In 1988, two upstart artist fellowship programs embarked on an experiment. The VCCA, in Amherst, and the Oberpfälzer Künstlerhaus, located in the picturesque Bavarian village of Schwandorf, each agreed to send two of their own artists to be in residence at the other place. In 1989 the first two Americans went to Germany. Twenty years later, 100 artists have traveled back and forth, inspiring exhibitions, translations, concerts, events and other creative collaborations. The VCCA is celebrating this milestone on Sat., Oct. 17, 2009, with art and music created by these exchange artists. The event, which is free and open to the public, includes a retrospective art exhibition and a concert of music for piano by Bavarian composer Jens Barnieck. The exhibition is open from 3 to 5 p.m. and the one-hour concert begins at 5 p.m. The event takes places in the Fellows Residence building. All art featured in the exhibition is for sale. Several American and German Fellows, who have participated i

The poetry of VCCA Fellow Ellen Wise set to music by VCCA composer Adolphus Hailstork, will be performed under the historic Halle in "centre ville" in Auvillar, France, on September 24, 2009, by soprano Agnes Fuller Mobley-Wynne, accompanied by pianist Jason Peterson.  Ellen Wise is currently in residence at the VCCA's Moulin à Nef studio center in southwest France with writers Jamie Cat Callan and Denise Emanuel Clemen.  Above: Photo of the historic Halle in Auvillar by Karen Bell

Our own Resident Artist, Barbara Bernstein, will be at Riverviews Artspace , Lynchburg, this evening, opening her new exhibition, Patterns of Love and Beauty . Reception from 5:30 to 8. The show runs through October 25, 2009. If you're  in the area, we'd love to see you this evening!  Image: Courtesy Barbara Bernstein

The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation has awarded the VCCA a grant to support residences for artists from the greater Washington, D.C. area. Since 1991, the Cafritz Foundation has supported the residencies of nearly 150 visual artists, writers, and composers at the VCCA. It has served as a model for additional regional initiatives, including Pennsylvania and New Jersey. The next application deadline is September 15, 2009 for residencies between February and May 2010. To apply , submit an application form, curriculum vitae and work samples. Please write “Cafritz Foundation” at the top of application.  The Morris & Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation is the largest independent grantmaking foundation focused exclusively on the Washington Metropolitan area. The Foundation is the legacy of Morris Cafritz, one of Washington’s leading commercial and residential real estate builders from the early 1920’s to the mid-1960’s. Morris Cafritz was an outstanding civic leader known for his