Virginia Center for the Creative Arts

Read Alice McDermott In "The New Yorker"

2012-01-25T15:14:00.000-05:00

Someone by Alice McDermott is this week's story in The New Yorker magazine. Karen Bell—who heard Alice read the story at the VCCA & Salon in New York on November 2—said it was great fun to find Someone in the magazine, "I could hear Alice's voice as I was reading."

Alice McDermott is a VCCA Fellow and Advisory Council member.

The story is here
Read The New Yorker interview with Alice McDermott here

Ward Jackson Restrospective in Santa Fe, NM

2012-01-21T13:35:00.000-05:00

"Ward Jackson's geometric abstract paintings constitute one of the great under-known bodies of work in post-War American art."
Stephen Westfall

"Widely known for his encyclopedic knowledge of art and artists, Ward Jackson was an active, opinionated, and informed participant in the New York art world that he so loved." Julian Jackson/Rene Lynch

WARD JACKSON
1928 - 2004
A Survey of Five Decades
Through February 18, 2012
David Richard Contemporary Gallery
Santa Fe, NM

Originally from Petersburg, Virginia, Ward Jackson settled in New York where he had his first solo exhibition at the Fleischman Gallery in 1956. Since then, his work has exhibited throughout New York and all over Europe. His signature style is described as "austere, hard edged geometric compositions on square and diamond shaped canvases." But it is also "...about pleasure, a civilized, balanced pleasure that is both analytical and sensuous." (Lilly Wei, from the catalog essay: Ward Jackson: An Artist of the American Century.)

Jackson was also the archivist and the director of the viewing program at the Guggenheim Museum for nearly 40 years, as well as co-founder of ART NOW in New York. He was a VCCA Fellow several times from the 70s to the 90s. He passed away in February of 2004.

Click here for an interview about Ward Jackson's work and life, "Heat at the Edges"
Click here for the David Richard Contemporary Gallery website

Cy Twombly Foundation Awards VCCA $300,000

2012-01-17T11:08:00.002-05:00

Cy Twombly in his Lexington, Virginia studio in 2010. Photo © Craig Pleasants

The Cy Twombly Foundation has awarded VCCA a $300,000 grant, one of the largest in its history. The grant will be used to establish a Cy Twombly Fellowship that will support residencies for artists in perpetuity.

Widely acknowledged to be the most important and influencial artist of the last fifty years, Cy Twombly died in Rome on July 5, 2011. He was a VCCA Fellow and served on the VCCA Advisory Council for fifteen years.

“We will always remember the generosity Cy displayed as an artist,” said VCCA Program Director Craig Pleasants, “and now his legacy will help support the work of other artists long into the future.”

CLICK HERE FOR PRESS RELEASE

Hollins University Names Carrie Brown Distinguished Visiting Professor of Creative Writing

2012-01-17T09:58:00.000-05:00

VCCA International Programs Coordinator Carrie Brown
Photo by Marion Ettinger

Though VCCA will lose a terrific international programs coordinator, we are happy to announce that Hollins University has appointed author and professor Carrie Brown as distinguished visiting professor of creative writing. She will join the Hollins faculty in August.

Brown is the author of five novels and a collection of short stories. Her short fiction has appeared in such journals as One Story, Glimmer Train, The Georgia Review, and The Oxford American, and she regularly reviews fiction for major newspapers.

Carrie is currently associate professor of English and Margaret Banister Writer-in-Residence at Sweet Briar College, where she teaches creative writing courses in fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction. She is also VCCA's international programs coordinator.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION

Fellows-in-Residence Reading at Riverviews Artspace Jan. 19

2012-01-13T10:22:00.003-05:00

Jessica Garratt, Nancy K. Barry and Elizabeth Poliner at VCCA

On January 19, the Riverviews Artspace in Lynchburg will feature readings by three VCCA Fellows currently in residence at Mt. San Angelo.

Jessica Garratt's poems have appeared in numerous journals and her first book of poems, Fire Pond, won the Agha Shahid Ali Prize in Poetry. She earned her PhD at the University of Missouri, and held a visiting teaching appointment at Wichita State University. While in residence at VCCA, she is working on her second book of poems.

Nancy K. Barry teaches creative nonfiction at Luther College in Decorah, Iowa, and the University of Iowa's Summer Writing Festival. She is a playwright and her essays have appeared in numerous publications and on Iowa Public Radio. During her VCCA residency, she is working on an essay about one of the earliest social workers in America, Lillian Wald.

Elizabeth Poliner teaches in the creative writing programs at Hollins University's Jackson Center for Creative Writing. A poet and nonfiction writer, her work has appeared in many literary journals and she has been a fiction scholar at both the Sewannee and Bread Loaf writers' conferences. Elizabeth is currently working on a novel during her VCCA residency.

Free and open to the public

7:30 pm Thursday, January 19

Riverviews Artspace

901 Jefferson Street

Lynchburg, Virginia

CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION

Apply for a Summer Residency

2012-01-05T12:35:00.000-05:00

PHOTO LEFT TO RIGHT: Fellows Jacqueline Jones LaMon, Porochista Khakpour & Natasha Marin in 2009 at VCCA. Jacqueline and Natasha are Cave Canem poets. Photo by Karen Bell.

Thanks for Everything You Do!

2011-12-31T14:19:00.001-05:00

VCCA Needs Your Support - Before the New Year!

2011-12-29T13:12:00.003-05:00

Corinne Buckalew: 1966 - 2011

2011-12-20T22:43:00.012-05:00

Corinne Buckalew at Apella in New York on April 7 Photographer: Jerry Ruotolo

We are shocked and saddened to announce the tragic death of our friend and board member Corinne Buckalew, who perished yesterday in a plane crash with her husband, Jeff, and their young children, Jackson and Meriwether. An experienced pilot, Jeff was flying the family and a business colleague from New Jersey to Georgia. Ice is expected to be a factor.

Corinne was a visual artist, former art teacher and sole proprietor of Corinne Buckalew Designs. She joined the board of the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts on July 1, 2010. On her first visit to VCCA as a new board member, her warmth and open delight in the beauty of Mt. San Angelo were immediately endearing. She exemplified that compelling combination of gracious southern charm burnished with a quiet metropolitan sophistication.

Immediately pulled into the whirl of 40th anniversary events, Corinne generously shared her time and artistry. We remember Corinne arriving with mounds of flowers for the New York event at Apella on April 7. As she walked toward us, her smiling blue eyes sparkled in a haze of lavender flowers that drifted and bobbed around her. In no time at all, beautiful bouquets of delicate purple and green were strewn throughout the room. It's hard to remember what the flowers were, but her smile was unforgettable.

"The entire VCCA family is deeply saddened by the heartbreaking death of Corinne, Jeff, Jackson and Meriwether," said VCCA Board President Tina Walls, "Our thoughts and prayers are with their family and friends during this difficult time."

The funeral service will be held at 11:00 a.m., Friday, December 30, at the Holy Trinity Episcopal Church in Greensboro, North Carolina.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that memorials be made to any of the following: VCCA (Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, 154 San Angelo Drive, Amherst, Virginia 24521), Good Shepherd Services (305 Seventh Avenue, 9th Floor, New York, NY 10001), The Gillen Brewer School (410 East 92nd Street, New York, NY 10128), Jefferson's Monticello, or Holy Trinity (607 North Greene Street, Greensboro, NC 27401). On line condolences may be sent HERE.

Season's Greetings from Mt. San Angelo & Moulin à Nef!

2011-12-19T13:28:00.003-05:00

VCCA Served a Record Number of Fellows in 2011!

2011-12-11T22:55:00.014-05:00

To find out more about the past year,
read the letter from VCCA's new
executive director, Greg Smith - CLICK HERE

IT'S HERE! -VCCA's Poetry Anthology!

