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In this issue - May 2024
- Day of the Arts - free events all day long: Saturday, May 4
- Public Art Forward sculpture proposals due by June 2 for $15,000 grant
- Levitt AMP Harrisonburg concert series announces summer lineup
- AND we're still celebrating your amazing Great Community Give generosity!
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The Fine Art
of Appreciation
Heartfelt thanks to each one of you who donated to Arts Council of the Valley (ACV) during last month's Great Community Give! ACV benefits mightily from that outpouring of support, as do the lives we touch all year long.
We're also grateful for The Community Foundation of Harrisonburg and Rockingham County (TCFHR) staff and volunteers, whose year-round labor of love makes this giving day possible.
Want more evidence of the power of big-hearted community-minded people to create positive change? Join us Saturday, May 4 for Day of the Arts at Court Square Theater and in the Smith House Galleries area. Thanks to a TCFHR Earlynn J. Miller Fund for the Arts grant for the theater's ACT ONE education program, the entire day's activities - film, arts panel, workshops, art exhibitions, performances, and much more - are all offered at no charge.
If you knew Earlynn Miller, you know she believed in all the arts for all the people. We are pleased - and honored - to carry forth her arts-loving legacy, and hope you will freely immerse yourself in all the arts this Saturday!
See the full Day of the Arts schedule here.
With gratitude,
Jenny Burden Executive Director
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JOIN DAY OF THE ARTS FUN MAY 4 | |
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Get ready. Get set. Go! Day of the Arts gets underway this Saturday (5/4), with a full slate of FREE arts activities.
Enjoy performances, workshops, and a panel discussion inside Court Square Theater (41-F Court Square) throughout the day, with an exhibition and assortment of arts activities taking place just outside the theater lobby in the Marketplace Gallery.
The area in and around Smith House Galleries (311 S Main St) will be hopping, too, with the JMU ArtsMobile behind the Smith House; artists demonstrating their work; a 1-2:30 pm iRon Lion reggae performance by Ronnie Brandon; and 2:30 pm Artist Talk by James Albright. Plus, weather permitting, chalk artist Robert Mott will create a large drawing in the Asbury United Methodist Church parking area, beginning at 9:30 am.
A 7:30 pm Dr. How and the Reasons to live performance at CST will close out the festivities in style. General admission seating is available at the door on a first-come, first-served basis.
Day of the Arts offers an array of engaging arts opportunities. And, it's all free, thanks to support, in part, from The Community Foundation of Harrisonburg and Rockingham County, Earlynn J. Miller Fund for the Arts. Check out the full schedule here!
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YOUR POWER HOUR RESPONSE WAS ELECTRIFYING | |
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This year's Great Community Give Power Hour saw 62 donors contribute $44,111 in 60 minutes! Thanks to everyone who stepped up - from early giving through Power Hour and beyond - to show such love for the arts. Your dedication helped earn an additional $700 Matinee Power Hour Prize, sponsored by the Lantz & Gochenour Investment Group of Janney Montgomery Scott; and contributed greatly toward the $4,000 Small Nonprofit 2nd place Leaderboard prize sponsored by the Daily News-Record. And then, Paul Riner - our board president - chose ACV to receive the $1,000 Good Samaritan Award, bringing our total for donations and prizes to $63,645. What a great, giving community - thank you!
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We appreciate each one of you, and the generous $5,000 Momentum Maker gift from James McHone Jewelry that set the pace for such record-breaking generosity.
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JOURNEY TOWARDS THE UNKNOWN | |
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Smith House Galleries opens Journey Towards the Unknown, May 3, with a 5-7 pm reception. Meet artists Mahnaz Weldy, Maryam Rassapour, and
James Albright as you view their mixed media and painting works. Held in conjunction with First Fridays of the Valley, the reception is sponsored by GreeneHurlocker. Also available online, the exhibition runs through May 31. Visit Monday-Friday, 11 am to 4 pm (closed May 27) and Second Saturday (May 11, 10 am-2 pm).
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EXPERIENCE FIRST FRIDAYS OF THE VALLEY MAY 3 | |
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Twenty-seven First Fridays of the Valley venues offer special arts experiences this week (May 3; most are open 5-7 pm). Use this online map and downloadable events listing to plan your evening.
Thanks to Kathy Moran Wealth Group, 2024 First Fridays of the Valley Exclusive Sponsor!
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Show your appreciation for these First Fridays venues! | |
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Aristocat Cafe
Arts Incarnate
ArtWorks Gallery
Asbury United Methodist Church
Capitol Waffle Shop
Court Square Theater
Draime Fine Art Studio
Duke Hall Gallery of Fine Art
Explore More Discovery Museum
Firefly Emporium
Frame Factory & Gallery
Friendly City Clay & Art Center
Friendly City Food Co-op
Furious Flower Broadside Gallery
Gaines Group Architects at the Depot
Gift & Thrift
The Golden Pony
Green Hummingbird
Harrisonburg Baptist Church
Harrisonburg City Hall
Hess Financial
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Horizon Gifts
Hotel Madison & Shenandoah Valley Conference Center
Look West Gallery @ The Mark-It
Mashita
OASIS Fine Art and Craft
Ott Street Eats
Pale Fire Brewing Company
Parentheses Books
Park Gables Gallery at VMRC
The Perch Workspace
Pulp Cafe
Rebecca's Well (Bridgewater)
Rootstock Wine Bar and Provisions
Sage Bird Ciderworks
Saint Stephen's United Church of Christ
Smith House Galleries
Stoney Run Artisans and Highland Designs (McGaheysville)
Ten Thousand Villages
Virginia Quilt Museum
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BEV APPLETON STARS IN MAY 26 ACT ONE BENEFIT AT CST | |
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In Shake-Song, Bev Appleton shares highlights from his theatrical career spanning 50+ musicals and Shakespeare productions. In addition to entertaining you, this show (Sunday, May 26, 3 pm) benefits the Court Square Theater (CST) ACT ONE program.
