John Lofaso for ‘Raccoon” 2nd Place Award $600 award to Robert Hein for ‘Waves” 3rd Place Award $400 award to Sam Krisch for ‘Untitled Namibia” Juror’s Choice Award $300 award to Michele Sons for ‘Dance of the…” Juror’s Choice Award $200 award to Melissa Stanton for ‘Wild Flowers” Juror’s Choice Award $1500 award to Erika Cespedes for ‘Broken Down” Juror’s Choice Award $100 award to David Eakin for ‘Morning at 7″ Juror’s Choice Award $100 award to Kathy Cudlin for ‘Grand Central Station” Juror’s Choice Award $100 award to Karen Covey for ‘Parachute Jump” About the 2017 Juror – Carolyn Russo Carolyn Russo is a recipient of the 9th Julia Margaret Cameron Award for Women Photographers and the 2016 Tokyo International […]
Lost and Found Art
This month’s First Friday event will feature a special exhibit in the Up Front Gallery – a show centered around the concept of lost and found art, from contributors Ted Batt, Kevin Chadwick, Laura Morgan, Laura Sackett, Larry Bowden, Craig Wallwork, and George Dawson, among others. “This show is different in that the real focus here is on the stories of these pieces,” said Ted Batt, Director of Visual Arts at the Academy Center of the Arts. “[The pieces] have all been created, purchased, and then forgotten or discarded. A new life to them continues the story.” Craig Wallwork’s ‘Military Officer’ piece was purchased at the Potomac Auction House in 2008. “I was told this art piece was painted by none other than master forger Mr. Elmyr de Hory, a Hungarian. He forged paintings of Henri Matisse, Renoir et al. His artwork was so convincing he went undetected for years.” Some of his forgeries even hung in the many of the most impressive art museums and private galleries around the world before he was convicted of forgery and took his own life. A piece from Kevin Chadwick’s collection, from artist Gneushev Konstantin Grigorevich, also embodies the ‘lost and found’ concept. “What […]
National Juried Art Awards 2017
The Annual National Juried Art Exhibition at the Academy Center of the Arts opened on Friday, April 7, and includes 23 artists from 10 states. The exhibition of 43 pieces encompasses a wide variety of: including oil paintings, clay, mixed media paintings and sculpture, wood, fiber, woodcuts, collage and gouache. Over $3000 in cash awards was presented to ten artists and the winners are as follows: Best in Show: $1000 John Shuptrine – “8mm” #1 Sponsored by the Academy Center of the Arts 2nd Place Award: $700 Jon Lundak (White Marsh, MD) “Aerodynamics of a Carry On” Sponsored by the Academy Center of the Arts 3rd Place Award: $500 Doni Guggenheimer – “City Birds” Sponsored by the Academy Center of the Arts Juror’s Choice Award: $300 Kevin Chadwick – “Summer Night” Sponsored by the Cary and Robert Roberts Juror’s Choice Award: $200 Chatham Monk – “Jack Mask” Sponsored by the Academy Center of the Arts Juror’s Choice Award: $125 George Radeschi (Bedford, Pennsylvania) – “#161” Sponsored by Royal County Arts Juror’s Choice Award: $100 Chris Motley (San Francisco, CA) “Red” Sponsored by Lynn Shapiro @ […]
NATIONAL JURIED PHOTO AWARDS
The Annual National Juried Photo Exhibition at the Academy Center of the Arts opened on Friday, September 2. The juror, Glen McClure, professional photographer from Norfolk selected 34 artists from 7 states. Over $2500 in cash awards was presented to ten artists and the winners are as follows: Best in Show: $1000 John Lofaso – “Shadow Series #15” Sponsored in part by the Academy Center of the Arts 2nd Place Award: $500 Peter Toth – “Dugout in Fog” Sponsored by the Dr. Cary Roberts 3rd Place Award: $300 Kristen Victoria Harner – “20,000 Leagues of Solitude” Sponsored by the Academy Center of the Arts Juror’s Choice Award: $200 Alec Hosterman – “Weeds in the Snow” Sponsored by the Academy Center of the Arts Juror’s Choice Award: $150 Lisa Pitcher – “Big Lots Special” Sponsored by the Academy Center of the Arts Juror’s Choice Award: $150 Robert Miller – “Potter’s Hands” Sponsored by the Academy Center of the Arts Juror’s Choice Award: $100 Michele Sons – “Spirit of Light” Sponsored by Blackwell Press Juror’s Choice Award: $100 Tabitha Robinson […]
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. […]
Our art gallery gets a spruce up!
So, if you have driven down Main Street in downtown Lynchburg in the last month, we are sure you have seen a lot of construction activity happening on our historic theatre. Well, that is not the only space in our facility getting improvements. Our front gallery is getting a major make over as well! This is thanks to an anonymous donor dedicated to bringing the visual arts to our community. Our art gallery shows are a staple of Lynchburg’s monthly First Friday and each month feature new shows and artists. Our Anne White Gallery (our “back gallery”) is a beautiful space with hard wood floors, white walls, and a painted tin ceiling. For a long time, our “front gallery” has lacked this wonderful aesthetic. As our Executive Director has said, “it looks like a 1970s bank.” It featured a green and beige carpet, old ceiling tiles, and wood paneled walls. The ceiling panels are being removed and the original tin ceiling is getting repaired and painted. The original wood floors are getting finished and the walls are going white to highlight the art that will hang on them. Our front gallery will now look like our beautiful Anne White Gallery. […]