2011-12-09T17:43:00.006-05:00

TO ORDER - CLICK ON BOOK

Over a year in the making, this remarkable anthology is a labor of love by VCCA Fellows and the Fellows' Council to celebrate VCCA's 40th anniversary.

Edited by Margaret B. Ingraham and Andrea Carter Brown, Entering the Real World: VCCA Poets on Mt. San Angelo contains over sixty previously published poems by our Fellows, all written about or inspired by their residencies here. The poets are from throughout the United States, around the world—and across the decades.

Virginia Poet Laureate Kelly Cherry calls it: ". . .this splendid, intriguing anthology . . ."

Editor Margaret B. Ingraham writes: "This anthology is at once a work of literary merit, a celebratory offering, and an historical record of a hallowed place."

T H E P O E T S
Marcia Aldrich
Karren LaLonde Alenier
Annette Allen
Rebecca Baggett
Ned Balbo
Mary Bonina
Andrea Carter Brown
Andrea Hollander Budy
Fran Castan
Kelly Cherry
Patricia Clark
Barbara Crooker
Deborah Cummins
Carol V. Davis
Carla Drysdale
Moira Egan
George Ellenbogen
Charles Fishman
Alice Friman
Becky Gould Gibson
L. B. Green
Ralph Grüneberger
Kenneth Hart
Neva Herrington
Con Hilberry
Lori Horvitz
Colette Inez
Margaret B. Ingraham
Halvard Johnson
Marilyn Kallet
LuAnn Keener-Mikenas
Sybil Kollar
Angela Kreuz
Laurie Kutchins
Teresa Leo
Ginny MacKenzie
Mary Mackey
Elizabeth Seydel Morgan
Tanure Ojaide
Kathleen O’Toole
Lia Purpura
Kim Roberts
Steve Roberts
Jennifer Rose
Thaddeus Rutkowski
Neil Shepard
Enid Shomer
Taije Silverman
Melissa Stein
Elisabeth Stevens
Stephen Tapscott
Alice Templeton
Vivian Teter
J. C. Todd
Alison Townsend
Martin Tucker
Memye Curtis Tucker
G. C. Waldrep
BJ Ward
Marjory Wentworth
Michele Wolf

TO ORDER "ENTERING THE REAL WORLD" - CLICK HERE

Through a Fellows' Eyes: VCCA by Monika Schultes

2011-11-28T10:46:00.004-05:00

TO SEE MORE VIDEOS BY MONIKA SCHULTES—INCLUDING "ARE YOU HAPPY" WHICH FEATURES A NUMBER OF FELLOWS—CLICK HERE

From Everyone at VCCA - Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-24T14:10:00.000-05:00

Thanks to Everyone Who Made Nov. 5 a Night to Remember!

2011-11-11T11:09:00.004-05:00

VCCA Fellow J. Walter Hawkes and Deanie Johnson
playing at the 40th Anniversary Celebration at Mt. San Angelo on November 5
Photo by VCCA Fellow Medford Taylor

Don't Miss This Remarkable Reading at VCCA

2011-11-11T10:30:00.004-05:00

A Night to Remember in November!

2011-10-24T12:03:00.008-04:00

40th Anniversary Celebration at Mt. San Angelo
Saturday, November 5
6:00 pm

Cocktails • Art Auctions • Buffet Dinner • Film
Dancing to the Deanie Blues Band
FOR TICKETS OR MORE INFO - CLICK ON IMAGE

Don't Miss This New York Reading on Nov. 2...

2011-10-21T08:50:00.010-04:00

FOR RESERVATIONS - CLICK IMAGE

New York Fellows' Reunion TONIGHT at The Center for Fiction

2011-10-14T14:15:00.003-04:00

FOR MORE INFORMATION - CLICK ON THE IMAGE

DIRECTIONS - CLICK HERE

"For Mel, photography was a path and an instrument for social justice..." - The New York Times on Mel Rosenthal

2011-10-13T15:03:00.009-04:00

Photo: Mel Rosenthal, Bathgate Avenue, South Bronx, NY

From the beginning, VCCA Fellow Mel Rosenthal wanted his images to make a difference. His focus on poverty, housing and health care took him to Africa, Central America, the Caribbean and the United States. Now, after a teaching career of nearly 40 years, Mel is retiring from Empire State College. The New York Times interviews him in "A Mentor's Passion for Pictures and Social Justice".

TO READ THE NEW YORK TIMES' STORY, CLICK HERE

New York Fellows' Reunion This Friday October 14

2011-10-09T00:54:00.009-04:00

If you're in the big apple this Friday, October 14, join retiring Executive Director Suny Monk and the gang for a special evening of wine, food and Fellowship. And meet Greg Smith, VCCA's new executive director!

FOR MORE INFORMATION - CLICK HERE

Call for Artists!

2011-10-06T12:32:00.008-04:00

The College of Southern Maryland is seeking proposals for exhibition opportunities at the Tony Hungerford Memorial Art Gallery. All proposals received by November 15, 2011, will be placed into consideration for the 2012 / 2013 exhibition season. "We welcome proposals for solo, group, and small curated exhibitions, and encourage submissions in all media."

FOR MORE INFO - CLICK HERE

Celebrating our 40th In Auvillar

2011-09-14T17:03:00.035-04:00

VCCA Program Director Craig Pleasants is among the Fellows in residence in Auvillar, France. He has been asked to create a sculpture that will reside on the hill above Moulin à Nef. Between sourcing materials at the Recyclage Metaux and welding and pouring concrete, Craig has been working from dawn to dusk since late August, but with friends and the Auvillar community pitching in to help, it's been a labor of love - and a perfect metaphor for this artwork.

A tribute to the strong arts connection VCCA has generated between Auvillar, France and Amherst, Virginia, Coeur de Mon Coeur, which is based on the heart's mitral valve, is slated to be completed this week - just in time for the double celebrations of Moulin à Nef's 17th anniversary + VCCA's 40th anniversary.

The slideshow below follows the sculpture's development from the gathering of materials at the recycling center to the stage of the photo above, which shows the skeleton of Coeur de Mon Coeur with the Garonne River bridge in the background.

FOR LARGER, HIGHER RESOLUTION IMAGES - CLICK HERE

Alice McDermott & Jayne Anne Phillips Reading in N.Y.

2011-09-14T16:09:00.009-04:00

CLICK ON IMAGE FOR RESERVATIONS

"Skies, Trees & Sea" - Mary Page Evans Exhibition

2011-09-11T12:29:00.008-04:00

Late Mist by Mary Page Evans, 2011, oil on canvas, 45 x 55 inches

"Few artists paint with the courage, high energy and confidence of Mary Page Evans, an artist of long experience and deep conviction who brings to her work the strength of well observed landscapes and the grace and fluidity of nature." -- ADDISON/RIPLEY FINE ART

The opening reception for the Mary Page Evans' exhibition, Skies, Trees & Sea, is September 16, 6-8pm. The show is open through October 15.

FOR MORE INFORMATION - CLICK HERE

"Requiem for September 11th" by Tatana Kellner in Buffalo, NY

2011-09-11T11:20:00.007-04:00

If you're in Buffalo, New York between now and November 1, don't miss Tatana Kellner's Requiem for September 11th, a public artwork at the CEPA Gallery in the historic Market Arcade Building.

"Composed of 44 white, translucent fabric banners suspended in two columns, the piece hovers in the narrow space of the atrium as two silvery, shifting volumes eerily suggestive of the twin towers. These 'towers', however, have been stripped of all weight and substance, and out of their soft, veiled interiors float ghostly portraits - some 3,000 in all - of the victims of the attacks on Sept. 11. The effect is remarkable for its simplicity and restraint." -- RICHARD HUNTINGTON, THE BUFFALO NEWS ART CRITIC

It was originally shown at this location on the first anniversary of the attack and served as the official commemorative site for the city of Buffalo.

