Community Calendar

Shenandoah Valley Art Center presents: Modern Lithography with Pronto Plates with Joan Graybeal Menard. The latest form of lithography is Pronto Plate Lithography. It is a less toxic method that allows artists to make multiple prints. In this six week class you will explore the different ways to put personal images onto a plate and the process of printing. There are many options: direct drawing, playful washes, stencil printing, photo transfer, transfer of existing drawings or digitally created art, and collaging images. The concentration will be on black and white images. You will need to bring a complete art image no bigger than 6 x 9" on an 8 ½ “ x 11" paper to the first class. You will work on site with a laser printer. Joan Graybeal Menard is a multimedia artist who believes in exploring different art techniques. Her main studies in college were in printmaking. With the access to printing presses at SVAC, Joan relearned the newer, less toxic print methods that she is now sharing. For questions, contact Joan via email or text at menardjoan24@gmail.com or 304-646-0297. (Fee: $250 + a $10 supply fee for materials due to instructor at the beginning of class, Mondays, October 20, 27, November 3, 10, 17, 24 , 10:00 am – 1:00 pm., 416 W. Main St., Waynesboro, VA 22980, register www.svacart.com/print-studio or call 540-949-7662)

Don’t miss the opening Broman Concert with award-winning pianist Zhu Wang, part of MBU's Signature Events Series.

Considered one of the most sought-after pianists of his generation, Zhu Wang has been praised as “especially impressive” and “a thoughtful, sensitive performer” who “balanced lyrical warmth and crisp clarity” (Tommasini, The New York Times). A First-Prize Winner at the 2020 Young Concert Artists International Auditions, he also won the Gold Medal at the 2024 New Orleans International Piano Competition.

The Broman Concert Series is presented by the MBU Music Department. The concert is Monday, November 10 at 7:30 p.m. in Francis Auditorium. Don’t miss this exciting event!

All Broman Concerts and Sunday Recitals are open to the public. We welcome members of the community!

On Veterans Day, Tuesday, November 11, 2024, we invite visitors to Highland for a day of learning in honor of military veterans. Throughout the day, guests can:

Explore the commemorative VA250 traveling exhibition, Give Me Liberty: Virginia and the Forging of a Nation, in the upper level of Highland’s event barn

Meet Highland’s original veteran, James Monroe!

Decode messages at the code breaking and cryptography station
Learn about military medicine and its influence on civilian medicine with living history interpreter Bob Talbott (and friends), who will share a rich collection of historic arms, armaments, and medical tools (10 a.m. to 1 p.m.)

A moment of silence and a military volley will be observed at 11:00 a.m. Admission is free for active U.S. military members and veterans. All other visitors may purchase $10 discounted General Admission tickets using the link below. Children six and under and Farm Friends members receive free admission.

The Shenandoah Valley Art Center, during the month of October, is exhibiting the artwork of Sculptor, Michael Hough and Painter, Dietrich Maune in the 416 W. Main Street Gallery. Michael Hough is a clay and metal sculptor, curator, Professor of Art at Bridgewater College, and gallery director of the Beverly Perdue Art Gallery. At Bridgewater College he teaches, design, drawing, all levels of ceramics and sculpture, as well as a course called Professional Practices (subtitled “everything I wish I had learned about the business of art while I was in school”). He has been an artist, creating ceramic sculpture, pottery, and steel sculpture, for the past forty years. “My love of all things clay and metal began during my second year as an art student at California State University, Sacramento where I eventually earned a BA and MA in Ceramics”. After five years teaching High School art, Michael returned for his MFA from the Rhode Island School of Design (1993). Dietrich Maune’s creative work focuses on our relationships with each other and the world as seen through the relationships of animals and their place in our environment. It often looks at how difference can exist together and how the needs of different species and their desire for each other are mutually beneficial and often supportive. His work has been exhibited in numerous solo, group, and juried exhibitions and resides in the corporate collections of the Greenville Museum of Art, NC; DSM Pharmaceuticals, NC; Green Tree Financial, SD; Pouch Cove Foundation, Newfoundland; Rockingham Memorial Hospital, VA and Augusta Medical Center, VA among others; and in many private collections. Maune received his Bachelor of Fine Arts and Master of Fine Arts from East Carolina University in Painting and Drawing. The exhibit is open to the public: October 1 - October 25, Tuesday – Friday, 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m., Saturday 11:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. at 416 W. Main Street, Waynesboro, VA 22980.

Shenandoah Valley Art Center presents: Compositions that Work with Peg Sheridan. Do you wonder why your paintings don't seem to "pull together" at the end? Would you like to understand how to use compositional tools to make your paintings better? In this hands-on class, you will learn powerful, practical compositional tools that work. Whether you are painting landscapes, figures, still life or abstracts, you will learn how to arrange shapes for better impact and balance. Through guided exercises, you will learn compositions that are proven winners. Peg will provide weekly demonstrations for each of the six weeks of class. She will provide color worksheets, one-on-one help and weekly reviews of student paintings. She has been painting in watercolors for 45 years, and teaching watercolor painting for 35 years, and is known to be the most popular watercolor instructor in the Piedmont/Blue Ridge region. See Peg's work, and more about her classes and materials list at www.pegsheridan.com . (Fee: $250, Tuesdays, September 23, 30, October 7, 14, 21, & 28, 10:00 am – 2:00 pm, at 126 S. Wayne Avenue., Waynesboro, VA 22980, register: www.pegsheridan.com or call SVAC at 540-949-7662)

Shenandoah Valley Art Center presents a free Bi-Monthly Printmaking Demonstration! These sessions are not only free but open to the public. Our goal is to have you join us to learn more about this amazing medium and experience the possibilities of the Tom Brown Printmaking Studio! (Tuesdays, November 4 and 18, 1:00 – 3:00 p.m., 416 W. Main St. Waynesboro, VA 22980.)

