Arts Council of the Valley Sponsors Art Activities June 15

HARRISONBURG, VA – Visitors to the June 15 Best.Weekend.Ever., coordinated by HarrisonburgDowntown Renaissance, are invited to join Arts Council of the Valley (ACV) for art programming throughout the day, including chalk art with Robert Mott (9:30 am-3 pm), special open hours at Smith House Galleries, and a visit from the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (VMFA) Artmobile (both noon-6 pm). Admission to all included programming is free.

Join artist Robert Mott - who has been making art with chalk in public settings for more than 30 years - as he creates a detailed chalk drawing in the parking area just outside Asbury United Methodist Church from 9:30 am until 3 pm. Children are invited to create their own chalk masterpieces alongside the artist. Materials will be provided. This activity is sponsored by Arts Council of the Valley, with support from The Community Foundation of Harrisonburg and Rockingham County’s Earlynn J. Miller Fund for the Arts.

Stop by Smith House Galleries (311 South Main St) during special hours from noon until 6 pm for extra time with this month’s featured exhibition of watercolors, Juxtaposed, by artist Brenda Hounshell. In Juxtaposed, Hounshell harnesses a particularly challenging medium to explore color association and contrast, sharing palette-based vignettes among thoughtful groupings of tree subjects, glass objects, and abstract images. Chat with the artist while you explore her detailed watercolor creations.

Step into the VMFA Artmobile for an exciting exhibition called Love, Laughter, Tears: An Artist’s Guide to Emotions. This visit, sponsored by ACV, offers a chance to check out paintings, prints, photographs and film - all from the museum’s permanent collection - that utilize color, shapes, symbols and text to showcase the universality of human emotions. This dynamic compilation of artwork, spanning cultures and time periods, considers the relationship between art and feeling and how artistic depictions of emotions can connect humanity and foster mutual understanding. The VMFA Artmobile will be located just behind Smith House Galleries from noon until 6 pm.

Arts Council of the Valley is located at 311 South Main Street in Downtown Harrisonburg, Virginia. Programs are supported, in part, by 2024 Cultivating the Arts Platinum Sponsors: Eugene Stoltzfus Architects, James McHone Jewelry, Kathy Moran Wealth Group, Matchbox Realty, and Riner Rentals.

Arts Council of the Valley (ACV) is a 501(c)3 nonprofit dedicated to cultivating the arts, creating experiences, and connecting communities throughout 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 Court Square Theater and Smith House Galleries, funds local art projects through its Advancing the Arts grant program (awarding more than $498,300 since 2001), supports public art initiatives, and coordinates monthly First Fridays of the Valley community gatherings.

ACV is supported in part by the City of Harrisonburg, the Harrisonburg Redevelopment & Housing Authority, and the Virginia Commission for the Arts, which receives support from the Virginia General Assembly and the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency. To learn more, visit valleyarts.org.

This press release was submitted by Martha Hemingway at Arts Council of the Valley.