ADDRESS
617 Main Street, #201
Buffalo, New York

HOURS
Weekdays: 7:00 am - 9:00 pm
Saturday: 8:30 am - 4:45 pm
Sunday: 10:00 am - 3:00 pm

FOR MORE INFORMATION - CLICK HERE

Jean Ayer's New Book a Kirkus Reviews Standout

2011-09-11T08:40:00.007-04:00

"Veteran short-story writer Ayer strikes gold with these enchanting sketches of the motley relatives and neighbors who peopled her mother's rural West Virginia girlhood--back when the 20th century was young and spry." -- Kirkus Reviews

An interview with Jean Ayer will also appear in Kirkus Reviews next printed catalog.

The publication date for Tales of Chinkapin Creek is June 27, 2011.

To read the entire review, CLICK HERE

VCCA Fellow Writes About New VCCA Director

2011-09-08T06:44:00.012-04:00

If you'd like to get the inside story about VCCA's upcoming new director, Gregory Allgire Smith, read this article in The News & Advance. It's written by a VCCA Fellow, Darrell Laurant. He interviewed our current Executive Director Suny Monk, as well as Sheila Pleasants, our director of artists' services. Sheila was also a member of the hardworking executive director search committee. They spent six months studying and researching to make sure they found a perfect fit for VCCA. Greg becomes VCCA's new executive director on October 1.

To read the article, CLICK HERE

"New York Drawings" by Olive Ayhens

2011-09-08T06:04:00.004-04:00

Lower Manhattan, 2011: watercolor and ink on paper: 12.5" x 18.5"

Olive Ayhens began drawing New York from above as a recipient of the World Views residency, which granted artists studio space in the former World Trade Center. Several drawings in this exhibition contain views of her former studio, now the construction site of the 9/11 Memorial, as seen from a Wall Street office building.

"New York Drawings" will be on exhibit at the Adam Baumgold Gallery through October 8.

For more information, CLICK HERE

Keeping Up While Keeping It Short - VCCA Fellows on Twitter

2011-09-01T10:38:00.003-04:00

CLICK ON IMAGE to go to VCCA Twitter

After Nationwide Search - VCCA Announces New Director

2011-08-25T22:59:00.012-04:00

Following a nationwide search that began in March, VCCA is pleased to announce the appointment of Gregory Allgire Smith as our new Executive Director.

Mr. Smith bested a field of more than 100 highly qualified competitors and has thirty years’ experience in the nonprofit arts sector, twenty of them as chief executive. His focus is to raise arts organizations to a higher level of programmatic service, public recognition and financial stability, while continually broadening their network of advocates.

As board President Tina Walls said, “It was a rigorous search by a very dedicated committee, but Greg’s passion for the arts and his wide-ranging experience in arts education, management and fundraising made him an outstanding choice for taking VCCA to the next level of its growth.”

As most of you know, our current executive director, Suny Monk, is retiring on October 17 after fourteen years of excellent service and dedication. “Suny’s built such a solid and inspiring foundation for her successor to build on,” said Mr. Smith, “that taking on this new role is doubly an honor and a pleasure. I am extremely excited to be named the new executive director of VCCA, an organization with such stature of service to artists over the past forty years and potential for continued greatness in the coming years. VCCA’s mission, the high caliber of artists drawn to it as Fellows, the devoted and hard-working board and staff members, and the stunningly beautiful location--all of these factors make me thankful for my new professional role.”

Greg will be moving here from Cincinnati, Ohio, to begin work on October 1.

For the entire press release, CLICK HERE

Whole Lotta Shakin Goin On

2011-08-24T08:31:00.007-04:00

Earthquake epicenter courtesy Scientific American

VCCA had a whole lot of shaking going on but aside from losing our phone lines for a while, all is well.

Earthquakes are not standard Virginia fare. Yet at 5.8, the one that hit us yesterday was not the largest. The record holder was in 1897 at 5.9.

The epicenter in Mineral, Virginia is about 90 miles away. You'd think that since this quake was felt all the way up to Toronto, Canada, it would have been way stronger here. For a Virginian in August, the reason is ironic: our lithosphere is colder. The lithosphere is the outer rocky shell of Earth and because this crust is cooler on the East Coast, "...when something shakes, it is like hitting a bar of steel, it rings pretty well," according to Thomas Jordan, director of the Southern California Earthquake Center. The West Coast lithosphere has a higher temperature, plus it is divided by active faults - which breaks up the transmission of vibrations.

Still, even on the East Coast, thirty seconds in earthquake time is definitely longer than standard time - a good example of the amygdala in high gear. Our amygdalas got very busy laying down an extra set of memories on top of the 'standard' memories being generated by other parts of the brain. This additional input made the experience richer - which made it seem like the earthquake lasted longer than 30 seconds. Sort of a time warp.

Adds new meaning to the concentrated time artists, writers and composers depend on at VCCA.

Drew Hemenger World Premiere Part of 9/11 Tenth Anniversary Commemorative Concert in New York City

2011-08-22T11:55:00.008-04:00

The New York Chamber Music Festival presents, in a co-production with Symphony Space, a commemorative tribute to the 10th Anniversary of September 11. Hosted by BD Wong, this free concert will be performed by musicians from the New York Philharmonic and the Metropolitan Opera, and is dedicated to the people of New York City.

The concert will include the world premiere of Drew Hemenger's piano 4-hand version of Union Square, September 11, 2001, performed by the internationally acclaimed piano duo Pascal Rogé and Ami Rogé.

The September 11 Tenth Anniversary Commemorative Concert takes place at 7:00 pm Sunday, September 11 at Symphony Space.

For more information, CLICK HERE

Sandra Gibson's New Film in Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF)

2011-08-22T09:53:00.009-04:00

The Toronto International Film Festival has invited Sandra Gibson, Luis Recoder and composer Olivia Block to screen their new work Aberration of Light: Dark Chamber of Disclosure as part of their Wavelengths program, a curated presentation of the best in international avant-garde film and video. TIFF Festival dates are Sept. 8-18, 2011.

For more information - CLICK HERE

Inara Verzemnieks Wins 2011 Goldfarb Fellowship

2011-08-15T11:49:00.005-04:00

Inara Verzemnieks has won the eleventh annual Goldfarb Family Fellowship. An award-winning journalist before leaving to start her writing career, Inara is currently an Arts Fellow in The Nonfiction Writing Program at the University of Iowa. Her work has appeared in the (Portland) Oregonian, The Washington Post and The Atlantic, as well as the online literary magazine Defunct. In 2007, Verzemnieks was named a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in Feature Writing. Her fully funded two-week residency at VCCA begins in late December.

The Goldfarb Family Fellowship is one of the most highly competitive awards offered by VCCA. This years competition was judged by VCCA Fellow Helen Benedict, a professor of journalism at Columbia University and the author of eleven books: six novels and five nonfiction.

The Goldfarb Fellowship is endowed by VCCA Fellow and former VCCA Board member, Ronald Goldfarb, a respected author, agent and attorney. He has written eleven books and over three hundred articles for publications including The Washington Post and The New York Times. Goldfarb is a founding partner in the law firm and literary agency, Goldfarb & Associates.

Previous winners of the Goldfarb Fellowship include E.J. Levy, who just won the Flannery O'Conner Short Fiction Award. (see below)

E.J. Levy wins Flannery O'Conner Short Fiction Award

2011-08-15T10:45:00.010-04:00

E.J. Levy of Washington, D.C. - who won VCCA's 2009 Goldfarb Fellowship - has been named a winner of the Flannery O'Conner Short Fiction Award for her collection, My Life in Theory. The collection will be published by the University of Georgia Press in the fall.

E.J. Levy has published stories in journals including Paris Review, Gettysburg Review, The Missouri Review and North American Review. She is also published widely as an essayist in publications including The New York Times, The Nation and Orion. She is the editor of the anthology Tasting Life Twice: Literary Lesbian Fiction by New America Writers, which won a Lambda Literary Award.

