This past weekend, the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts’ Artmobile took up temporary residency in our Historic Theatre courtyard. The mobile art museum was free to the public and over 200 visitors viewed the exhibition over the course of the weekend. “It was great partnering with the Academy Center of the Arts to share works by prominent Virginia artists with the people of Lynchburg,” said Sean Kane, VMFA Artmobile staff. “The Artmobile’s debut exhibit, How Far Can Creativity Take You: VMFA Fellowship Artists, focuses on works made by 12 fellows who have achieved acclaim in the art world and are represented in the museum’s permanent collection.” Lynchburg local Lauren Barnes and her daughter visited the artmobile during its stay. “We are huge art lovers and were thrilled to have the VMFA artmobile visit Lynchburg! The staff couldn’t have been more welcoming or knowledgable. Thank you to the Academy for bringing this incredible and free gift to Lynchburg.” Academy Board of Trustees Member Elizabeth Stroud was thrilled for the opportunity to expose her kids to local art. “The VMFA artmobile was a great opportunity to introduce my kids to some truly brilliant Virginia artists,” she said. “My 5 year […]
Academy to Host Mobile Art Exhibition
This November, the Academy is partnering with Virginia Museum of Fine Arts to host the VMFA Artmobile in the courtyard of the Historic Academy Theatre during a weekend of events on our campus. This incredible mobile museum features art from acclaimed artists who all have a connection to Virginia in some way. Artists include Ann Chenoweth, Esther Worden Day, Emmet Gowin, and Benjamin Wigfall, among others. The very first Artmobile opened in 1953 and in just three weeks attracted over 5,000 visitors. Through the years, the traveling exhibit was well received by Virginians in all corners of the state, but unfortunately the program ended in 1994 due to budgetary constraints and concerns about protecting the art on the road. In 2015, the museum was able to resurrect the Artmobile in an 18 wheeler that features a 640 feet temperature controlled display space that comfortably holds the art and visitors. The VMFA on the Road program was created with the mission of reaching as many people in Virginia as possible with stops all over the state. The Academy is the VMFA Artmobile’s second to last stop on their 2019 tour. They will be staying November 15-17. Join […]
Looking Forward to Ain’t Misbehavin’
This coming November, Community Through Theatre will be presenting the 1978 Tony Award winning musical, Ain’t Misbehavin’. This jazzy show won 4 Tony Awards in its prime, including Best Musical, and is a musical celebration of legendary musician, Fats Waller. Joshua Carter will be directing our production, which will be performed in the Warehouse Theater. “I think that this show is a perfect balance of sugar and spice,” he says. “It is a celebration of simpler times and a reminder of what good music sounds like.” This will be the most intimate show yet, with a small cast of 11 actors. Carter’s vision for the staging of the production is to immerse the audience in the Harlem club scene. The audience will be arranged to surround three-fourths of the stage, seated right in the thick of the performance. “I want to bring the Harlem Renaissance to life,” says Carter, “not only to revue the timeless music of the era, but also the stories, lives, and people of that time.” We invite you to join us for this incredible production. Showtimes are at 7:30pm November 1, 2, 7, 8, and 9, and 2:00pm November 2, 3, and 10. […]
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, […]
The Best of Us Celebrates Community
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 […]
Meet the Staff: Tabitha Abbott
by Morgan Yeatts As a Lynchburg native, Tabitha knows just how far downtown Lynchburg has come through the years. Before coming to the Academy Center of the Arts (ACOA), she worked at Amazement Square, eventually becoming their event planner, and then their Operations Director. Later, an event coordinator position was created for her at United Way. She has also worked with the Downtown Lynchburg Association to plan Get Downtown. Needless to say, Tabitha knows how to get things done. “Event planning is being really organized and creative; it’s something I kind of fell into that I love.” Tabitha met Dorie Smiley, former Operations Director of the ACOA, through the Downtown Lynchburg Association, of which Dorie is Vice President. As Dorie was in the process of stepping down from her role at the ACOA, preparing for retirement, Tabitha applied for the job and started in October of 2017. Although she isn’t planning events as much as she used to, Tabitha loves her position here at the Academy. “My position lends itself to be a part of everyone’s department and being a part of it in such a wide reaching way is really cool and special. It […]
Meet the Staff: Tyler Herron
by Morgan Yeatts Tyler Herron knew from a young age that lighting design was the career he wanted to pursue. He remembers telling his parents that, someday, he was going to be a lighting designer for a mega church. Growing up, he gained experience working with the lighting design crew at the church he attended in Hope, Arkansas, and at the age of 12, was invited to go on tour with David Phelps, Christian southern gospel singer, and work with his lighting team. Tyler attended Ouachita Baptist University in Arkansas, with the intended major of theatre with an emphasis in technical theatre. Part way through his degree, he got a job at as lighting designer for a mega church in Little Rock, bringing his youthful predictions to fruition. When he got the opportunity, he left school to work there full time, and stayed for over 5 years, gaining invaluable experience through hands on work. A time came when Tyler felt that he needed a change, a new challenge, so he began applying for lighting design jobs all over the nation. “I needed to find someone who would take a chance on me,” he said. Although he had […]
Meet the Staff: Tremayne Edwards
by Morgan Yeatts Growing up, Tremayne Edwards, Box Office Manager here at the Academy Center of the Arts, never really had a answer to the question “what do you want to be when you grow up”. This wasn’t because he didn’t have any dreams or goals, but can be attributed to the fact that Tremayne has a deeply rooted desire to work with and help people, so he believed essentially any job that would allow him to do this was the job for him. He describes himself as one of those people who has never met a stranger. “If I haven’t made you laugh by the time we finish talking, I will buy you dinner”, he says, “and I’ve never had to yet”. One day, he was looking on the Academy website and saw the job posting for Box Office Manager, and knew that his passion for people and his personality would make him the perfect fit for this job. Since starting the job in February of this year, he’s assisted countless visitors and patrons. Tremayne calls himself the gatekeeper of the Academy. “Everyone has to go through me” he says, and he approaches this role wholeheartedly. […]
What Art Does: Building Confidence and Community Through Theatre
by Morgan Yeatts Summers at the Academy Center of the Arts are filled with excellent opportunities for the community to experience and participate in the arts, whether that be through concerts, classes, or camps. For years, the Academy has offered a summer theatre camp for high schoolers, Encore!, which gives campers the chance to spend entire days participating in master classes while building a product from the ground up, all in one month’s time. The camp is always a community favorite, and this year is no exception. The 29 enrolled students are currently finishing up rehearsals for their 2018 production of Once On This Island, a Broadway musical from 1990, whose 2017 revival was met with rave reviews and Tony Award nominations, winning Best Revival of a Musical. Michelle Velastegui, 7-year director of Encore!, relishes the experience to work with high schoolers from the community who share her love and passion for theatre. Her desire is for the campers to leave this experience with a better knowledge of all aspects of the theatre. “I hope they learn confidence and team building and that it’s more than just a performance,” she says. When asked why […]
