Community Calendar

In the SVAC Member’s Gallery, the Small Works Exhibit presents unique works of art by center members with prices to accommodate art collectors seeking pieces for holiday gift-giving or to expand their collection. The public is invited to view the exhibition, remembering that the art center serves the community by recognizing talent, encouraging creativity, and joining lives through art! An Opening reception to meet the artists will be held on Nov. 1, 5 :00 – 7:00 p.m. The exhibition will be open to the public November 1 – December 27, Tuesday – Friday, 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m., Saturday, 11:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m., 126 S. Wayne Avenue, Waynesboro, VA 22980.

The House of Bernarda Alba is a provocative drama set in a small, Spanish village, which follows the legacy of Bernarda Alba, the matriarch, and her five daughters. Living under Bernarda’s control as they mourn their father’s passing, these sisters seek a world beyond their mother’s walls. Enticing audiences for 80 years, The House of Bernarda Alba is a gripping and timeless exploration of control, desire, and the power of the human spirit. Features students from JMU’s School of Theatre and Dance. Contains adult content, adult language, violence, and references to suicide. Parental discretion advised.

The House of Bernarda Alba is a provocative drama set in a small, Spanish village, which follows the legacy of Bernarda Alba, the matriarch, and her five daughters. Living under Bernarda’s control as they mourn their father’s passing, these sisters seek a world beyond their mother’s walls. Enticing audiences for 80 years, The House of Bernarda Alba is a gripping and timeless exploration of control, desire, and the power of the human spirit. Features students from JMU’s School of Theatre and Dance. Contains adult content, adult language, violence, and references to suicide. Parental discretion advised.

Join us for a heartfelt celebration of early folk, gospel, and Western swing music with Women of Americana! This isn’t just a concert-it’s an exuberant exploration of this expansive and singular American genre that planted the roots of American music. Featuring acclaimed vocalists and instrumentalists Cristina Vane and Brennen Leigh, together they will perform iconic songs including “This Land is Your Land” (Woody Guthrie), “This Train” (Sister Rosetta Tharpe), “Just Like a Woman” (Bob Dylan), “Angel From Montgomery” (Bonnie Raitt and John Prine), “Car Wheels On a Gravel Road” (Lucinda Williams), and more! Coinciding with the upcoming Semiquincentennial (the 250th anniversary of the United States’ founding), Women of Americana will entertain and inspire audiences at a historic moment in our nation’s history.

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)

The Blue Ridge Irish Music School (BRIMS) offers classes for all ages and skill levels in Irish dance, music and singing. The winter/spring semester begins on January 20 & 22 and runs for 12 weeks.

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.

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.