Community Calendar

Shenandoah Valley Art Center presents: Exploring Autumn Color, a sketching workshop with John Hancock. In this sketching workshop we will explore the beautiful colors of Autumn in the southern Shenandoah Valley and within sight of the ridges and peaks of the Blue Ridge. Starting with your favorite dry and/or wet sketching materials, we will explore capturing some of the stunning landscapes of our beautiful corner of the world in this 2 day workshop. We will gather at the Shenandoah Valley art Center on Thursday morning and then head for a location in Ridge View Park. On Friday, we will gather at our sketching venue's location. The Friday venue (TBA) will depend on the weather but will also be very near or within Waynesboro. Both days we will take a lunch break from 12 Noon to 1:00 pm. Designed to be suitable for beginners who have some previous experience in drawing, as well as intermediate and advanced students. (Fee: $175, Thursday October 23 and Friday, October 24, 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m., 416 W. Main St., Waynesboro, VA. 22980 register: www.svacart.com or call 540-949-7662)

Shenandoah Valley Art Center presents: Introduction to Encaustic Painting: Painting with Fire with Lynne Miller. Come Learn or expand your knowledge of the Ancient Painting Technique of Melted Beeswax and Tree Sap! Ideal for beginners to intermediates. Unleash your creativity in this one-day encaustic painting workshop. We’ll spend the day mastering techniques and best practices This is a hands-on introduction to encaustic painting. We will discuss a brief history of this versatile medium, choosing the right surface, and the do’s/don’t of painting with torches. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced artist looking to explore a new medium, this workshop is for you. All materials are provided. Get ready to have some fun with wax! We will work together as we discuss various techniques; smooth vs. textured surfaces (accretion), mixing color, working transparent vs. opaque, and mark making (sgraffito). You will have time to work on your own piece(s) working with the techniques you have learned. Lynne Miller is from NC but she, her husband, and 2 dogs now call Staunton, Virginia home. She has been a full-time artist for over 30 years working as an illustrator, in theaters, as a scenic artist for aquariums/zoos/museums, and as a muralist. She found her passion 9 years ago working in encaustics. Her paintings can be found in Galleries in NC, TN, and Wisconsin. Lynne is a certified R&F advanced encaustic instructor and is excited to share her love of the medium with others. (Fee: $80, Saturday, October 25, 12:00 – 3:00 p.m., 416 W. Main St., Waynesboro, VA 22980, register: www.svacart.com or call 540-949-7662)

Hey bluegrass jammers come join the Waynesboro Music Bluegrass Jam at Shenandoah Valley Art Center, Saturday, October 25, from 3:00 – 5:00 p.m. Jam sessions will be held in the 416 West Main St. Gallery which will give expanded space allowing for break-off jams, if merited. We will stick with the format of passing tunes in a circle and passing the hat to support the musicians, which is, of course, optional. The art center is also a terrific gallery space so check out the exhibits. There will be seating or standing room for participants. Come pick, listen, or hang out with a friend! All are welcome! (Every 4th Saturday, 3:00 – 5:00 p.m., 416 W. Main Street, Waynesboro, Va. 22980, Free!)

Shenandoah Valley Art Center presents: Potion-Making Workshop for Kids ages 5-11 with Rainbow Willard. Come craft a "magical potion" inside a small jar or bottle using kid-safe ingredients/colorants, glitter, and glow elements! Students will design custom potion labels with spooky names like Witch's Brew, Moonlight Mist, or Dragon's Breath. Each magical concoction will get sealed for the journey home as potion makers depart class! Rainbow Willard is a practicing artist and art educator with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Art Education from Virginia Commonwealth University. She has experience teaching art to students of all ages and specializes in drawing, painting, and mixed media. Her teaching approach focuses on encouragement, skill-building, and helping students develop their own creative voice. (Fee $15, Sunday, October 26, 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m., 126 S. Wayne Ave., Waynesboro, VA 22980, register: www.svacart.com or call 540-949-7662)

Come join us as the community helps to paint the first mural in the Northeast neighborhood of Harrisonburg. Enjoy music, food, kids, activities, and shop local vendors. Set up is free. This event is sponsored by the Shenandoah Valley Black Heritage Project, Oasis Art Gallery, Riner Rentals, and Donald Albright.