The judge who selected Levy's manuscript, My Life in Theory, as a finalist noted, "Before I read this collection, I would have scoffed at the idea that I could be captivated by stories that address different theoretical constructs. But the theories investigated here quickly yield to an idiosyncratic cadre of characters."

Now in its twenty-eighth year, the Flannery O'Conner Award has helped launch the literary careers of such previous winners as Ha Jin (also a VCCA Fellow) and Antonya Nelson.

The Flannery O'Conner Short Fiction Award accepts submissions from April 1 to May 31 each year. Guidelines are available on their website.

Your Ticket to Dave Matthews Can Support VCCA

2011-07-29T11:32:00.010-04:00

Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds are teaming with JustGive.org for their first acoustic show in Charlottesville since 1994. It takes place August 20 at the Pavillion.

The price of admission to their concert will go to the charity of your choice. Please consider choosing VCCA. Thank You!

HOW IT WORKS
After purchasing your ticket, go to
http://www.justgive.org/charlottesville
Then enter your ticket’s redemption code - and select VCCA!

FOR TICKETS
Go to Warehouse (the official DMB fan association) to make a ticket request

OR
Tickets go on sale to the general public on August 5 - CLICK HERE

Above photo of Tim Reynolds and Dave Matthews by clubnotes

Connecting Composers to Performers

2011-07-14T12:32:00.005-04:00

VCCA composer Fellow Dennis Tobenski started NewMusicShelf "...to create a central hub for composers to have an outlet for their works and for performers to find new and exciting works that they won't find in the catalogs of the major publishers.

"The site is open to all composers who publish their own work, and offers those composers a platform to sell their scores in digital format to performers and ensembles around the world."

To go to the NewMusicShelf webpage
CLICK HERE

LAST 2 DAYS TO APPLY!

2011-07-14T07:55:00.003-04:00

Cy Twombly: 1928 - 2011

2011-07-06T12:08:00.005-04:00

Cy Twombly in his Lexington, Virginia studio in 2010. Photo © Craig Pleasants.

It is with deep sadness that we note the death of our friend Cy Twombly yesterday in Rome. He was 83. Cy was widely acknowledged to be one of the most important and influential artists of the last fifty years, his work so well-known as to need no description here.

In the early 1990s, Cy started returning to Virginia from Italy for several weeks each year. It was then that two VCCA Fellows living in his hometown of Lexington brought him over the mountain for his first visit. Program Director Craig Pleasants visited him later in Lexington and invited him to join VCCA's advisory council, where he served for fifteen years.

In January of 1998, Cy came to VCCA for a short residency. In Craig's words, "He charmed everyone with his extraordinary humility and the lovely southern accent that had remained unaltered by four decades abroad. Last year, shortly after unveiling his ceiling in the Louvre, Cy was made a Chevalier of the Légion d'Honneur, the highest decoration in France, yet when Janice Herbert and I talked with him at the hotel right afterwards, he barely mentioned it."

Cy's friend Sally Mann once described him as a man with "a negligent grace, a whiff of mischief, and a charming insouciance." The artist Cy Twombly and his deft ecstatic touch will be missed by the world. At VCCA, we will miss Cy the gentle, unassuming, generous man.

VCCA-France Director Cheryl Fortier Exhibition

2011-06-30T14:59:00.008-04:00

In the two years Cheryl Fortier has been resident director of VCCA-France, she's scraped together every free moment she could to paint. One result is this lovely, reflective series inspired by the Arrats River now on display at the Chapelle du Port in Auvillar until July 10. Photos by John Alexander.

To see more, CLICK HERE

VCCA Fellows in Residency on Mediterranean Island

2011-06-27T22:33:00.010-04:00

VCCA Fellow Brian T. Silberman sent this photo from St. James Cavalier Centre for Creativity in Valletta, Malta, where he is enjoying a residency as part of VCCA's international exchange program. Housed in a 16th century fort, St. James Cavalier is now a contemporary art complex of galleries, theaters, music halls and cafes. Its recent renovation was part of the Maltese government's Millennium Project, a strong commitment to support the contemporary creative scene in Malta.

Each year, one VCCA playwright and one VCCA artist is given the opportunity to work and explore this extraordinary Mediterranean island for six weeks. This year, artist John Humphries is in residency in Malta through July 28, and playwright Brian Silberman is there through July 17.

The next deadline to apply for a residency at St. James Cavalier Centre for Creativity is December 1, 2011.

For more information about the Malta residency
or other VCCA international exchange programs
CLICK HERE

Fellow Exchange with Schwandorf, Bavaria

2011-06-27T20:31:00.014-04:00

Patti Capaldi in black and in light blue, Heiner Riepl, director of Oberpfälzer Künstlerhaus
Photo from Der Nueu Tag newspaper
Photographer: Peter Steger

While three Bavarian artists and a writer are working at the Mt. San Angelo studios in Amherst, four VCCA Fellows are working in the studios of Künstlerhaus II in Schwandorf. It's all part of the VCCA exchange program with Oberpfälzer Künstlerhaus.

Describing it as a "fairy tale land", Patti Capaldi of New York is using her residency in Schwandorf to work on photography and image manipulation. Becky Simmons of Pittsburgh is working in a mixed media of drawing, painting and textile art.

Celebrated Chinese composer Dr. Hung Ruo (currently living in New York) is also in Schwandorf working on an opera in the Vella Kebbel; while Indian writer Anjana Appancha, author of Listening Now and Incantations and Other Stories (currently living in Tempe) is working on her two latest novels.

And in Virginia, Mt. San Angelo is welcoming Bavarian artists Shoshanna Ahart of Eichstatt, Ingrid Floss of Munich and Monika Schultes of Augsburg as well as writer and translator Barbara Krohn of Regensburg.

To learn more about Oberpfälzer Künstlerhaus
or other VCCA international exchange programs
CLICK HERE

Katherine Fahey Shadow Puppet Show on Music Video

2011-06-24T15:30:00.004-04:00

Out of paper, Katherine Fahey hand cut a school of fish, seahorses and jellyfish - plus a 6' x 8' piece of ocean for them to swim in. She then worked with photographer Michael O'Leary to slip the figures underwater to be captured on film in a uniquely beautiful shadow-puppet sequence for the Wye Oak music video, 'Fish'.

To see the video, click here.

Forsyth Fellowship is Accepting Applications

2011-06-20T09:53:00.005-04:00

Art You Can Live In: Craig Pleasants on Kickstarter

2011-06-17T06:47:00.008-04:00

Architectural sculptor and VCCA Program Director Craig Pleasants has his eco-friendly Octagonal Living Unit (OLU) on Kickstarter. The OLU is a 400-square-foot, do-it-yourself kit house that can be a studio, guest house, vacation cabin - or emergency housing.

Quick to assemble, OLU is designed to be energy-efficient, strong, lightweight, safe - and affordable.

To see the Octagonal Living Unit video or to make a pledge, click here.

Poet, Professor, Translator Edwin Honig: 1919 - 2011

2011-06-06T15:04:00.005-04:00

VCCA Fellow Edwin Honig, poet, critic and translator, died on May 25 at his home in Providence, Rhode Island. He was 91. Best known for his elegant translations of Spanish and Portuguese literature, he was knighted by the President of Portugal in 1986; and in 1996 by the King of Spain. He was a twice Guggenheimed fellow and a grantee of the American Academy of Arts and Letters and the National Endowment for the Humanities. In addition to his translation work, he published ten books of poetry, five books of criticism and fiction, and three books of plays. Mr. Honig served in the U.S. Army in the European Theatre from 1942 to 1946. He taught at New York University, Illinois Institute of Technology, University of New Mexico, Purdue University, Claremont College, Harvard University and Brown University, where he founded Brown's Graduate Program in Creative Writing and established Copper Beech Press. At his death, he was emeritus professor of English and comparative literature at Brown University, where he had taught from 1957 until his retirement in 1982.

