Sunday, February 28, 2010
Arts & Extras: Women in the arts get time to shine
Arts & Extras column
Mike Allen, arts columnist
Recent columns
- 'Ophelia' marks Black History Month
- Art Council's updated website reflects mission to be 'inclusive'
- Metal sculptor who died too young gets retrospective
Arts&Extras blog
Recent posts
Two large-scale state and regional celebrations of women in the arts start this week.
Now, let's see if I can keep all of this straight.
The Arts Council of the Blue Ridge is holding a kickoff event at 7 p.m. Friday at Jefferson Center for "Rising Stars: Women in the Arts."
And what is that? It's a celebration akin to the council's "40 + 40" promotion, in which 40 days of art-related events throughout the region get highlighted in a single brochure and online calendar. In "Rising Stars," the promotion lasts four months, with a focus on honoring the contributions of women to arts and culture.
"Rising Stars" is intended to be a regional tie-in to a statewide program called "Minds Wide Open: Virginia Celebrates Women in the Arts," which starts Monday and lasts until June 30. A collaboration led by the Virginia Commission for the Arts, Virginians for the Arts and 22 other cultural organizations, "Minds Wide Open" also is using an online calendar to highlight events going on throughout the state.
In fact, the council's event Friday is also the regional kickoff for "Minds Wide Open."
At the reception, volunteers will hand out candy bars, representatives from arts organizations will be on hand to discuss their upcoming productions, and then at 8 p.m., Brooklyn hip-hop artist Toni Blackman will perform her show "Travels of a Lyrical Ambassador."
Blackman has been a repeat performer at Jefferson Center for the past few years, and she'll be working with the Sisters of the Circle and Music Lab arts mentoring programs in the days leading up to the concert.
While the reception is free, tickets to Blackman's performance are $15. After the kickoff, more than 70 events will follow throughout the region that fall under the "Rising Stars" umbrella, featuring female artists, composers and performers, as well as programs about women.
For its part, the Taubman Museum of Art will be hosting an exhibit by Roanoke artist Susan Jamison -- read more about her in Tuesday's Extra.
Other "Rising Stars" events include:
• The Irish music ensemble Cherish the Ladies performance with the Lynchburg Symphony Orchestra on March 6 at 8 p.m. in the E.C. Glass High School Auditorium in Lynchburg.
• The Southwest Virginia Ballet's production of "Coppelia," a whimsical ballet about a puppetmaker's doll that appears to come to life, March 27 and 28 at William Fleming High School.
• Opera Roanoke's concert performance of Gaetano Donizetti's tragedy of murder and madness, "Lucia Di Lammermoor," with soprano Amy Cofield Williamson as Lucia, April 30 and May 2 at Jefferson Center's Shaftman Hall.
• Jacksonville Center for the Arts' "All This I Am" exhibition featuring arts and crafts created by women in the region, May 7 through June 30 in Floyd.
As it did with "40 + 40," the arts council has made arrangements with Hampton Inn-Salem to offer "Rising Stars Get-Away Packages."
The arts council landed grants to fund this project from the Virginia Commission for the Arts, National Endowment for the Arts and the Virginia Tourism Corporation.
"Rising Stars" calendar booklets can be picked up at Jefferson Center, the Jacksonville Center for the Arts, Center in the Square, the Arts Council of the Blue Ridge, Roanoke Valley Convention and Visitors Bureau, and the Fine Arts Center for the New River Valley.
For more information on Rising Stars, call 342-5790 or visit www.risingstarsinthearts.com. For information on Minds Wide Open, visit www.vamindswideopen.com.
Minds Wide Open sweepstakes
As a promotion, "Minds Wide Open" is offering a "Standing Ovation Vacation Sweepstakes." The prizes involve 12 arts getaway packages representing all regions of the state.
For more information or to enter, visit www.ArtsVA.com. The 12 winners will be randomly drawn from now through June.
Roanoke's Pamela Jean Gallery closed
By the time you read this, Roanoke's Pamela Jean Gallery across from the Taubman Museum of Art on Salem Avenue will have closed its doors for good.
Last year, gallery owner Pam Floyd's daughter Christy Hogan had a brain aneurysm that severely disabled her while she was five months pregnant. She gave birth to a daughter, Addy Hogan, in August, and Floyd became caretaker for both Christy and her child. Balancing that responsibility with the time and effort needed to keep a business running has proved to be too much, Floyd said.
The gallery opened in October 2007 and showcased work by artists with both regional renown and international acclaim. The venue became an official dealer of the prints of Theodor Geisel (aka Dr. Seuss) and hosted an event called "The Art of Dr. Seuss" that featured activities for children.
The gallery held a final sale Feb. 20, and shut its doors Friday.
Floyd said she's grateful for the support she received from the community during the tough times.
"I just wish I could have stuck it out for a while," and done all the things she wanted to do with the gallery, "but we have to go in a different direction," she said.
Southwest Virginia Ballet auditions
Salem's Southwest Virginia Ballet will hold company auditions March 27 at the William Fleming High School theater.
Auditions for the junior company, for ages 10 or older with skill levels of beginner to intermediate pointe, will take place from 9 to 10:30 a.m. Senior company auditions for ages 13 and older with skill levels of intermediate to advanced pointe take place 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
For more information call 387-3978 or visit www.svballet.org.
On the Arts blog
The Virginia House of Delegates proposal to do away with the Virginia Commission for the Arts has stirred tremendous debate on my blog. And, lest it be forgot, the Oscar giveaway, with a chance to win free movie tickets, is still underway through Friday. Check it all out at blogs.roanoke.com/arts.
