Floyd Center for the Arts (220 Parkway Lane) in Floyd is excited to present four new exhibits opening on Saturday, April 13.
The Center put out a call to artists for The Fiber of Art exhibit in the Hayloft Gallery, and the community responded.
Nearly 60 works were submitted, all featuring, depicting or somehow related to the theme of “Fibers,” in a broad range of media with some very unique materials, such as home grown wool and alpaca fiber, handmade paper, block-printing, leaves, batik, glass, photography and more.
During the reception, Mara Robbins will also offer a poetry reading that relates to her installation.
Artists featured in the Fiber of Art exhibit include the following: Amy Fitzgerald, Amy Nichols, Barb Gillespie, Charlie Brouwer, Eric Cowan, Gibby Waitzkin, Glenda George, Gunilla Abt, Jenna Pynn, Jennifer Spoon, Jonnie Andersen, Kathleen Sciarine, Kathryn Gauldin, Laura C. Frazier, Liz Mears, Maggie Brindley, Mara Robbins, Martha A. Olson, Megan McKewan, Perry Drevo, Suzy Yoon, Tom Barnhart
In conjunction with the Fiber of Art exhibit, there will be an additional fiber exhibit featuring 12 art quilts created by the Textile Artists of Virginia.
Each quilt is somehow related to words utilizing the Latin prefix ‘inter’. About the group: Textile Artists of Virginia (TAVA) meet bi-monthly in Southwest Virginia to support each member as a fiber artist, to explore the boundaries of the medium, and to educate and increase public awareness of fiber art. Their work has been exhibited at the Taiwan International Quilt Exhibition, the Virginia Quilt Museum and other quilt venues over the past five years.
In addition to the fiber exhibits upstairs, the Center will also welcome ‘Studio Perspectives’, an exhibit by a group of Radford University graduate students, into its Falcon Gallery. Z.L. Feng, a professor of art at Radford University leads this diverse group of students, some who are full-time degree seekers and others who are attending part time.
The studio management class provides guidance for those seeking professional opportunities outside the university. As part of this experience, the class tasks students with exhibiting their artworks in gallery environments.
“This group offers a variety of artistic visions,” Feng said, “and it is important for our graduate students to be able represent themselves in a manner that highlights their artistic merits. These exhibitions give them an outlet to put their course work into practice.”
The Studio Perspectives artists include Heather Hagerman Horn and Reilly N. Gordon who work in watercolor; L.S. King, a photo-based printmaker; Melissa Schappell, a multimedia artist; and Pam Watkins, who is a painter. Feng will also have one of his paintings on display with the class.
At the same time, an exhibit of new works from the students and faculty of Springhouse School will also be on display in the Center’s Breezeway Gallery.
Scott Perry will also read from his new book, “Endeavor,” during the reception.
The book “Endeavor: Cultivate Excellence While Making a Difference” isn’t a self-help book, says the author, it’s a help-others book.
“You enhance your life most through work that elevates the lives of others. That work is found at the intersection of your values, talents, and tribe. It’s time to fly higher in an endeavor that matters.”
Scott will be available to sign copies of the book throughout the reception. These exhibits will remain on display through Saturday, June 1.
For more information about The Floyd Center for the Arts: FloydArtCenter.org or call 540-745-2784.
Regular hours are: Monday – Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
These events are free and open to the public.
The Floyd Center for the Arts seeks to showcase, support, and facilitate artistic endeavors and rural creativity throughout Southwest Virginia. Located in a historic dairy barn in Floyd, Virginia, the center pursues its mission through year-round educational opportunities, housing resident studio artists, mounting rotating exhibits that feature local and regional artists and artisans and more. www.FloydArtCenter.org