VCCA Hosts Annual SPHEX Meeting

2011-05-21T08:32:00.009-04:00

Photo by Karen Bell, photographer and current VCCA Fellow-in-residence

The Sphex Club of Lynchburg held their annual dinner meeting at VCCA on Wednesday, May 20. After a studio tour in the visual arts wing, the members were welcomed by VCCA Executive Director Suny Monk, who invited them to enjoy a delicious dinner with Fellows at the residency - prepared and catered by Sweet Briar College. The Sphex Club then gathered to hear "Art Is For Everyone", an inspiring speech delivered by Alex Nyerges, director of the VMFA (Virginia Museum of Fine Arts) and a VCCA board member.

Sphex is an acronym for science, philosophy, history, ethics...and the unknown. Founded in 1910, the Sphex Club celebrated its centennial in 2010 and members include the mayor of Lynchburg, college presidents, and numerous men and women from nonprofit organizations - including our own Suny Monk. It is a club in the distinguished tradition of English supper clubs, like the Royal Society of London for the Improvement of Natural Knowledge founded in 1660, and The Club founded by Samuel Johnson and other luminaries in 1764.

Sphex is also a Greek word for stinging insect, and the Sphex Club logo is a wasp - to represent the stinging comments to which members could be subject to in the discussions that follow their presentations. The Sphex Club functions under the premise that "communities grow and prosper when nurtured by the civil exchange of information and ideas..."

To read more about the Sphex Club, click here.

LAST DAY!

2011-05-20T06:23:00.006-04:00

Last Day to Apply for Montana Fellowship!

CLICK ON IMAGE FOR APPLICATION OR MORE INFORMATION

NY - Randy Stoltzfus in Renegade Pop-up Exhibition

2011-05-19T09:50:00.005-04:00

Randy Stoltzfus, Brim, 26" x 38", oil and gold leaf on linen
Exhibition: May 19 - 21 at Evergreene

CLICK ON IMAGE FOR MORE INFORMATION

3 Days Left to Apply for Montana Fellowship

2011-05-17T13:52:00.001-04:00

Keeping up with VCCA Board Member Shelby Fischer

2011-05-12T07:49:00.001-04:00

Shelby Fischer, a VCCA Board Member, is featured in C-Ville Weekly. She talks about her visual art, her work with the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz and VCCA. (Thanks, Shelby!) To read it, click here.

"Axiom" - A New Project by Andrew Ginzel + Kristin Jones

2011-05-11T16:02:00.005-04:00

VCCA Fellow Andrew Ginzel partnered with Kristin Jones to create a dynamic installation of 118 tetrahedrons now suspended in the grand Lobby/Atrium of the University of Central Florida's Physical Sciences Building. Faceted, mirrored and in perpetual motion, each tetrahedron is derived from information distinct to each element in the periodic table. The elements are suspended in a spiral determined by the chronological order in which each was discovered. The vertical dimension represents the atomic number. To see more, click here.

Art + Music + Friends = VCCA 40th in Cville!

2011-05-10T10:10:00.015-04:00

In the heavenly gardens of Casa Maria, tents rose like cathedrals to welcome VCCA friends and Fellows for an evening of beauty, art and conversation. The celebrations included a silent auction of fabulous works by 40 local artists, a live auction, and a delectable dinner created by Mark Hahn and the incredible Harvest Moon Catering. Charlotte Matthews wrote poems for folks on the spot - and at the end of the evening, there was dancing under the Moroccan tent to the jazzy beat of Johnny Hott's Piedmont Souprize.

To see the Newsplex television studios film clip, CLICK HERE

Thanks to everyone who donated their time and talent to make VCCA's 40th Anniversary Celebration at Casa Maria so memorable - including these wonderful artists:

Isabelle Abbot
Sam Abell
William Albert Allard
Janice Arone
Nancy Bass
Josef Beery + VABC
C. Pamela Black
Karen Blair
Robin Braun
Cynthia Burke
Ann E. Cheeks
Suzanne Tanner Chitwood
Kelly Wilkinson Coffin
Jessie Coles
Trish Crowe
Richard Crozier
Dean Dass
Gray Dodson
John Borden Evans
Stacey Evans
Shelby Fischer
Lara Call Gastinger
John Grant
Sarah Green
John M. Hetzel
Helen Hilliard
Peter Krebs
Fleming Lunsford
Megan Marlatt
Frederick D. Nichols
Tim O'Kane
Lincoln Perry
Sharon Shapiro
Kiki Slaughter
Rob Tarbell
Steve Taylor
Edward Thomas
Linda van der Linde
Priscilla Long Whitlock
Clay Witt

2011-05-05T11:45:00.007-04:00

Cocktails and Conversation
Dinner for Six Friends and a Nude
21 nights on a Caribbean Island
Auction of artwork by 40 C'ville artists
Johnny Hott's Piedmont Souprize
Cellist Tanya Anisimova
Beautiful Spring Gardens
7 nights in Auvillar, France
Poems Written just for You
Scrumptious dining catered by Harvest Moon
Dancing the Night Away

Sound Interesting?
You should see
our 40th Anniversary Celebration
at Casa Maria this Saturday, May 7!

Click here for TICKETS
Click here for an ART AUCTION PREVIEW

WRITERS! - Two Fully Funded Fellowships at VCCA!

2011-05-04T08:05:00.002-04:00

AUCTION PREVIEW

2011-04-26T11:00:00.007-04:00

VCCA's May 7 auction at Casa Maria in Greenwood, Virginia includes outstanding work from favorite local artists - and more! (Shown above: Mountain Road by Mary Page Evans.) To see more, click here:

AUCTION PREVIEW

VCCA 40th Anniversary Celebration Comes to C-Ville May 7

2011-04-22T05:38:00.007-04:00

If you haven't got your tickets, don't wait! Set in the beautiful gardens of Casa Maria in Greenwood, this is going to be an enchanted evening of cocktails, conversation, dining under moonlit tents, and a silent art auction - with scores of paintings from your local favorite artists. Not to mention the live auction of irresistible getaways. At the end of the evening, kick off your shoes and dance to the swinging music of Johnny Hott's Piedmont Souprize.

For an exquisite appetizer to the evening, include the private recital at 6 pm with acclaimed cellist and VCCA Fellow Tanya Anisimova. From the former Soviet Union, Tanya is described by Maestro Zubin Mehta as, "An exceptional talent..."

FOR TICKETS or more information, click here.

Doni Guggenheimer + Bethea Owen at the Lynchburg Art Club

2011-04-21T17:21:00.004-04:00

A reception for A Retrospective of Aunt Be, featuring Doni Guggenheimer and works from the Bethea Owen estate, took place Sunday May 1 at the Lynchburg Arts Club. The show is open May 4 - 15. Click here for more information.

What a night! VCCA in NY for 40th Celebration!

2011-04-08T20:43:00.010-04:00

With spectacular night views of the East River sparkling in the background, friends and Fellows celebrated VCCA's 40th anniversary at the gorgeous new Apella in New York. VCCA Fellow J. Walter Hawkes and his band, the J. Walter Hawkes Trio kept things humming with hot, jazzy music.

VCCA Advisory Council member David Del Tredici played a selection from his work, Three Gymnopedies: My Goldberg Fantasy of a Cherished Name, an evocatively beautiful Satie-like variation on the bass line of Bach's Goldberg Aria.

The evening's events concluded with an auction of fabulous artwork by VCCA Fellows:

Karen Bell

Carolyn Conrad

Holland B. Cunningham

Thank you all for donating your time and talent!
Photos of the event will be posted soon!

