We love the idea of sharing art activities with our community!  We also love networking with our neighbors to make sure that the VAC guests know about many of the amazing opportunities for family friendly fun right here in Broadway!

Once a month, we visit our friends at the Broadway Farmer's Market to provide a FREE " Market Art" activity.  We have enjoyed rock painting, shopping bag decoration, and a large outdoor weaving installation so far.  Over the next few months, we will continue to bring open ended opportunities for young artists to "grow" their creativity.  While you are there, be sure to visit all of the local vendors who work so hard to provide high quality items for their shoppers.  From timeless home made cedar toys to hand crafted crocheted items and delicious foods, there is something for everyone to enjoy.  You'll find beautiful photography, hand crafted walking sticks, dog treats made with love, herbal remedies, fresh produce, DELICIOUS food, coffee that will revitalize and inspire you, canned jams, honey, grass-fed beef, tie dyed clothing and more!   We hope that you'll join us!

Today is the day for the Village Arts Center Spring Open House!!  I am so excited, I could hardly sleep last night!  The VAC instructors and I have been planning this event for a very long time, and it's FINALLY HERE!!  

​We have 12 amazing local artists coming to FILL the house with handmade, original art work.  There will be live demonstrations all day long.  You'll be able to meet the artists, ask questions, see them as they create their art, and purchase their work.  There will be DOOR PRIZES that have been donated by the artists, refreshments, LIVE MUSIC by Scott Murray, make it/take it classes, and much more.  

​(Scroll down to read all about these folks!!)

Here is a list of WHO will be at the Village Arts Center today:  

The Village Arts Center Artists / Instructors
Dinah Bailey from Studio D Beads is our jewelry design and glass bead instructor.  She also teaches an introduction to Lampwork Bead Making class!  She will be bringing her handmade lampwork glass beads and jewelry for sale.  Be sure to look for her TURTLE beads!

Promise Cook from Cedar Heart Salvage Art is our acrylic paint instructor.  She hosts “Big and Little” events for children and adult, provides instruction for private events, and teaches our “Paint with Promise” classes.  Promise will be bringing her hand painted items and crochet work to the Open House.

CeCe Dodd is our Container Gardening expert.  She teaches terrarium and gardening classes at the VAC.  Be sure to visit her for the $10 “make it/take it” activity:  Tiny Viola Tea Cup Gardens!!

Laura Lambert from L Squared Fiber Arts will have crocheted and knitted items for everyone!  She is one of our newest instructors, but she has been a member of the Broadway Farmers Market for a long time, and we are so excited that she has joined us!  In addition to her fiber arts, she’ll be bringing silicon teething necklaces.  (And if we are very lucky, she’ll also be bringing her husband’s famous homemade chocolate chip cookies!)

Ben Mahaffey is well known for nature, architectural and light painting work.  He will be displaying and taking custom orders for his photography. 

Carrie McGary is a master knitter who teaches beginning and advanced knitting classes at the VAC.  She is looking forward to teaching spinning and fiber dying in the future.  She isn’t able to join us today, but she will have some of her handmade items available for purchase, and she’ll be happy to take custom orders!

Pat McNally is the VAC Needle Felting Instructor.  Her work is whimsical, fun, and lovely!  Pat will be bringing a variety of Spring items for our guests to purchase.

Teresa Townsend is a personal historian and photo organizer.  She led a 6 week workshop at the VAC last year, and everyone had a wonderful time sharing and saving their family stories.  She will be here to tell us about her work and show you the benefits of saving your family stories in a format that will last forever! 

Katie Walkley teaches watercolor and the popular “Paint Your Pet Portrait” classes at the VAC.  She will be doing a live demo throughout the day, and will be taking custom orders as well.  Katie will also be bringing some of her original watercolor work!
 
Guest Artists:
Rebecca Brydge is the owner of Brydgeworks Stained Glass in Harrisonburg.  Her studio is amazing, and she hosts events and classes there throughout the year.  We have invited her to join us today, and she’ll be bringing earrings, garden stakes, and decorations for your home. 

