Arts Council of the Valley announces its February exhibition, Visionaries: A Changing the Narrative Art Project, Feb. 7-28 at Smith House Galleries, 311 South Main St, Harrisonburg.
The opening reception is scheduled during First Fridays Downtown, Feb. 7 from 5-8 pm. ACV’s 2020 Lead Sponsors are Atlantic Union Bank (for First Fridays Downtown) and Kathy Moran Wealth Group (for Smith House Galleries Art Series). The Northeast Neighborhood Association is sponsoring the reception. This exhibit was made possible in part by a grant from Virginia Humanities, with funding from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation as part of its Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation (TRHT) initiative.
Visionaries features original acrylic on canvas works created by students ages 13-18 who participated in a 2019 TRHT Summer Youth Art Workshop. James Madison University Professor of Art Susan Zurbrigg served as Harrisonburg TRHT Project Leader.
Additionally, the exhibition includes video and photographic documentation of a TRHT Art Intervention project created by Zurbrigg’s Fall 2019 JMU painting students; as well as two new oil paintings on canvas created by Zurbrigg for the TRHT project.
“This Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation project recognizes African American history through the creative visual art form,” Zurbrigg explained. “It centers on the under-recognized histories and peoples of African American descent living in the Valley, and is designed to cultivate a more inclusive narrative – one in which all Virginians can feel valued.”
Summer TRHT Youth Art Workshop students featured in the exhibition are: Zaharia Ford-Byrd, Rebekah Copeland, Faith Evans-Haywood, Sophie Hinderliter, Farina Mallek, Breanna Moats, Theo Risch Mott, and Jade Shull.
Photographs and video documentation of the Art Intervention were created by Fall 2019 JMU Intermediate and Advanced Painting students: Charles Biggs, Blake Brown, Vilma Castro, Aubrie Cook, Olivia Innamato, Kyrin Jones, Kofi Karikari, Cailey Keenan, Tuker Noelke, Jordan Pepper, Sophia Rhafiri, Erykah Tinnin, and Rose Young.
Smith House Galleries is open Monday-Friday, 9 am to 5 pm, and Saturdays (Feb. 8, 15, 22) from 10 am to 2 pm.
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