Archive for the Art Category

Montgomery Museum to Present “DOC AT 100” benefit concert at Moss Arts Center, Celebrating the Life and Legacy of Doc Watson

The Montgomery Museum of Art & History is expanding its definition of the arts by presenting the “DOC AT 100” concert program at the Moss Arts Center on November 1, 2023, at 7:00 PM. “DOC AT 100” is a traveling concert program, which celebrates the life and legacy of Doc Watson by artists who performed with Doc, were profoundly influenced by his music, and called him a friend. This includes T. Michael Coleman and Jack Lawrence, who performed, recorded, and toured with Doc longer than any other musicians he worked with. Joining T. Michael and Jack are fellow guitarists Wayne Henderson and Jack Hinshelwood, who were both heavily impacted by Doc’s music through his many recordings and performances. Wayne counted Doc as a close friend, especially in Doc’s later years when he enjoyed visiting Wayne in his guitar-making shop in Rugby, Virginia. 

Ted Olson, Professor of Appalachian Studies at East Tennessee State University, is the author of “Doc’s World: Traditional Plus,” the book that accompanies the 4 CD compilation of recordings from Doc’s career released in 2022 by Craft Records called “Doc Watson, Life’s Work: A Retrospective.” “DOC AT 100” begins with a talk led by concert host, Ted Olson on the legacy of Doc Watson followed by stories shared by the artists who knew Doc as a friend and fellow performer. Audience members will also be encouraged to share their stories of Doc and the impact he had on them. Enjoy an evening of story-telling and traditional music under the lights to celebrate the legacy and life of Doc Watson. 

A humanities talk will take place on November 1 at 2:00 PM at the Moss Arts Center “CUBE” and will be hosted by Ted Olson, Jack Hinshelwood, and Patrick Salmons, Adjunct Professor in conjunction with Virginia Tech’s Liberal Arts and Human Sciences Religion and Culture program. Students within Appalachian Studies and the Graduate Program in Material Culture and Public Humanities at Virginia Tech are invited to participate in the discussion about Doc Watson and his cultural influence on Appalachia. 

Concert tickets may be purchased online at the Montgomery Museum of Art & History’s website, www.montgomerymuseum.org/events/music, or by calling the Moss Art Center Box Office at 540-231-5300. The presale cost will be $25, and $30 at the door. Proceeds will benefit the Montgomery Museum of Art & History.

This event is generously sponsored by Edward Via College Of Osteopathic Medicine, Asset Solutions Corp., Shelter Alternatives, Inc., Mary Ann Hinshelwood, Mike Eggleston Realtor at Coldwell Banker Townside Realtors, FocusOne Integrated Financial Planning, and Heartstrings Pet Lodging and Spa.

Montgomery Museum hosts 20 local artists in the  Railroad Theme Art Show as a companion to the “Let’s Go to the Depot” History Exhibit and recent NRV Passenger Rail Panel

“Let’s Go to the Depot! How the Railroad Changed Montgomery County and Cambria” history exhibit opened on July 13 at the Montgomery Museum of Art and History. The railroad, completed through Montgomery County in 1854, created a social center where sweethearts ran off to get married and fresh-faced draftees set off to serve their country. It was also a point of commerce, where goods and harvests from the county were shipped and products from around the world entered into Montgomery County, VA.

In conjunction with the “Let’s Go to the Depot” history exhibit, members of the museum and other local artists have participated in a railroad-themed art show. Photographs, watercolors, oils, acrylics, pen and ink drawings, and even wood scroll-work are represented. 41 pieces by 20 artists of trains and related items will be on display from July 18 – September 8. You may view the pictures online and vote for your favorite at https://montgomerymuseum.org/exhibits/railroad-theme-show (online voting starting on July 18), but even better, come in and see for yourself. The closing reception is on September 7, 5:00 -7:00 pm at the museum. People’s Choice voting will allow only one vote per person, and voting will close at 6:00 pm the day of the reception with awards presented at 6:30 pm.

Last week, the museum hosted a very successful panel discussion on NRV passenger rail, providing a forum of updates and discussion led by experts from the New River Valley Regional Commission, Virginia Passenger Rail Authority, and the Virginia Commonwealth Transportation Board. In a packed lobby, community members learned more about the history of passenger rail and the exciting new developments regarding Amtrak’s future service to Christiansburg and the New River Valley.

Artists and their specific media in the Railroad Theme Art Show include:

• Aileen Fletcher – Digital Photography
• Matt Gentry – Watercolor
• Blake Gore – Miniature Drawing
• Sue Hossack – Ink, Acrylic
• Carol Josefiak – Oil
• John Josefiak – Watercolor
• Carl Lefko – Photography
• Susan Lockwood – Photography
• Sally Mook – Watercolor/Acrylic
• Rita Mayer – Wood, Acrylic
• Pippi Miller – Photography
• Glenn McDaniel – Digital Art
• Wayne McKinney – Photography
• Betty Moore – Acrylic
• Judy Niehaus – Acrylic
• David Pearce – Painting/Photography/Drawing
• David Petersen – Photography
• Mary Ratliff – Watercolor
• John Singleton – Photography
• Charles Whitescarver  – Photography

