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

June will be a month of happy anticipation at VCCA, as we continue to prepare for the reopening of Mt. San Angelo and the return of Fellows on July 1!

On the heels of a successful fundraising benefit in May and after more than a year of steady renovations of our grounds and buildings, we're more than ready to welcome writers, visual artists, and composers back through our (newly repaired) gates. As part of our closing celebrations of LONG VIEWS, our first-ever online art auction, we showed the latest in a series of videos highlighting recent renovations around Mt. San Angelo. We share that video below for anyone who may have missed it! We also share photo and video evidence of our newest residents — cows!

Yesterday, we opened applications for Summer 2022 residencies at Mt. San Angelo. Four fully-funded fellowships and significant financial aid are available for this application period, which marks the beginning of a new residency scheduling timeline. Read more about our new schedule below. Our three annual deadlines remain the same (January 15, May 15, September 15), but they now correspond to different scheduling seasons.

Also in today's newsletter, we deliver Fellow messages from Sally Rosen Kindred, Carin Clevidence, Nancy Mooslin, Hedwig Brouckaert, and Mara Gibson; announce our newest Composer Playlist including Sergio Núñez Meneses, Alex Nohai-Seaman, Silvia Fômina, Jeff Roberts, and Alexander Vella Gregory; invite you to our next virtual Fireplace Series gathering with David Ebenbach and Nana Nkweti; and pass along a free opportunity from our neighbors at Create Virginia.

Thanks to so many artists, bidders, buyers, donors, and sponsors for helping to make VCCA's first online benefit auction such a success. Nearly 70 pieces of art have found new homes, and VCCA has raised over $70,000 to support its operations and mission.

Watch the video of their joyous arrival.

Kevin, Sheila, and Asta take you on a walk around Mt. San Angelo, showing recent updates to the Fellows Residence and Studio Barn.

Recently completed renovations include new private bathrooms, new HVAC units, new keyless entry systems, a new dining table by VCCA Fellow Anthony Ulinski, and more.

VCCA has shifted its residency scheduling periods to fit within the calendar year and to better align with academic schedules. Moving forward, applications will be accepted on the following timeline for residencies at Mt. San Angelo:

May to August Residencies

Application opens: June 1, 2021

Application deadline: September 15, 2021 Notification: sent by December 31, 2021

September to December Residencies Application opens: October 1, 2021 Application deadline: January 15, 2022 Notification: sent by April 30, 2022

January to April Residencies

Application opens: February 1, 2022 Application deadline: May 15, 2022 Notification: sent by August 31, 2022

This month in our virtual Fireplace Series, we're happy to welcome two VCCA Fellows with brand new books published in the last several weeks. David Ebenbach will share his latest novel, How to Mars (Tachyon Publications), and Nana Nkweti will read from her debut story collection, Walking on Cowrie Shells (Graywolf Press).

Fellow Clifford Garstang, who read in the Fireplace Series last August and whose new book Oliver's Travels also launched recently, will return to the Fireplace Series as our host.

Save the date for Thursday, June 17. The live stream will begin on our Facebook page and YouTube channel at 7:30 p.m. ET.

The lives and work of visual artist Marilyn Banner and writer Ellen Prentiss Campbell have woven together in myriad ways over the years. It was a pleasure to bring them back together virtually for last month's Fireplace Series event, in which they shared their recent artistic projects and their ongoing friendship. Thank you to composer Martin Hundley for hosting. Recordings of the event are available on VCCA's Facebook page and YouTube channel.

Enjoy music this month from five VCCA Fellow composers:

Music submissions are accepted on a rolling basis.

Fellows, send us your news!

"My third poetry collection, Where the Wolf — the subject of revision in my most recent, fall 2019 VCCA residency — won the 2020 Diode Press Prize and is forthcoming from Diode Editions this June."

"I have an essay in Guernica that I finished at VCCA, with help from wonderful essayist and fellow resident Lori Horvitz. Very grateful to both VCCA & Lori!"

"I have two large sculptures in outdoor, public art exhibitions for the next two years. 'Merlin's Music' is included in the El Paseo Invitational in Palm Desert, CA, and 'Fractured Peace' is included in the Civic Center Park Rotating Public Art Exhibit in Newport Beach, CA." nancymooslin.com

"SHIFTING SANDS is a group exhibition showcasing the creative breadth of 20 artists from NYFA’s 2020 Immigrant Artist Program."

Curated by Ghislaine Sabiti, Yvette Molina, and Hedwig Brouckaert

Thursday June 10, 6-8 p.m.

Chashama, 340 E 64th Street, New York

With Zeshan Ahmed, Katya Akuma, Ivana Brenner, Hedwig Brouckaert, Zorica Colic, Carin Kulb Dangot, Bel Falleiros, Nathier Fernandez, Vinay Hira, Jaejoon Jang, Hyun Jung Ahn, Ae Yun Kim, Geuryung Lee, Jiaoyang Li, Spandita Malik, Levan Mindiashvili, j.p.mot, Ghislaine Sabiti, Leila Seyedzadeh, Sofia Suazo

"Please check out my latest work: Galatea's Dream (a pastiche song cycle) and Escher Keys (my bassoon concerto)"

From our friends in Lynchburg: "Create Virginia is offering free virtual courses for artists. The first one is a two-parter based around social media marketing. Check out more information on the website." createvirginia.com/sessions

Look to this comprehensive list of ways to stay virtually engaged with our creative community during VCCA's temporary closure.

🧡 Stay safe, and be well.

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