Craving films? CST's got you covered with something old, something new - and an Arts on Screen selection featuring John Singer Sargent. Buy advance tickets at courtsquaretheater.org.
The popular ACT ONE Master Class Series continues May 28 (Music Theory With Harold Bailey) and June 18 (Telling Stories Through Photo And Video With Anikó Sáfrán). Each class meets 5:30-8:30 pm at the theater (41-F Court Square). There's no charge; just click the Get Tickets button for each class to reserve your seat.
Summer Theater Camps are filling fast, with only a few openings left for July 8-13 (rising grades 1-3) and July 22-27 (rising grades 7-9). Registration deadline is June 14.
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LEVITT AMP HARRISONBURG CONCERTS RETURN! | |
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Mark your calendar now: the Levitt AMP Harrisonburg Music Series is back this summer with 10 free concerts on the lawn near the Turner Pavilion. Shows are scheduled Wednesdays, 6-8 pm; however, the first July concert is Friday, July 5, 6-9 pm, followed by fireworks.
Learn more about the lineup here.
- June 26 – Lowdown Brass Band (Brass/Hip Hop/Soul)
- Friday, July 5 – Yam Yam (Jazz Funk) with opener Florencia & The Feeling (Pop-Funk Fusion); 6-9 pm, followed by Harrisonburg’s Independence Day fireworks.
- July 10 – Radio Free Honduras (Latin Folk Rock)
- July 17 – Roberta Lea (Country/Pop/Neo-Soul)
- July 31 – Everyday Everybody (Brass & Soul)
- Aug 7 – Chuck Mead (Honky-Tonk & Rockabilly)
- Aug 14 – BettySoo (Americana/Folk/Rock)
- Aug 21 – Fox Royale (Pop Rock)
- Sept 4 – The Claudettes (Indie Pop & Roots Rock)
- Sept 11 – Tré Burt (Folk/Rock)
Arts Council of the Valley is partnering with Harrisonburg Downtown Renaissance and the City of Harrisonburg on the Levitt AMP series.
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Artist proposals are due by 11:59 pm Wednesday, May 15 for the 2025 exhibition season at Smith House Galleries, operated by Arts Council of the Valley. See guidelines, application form, and a galleries floorplan at valleyarts.org/submissions.
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There's still time for artists to apply to create a new work of sculpture for Harrisonburg's Arts & Cultural District. Proposals for a Public Art Forward grant of up to $15,000 are due by 5 pm June 2. Part of Arts Council of the Valley's Advancing the Arts program, the Public Art Forward grant is made possible through the generosity of the the Forward family. Guidelines and application materials are available here.
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SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT: EUGENE STOLTZFUS ARCHITECTS | |
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A rich thriving arts community, engaged in all the arts, is a sure sign of a vibrant city. Harrisonburg is fortunate to have an active Arts Council supporting the visual, sculptural and musical arts. As a Cultivating the Arts sponsor, Eugene Stoltzfus Architects is pleased to support Arts Council of the Valley and the growing impact of the arts on our community.
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Site prep is underway at the intersection of N Main St and Noll Drive for Harrisonburg's North End Gateway Public Art Project. The City partnered with Arts Council of the Valley and Harrisonburg Downtown Renaissance, with participation from the Northeast Neighborhood Association (NENA) on the project, which will feature a welcoming sculptural work by artist Nicholas Brinen.
The Off-Broadway Players present To Kill a Mockingbird May 10-19 (Fri-Sat, 7 pm; Sun, 3 pm) at J. Frank Hillyard Middle School. Directed by Michael Strawderman, the play was written by Christopher Sergel, based on the novel by Harper Lee. General admission tickets (adults $17; students/seniors $15) available at the door.
OASIS Fine Art & Craft is augmenting ACV’s Day of the Arts action with artist demonstrations and Cousin Jimmy’s Stringband from noon to 4 pm May 4. Also at OASIS this month: four print workshops ($45 for the series) led by Susan Elliott. Call 571.277.3024 to reserve your spot; the first class is May 2. Supported, in part, by an ACV Advancing the Arts Grant.
Wild and Wonderful: Capturing Animals in Paint, an exhibition involving elementary school artists, Any Given Child Shenandoah Valley, Explore More Discovery Museum, and OASIS Fine Art & Craft, opens with a May 7 (6:30-7:30 pm) reception at Massanutten Regional Library.
HarriSWINGburg hosts a swing dance Sunday, May 12 at Brix & Columns Vineyard, starting at 7 pm with a beginner dance lesson. Individuals, partners and groups of all experience levels are welcome. The $10 charge covers dance lesson and open social dancing from 8 to 10 pm with music by Zuzu's Hot 5. Visit the group’s Facebook event page for details.
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THE ARTS STIMULATE LOCAL CULTURAL SPENDING | |
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A vibrant arts and culture community keeps residents spending locally. When local attendees to nonprofit arts and culture events were asked what they would have done if the event where they were surveyed had not been available, 51% said they would have “traveled to a different community to attend a similar arts or cultural activity.”
Commissioned by Americans for the Arts, The
Arts & Economic Prosperity 6 (AEP6) study provides an in-depth exploration of the economic and social impact of the arts in communities across the US.
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