Wednesday Lemonade

August 12, 2020
Welcome back to Wednesday Lemonade, a community newsletter focused on keeping VCCA Fellows, staff, and supporters connected.

We can't believe we're almost halfway through August of this crazy year. So much has been strange about our ongoing temporary closure in the face of this pandemic that, frankly, it feels strange to have a bit of very normal news to share. In keeping with the usual cycles of VCCA, we have a fellowship application deadline coming up in September, and we're now accepting nominations for new Fellows Council members. More on those opportunities below.

Thanks to all who joined our Fireplace Series event last week with fiction writer Clifford Garstang and interdisciplinary artist Heidi Kumao. Below we include links to watch the recording and announce next week's guest artists.

Today's Fellow messages feature writer, combat veteran, and nurse practitioner Jackie Munn and abstract metalpoint artist Susan Schwalb. We also share artwork posted in Virtual VCCA by visual artists Nancy Manter and Sally Brucker. Today's resource comes from Poets & Writers.

Continued well wishes to all our friends and Fellows.
spread the word
Deadline Approaching
We're just over a month away from the next Wachtmeister Award application deadline. The award will go to an established visual artist who is not already a Fellow.

Help us broaden the VCCA community and share the value of uninterrupted time and space at Mt. San Angelo by sharing this opportunity with an eligible candidate.

Who's eligible? This year’s applicants must have worked professionally as a visual artist for the past 15 years with substantial national or international achievement in their field. They must not have had a previous residency at VCCA.

What's awarded? In addition to a fully-funded 30-day residency at Mt. San Angelo (to be taken between July 1, 2021 and January 31, 2023), the recipient will receive a $1000 honorarium and reimbursed travel expenses up to $750.

The deadline to apply is September 15, 2020. There is no application fee. Artists of all backgrounds are encouraged to apply.
Share This Opportunity:
join the fellows council
Call for Nominations
Fellows! We are now accepting nominations for new Fellows Council members (you may nominate yourself). If you're interested in getting more involved in VCCA, we encourage you to learn more about the work and the nominating process.

We'll be emailing a more detailed call for nominations to Fellows later in the week. Watch your inbox for more information about this opportunity.
vcca fireplace series
"Community and Energy and Stimulation and Solidarity"
Thanks to David Ebenbach for hosting Clifford Garstang and Heidi Kumao in last week's Fireplace Series event. Cliff read from his new book House of the Ancients and Other Stories. Heidi shared compelling stop motion animation videos and fabric works. And David offered some generous words about VCCA and the goals of this virtual event series. You can catch the recording on Facebook or on YouTube.

Plan to join us next week on Thursday, August 20, at 7:30 p.m. ET to enjoy readings from two more Fellows, poet Michael Montlack (Daddy, NYQ Books) and author Sejal Shah (This Is One Way To Dance. Essays on Race, Place, & Belonging, University of Georgia Press). We're excited to welcome writer and VCCA Board member Rone Shavers as our next host.
fellow messages
Fellows, please fill out this form to submit a message. This is a way to tell the VCCA community about how you're navigating these times as an artist and human and to spread the word about work affected by or created during the pandemic.
Jackie Munn
"I am a former VCCA writing resident (November-December 2019, and a week in January 2020), who also works as a nurse practitioner at a health department in the DC area. Our department cares for vulnerable populations, and also tracks local cases and outbreaks of COVID-19.

I wrote a perspective essay for the Washington Post about my experience as a combat veteran deployed to an isolated outpost in Afghanistan and how it feels similar to quarantining due to the pandemic. I also wrote a story about my current role as a contact tracer and public health nurse practitioner, working to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

I hope everyone from the VCCA community is doing well and finding solace in their art. More than ever, we need creative outlets."


Susan Schwalb
"I just wanted to share some good news in these troubled times. The Courtauld Institute of Art, London, recently acquired eight drawings spanning more than 30 years of my career.

This was handled by my London dealer Patrick Heide Contemporary Art. It is my hope that more museums can be approached to continue this idea.
 
My studio is in Long Island City, and I'm living in my apartment in Manhattan. The city is slowly coming back to life!"
highlights from virtual vcca
These updates come from members posting in Virtual VCCA, our online community platform powered by Mighty Networks.
Open Studios, Sorts Of
We love when Fellows post about recent projects in Virtual VCCA. It's great to catch a glimpse of what folks are up to out there in the world while our studios remain temporarily empty. Below are just a couple of shared images from visual artist members. Explore More
Nancy Manter, Stay In Place #13
Sally Brucker, Part of a series called Quarantine Garden
resources
From Poets & Writers
P&W's Resources for Writers in the Time of Coronavirus includes sections on financial resources, resources for working remotely, resources for readers and writers, and more.
standing invitations
Look to this comprehensive list of ways to stay virtually engaged with VCCA during our temporary closure.
Online Shop
While Fellows can’t peruse VCCA merchandise in person, we’ve put together an online inventory list. Browse the current selection of VCCA swag, and submit your order request and contact info to Bea Booker.
🧡 Stay safe, and be well.
Want to stay in touch with VCCA, just not on a weekly basis? Simply reply to this email to let us know, and we'll understandingly unsubscribe you from this particular email list.