IT'S TONIGHT! VCCA 40th Anniversary Celebration in NYC

2011-04-07T10:17:00.003-04:00

VCCA is having a 40th Anniversary Celebration tonight at Apella at Alexandria Center in New York. The event will honor our Advisory Council, four of whom will be in attendance: Teresita Fernández, Alice McDermott and Naomi Wolf with a special performance by David Del Tredici. VCCA Fellow J. Walter Hawkes will be playing with the J. Walter Hawkes Trio - and there is a live art auction of fabulous works by VCCA Fellows. So if you're in the Big Apple - don't miss this! For more information or for tickets: click here.

VCCA Benefit Concert in Charlottesville on March 31

2011-03-24T15:46:00.011-04:00

Come hear some great music while supporting VCCA!
Wes Swing, Carl Anderson and Lydia Ooghe are playing a VCCA 40th Anniversary Benefit Concert at The Haven in Charlottesville. Doors open at 7 pm Thursday, March 31st and music begins at 7:30 pm. Suggested $10 donation. For more information, click on the poster!

Poster artwork, Saint's Kiss, is by VCCA Fellow Tania Botelho.

"Music From Mt. San Angelo" Concert is TONIGHT IN NYC!

2011-03-18T14:30:00.006-04:00

17 Original Works by VCCA Fellows

Including 8 World Premieres

"Music From Mt. San Angelo" - the concert celebrating VCCA - is tonight at 8 pm at the Church of St. Matthew and St. Timothy. For more information on this and all The Phoenix Concerts, click here.

Rita Dove and Martin Boykan Elected to the American Academy of Arts and Letters

2011-03-15T16:00:00.005-04:00

Composer Martin Boykan and poet Rita Dove have been elected to the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Martin is a VCCA Fellow and Rita is a VCCA Advisory Council member. Rita and Martin are two of ten new members being inducted into the 250-person organization this year. The induction ceremony will take place in New York on May 18, 2011. Congratulations to you both!

VCCA Fellow Ellen Driscoll Awarded Rhode Island Fellowship

2011-03-15T13:49:00.005-04:00

Ellen Driscoll, head of the sculpture department at Rhode Island School of Design and a VCCA Fellow, was named as one of three visual artists to receive the prestigious MacColl Johnson Fellowship from the Rhode Island Foundation. The $25,000 grant is one of the largest no-strings awards to artists in the country. It is intended 'to fund an artist's vision or voice', and has been awarded on a three-year cycle since 2005 to composers, writers and visual artists. Congratulations, Ellen!

Music to our Ears! VCCA is in "The New Yorker"

2011-03-15T09:20:00.016-04:00

The New Yorker magazine has included the Phoenix Concert Music From Mt. San Angelo in the classical music section of Goings On About Town. A celebration of VCCA, Music From Mt. San Angelo features 17 works by VCCA Fellows, including 8 world premieres.

To read more about the concert in the The New Yorker, click here.

To go to The Phoenix Concerts website, click here.

1 of 4 Auvillar Arts Workshops at VCCA-France: How I See It: Autobiography in Impressionist Poetry & Prose

2011-03-04T09:01:00.000-05:00

In this workshop set in the lovely medieval village of Auvillar, participants will use their experiences and sensory observations to create short autobiographical essays and poems influenced by impressionist theory. Emphasis will be placed on experimenting with both style and structure to capture emotional and aesthetic accuracy and truth in writing.

Jacqueline Kolosov, author of Modigliani's Muse, will lead writers through poetry workshops while Kirsten Lunstum, author of Swimming with Strangers, will lead creative nonfiction workshops. All participants will work in both genres. How I See It: Autobiography in Impressionist Poetry & Prose takes place July 10 - 17. To learn more, including information about the partial work-study scholarship, click here.

To learn more about all four of the 2011 Auvillar Arts Workshops at VCCA's Le Moulin à Nef studio center, click here.

VCCA Executive Director Suny Monk Announces Her Retirement

2011-03-03T09:33:00.006-05:00

VCCA's 40th Anniversary is proving to be a year of affirmation and renewal. After fifteen years of building and nurturing a creative space for hundreds of Fellows, VCCA Executive Director Suny Monk is making plans to return to her own creative hearth. In her words, "Watching you has been inspiration and siren song. I want to make art too."

"My life has been unbelievably enriched by association with you, but it's the right moment to turn over the vision for our beloved VCCA to another. And after fifteen years, it's time for me to return to my own studio work."

As VCCA celebrates 40 years, we will also celebrate the dedication and inspiration of Suny Monk, whose passionate support of our Fellows and their work was so important to achieving this milestone year.

To read Suny's letter to Fellows in full, click here.

1 of 4 Auvillar Arts Workshops at VCCA-France: Writing and Pilgrimage

2011-03-03T07:49:00.010-05:00

Auvillar, France is a centuries-old stopping place on one of the four major routes for pilgrims on the Chemin de St. Jacques to Santiago de Compostela in Spain. It is home to beautiful, sacred spaces - such as the Church of St. Peter and the nearby ruins of the Chapel of St. Catherine on the bank of the Garonne River - as well as VCCA's beautiful studio center, Le Moulin à Nef.

Led by VCCA Fellow Lisa Schamess, author of Borrowed Light, the Writing and Pilgrimage workshop is built on the contemplative practice of walking. Participants will write together and separately discovering and sharing memories, values and spiritual touchstones. Writers of all levels of experience and physical ability are welcome. Writing and Pilgrimage takes place July 10 -17. To learn more, including information about the partial work-study scholarship, click here.

To learn about all the 2011 Auvillar Arts Workshops at Le Moulin à Nef, click here.

VCCA Board Member Joseph H. Seipel Named Dean of VCU School of Arts

2011-03-02T22:31:00.004-05:00

Joseph H. Seipel, a member of VCCA's board of directors, has been named dean of the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Art.

Currently vice president for academic services at the Savannah College of Art and Design in Savannah, Ga., Seipel was a distinguished member of the VCU School of Arts faculty for more than 30 years.

"The strength of any art school is its faculty, and Mr. Seipel has demonstrated his remarkable ability to engage the faculty and to open doors to their individual and collective success," said Beverly J. Warren, VCU's interim provost and vice president for academic affairs.

Click here to learn more.

LAST DAY! - to apply for the Wachtmeister Award!

2011-03-01T08:40:00.003-05:00

Guggenheim Celebrating VCCA Fellow David Del Tredici

2011-02-25T07:50:00.007-05:00

On March 27 and 28, the acclaimed Works & Process at the Guggenheim is celebrating one of America's foremost living composers, VCCA Advisory Council Member David Del Tredici. Choreographer Lynne Taylor-Corbett has been commissioned to create a brand-new work set to Del Tredici's Grosse Tarantella. The Young People's Chorus of New York City will sing Del Tredici's Four Heartfelt Anthems. Afterwards, Del Tredici will participate in a moderated discussion. It will take place in the Guggenheim's Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Peter B. Lewis Theater. For more information, click here.

Five VCCA Fellows Awarded VMFA Fellowships

2011-02-17T11:04:00.003-05:00

Five of the eighteen Virginia artists receiving VMFA professional fellowship awards are VCCA Fellows! We are particularly proud because VMFA had a record number of applicants this year - 642. Congratulations to:

Clover Archer-Lyle (drawing) Rockbridge Baths
Ed Dolinger (painting) Bassett
Pam Fox (photography) Richmond
David Garratt (sculpture) Amherst
Steve Griffin (painting) Colonial Beach

The ceremony takes place tomorrow - Friday, February 18 - at the General Assembly in Richmond and is followed by a luncheon at VMFA. VCCA's executive director, Suny Monk, will be among the speakers.

