The third annual 40+40 Nights of Arts and Culture is taking place now through November 9th. It’s a loosely connected slate of events in the area highlighted on the 4040fest.com website. The Arts Council of the Blue Ridge came up with the idea for 40+40 when the Taubman Museum opened in November 2008 and has carried on the effort ever since.
This year 40+40 winds up with a new event: an international installation art exhibition from November 5-7 at the Roanoke Civic Center. “Artview: Visions &Voices,” will feature both regional and international artists, who will create their works in a juried competition, on site in the Special Events Center. The international guests, who will arrive over the next week or so, will also conduct workshops and demonstrations in area schools, universities and for local arts organizations.
Six regional artists selected by juror Ray Kass for Artview include Jennifer D. Anderson (Roanoke); Martha A. Olson (Blacksburg); Christine Kosiba (Blacksburg); Judith Love Schwab (Newport, VA); Charlie Brouwer (Willis, VA); and sculptor John Wilson (Roanoke, the WilsonHughes gallery). Student artists will also get involved with the installation pieces being created at the Civic Center by regional artists.
“We’ve got the [local] art community involved,” said Rhonda Hale, the artist services & education director for The Arts Council of the Blue Ridge. Hale put together an artist advisory committee that helped get Artview off the ground. With Roanoke City’s public art effort already underway, Hale said the Civic Center, “wanted to do a fine arts component.”
An international exhibition was one concept the advisory committee came up with. Brian Counihan, a local artist/art teacher and a driving force behind the Marginal Arts Festival in the spring, suggested a connection to Roanoke’s Sister City program. Artview is also linked to the Blue Ridge Parkway’s 75th anniversary celebration.
The international visiting artists are associated with Roanoke’s Sister Cities; they will create on-site installations inspired by their two week residencies in the area. They include Robert Suchinski, Opole; Poland; Kuk-Hyun Park, Wonju, Korea; Jane Motin, Saint-Lo, France; Grigory Guerivich, Pskov, Russia; and Patricia Secco, Florianopolis, Brazil. “There should be local influences [on the art created] during their time here,” noted Hale.
A VIP dinner will take place at the Special Events Center on Wednesday, November 3 ($100 per person). Participants will receive a sneak peak of Artview and meet the visiting international artists, along with area artists. On Friday, November 3, from 10:00 am – 2:00 pm, area schools and students may attend the show at no cost. “Its huge for us, actually,” said Hale of the first Artview, which is also designed to raise the awareness level for arts in the region. (see more at artview2010.com)
Admission to Artview: Visions &Voices on Nov. 5-7 is $8 for adults; students are $4 and children 12 and under are free. To purchase tickets call the Roanoke Civic Center Box Office 540-853-5483 or email [email protected]. Hours: Friday, November 5: 10am-2pm (Group Tours), 2pm-8pm, Saturday, November 6: 11am-8pm, Sunday, November 7: 1pm-4pm.