Media Contacts: Casey Jenkins – Executive Director; director@montgomerymuseum.org; (540) 382-5644

Courtney Amos – Events and Marketing Coordinator; marketing@montgomerymuseum.org

—

Montgomery Museum Invites Public to Reception Uniting Art, History, and Dialogue that Celebrates Beauty, and the Past and Future of NRV Rail

The public is invited to attend a reception and program on Thursday, July 13, from 4:30 – 7:30 p.m. that will unite art, history, and community dialogue. This unique event will open a new exhibition by local artist Patricia Bolton, as well as an exhibit focused on the history of the railroad in Montgomery County, an exhibit of works by noted photographer O. Winston Link, and a panel discussion about the future of NRV Passenger Rail.

Patricia Bolton’s new exhibit, “Celebrating Beauty,” showcases a diverse range of artistic media, including alcohol ink, pen and ink, colored pencils, pastels, and photography. Bolton’s mixed media pieces often combine various techniques, with her own photography serving as inspiration for her paintings. With a lifelong passion for art, she believes practice is the key to success and is constantly sketching and doodling. One of her most exciting pieces, “Bicchiere,” which is Italian for drinking glass, began as a restaurant doodle. The reflections off the glass and images seen through it in parallax are beautiful. Known for her meticulous attention to detail, Bolton’s work demonstrates precision and beauty, particularly evident in her pen and ink drawings and colored pencil works like “Howling Wolves.” The exhibit, “Celebrating Beauty,” will be held at the Montgomery Museum of Art and History in Christiansburg, starting July 6, with the reception taking place from 4:30-6:15 p.m. on July 13.

Also opening at the Montgomery Museum is “O. Winston Link: Capturing the Last Steam Railroad.” The exhibit features prints from Link’s 1955-1960 work, including some signed by Link himself. These were donated to the Museum in 2022 by Link’s nephew, Robert Zider. The exhibit will focus on Link’s artistic process and his important role in the history of art photography. Giving context to the O. Winston Link prints will be a separate exhibit, “Let’s Go to the Depot! How the Railroad Changed Montgomery County and Cambria.” The railroad, completed through Montgomery County in 1854, was a social center where sweethearts ran off to get married and where fresh-faced draftees set off to serve their country. It was also a point of commerce, where goods and harvests from the county were shipped and products from around the world entered into Montgomery County, VA. These two rail heritage exhibits will open the evening of July 13 for the reception and program.

From 6:30-7:30 p.m. the museum will feature a panel discussion that will focus on the NRV Passenger Rail that is coming to Christiansburg in 2025. Listen to passenger rail updates and an opportunity to ask questions about rail coming to Christiansburg, VA. This panel will consist of experts in passenger rail including Collin Burch, Planning Manager of Virginia Passenger Rail Authority, Raymond D. Smoot Jr., Virginia Commonwealth Transportation Board, Sandra Davis, Co-Chair, New River Valley Passenger Rail, and Kevin Byrd, Executive Director, New River Valley Regional Commission. This event will be moderated by Ann Cassell, President of The Blacksburg Partnership.

Photo Credit: Charlie Whitescarver of Whitescarver Photography, LLC

The Montgomery Museum of Art & History has garnered state-wide recognition this week as it received the 2023 Innovation Award presented by the Virginia Association of Museums (VAM). The museum’s brand-new mental health series, “The Art of Happiness,” was awarded the Innovation Award for its contributions to Community Engagement, Diversity and Inclusion, and Audience Expansion. The Innovation Award is given each year at the annual VAM conference to one museum across the Commonwealth that demonstrates a commitment to use their platform as a trusted source of information to build relationships with its community and create long-term positive impacts for community members.

“The Art of Happiness” is an interactive series for adults that focuses on aspects of positive psychology and the role that art can play in our general happiness and well-being. The sessions are led by Shelby Wynn, a registered art therapist and licensed professional counselor. This series has included the use of visual music, mindfulness clay sculpture, coping with words to understand your thoughts and emotions, and Zentangles, a practice of mindful doodles that is useful when other coping skills are inaccessible. Support from the LewisGale Hospital Montgomery made this program series successful through a generous sponsorship, which enabled the museum to open up additional sessions.

Montgomery Museum Executive Director, Casey Jenkins, traveled to the annual VAM conference on March 13 to receive this prestigious award. “We are so proud of this new, innovative program series. It was amazing to see the interest and demand from everyone, especially young people who participated in these free sessions,” said Jenkins. “This award validates our important charge and mission to be a community-wide museum for everyone to be a part of and we are very grateful for the generous support given to us by LewisGale Hospital Montgomery.”

“The Art of Happiness” offers mental health self-help tactics and strategies by using art exhibits, materials, and spaces as helpful tools. Spots filled up quickly with enthusiastic support from the community.

A press conference was held in the main lobby of LewisGale Hospital Montgomery the morning of Wednesday, March 22. Community members, hospital staff, and museum board members were in attendance. VAM representative, John Long, presented the award to Jenkins and the Montgomery Museum. Jenkins and Board President, Jean Haskell, gave brief remarks and the press conference closed with remarks by hospital CEO, Lauren Dudley.