Less Than 2 Weeks Left to Apply for Wachtmeister Award

2011-02-17T10:08:00.002-05:00

VMFA Fellowship Awarded to VCCA Artist-in-Residence David Garratt

2011-02-16T09:49:00.004-05:00

On Friday, February 18, VCCA's own artist-in-residence, David Garratt, will be one of 18 artists in Virginia - and one of only two sculptors - awarded an $8,000 professional fellowship by the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. The 2011-2012 awards mark the 71st year of the VMFA Fellowship Program, and the 75th anniversary of the museum. According to Director Alex Nyerges, "We are grateful to the late John Lee Pratt for establishing this VMFA endowment that makes this support possible, as well as others who have added funds to the endowment throughout the years."

David has been a VCCA artist-in-residence since 2007. The ceremony will take place at the General Assembly in Richmond followed by a luncheon at VMFA. Congratulations, David! (IMAGE: "Chronicle" life-size, fired clay sculpture by David Garratt.)

Photos from the VCCA Anniversary Celebration in Richmond

2011-01-30T17:15:00.006-05:00

Click here to see the entire VCCA in Richmond Picture Show

And stay tuned for the upcoming celebrations in New York, Charlottesville, Amherst and Auvillar, France. Go to vcca.com and click on the blue 40th Anniversary Celebration button.

Peggy Baggett Receives Leadership in the Arts Award

2011-01-20T14:26:00.003-05:00

On Saturday, January 8, Suny Monk presented Peggy Baggett, executive director of the Virginia Commission for the Arts, with a much-deserved Leadership in the Arts Award "for her dedication and inspiring leadership in the arts of Virginia for over three decades and eight governors." Peggy was unaware that VCCA was planning to give her this award when she came to their 40th Anniversary Celebration - so it was a big surprise! Congratulations, Peggy! (Stay tuned for more photos of VCCA at VMFA!)

Sally Mann Receives first Mt. San Angelo Award

2011-01-20T11:38:00.003-05:00

At VCCA's inaugural 40th anniversary event at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond, board member Alex Nyerges, director of the VMFA and host of the event, presented the premiere Mt. San Angelo award to Sally Mann. A longtime member of the VCCA advisory council, Sally's groundbreaking work has made her one of Virginia's most celebrated contemporary artists. Her exhibition, The Flesh and the Spirit, will be at the VMFA through January 23. Stay tuned for more photos from the January 8 gala!

VCCA's 40th Is Making Headlines All Over Richmond!

2011-01-07T12:17:00.004-05:00

The first in a series of 40th anniversary celebrations is tomorrow, January 8, at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond - and it's the talk of the town!

Richmond Times-Dispatch - VCCA is today's cover story! Click here

Style Weekly - feature story on January 5: Click here

WTVR-TV - Virginia This Morning interviews Suny Monk and Tanja Softic on January 4: Click here

WRIC-TV - 8 News at Noon also interviews Suny Monk and Tanja Softic on January 4: Click here

Richmond Magazine - feature story on VCCA in January issue: Click here

Radar Redux (Baltimore Art and Culture) - feature story on January 3: Click here

Richmond Times-Dispatch - Op-Ed about VCCA by Alex Nyerges, director of VMFA, January 3: Click here

VCCA Is Making News In Richmond!

2011-01-03T21:37:00.003-05:00

The first in VCCA's series of 40th anniversary celebrations is this Saturday, January 8, at the beautiful Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond - and the city is buzzing! VMFA is one of the top ten comprehensive museums in the country and their director, Alex Nyerges, wrote a glowing Op-Ed about VCCA for the Richmond Times-Dispatch. Click here to read More Than Just a Pretty Face. Richmond Magazine also wrote a story about VCCA this week, which you can see by clicking here: Richmond Magazine story about VCCA. To find out more about the VCCA at VMFA 40th Anniversary event, go to our website and click on the blue 40th Anniversary Celebration button - and stay tuned!

Register for Poetry Workshop in Auvillar, France

2010-12-12T21:22:00.000-05:00

This spring, join Marilyn Kallet for a two-week workshop in one of France's most beautiful villages, Auvillar. In its third year, "O Taste and See: Writing the Senses in Deep France" is a writing workshop with emphasis on (but not limited to) poetry writing. To steep all your senses, the workshop includes professional photography and gourmet cooking demonstrations. "Everything is poetry in Auvillar." May 14-21. For more information, click here.

Please Click Below to Donate to VCCA - and Thank You!

2010-12-07T09:25:00.000-05:00

Urgent Call to VCCA Poets

2010-12-06T06:27:00.000-05:00

2011 will mark the 40th anniversary of VCCA. A special poetry anthology showcasing 40 years of work by VCCA poets will commemorate the occasion. The working title is VCCA Poems and Poets: A 40 Year Retrospective. A themed anthology, it will be limited to poetry about, related to or inspired by VCCA. Patterned after the well-known popular annual Best American Poetry series, this anthology will include only poems that have been previously published in journals or collections. Deadline for submissions is January 15, 2011. For submission templates or more information, click on the "Call to VCCA Poets" button above. We can't wait to hear from you!

Find Your Creative Space in the South of France

2010-11-28T18:20:00.001-05:00

VCCA is now accepting reservations for the 2011 Auvillar Arts Workshops at Moulin à Nef.

"O Taste and See: Writing the Senses in Deep France"
Now in its third season. Led by Marilyn Kallet. May 14-21, 2011

"Writing and Pilgrimage"
Led by Lisa Schamess. July 10-17, 2011

"How I See It: Autobiography in Impressionist Poetry and Prose"
Led by Jacqueline Kolosov and Kirsten Lunstrum. July 10-17, 2011

To learn more, click on the green button above.

Now Accepting Applications for 2011 Wachtmeister Award

2010-11-23T06:32:00.000-05:00

FULLY-FUNDED RESIDENCY + TRAVEL COSTS + HONORARIUM
If you know an artist who meets the following criteria -- and has never been to VCCA -- please forward this information.

VCCA's 2011 Wachtmeister Award for Excellence in the Arts will be given to a visual artist working in two or three-dimensions. Photography will not be considered for the 2011 Award.

Criteria: Applicants must have worked professionally for the past 15 years and have demonstrated achievements in their field. This award is for artists who have not previously been in residence at VCCA.

The Wachtmeister Award includes a fully-funded residency (up to 30 days) at VCCA, a $1,000 honorarium, and reimbursed travel expenses of up to $750. Total value of the award is $7,150.

Postmark deadline is February 15, 2011.

Click here for more information or an application.

Helen Thompson: 1936 - 2010

2010-11-09T09:18:00.000-05:00

Helen Estelle Thompson passed away on Friday, November 5, 2010. A breakfast and lunch cook for VCCA throughout the 1980s and early 90s, Helen fixed innumerable sandwiches and filled countless lunch boxes for hundreds of Fellows over her many years here. Helen, shown above in a portrait by VCCA Fellow Anne Kesler Shields, was the mother of longtime VCCA employee Cora Tabb.

VCCA Fellows in Alonzo Davis' book, "The Bamboo Muse"

2010-11-08T09:31:00.000-05:00

The Bamboo Muse, Art • Prose • Poetry, written by VCCA Fellow and former board member Alonzo Davis, includes work by VCCA Poets Deborah Ager, Marjory Wentworth and Kay Lindsey. To preview The Bamboo Muse, Click Here.

Annual NY Fellows' Reunion THIS EVENING!

2010-11-05T10:07:00.000-04:00

Can't wait til 6:00 pm to see everyone at Denise Bibro Fine Art! Click Here for Directions

Memorial Service for Tom Aprile

2010-10-25T09:44:00.000-04:00

VCCA Fellow Tom Aprile died suddenly at home during the night of September 23, 2010. A six-time VCCA Fellow, Tom was a sculptor and professor in the University of Iowa School of Art and Art History. He was married to VCCA Fellow Laura Young. In addition to individual residencies, Tom and Laura were in residence together at VCCA several times.

