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)

Live Arts Radio PSAs
STAGE KISS
Contact andrew@livearts.org with any questions.
PSA 1
Length: 10 seconds
VO: Superstar playwright Sarah Rulh’s STAGE KISS opens at Live Arts on January 23rd, 2026 and runs through February 15th! Directed by Robert Chapel, visit livearts.org for tickets.

PSA 2
Length: 20 seconds
VO: Live Arts is pleased to present the charming and profound comedy, STAGE KISS, by Pulitzer Prize finalist Sarah Ruhl. This witty play-within-a-play explores the hilarious and often messy lines between professional performance and personal passion, asking: when is a kiss ever just a kiss? Directed by Robert Chapel, visit livearts.org for tickets.

PSA 3
Length: 30 seconds
VO: Live Arts’ first show of the new year is Sarah Ruhl's charming comedy STAGE KISS. This witty play-within-a-play explores the hilarious and often messy lines between professional performance and personal passion, asking: when is a kiss ever just a kiss? The story centers on two actors, cast as long-lost romantic leads in a forgotten 1930s melodrama. The catch: they were once in love and haven't seen each other in years. January 23rd through February 15th at Live Arts, 123 East Water Street. Tickets at livearts.org, or call 434-977-4177. Directed by Robert Chapel, sponsored by Janet and Charles Cheeseman.

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 Advanced Skills in Watercolor II, a six week course with Peg Sheridan. Are you seeking to advance your skills in watercolor painting and increase your confidence with the medium? This course offers a structured exploration of watercolor techniques, emphasizing both creativity and technical competence. Participants will explore wet-in-wet as well as dry brush methods, negative painting approaches, layering color, the use of additional mediums, and the integration of lines using watercolor pencils and crayons. The curriculum also includes practice with larger-scale paintings. Instruction consists of demonstrations, color worksheets, and individual support. Students will have the opportunity to select their subject matter, with an emphasis on experimentation throughout the course. A materials list is available at www.svacart.com or call 540-949-7662. (Register with Peg Sheridan directly at www.pegsheridan.com, and click on “Upcoming Classes” and then "Registration for Advanced Skills in Watercolor II," follow the instructions. Register by January 20th. Refunds of a $50 deposit cannot be issued for cancellations after January 20th. Fee $260, Tuesdays, January 27, February 3, 10, 17, 24, March 3, 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m., 416 Classroom, 416 W Main St, Waynesboro, VA 22980)

Shenandoah Valley Art Center presents the Shenandoah National Park Trust works of art from the permanent collection of their Artist-in-Residence program. The Hudson River School of the mid-1800’ s turned its attention to American landscapes, providing the public with its first interpretation of parts of the country most had never seen. Talk of preserving these great places ensued and the national park system was born. The Artist-in-Residence Program was begun to inspire artists and visitors to think deeply about the value of the Shenandoah National Park. Goals were to create an understanding of the landscape of Shenandoah in new and unique ways, to increase awareness about important concepts, such as climate change and wildlife management, using images and sound that enriched visitor experiences in the park. This was achieved by inviting professional artists to interpret the landscape through traditional and contemporary art. The Trust provided seed funding to launch Shenandoah National Park’s Artist-in-Residence program in 2013 and proudly continues to fund it annually. Artists live and work in the park for three-week sessions and engage park visitors in public programs, hopefully encouraging them to become stewards of the park. The public is invited to the opening reception on January 15, 2026, 5:00 – 7:00 p.m. at the SVAC 416 Gallery, 416 W. Main St. Waynesboro, VA 22980. The exhibition will be open to the public January 15 – February 21, Tuesday – Friday, 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m., Saturday, 11:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

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, January 13 and 27, 1:00 – 3:00 p.m., 416 W. Main St. Waynesboro, VA 22980.)

Shenandoah Valley Art Center presents Stretch & Release Yoga with Paula Figgatt & Leslie Chisnell. Gather in the Heart of Downtown Waynesboro for a meditative experience that benefits the mind while increasing your range of flexibility and centeredness in the body. Stretch & Release Yoga targets the fascia and connective tissues including tendons, ligaments and bones while creating suppleness, openness and health for our inner organs and muscles. By stilling the mind, bring the awareness deeply inward to create peace and relaxation. Restore and Renew the Spirit. Tuesday, January 27, 6:05 - 7:00 p.m., (Fee: $10, 12 weeks pass January 27 – April 14, $100, Register: www.svacart.com or call 540-949-7662, 416 Gallery, 416 W Main St, Waynesboro, VA 22980)

Come learn the sport of rugby while getting fit and making great friends. All are welcome. No experience necessary.

Live Arts Radio PSAs
STAGE KISS
Contact andrew@livearts.org with any questions.
PSA 1
Length: 10 seconds
VO: Superstar playwright Sarah Rulh’s STAGE KISS opens at Live Arts on January 23rd, 2026 and runs through February 15th! Directed by Robert Chapel, visit livearts.org for tickets.

PSA 2
Length: 20 seconds
VO: Live Arts is pleased to present the charming and profound comedy, STAGE KISS, by Pulitzer Prize finalist Sarah Ruhl. This witty play-within-a-play explores the hilarious and often messy lines between professional performance and personal passion, asking: when is a kiss ever just a kiss? Directed by Robert Chapel, visit livearts.org for tickets.

PSA 3
Length: 30 seconds
VO: Live Arts’ first show of the new year is Sarah Ruhl's charming comedy STAGE KISS. This witty play-within-a-play explores the hilarious and often messy lines between professional performance and personal passion, asking: when is a kiss ever just a kiss? The story centers on two actors, cast as long-lost romantic leads in a forgotten 1930s melodrama. The catch: they were once in love and haven't seen each other in years. January 23rd through February 15th at Live Arts, 123 East Water Street. Tickets at livearts.org, or call 434-977-4177. Directed by Robert Chapel, sponsored by Janet and Charles Cheeseman.

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.