CLIFTON FORGE, Va., (WVDN) – With 93 entries from 39 different artists, the 2022 Fall Festival art show offers a wide variety of styles and something for almost every taste. The media categories are Oil/Acrylic; Water Media; Drawing; Printmaking; Fiber; Mixed Media/Collage and Sculpture.
The Alleghany Highlands Arts and Crafts Center has announced to the participants and winners of the 5First Annual Fall Festival Exhibit, currently on display in the Center’s Gallery at 439 E Ridgeway Street, Clifton Forge, Va.
Participating artists include Local Clifton Forge artists Libby Burger, Lucy Cahoon, Nancy Newhard, and Judith Sivonda; and Covington artists: Kyle Keyser, Bonnie Keyser, Gertrude White, and Taylor Wolfe.
Other participants were Eagle Rock, Va., artists William A. Jennings and Jim Stadtlander; Hardy, Va., artist Nannette Gagliostro; Lynchburg, Va., artist Jim Patterson; Moneta, Va., artists Nancy Stellhorn and Marie Campbell; Monterey, Va., artist Suse B. Field; Roanoke, Va., artists Betsy Briggs, Patricia T. Carr, Rita P. Carroll, Bobbie Caton, Susie Feinour, Jane Winders Frank, Kim Hostetter, Mike Hutkin, Michael D. Morris, Suzanne Davis Ross, Cat Shrewsbury and Joel I. Tucker; Rockbridge Baths, Va., artists Lori McMahon and Tim McMahon; Rocky Mount, Va., artist Becky Stormer; Salem, Va. artists Bill Hill and Mary Lou Hill; Shawsville, Va., artist Melissa Pilkington; Troutville, Va., artist Judith F. Lochbrunner; Verona, Va., artist Ace Rogers; Vinton, Va., artist Linda Murray Atkinson; Wirtz, Va., artist Jane Schafer. Also, from Greenville, W.Va., artist Donald Earley, and New Bern, N.C., artist Mary Anne Meador.
The award for Best in Show 2022 went to “Virginia Valley” by Lori McMahon of Rockbridge Baths, Va.
The Virginia Fraser Memorial Award went to “Things To Come” by Jane Winders Frank of Roanoke, Va.
The J. Gail Geer Memorial Award for Sculpture went to “Strutter” by Judith Sivonda of Clifton Forge, Va.
In the category of Oil/Acrylic, First Place was “Winter Colors” by Mary Anne Meador, New Bern, N.C. Second Place was “Warm Night” by Bill Hill, Salem, Va. Honorable Mention was “Hang Anyway” by K. Kyle Keyser, Covington, Va.
In the category of Water Media, First Place was “Valley Flowers” by Lori McMahon, Rockbridge Baths, Va. Second Place was “Magnolia” by Becky Stormer of Rocky Mount, Va. Honorable Mention was “Glowing Woods” by Gertrude White, Covington, Va.
In the category of Mixed Media/Collage, First Place was “Chewy” by Donald Earley, Greenville, W.Va. Second Place was “Strands of Color” by Bobbie Caton, Roanoke, Va. Honorable Mention was “Ronda, Spain” by Bobbie Caton, Roanoke, Va.
In the category of Fiber, First Place was “Olive Gems” by Patricia T. Carr, Roanoke, Va.
The public is invited to cast their vote for the People’s Choice Award. It will be announced after the show concludes. Admission to The Alleghany Highlands Arts and Crafts Center and exhibit is free to the public during the center’s open hours:10 a.m-4:30 p.m. Monday-Saturday and 1-4 p.m. on Sundays. The exhibit will continue through Nov. 10.
ABOUT THE JUDGE
David Eakin has studied water media with Don Andrews, Carol Barnes, Robert Burridge, Karen Bowden, Kathleen Conover, Vera Dickerson, and Nancy Stark. Since 1999 he has been studying oil and gouache with Rosalie Day White in Lynchburg, Va. For the past 19 years he has studied at the Summer Artists Program, Nimrod Hall, Bath County, Va. Eakin paints in oil, acrylic and gouache. He is a Signature Member of the Virginia Watercolor Society, the Baltimore Watercolor Society, and the Southern Watercolor Society. His work has been selected for Virginia juried exhibitions, New York, California, Pennsylvania, Texas, Tennessee, Florida, Minnesota, and Maryland. Eakin has received awards for his work in regional as well as national exhibits.
FROM THE CURATOR
“Our thanks to the artists for their hard work and great turn out for the 5First Fall Festival Art Exhibit. In the many years of presenting this very special exhibit we have seen artists – and the show itself – grow and develop. Artists tryout new ideas, others exhibit work for the first time, and many continue to polish their skills. The community is richer for their efforts. I hope everyone will take time to see and enjoy it – and vote for their favorite for People’s Choice Award, while the show is on display. Each year it just seems to get better and better. Congratulations to each one for you all for this making this a great show for our guests.”
“A huge amount of credit and appreciation goes to our volunteers who really make the show happen in an amazingly short period of time frame for check in, arranging, hanging, lighting, proofreading, class cleaning and labeling. Thanks go to Becca Ball, Maryanne Solan, Ace Rogers, Holly Mestemacher, Buddy and Betsy Carter, Libby and Eric Burger, John Barnes, Honey Hepler, and our daily volunteers. Without them it would not get done; with their help, it’s a lot of fun in making it happen.”
The Alleghany Highlands Arts and Crafts Center is supported by its members and contributors, the town of Clifton Forge, the city of Covington, Alleghany County, The Alleghany Foundation, the Virginia Commission for the Arts, and the National Endowment for the Arts. Check Facebook and highandsartsandcraft.org for news and information about AHACC.
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| Lori McMahon with her Best in Show painting. |
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| Donald Early with his First Place Mixed Media piece. |