Amanda Holsinger from Homeplace Quilts is a local fiber artist with a passion for quilting and an amazing eye for detail.  Her work is unique and creative, and we are so excited that she will be joining us!
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Annie Layne is an embroidery artist who recently won third place at a juried show, “New waves 2018”at the Virginia Museum of Contemporary Arts.  She was also a Featured Artist at both Stitch Fetish Los Angeles (2018) and Stitch Fetish San Francisco (2017),  She will be bringing eight pieces of her work and doing a demonstration of her embroidery techniques throughout the day.
ll be at the VAC today:

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Carrie has many amazing talents. ONE of them is that she is a great friend!  Another is that she can take any yarn, a couple of sticks, and create AMAZING ART!  The first time I met her, she opened her knitting bag to show me some of the things she knitted, and I couldn't believe that the things she was showing me were made by human hands!  

​She really enjoys sharing the JOY of knitting with people.  If you have ever wanted to learn to knit, or if you knew at one time and have forgotten how, she would be happy to help!

"Knitting is a lot like making bread. They both start with simple ingredients and time, then produce something profoundly satisfying. They’re both art and craft, simple enough for a beginner to be successful, yet complex enough to provide a lifetime of endless fascination.

I started knitting 16 years ago, on a whim, when I left my young son and husband in a coffee shop to dart into a yarn store. I was hooked by the end of my first project, and now I knit every day. It’s a real, simple pleasure to create something useful and (hopefully) beautiful with my hands. The product is just a bonus, unless it’s intended for a loved one- then it’s a symbol of my feelings for them, my intention to bring joy, congratulations, or comfort.  It’s also an honor to teach- knitting is a skill that has been around for generations, and I’m always excited to pay it forward, helping to connect our collective past to the future.
Many knitters specialize, but I prefer to work on a little of everything. I've made a point to choose projects that expand my skills. Lately I’ve been working on smaller projects, especially toys, shawls, and earrings. I hope you’ll enjoy the items at the Open House. I’m open to custom work and always happy to offer private and/or group lessons."

​Carrie
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If I had to choose my favorite thing about opening the Village Arts Center, it would be the PEOPLE I have met since I opened the doors in July, 2016.  I am so blessed to be able to work with such talented, kind, funny, enthusiastic, patient, creative people! 
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The VAC blog is going to start introducing some of the people who make our "village" such a fantastic community.  The first entry is about the amazing Promise Cook! 
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I’m Promise Cook, the Acrylic Painting Instructor at the Village Arts Center. I love the versatility of acrylic paint. Texture mediums can be added to give it an oil paint feel without the oil paint time, it can be thinned or thickened easily, it covers well on all surfaces, it dries quickly, can be painted over easily, all in all it is a very forgiving medium and great for everyone. I offer an adult class and a Big and Little Paint Date once per month. Adult class is a more complex painting, offered in a relaxed environment with a theme for the painting as well as a focused technique. The Big and Little Paint Date is a kid friendly paint class and a great activity for families. It’s fun, everyone always creates something different, and we often end class throwing glitter! My favorite part of instructing at the Village Arts Center is the special moment in each class when everyone makes their painting uniquely their own.
 
One of my first “art memories” was going along with my mom to visit our elderly neighbor who was a watercolor artist. He gave me my first “real” paints and brushes when I was in the fourth grade. I used them up trying to paint along with Bob Ross and remember asking for art supplies for every birthday and Christmas after that. Thankfully I had parents who encouraged my messy art projects, sent me for art lessons, summer art camps, and didn’t discourage my decision to study fine arts in college. Now I’m a part-time banker and a full-time mom to two awesome little girls Annabelle and Charlotte and our spoiled beagle Cricket. I also have chickens and a pair of ducks, Thelma and Lewis. 
 
A few years ago I started rescuing lumber from my husband’s construction scrap pile and painting wooden signs as presents for friends and family. Most of my painting is done with acrylic paint on salvaged, reclaimed, or re-purposed wood, I also use canvas and slate. I enjoy using bright happy colors, twine, buttons, scrap metal, found objects, antiques and vintage items to make my art one of a kind. My items are available online through my business Cedar Heart Salvage Art’s Facebook page and on ETSY. During market season I’m a regular vendor at the Broadway Farmer’s Market, I set up at various vendor events and craft fairs in the Shenandoah Valley, and I also keep a booth at J&B’s Country Store and Antique Mall in Broadway.
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To find out more about Promise's artwork, visit her ETSY store or visit her Facebook Page.

