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Governor’s School artwork featured at Shenandoah Valley Art Center

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svacThe Shenandoah Valley Art Center, during the month of February, as a tribute to art education, is exhibiting the artwork of the Shenandoah Valley Governor’s School Visual Arts Department, located in Fishersville since 2002.

The school serves gifted junior and senior high school students of the Augusta County, Staunton, and Waynesboro Public Schools.  Under the guiding hand of Jennifer Vaughan, the Visual Arts studio classes are distinguished by presenting the study of many styles, topics, and techniques emphasizing skill development, self-expression, and experimentation.

Each morning the students study art history, humanities, and studio production before returning to their home high schools for afternoon classes. One of the two studio courses is taught by professional artists, giving the students the opportunity to learn about specific media’s techniques and gain insight into the life of working artists. Students also have the added experience of field trips for photo shoots, sketching, and museum or gallery visits. From a portfolio of their artwork, they prepare pieces for exhibition, submit to the jurying process, and engage in peer critique.

Students work with Piper Groves, SVAC Director, to determine the layout of the exhibit, compose artists’ statements, and learn to hang and label the pieces. Presented to the public are the results of the students’ combined efforts to participate in this notable learning opportunity, the display of their artwork in a professional gallery. An Opening Reception and Artist Talk will be held February 7, 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. and the public is encouraged to come, meet, and talk to the artists.

In the Hallway Gallery, the tribute to art education continues with an exhibition of artwork by the Blue Ridge Region Art Education Association showcasing its members from the Shenandoah Valley and Blue Ridge Mountains. The exhibit is an intriguing look into the creative process of educators and is a rich tapestry of artwork that represents lives involved in the daily practice of nurturing young artists who will determine the evolution of art in the future.

In the Members’ Gallery, the theme RED will be interpreted by SVAC members through a variety of media and creative ideas. In the Docent Room, Paul Nelson, a Shenandoah Valley photographer, will show his work. His thirty years of traveling the world, diving the rivers and harbors around New York, working the oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico, operating undersea robotic equipment which involved aircraft recoveries and discovering shipwrecks in the Atlantic and Mediterranean Sea defines his life as an adventurer. His work has been featured in national magazines and on international news programs.  He won first place in the 2014 Worldwide Photographic Gala Awards and had images exhibited at the 3rd International Biennial of Fine Art and Documentary Photography Display held in Malaga Spain. Summit Square, a premiere Waynesboro retirement facility, is pleased to announce that it is hosting an art exhibit of the artist’s choice by SVAC members from February 2 to March 30.

Come enjoy the gathering of folks seeking creative inspiration, camaraderie, and sharing of techniques through art activities and classes. Please join us for a free open studio opportunity on third Thursdays, 11:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. with the Art Trading Card Group.  Watercolor classes, taught by Pat Garnett, are designed to meet the needs of the student.  Come once, or come every week!  Bring paint, brushes, paper, and creativity each Tuesday, 1:00 – 3:00 p.m. with an $11 fee per selected session. Precious Metal Clay is back! A two day workshop, February 7 and 8 will teach this art form ($270).  Pre-registration required!  Save the date!

Learn Digital SLR Photography from the ground up with Paul Nelson. This four week class (March 3, 10, 17, 24, 7 – 9pm, $150) will take you from camera basics to the basics of Lightroom and Photoshop. Shenandoah Valley Art Center offers, the ever popular Saturday Art for Kids, presenting a creative art experience for young artists from 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. Contact the art center for specific information and pre-registration for each class. Open studio opportunities in the Virginia Ross Education Studio are available to printmakers and ceramic artists.  Apply on line at www.SVACart.com.

The Art Center continues to celebrate its retail alliance and partnership with the Artisan Center of Virginia. In the SVAC Gift Shop you can find the perfect creative gift in fiber, jewelry, wood, glass, pottery, and more by juried artisans from Virginia and SVAC members.

The Shenandoah Valley Art Center is located in downtown Waynesboro at 122 S. Wayne Avenue.  Galleries are open to the public 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.  For more information, call (540) 949-7662 or visit www.svacart.com.

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