Shenandoah Valley Art Center presents: Mini Monster Canvases Workshop for Kids 5-11 with Rainbow Willard. Whimsical monsters come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Kids exercise their imagination to create 4x4” canvases to paint colorful monsters using acrylics. Monster makers will have the option to add googly eyes, foam teeth, or glitter horns, etc. Come and join the Halloween fun and bring home a little monster friend! Rainbow Willard is a practicing artist and art educator with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Art Education from Virginia Commonwealth University. She has experience teaching art to students of all ages and specializes in drawing, painting, and mixed media. Her teaching approach focuses on encouragement, skill-building, and helping students develop their own creative voice. (Fee: $15, Sunday , October 26, 1:00 – 2:00 p.m., 126 S. Wayne Ave., Waynesboro, VA 22980, register: www.wvacart.com or call 54-949-7662)

Shenandoah Valley Art Center presents: Glow-in-the-Dark Ghost Painting Workshop for Kids ages 5 – 11 with Rainbow Willard. Paint a spooky scene on black paper or board and add a puffy, glowing ghost using glow-in-the-dark paint (tulip puffy paint) and pulled cotton balls. Students get to see their imagination in luminescence and have fun assembling their eerily glowing creations with craft materials. Rainbow Willard is a practicing artist and art educator with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Art Education from Virginia Commonwealth University. She has experience teaching art to students of all ages and specializes in drawing, painting, and mixed media. Her teaching approach focuses on encouragement, skill-building, and helping students develop their own creative voice. (Fee: $15, Sunday, October 26, 3:00 – 4:00 p.m., 126 S. Wayne Ave. Waynesboro, VA 22980, register: www.svacart.com or call 540-949-7662)

Shenandoah Valley Art Center presents: Sound Bath with Breathwork and Meditation with Leslie Chisnell. Reset your nervous system. Reconnect with your breath. Restore inner balance. In this session, Leslie Chisnell RN, LMT, YT-200, Nurse Coach and Sound Healing Practitioner will weave together gentle breathwork, guided meditation, and a full-body crystal bowl sound immersion to support deep relaxation and emotional clarity. It's ideal for anyone seeking stress relief, nervous system regulation, or a quiet space for inner reflection. Immerse yourself in healing vibrations of crystal singing bowls designed to balance your energy, calm the mind, and awaken your inner clarity. This sound bath is an invitation to reset and realign with your true self. No experience needed. All are welcome. Persons with pacemakers should get approval from their physician. Yoga mat or blanket, pillow x2, eye cover(optional), water. Reserve Your Spo as space is limited - pre-registration required at www.svacart.com or call 540-949-7662. (Fee: $20 for SVAC Members, $25 for non-member, October 26, 6:00 – 7:15 p.m., 126 S. Wayne Ave., Waynesboro, VA 22980).

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: Drawing and Sketching for Painters with John Hancock. Introducing beginners to the basics of drawing, this course begins with essential incremental steps providing students with the basics of drawing from observation with regular practice. You will start with pencil, then move on to using conté and inks. Expect loads of demos and handouts! Students will work on many small projects and exercises but also leave the course with several finished pieces. Let’s explore drawing with an eye greater visual impact and just maybe better accuracy too!
Suitable for beginners and advanced students or artists seeking to brush up on essential skills. Experience the challenges and the joys of drawing in this 6-week, Wednesday afternoon class. Loads of helpful handouts as well as group and personal feedback. (Fee: $295, Wednesdays, September 3, 10, 17, 24, October 1, 8, 1:30 – 4:00 pm, Register: www.johnahancock.com/new-products/drawing-and-sketching-for-painters-at-svac , 416 W. Main St. Waynesboro, Va 22980.)