I have an idea that just might help.  I'm going to invite to you to take a little time today to make a list of the things that bring you JOY.  Maybe it's curling up with a good book, enjoying a great cup of coffee, taking a walk outside, playing with your pets, volunteering for a cause that inspires you, or visiting with someone special. Maybe you love to cook, or bake, or visit new restaurants. Maybe you love to explore new places, or window shop, or work in your garden.  Maybe the thought of sleeping in until you are ready to wake up, or spending the day in pajamas, or taking a long, hot bath without being interrupted sounds glorious to you.  (We can all dream, right?  lol)  Maybe you already have a hobby that you really enjoy, or there is something new that you would like to try.

Friends, I have an idea that just might help!  MAKE YOUR JOY A PRIORITY!  

​This might mean that you need to do something drastic like turning your phone off for a couple of hours.  Maybe you will need to schedule 'appointments' in your planner that say "JOY!" (and then promise yourself that you won't ignore those appointments!)  You might even need to hire a babysitter.  

I often catch myself saying, "I have two jobs.  One that feeds my belly and another that feeds my heart."  I have worked in the legal field for over 4 years now, and I have really enjoyed my positions as a court reporter and as support staff in the local court house.  I love the work, I'm grateful for a good job, and I appreciate the people that I work with.  That's the job that puts groceries on the table.  

Owning and operating the Village Arts Center is my other job.  As of this morning, we've officially been open for 6 months.  How exciting!  I have met the most kind, thoughtful, creative, talented, inspirational people since our open house event on July 30, 2016.  Whether people have visited as instructors, students, curious community members, musicians, or guests, they have FILLED the old house at 141 South Main Street in Broadway with laughter, joy, and love.   It has become a place where people can try new things, make something amazing, share their skills, chat about their ideas, support their community, and create happy memories.  THIS is the job that feeds my HEART.

It may be cold and windy outside, but it’s warm and cozy inside the VAC.  February will be a month long celebration of warmth, peace and LOVE. It's the perfect place to take a little break from the internet, from the news, politics and hectic schedules. A visit to the VAC is like a little vacation from your busy world without having to pack or make travel arrangements or board your pets. I’ve tried to load the whole calendar with opportunities to make happy memories and celebrate the people that bring you joy.  Whether you attend an event by yourself, with a friend, or with your whole family, it is my sincere hope that you will make plans to visit the Village Arts Center soon.  Come and see what people are talking about. 
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I'll be so happy to see you!

Process Art invitations encourage small and large motor skills, verbal and vocabulary skills, academic concepts such as science, math, geometry, understanding of cause & effect, social skills such as sharing and taking turns, discovery and exploration, sensory exploration and familiarity, and of course ... CREATIVITY! And the best part is that your little one will be learning all of these amazing things while they are PLAYING!

Why is it called PROCESS ART?  The answer is simple:  The focus is not on the end result, it is on the experience they have.  The concept is easy:  Provide a variety of materials.  Offer a few very simple instructions.  Invite the artist to explore the materials and make their own discoveries.  

And why is THAT such a big deal?  Imagine that you went to an art class and you were told to draw a giraffe.  Would you be excited or intimidated?  Would you feel nervous or relaxed?  I can tell you right now that I would be a anxious.  I'd worry that I can't remember exactly what a giraffe looks like.  I would be concerned that my project wouldn't be as good as the others.  I would worry about how my teacher would act if I didn't follow directions exactly, or if I wanted to try something different, or I couldn't do what was expected of me.  I might not even really KNOW what was expected of me.  I would probably be frustrated quickly and not so interested in going back to art class.  

The situation would be entirely different though if I went to an art class and was told that we were going to be working with ripped paper and glue.  I would be curious if there was an invitation to select the colors that I'd like to work with, to explore the textures of the different papers, to enjoy ripping or cutting them up, and to participate in a conversation about the materials we were using.  I wouldn't have any pressure to make something 'good enough'.  I could make my own decisions about whether I wanted to use tiny pieces of paper or large ones.  Would I like to pile them on top of each other or arrange them carefully without touching each other.  I could play with the glue and be as messy or as tidy as I like.  Someone at the table may be inspired to make a giraffe.  Someone else might make a robot.  And I might simply enjoy piling the colors together or arranging them in a pattern.  

No matter what the end result looked like, everyone in the class would have had opportunities to talk about colors and shapes and sizes.  We would have been encouraged to take turns, to interact with other people in the room, to develop fine and large motor skills, to explore the idea of cause and effect,  to consider spacial awareness, and to reinforce academic concepts such as geometry, color recognition and science.  We could have had the opportunity to make a mess, and to revel in it or to cope with it.  ALL THIS AMAZING LEARNING TAKES PLACE while we were playing with paper!  No pressure.  No competition.  No stress.  And while the focus is not on the end result, projects that go home are usually fantastic!