The Shenandoah Valley Art Center during the month of October, in the Cabell/Arehart Invitational Gallery, is presenting Elizabeth Wislar’s sculptural assemblage artwork. These pieces blend the joy of gathering and creating new artifacts from reclaimed materials, based on a belief that everything we need already exists. Wislar shares , “The assemblage pieces on display blend my joy of celebrating what it means to Gather with the creation of a new art and artifacts from reclaimed materials. The Gatherer cultivates. The Gatherer cares for the nourishment of people, the histories, the elders, the children, the traditions, the stories, the spirits, the plants, the food, the art, the land, the air, and the water. Let us Gather, collect, cultivate, and tell stories, using what we have gathered.” Wislar is a Multi-Award- Winning Costume professional, a large-scale repurposed textile artist, activist, and instructor. Of Native American ancestry, she is enrolled as a tribal member. The exhibition opening will be October 4, 5:00 – 7:00 p.m. and guests are welcome to meet and talk to the artist. The exhibition is open to the public October 4 – November 29, Tuesday – Friday, 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m., Saturday, 11:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m., at 126 S. Wayne Ave, Waynesboro, VA 22980.

Shenandoah Valley Art Center presents: Acrylic Foundations, Techniques and Textures for all levels with Rainbow Willard. For new or experienced artists, this course offers a hands-on, supportive environment to explore the versatile world of acrylic painting. Students will learn the fundamentals of the medium through weekly exercises and guided explorations, covering color mixing, blending, layering, texture, and a variety of tools and surfaces. Each session builds on the last, leading up to a final expressive piece that allows students to put their new skills to use. Rainbow Willard is a practicing artist and art educator with a BFA in Art Education from Virginia Commonwealth University. She has experience teaching all ages and specializes in drawing, painting, mixed media, and printmaking. Rainbow creates a welcoming, encouraging space where students can build confidence, explore new techniques, and make art that feels personal and fun. In lieu of paying the materials fee, students should check the class materials list at www.svacart.com (Fee: $175 and a $20 materials fee due to instructor at beginning of class. register at www.rainbowwillard.com/shop, 6 week course, Wednesdays, September 3, 10, 17, 24, October 1, 8, 10:30 am-12:00 pm., 416 W. Main Street, Waynesboro, VA 22980.)

Shenandoah Valley Art Center presents: The Artist’s Sketchbook: Foundations in Color, Texture and Techniques with Rainbow Willard. Whether you are just getting started or want to reignite your creativity , this six week class is designed to help artists build technical skill while developing a personal visual voice- all within the pages of a working sketchbook. You will explore foundational techniques like color mixing, layering, and value studies using accessible materials like graphite, colored pencil, and acrylic paint. Each class includes a worm-up prompt, a focused technique or concept, and time for play, exploration, and reflection. This course is ideal for anyone seeking structure inspiration, or a return to joyful artmaking. You will leave with a sketchbook full of creative breakthroughs and a toolbox of techniques to keep your practice going strong. Rainbow Willard is a practicing artist and art educator with a BFA in Art Education from Virginia Commonwealth University. She has experience teaching all ages and specializes in drawing, painting, mixed media, and printmaking. Rainbow creates a welcoming, encouraging space where students can build confidence, explore new techniques, and make art that feels personal and fun.( $175, material fee $10, Wednesdays, 10:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m., October 8, 15, 22, 29, November 12, 19, register: www.rainbowwillard.com/shop )

Shenandoah Valley Art Center presents: Discover Pronto Plates 3 with Joan Graybeal Menard. Looking for a new way to utilize family photos or other image elements? This workshop creates a printing plate from your vintage photos, sketches, or digital art that can be printed on different papers for finished art, scrapbooks, or collages. We will copy images using a laser printer to transfer the image to a new lithography plate material called a Pronto Plate. These plates are a special plastic paper that relies on the lithographic resist technique of oil rejecting water. Experiment with layering many different elements to create a new composition. We will be printing with our in-house litho press but you will also learn how to use the same techniques at home for hand printing with a spoon! Joan Graybeal Menard is a multimedia artist who believes in exploring different art techniques. Her main studies in college were in printmaking. With the access to printing presses at SVAC, Joan relearned the newer, less toxic print methods that she is now sharing. For questions, contact Joan via email or text at menardjoan24@gmail.com or 304-646-0297. ( Fee: $50 + a $20 supply fee for materials due to instructor at the beginning of class, Wednesday, November 12, 1:00 – 4:00 p.m., 416 W. Main St., Waynesboro, VA 22980, register: www.svacart.com/print-studio or call 540-949-7662)