Smith House Galleries Opens Two Painting Exhibitions June 6

HARRISONBURG, VA – Arts Council of the Valley (ACV) introduces two new exhibitions at Smith House Galleries on June 6 during First Fridays of the Valley. Keith G. Mills shares Liminal in the Darrin-McHone Gallery, while Peter Schnibbe debuts Seconds Between Time in the Rhapsody Room. Stop by between 5 and 7 pm to meet the exhibiting artists, enjoy their painted works, and sample light refreshments.

Sponsored by GreeneHurlocker, the exhibitions are on view through June 27, with in-person visits Monday-Friday, 11 am to 4 pm (closed June 19) and on Second Saturday (June 14), noon to 5 pm. Each exhibition will also be available online (valleyarts.org/smith-house-galleries-current-exhibition/).

After graduating in 1983 from James Madison University (JMU) with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Painting and Printmaking, Keith G. Mills, with his wife Kathleen Kraft, operated their family printing business/art gallery/artisan gift shop, Laughing Dog Studios, in downtown Harrisonburg until 2020. Since then, the business has flourished in the duo’s home studios in the woods north of Keezletown, VA where they enjoy a creative life with their super beagle, JuneBug.

With an experienced history of exhibiting regionally and nationally, Mills continues to paint and draw at the behest of his creative spirit. He expresses, “If I’m fortunate in the process I will lose a sense of time and something mysterious and wondrous will take place where anything can happen - where the painting can go either way. If I am truly present at that moment with an open heart, I can respond and back and forth it goes until all the answers to questions are no longer important. There is just a canvas filled with light and color shape and line that has a life of its own to live out there.”

Peter Schnibbe earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree - with a concentration in Printmaking - from JMU in 1985. After being born, raised, educated, and finally owning a sign/graphics business for 20 years in Northern Virginia, he moved to the Shenandoah Valley in 2007. Since then, Schnibbe has channeled his creativity through abstract or non-representational painting, exhibiting his work in solo and group shows locally.

Harnessing acrylic paint, pastels, charcoal, and markers with a variety of tools and brushes, Schnibbe layers his works with thoughtful exploration, sharing, “My art is the result of sporadic surges of energy that percolate into my consciousness. I aspire to capture a beauty that exists in not only what I see but when a piece resonates with the viewer's emotions, experiences, or memories, it transcends mere aesthetics and becomes a profound personal encounter.”

Arts Council of the Valley is located at 311 South Main Street in Downtown Harrisonburg, Virginia. Programs are supported in part by ACV 25th Anniversary Presenting Sponsor Kathy Moran Wealth Group, and 25th Anniversary Visionary Sponsor Riner Rentals.

A 501(c)3 nonprofit, ACV is 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 $518,300 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 provided by Martha Hemingway at Arts Council of the Valley.