THAT is why it's a big deal.  

The Village Arts Center makes every effort to offer programs and experiences that are accessible to everyone who would like to visit. We also understand that for many families, there is nothing left over for 'extras' after the bills are paid. (Or more often then we like to imagine, there isn't enough to pay the bills to begin with.)  That is why we try to schedule "low cost" and "free" events for everyone to enjoy each month. It is also VERY exciting to be able to offer a variety of scholarship options.

We are so grateful to our generous patrons who have made it possible for some of our neighbors to attend events at the VAC.  

If you would like to give the gifts of creativity, relaxation, joy, and education to a member of the community who would not be able to attend without your financial assistance, we invite you to contact us to learn more about how you can contribute to the Village Arts Center Scholarship Fund.
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Thank you for your support!

I love the start of something new.  January 1 is one of my favorite days of the year.  This holiday invites us to celebrate what went well last year, to consider what didn't work out the way we hoped it would, and to make changes accordingly.  

Last year, I had this neat little idea to open an arts center in Broadway.  I wasn't sure how it would work, or if I could find a building that I could afford, or if people would come, or if I could juggle all of my other responsibilities.  The idea just wouldn't go away though.  It followed me everywhere.  I told my aunt about it, and she gave me a book.  "What Do You Do With An Idea" by It brought tears to my eyes and courage to my heart.   

Six months later, I am amazed and grateful and excited to announce that the Village Arts Center is alive and well.  We have taught people how to knit, crochet,  make jewelry, quill, make fresh wreaths, paint, sculpt, play an instrument, and draw.  We have hosted famliy movie nights, field trips, live concerts, private events, charity fundraisers, and holiday parties.  We have made so many wonderful friends and met so many fascinating people!  

I have also learned a bunch about owning a business.  I have often joked that the 'Welcome" kit you get at the town office when you apply for your business license should come a bottle of rolaids, a box of wine, a gift certificate to the local massage therapist, and a "You Can Do It!" plaque.   There is so much to do!  I wouldn't say that I'm anywhere close to having it all figured out, but I'm making strides toward learning all I can about advertising, scheduling, lesson planning, events coordinating, facilities maintenance, human resources, customer service, accounting, communication and community development.  I've made some real progress, but I've also dropped the ball more times that I can want to recall.  Thankfully, those are all opportunities to learn and improve.  I'm always so grateful for feedback from our guests and instructors.  I'm going to work harder to advertise and spread the word about the arts center.  I'm going to organize events and distribute newsletters & monthly calendars more efficiently.  I'm determined to find a wonderful guitar instructor.  I'm also going to try to delegate and  ask for help.  (Raise your hand if you think that is the hardest lesson of them all!)  *Did you just raise your hand? Where ever you happen to be right now?  Even if it was only shoulder high? I hope so.  :) 

I am very excited about opening the other half of the building and adding a culinary classroom, an art gallery, a second music studio, a main floor bathroom, an art garden, and an events venue!  There are lots of renovations that need to be completed before we can move in, so stay tuned for updates as Spring approaches!  For now, our calendar for the coming year is already packed with new classes and events for children, adults, and families to enjoy.   In addition to our regular classes, we are  going to begin offering birthday parties, private group classes, gardening workshops, team building projects and open mic nights!

I hope that you will take a moment to look at our most recent calendar and newsletter, and then stop by and visit some time.  The new Winter schedule begins today, and we will be open on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.  (Friday afternoons are available by appointment.)  Whenever the red "OPEN" flag is hanging outside, we're probably there!   If there is something you would like to learn, or something you would like to teach, I'd love to hear from you!  If you would like to stop by and say hello and look around, that's great too!  There is always something to learn, a clean mug, hot water, a variety of teas, a book to read, and a warm place to rest.  

Thanks for sharing a little bit of your day with me.  Happy New Year!

Dawn

I have exciting news to share, friends!  My first professional article has been published!  If you are an educator, you'll love the Fons Amplify platform and blog.  It's packed with articles and advice to help you with every aspect of teaching, finances, time management, productivity and providing excellant customer service.  

Here's a link to the article that was just published. Turning Frustration into Success