Media Contacts:

Casey Jenkins – Executive Director; director@montgomerymuseum.org; (540) 382-5644

Courtney Amos – Events and Marketing Coordinator; marketing@montgomerymuseum.org

The Montgomery Museum of Art and History is gearing up for another spectacular year as we prepare an exciting slate of events in 2023 to celebrate our 40th anniversary! Our major special events offer excellent visibility, exposure, and networking opportunities while simultaneously supporting our growing museum! I hope you will consider supporting the museum by sponsoring Arts❤️NRV Market and/or Heritage Day as an individual or organization.

With much gratitude,

Casey Jenkins

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: MONTGOMERY MUSEUM RECEIVES GRANT FROM THE INTERNATIONAL BLUEGRASS MUSIC ASSOCIATION FOUNDATION TO PRESENT MULTICULTURAL CONCERT THIS FALL

The Montgomery Museum was the only recipient in Virginia. Other individual and organization grantees were from Alaska, Texas, Arizona, Kentucky, Louisiana, California, and even two awardees from India and Kenya.

The Montgomery Museum of Art and History (MMAH) is becoming a draw for local citizens.  An early reception in the new facility drew about 50 art lovers.  The next event attracted 100 people, and the most recent gathering more than 200.  The museum’s mission is to appeal to all citizens of all generations.  For years the museum has reached out to students throughout the New River Valley and intends to contact them about future exhibits.  The next art exhibit will feature works by students from Christiansburg High School grades 9 through 12.  Led by art teachers Carrie Lyons and Taylor Hanks, the students have been working hard to complete their works in time for the exhibit opening March 2 and continuing through April. The students are responsible for framing the art and hanging it in the museum.  By subject? By frame color? By theme?  There are lots of choices, and decisions on how to display the works are part of the artistry.

Those of us who live in Montgomery County are fortunate to have a school system that values and promotes the arts.  Some of the presenting students have taken Advanced Placement (college level) art class twice—once for painting and again for sculpture.  Students who can’t fit art into their schedule but still paint in their spare time can join the Art Club and submit works for inclusion in the show.

The variety of media in the show speaks to both the program’s broad educational reach and to the choice to let the more advanced students take the lead on what inspires and works for them.  For example, students made a still-life of a skull (à la Georgia O’Keefe) from the angle of their choice and zoomed in or out.  The viewer would not know they were painting the same thing.  The exhibit includes works in collage, gouache, ink, acrylic, watercolor, alcohol markers, and more.  An intricate work showing a lush garden scene was done with ink and a dip pen, which is something like a quill and not the easiest tool to use.  If you went to school before 1950 and the invention of the ball point pen, you may have struggled with one of these things.  The MMAH exhibit also features some three-dimensional art including sculpture and ceramics. There are cupcakes and pancakes and fabric dogs and ceramic pumpkins and a piece depicting Disney rides. A rendition of a eukaryotic cell is made from beads.

In some cases Lyons gave the students a broad theme to work with such as Journey or Sustained Investigation.  One journey painting shows a skeleton reaching out toward the path to be taken with a cat alongside as a companion.  Another painting from the journey series shows a shark in a coral reef and kelp forest with a volcano in the background.  A girl with an umbrella is another type of journey.  A sustained investigation painting of Notre Dame Cathedral depicted before and after the fire features the pieta sculpture “Descent from the Cross” that somehow survived the conflagration.

Many of the paintings feature objects or animals precious to the artist.  A deep sea fish painting is one example. Another artist painted a collection of her Bratz dolls sitting on a shelf, as in “putting away childish things.”  One painting is entitled “Fear of Cats.”  Another painting is of a German Shepherd that died.  Another maudlin puppy picture?  Hardly.  This dog repeatedly ran away and bit his owner, leaving a two-inch scar.  Still, he was loved and is missed, and now he is immortalized having fun with his owner in a lake.  A companion piece shows the town in Germany where the German Shepherds originated.

Christiansburg High School students will host (another part of the learning experience) an opening reception at the MMAH, 4 East Main Street in Christiansburg, from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. on March 2.  People will come to support the students and stay to enjoy the art.

Feb 1

The Montgomery Museum of Art & History will host an open house on Thursday, Feb. 2, from 5 to 7 p.m. to launch two new art exhibits and two new history exhibits, collectively titled “Art x History.”

The museum will showcase a 1920 Maxwell automobile as the focal point on the main gallery floor. This extraordinary vehicle will be on display courtesy of Jackie Shelton and her family. In addition, the museum will bring back an old favorite, “Lewis Miller’s New River Valley.” Miller’s travel-journal-style artwork and sketches offer a glimpse of New River Valley history and stories.

On the art side, the museum will present works by two regional artists, David Petersen and Tom Jenssen. Petersen’s art exhibit, titled “Tranquility,” is a collection of local and distant “tranquil” places depicted in painting and photography, in color and black and white. Jenssen’s pottery exhibit, “From Earth to Stone,” features glazed ceramic with melted glass and painted imagery to offer the viewer a sense of wonder.