PCA is proud to be a sponsor of the Sprout Film Festival, which features films made by and about people with developmental disabilities. These films highlight the issues facing this population and the many ways they enhance our lives and community. The festival will be held on Friday, March 13 at the MLK Jr. Performing Arts Center.
In collaboration with the Sprout Film Festival, students with developmental disabilities will explore the filmmaking process and create films with the assistance of students and mentors from Light House Studio. Watch the trailer made by mentors and CHS students!
The following films have just been announced as a part of the Sprout Film Festival line-up:
How Do I Feel About That?
Hands Away
A Gift from God
Outsider: The Life of Judith Scott
Look, I’m in College
Father’s Voices
Siblings
Difference is Normal
Dreams
Third Parent
Emma’s Gift
On December 27, the Daily Progress published an article exploring the closing of several local art galleries and the ways in which Charlottesville’s cultural climate has been affected by the recent economic downturn.
PCA’s Executive Director, Maggie, speaks about how the local art scene and PCA specifically has been affected in these past few weeks.
This fall PCA launched the Creative Conversation Series, a forum for arts-related idea exchange and collaboration. The goal of the program is to bring artists, arts organizations, educators, and business and community leaders together to develop strategies for strengthening the arts in our area.
PCA’s second Creative Conversation will explore “Marketing Charlottesville as a Creative Community.” With two weeks until the gathering, the Conversation is already fully booked, and we’re very excited about the organizations and artists who will be participating!
Representatives from the following organizations will be present: Paramount Theater, Charlottesville-Albemarle Convention and Visitors Bureau, Center for Non Profit Excellence, American Shakespeare Center, Daily Progress, Charlottesville Office of Economic Development, Red Light Management, Les Yeux du Monde, Lander Creative, UVA Arts Administration Program, Art in Place, McGuffey Art Center, Arts and Cultural Council of Staunton, Sage Moon Gallery, Virginia Foundation for the Humanities, Live Arts, Festival of the Book, Albemarle Public Schools, John Paul Jones, and Migration: A Gallery.
At the beginning of each year, the McGuffey Art Center features its newest members who were juried into the association in 2008. Because PCA is now located in McGuffey, PCA Communications Manager, Kate Daughdrill, will have work on display in the exhibition on behalf of PCA.
The show runs from December 30, 2008 to February 1, 2009. The opening is this Friday from 5:30-7:30pm. Drop by to see this excellent show, meet the new members, and visit with the PCA staff.
The piece featured in this post is by Lindsey Mears, one of McGuffey’s new members and PCA’s studio mate!
Check out the most recent issue of The Arts in Your Inbox,PCA’s bi-weekly email of upcoming arts events.
Learn more about the exhibitions at First Night Virginia’s family-friendly New Year’s Eve festivities downtown, the VSA arts Winter Exhibition, the Mid Winter Eve celebration to benefit the Ash Lawn Opera Festival, Sweeney Todd at Live Arts, and PCA’s upcoming Creative Conversation on “Marketing Charlottesville as a Creative Community.”
Piedmont Council of the Arts and Charlottesville/Albemarle District of VSA arts of Virginia invite the community to the Opening Celebration of the 9th Annual VSA Arts Winter Exhibition on Friday, January 9, 2009 from 6:30-8:00pm in the lobby of the Martin Luther King Jr. Performing Arts Center, Charlottesville High School.
The works of art created by over 85 artists with a variety of disabilities demonstrate how successfully these artists have developed their special abilities in order to achieve their artistic vision. They illustrate the strength of Charlottesville/Albemarle District of VSA arts of Virginia’s mission “Promoting the creative power of people with disabilities!”
Artists will be present at the Opening Reception and look forward to discussing their work with the audience: Chris Wharam, Pat Malone, Romney Brand, Rosemary Ballister, John Trippel, Margaret Lee, McKenzie Taylor, Elizabeth L. Ryan, David Raines, Daniel Eubanks, Anne Denit, Martin Powell, and others. Music throughout the evening will be provided by Blue O’Connell, guitar, Margaret Lee, harp, and piano students from the Ivy Creek School. Regional schools, organizations, and group projects will also be represented. Cash or check purchases of artwork may be made at the show.
The Charlottesville/Albemarle District of VSA Arts works closely with VSA Arts of Virginia that is an affiliate of the national VSA Arts, John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
First Night Virginia is a joyful, family-friendly New Year’s Eve celebration of the arts featuring music, magic, dance, theater, and storytelling. From late afternoon until midnight, thousands of people crowd Charlottesville’s Downtown Mall to experience 75 performances spread out across 20 venues, capped off by a parade and fireworks, then our first-ever Midnight Ball Drop! Don’t miss this special celebration at the Central Place at Midnight to gather with our Community and look forward to the upcoming New Year!
For the complete schedule of events, visit the official website at www.firstnightva.org.
Admission is $15 for adults and $8 for children ages 4-12. Purchase one button for admission to all events. Advance purchases can be made online.
For McGuffey Art Center’s annual Holiday Open House, PCA opened its studio to make reindeer crafts with young people from all over the community.
Over 75 people came into the PCA office to sit around our big round table and make festive reindeer gifts out of candy canes, pipe cleaners, pom poms, and even their own hands and feet! It was a joy to work with such enthusiastic young artists at this free event for families, and we can’t wait to do it again next year.
While we cannot expect the arts to be exempted from cuts in such dire economic times, we can ask our legislators to avoid disproportionate cuts to arts funding.
Unlike a member of the U.S. Congress who is barraged with massive correspondence on any given issue, a Virginia legislator only needs to hear from a handful of voters to take notice.
Help demonstrate to legislators that the arts are an essential economic asset worthy of investment, not a liability. Here’s what you can do:
Arrange a visit with your legislator in his/her home district office-before January 14, the start of the legislative session, if possible-and share how much you value arts organizations in your community. See the Advocacy Toolkit on the VFTA website for Talking Points and a listing of grants the Virginia Commission for the Arts provides in each legislative district.
Write a letter to the editor to your local paper about why the arts (and Virginia Commission for the Arts funding) are important in your community. Your own stories are always best, but if you need additional facts go VFTA’s Build Your Own Letter to the Editor.
PCA was excited to see friends from throughout the arts community at the Science & Art Project Launch Event last Thursday. The event took place from 6-8pm at the UVA Art Museum, and over 250 people were registered to attend.
During the event, the museum was packed full of artists, scientists, and everyone in between! After remarks from some of the folks spearheading the project, everyone dispersed to mix and mingle. Many went into the Pine Room Gallery to meet potential project collaborators “in the spirit of speed-dating.”
We’re looking forward to what the future of this project brings to the entire Charlottesville community. Check the PCA Blog for updates, and in the meantime, visit the project’s new website to start cultivating creative connections.
Now published on Google Calendar! Find out how easy it is to subscribe to our arts calendars, print a weekly calendar, and contribute your event details by visiting our new PCA Calendar page.
