Arts Council of the Valley welcomes new board members

Arts Council of the Valley welcomed five new members to its Board of Directors July 1.

• Letitia Bates, owner, At the Wheel Coaching
• Andrea Chauvin, entrepreneur
• Ben Lambert, associate professor of theatre, James Madison University
• Christopher Michael, art teacher, East Rockingham High School
• William Snyder, III, co-owner, Oliver Art House in Broadway

Board officers for 2021-22 are: President Louise Hostetter, Vice President Paul Riner, Past President Jennifer Whitmore, Secretary Kay Arthur, and Treasurer Wesley Russ.

Returning board members include: Tom Arthur, Susan Comfort, J.P. Gulla, Ruby Hostetler, Mary Rouse, Katherine Schwartz, Don Taylor, and Derik Trissel.

Hostetter expressed special appreciation to members who concluded their service to the Board in 2021: Angie Barker, Joanne Gabbin, Beth Harter, Stephan Hess, John Rose and Joshua Streeter.

In addition, Honorary Board Member status was granted to John Rose and former treasurer Terry Weaver in recognition of their multiple terms of service on the ACV Board. They join previously-designated Honorary Board Members Stephanne Byrd, J. Douglas Light, Joan Strickler, Judith Strickler, Michael Wong and Peter Yates.

Jenny Burden is executive director of ACV, with offices located in the historic Smith House, 311 S. Main St. in Downtown Harrisonburg. Programs are supported, in part, by 2021 Cultivating the Arts Platinum Sponsors: Kathy Moran Wealth Group, Matchbox Realty and Riner Rentals.

Arts Council of the Valley is a 501(c)3 nonprofit dedicated to cultivating the arts and connecting communities in the City of Harrisonburg and Rockingham County. Since it was established in 2000, ACV has grown into a multi-faceted community organization that fosters innovative partnerships among area businesses, civic organizations, schools, and artists.

Today, ACV manages the Smith House Galleries, funds local art projects through its Advancing the Arts grant program (more than $412,000 awarded since 2001), and coordinates monthly First Fridays Downtown community gatherings. The Board of Directors recently voted to reopen Court Square Theater, shuttered since July 1, 2020. ACV is supported in part by the generosity of the Virginia Commission for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Arts, Rockingham
County, and the City of Harrisonburg.

To learn more, visit valleyarts.org.