Tom constructed "VCCA Labyrinth", a glass brick sculpture, on the lawn on the north side the VCCA Fellows residence. It was dedicated in October 2003 "for Laura Young". We are grateful for this reminder of Tom, his good humor and his exuberant creativity.

His work was featured in numerous one-person exhibitions in New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles and was included in group exhibitions across the country. He was the recipient of two Pollock-Krasner Foundation Fellowships, a New York Foundation Fellowship and a Fulbright Grant to Nigeria.

There will be a memorial service for Tom on November 6, 2010, at 3:30 pm at the Studio Arts Building, Highway #1, Iowa City, Iowa.

Annual New York Fellows' Reunion on Friday, Nov. 5

2010-10-06T15:11:00.000-04:00

Make room on your calendar for the Annual New York Fellows' Reunion on Friday, November 5, between 6 and 8 pm. Imbibe, nosh, mingle - and find out what VCCA is planning for the Big Apple next year! Denise Bibro Fine Art is hosting. 529 West 20th Street, 4W. $10 obo

David Garratt Show "Perpetual Perception" at Artspace Gallery One

2010-10-06T06:49:00.000-04:00

Perpetual Perception, David Garratt's sculptural exploration of our many personae is on exhibit at Artspace Gallery One in Raleigh, North Carolina through November 20.

Images by Barbara Bernstein.

Celebration of the Life and Work of Evelyn Shakir: October 4, 2010

2010-09-28T12:22:00.000-04:00

A celebration of the life and work of VCCA writer Evelyn Shakir will be held on Monday, October 4, 2010, at 4:45 pm in the Adamian Academic Center at Bentley University in Waltham, Massachusetts. Evelyn died in May after a two-year struggle with cancer. A gracious, generous presence, Evelyn had been a Fellow-in-Residence at VCCA seven times since 1992, often with her life companion, VCCA poet George Ellenbogen.

After writing on a range of literary figures ranging from Wordsworth and Louisa May Alcott to D. H. Lawrence, she found her subject material in her own community - specifically Arab American women, a group whose voices were largely unheard and unacknowledged. She provided a voice for these women in Bint Arab and in her award-winning collection of short fiction, Remember Me to Lebabon, a treasure of lived experience. Readers unfamiliar with Arab American women came to know them as we seek to know one another - as people rather than stereotypes. Of the significance of her work, poet Lisa Majaj observes, "...her ripples will widen outward for a very long time."

Khakpour was NY Times Op-Ed Contributor for 9/11 Anniversary

2010-09-13T16:45:00.000-04:00

On the nine-year anniversary of 9/11, The New York Times selected "My Nine Years as a Middle-Eastern-American" by VCCA Fellow Porochista Khakpour for their Op-Ed piece. A New Yorker, Khakpour notes that it has taken almost ten years for the anti-Muslim backlash to fully emerge, triggered by plans to build an interfaith cultural center near ground zero and by having an African-American president. She reflects that in some ways, it may actually have been easier to be a Middle-Easterner in the George W. Bush era.

My Nine Years as a Middle-Eastern-American by Porochista Khakpour

Helen Benedict Wins EMMA Award

2010-09-10T09:56:00.000-04:00

"Thanks again to all the women soldiers," was Helen's response to winning the 2010 National Women's Political Caucus Exceptional Merit in Media Award (EMMA) for her book, The Lonely Soldier: The Private War of Women Serving in Iraq (Beacon Press, 2009) and a related article in Ms. magazine.

The judges noted, "As a result of Helen Benedict's provocative article, and subsequent book, The Lonely Soldier, the stories of women in the military who have faced sexual assaults, harassment and discrimination now have a voice."

Two VCCA Fellows in Whitney Biennial

2010-09-02T09:45:00.000-04:00

VCCA Fellows Verne Dawson and Lorraine O'Grady were both chosen for this year's Whitney Biennial. Lorraine O'Grady's diptych series, The First and Last of the Modernists, paired the meteoric lives of the 19th century poet Baudelaire and the 20th century American musician Michael Jackson. It explored the roles of art and popular culture, and how modern figures are attenuated through the news media. In Pagans, Vern Dawson investigated contemporary life's vanishing connections to the natural origins of myths, folktales and traditions, and posited the regenerative qualities of a culture in harmony with nature. The Whitney Biennial closed May 30.

Have You Seen Our Pink Tiger?

2010-08-31T12:25:00.000-04:00

VCCA has requested the pink Tiger Fuel trucks so that for every gallon of propane we buy, a penny goes to breast cancer research. It's part of the American Breast Cancer Foundation's nationwide campaign to provide diagnostic tests for uninsured and underserved individuals. What a great way to get in the pink!

Glowing Around the Globe!

2010-08-09T16:33:00.000-04:00

Former U. S. Poet Laureate Ted Kooser has selected Marilyn Kallet's poem, "Fireflies", for publication on his website, "American Life In Poetry". From there, "Fireflies" will swarm into weekly columns in newspapers all across the country, and then around the world via the website's free Internet subscription. Congratulations Marilyn!

The Pool's Tale: How Dry I Am

2010-08-03T15:03:00.000-04:00

As many of you know, the VCCA pool has been tragically empty all summer. Dry as a bone. We even found a mummified frog in the deep end. And frankly, we're concerned about the effect this is having on some of our Fellows. They want to swim off the heat so badly that they're seeing things. Just the other week, Karl Nussbaum gazed down at the empty concrete box and swore he saw a dive-in movie theater. Before long, he had all the Fellows seeing it. They even pooled together to watch Paul Newman in "Sweet Bird of Youth". Maysey Craddock documented the phenomenon. (To see more of her dive-in movie photos at Flickr, click here.)

Since that night, there's been talk of pool halls, mini-golf courses, fallout shelters...all sorts of poolishness.

At the same time, Michael Dowell, VCCA's financial wizard, has been working with the board to find the $14,000 needed for repairs - and they've already pooled $6,000. The dilemma is that in order to have things in swimming condition by next spring ... work has to start in October ... which means we need to raise an additional $8,000 by the end of September.

If Everyone Puts a Drop in the Bucket, We Can Fill a Pool

The dive-in movie was a splash hit, but everyone agrees that water works better. Please help us restore the VCCA pool to its full, sparkling glory for 2011! Click here if you wish to make a donation on line. Or call Carol O'Brien at 434-946-7236, or send her an email: cobrien@vcca.com.

"Pool Your Money" - and make a splash next summer!

Kelly Cherry Named Poet Laureate of Commonwealth of Virginia

2010-08-02T14:50:00.000-04:00

Congratulations to VCCA Fellow Kelly Cherry, who is assuming the mantle of Virginia's eleventh Poet Laureate!

Kelly first came to VCCA in 1978, and has returned nine times since then. In 2005, she was in residence for thirty days at Le Moulin à Nef, the VCCA-France studios in Auvillar.

She is Eudora Welty Professor Emerita of English and Evjue-Bascom Professor Emerita in the Humanities at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Kelly is the second VCCA Fellow named Virginia's Poet Laureate: Claudia Emerson held the title in 2008 -2010. VCCA Advisory Council Member Rita Dove also held the title from 2004 -2006.

Local Artists Benefit from Bama Works Fund Award to VCCA

2010-07-20T16:47:00.000-04:00

Thanks to an award from the Dave Matthews Band Bama Works Fund, even more writers, composers and visual artists from the Charlottesville area will be able to join one of the largest artist communities in the nation: VCCA.

Last year, the residencies of fourteen local artists were partially subsidized by the Bama Works Fund in CACF (Charlottesville Area Community Foundation) grant. They included Sharon Shapiro, Anne Carley, Ashley Florence, Amy Hereford, Mary Alice Hostetter, Rebecca Lily, Wendy Gavin Porter, Mark H. Saunders, Judith Shatin, James Wallenstein and James Wiznerowicz.

The next application deadline is September 15, 2010. To apply, follow this link:

http://www.vcca.com/main/apply