For the Community

Arts Access Project

In summer 2009, PCA is launching the 2009-10 Arts Access Project, which will join artists and arts organizations with community groups to offer cultural activities for citizens with limited means.

• The project will serve low-income residents including children and teenagers, family groups, the elderly, and citizens with special needs.
• As much as possible, the Arts Access project will utilize walking, biking, and public transportation to minimize environmental impact and to increase long-term accessibility for low-income audiences.
• Activities will be designed around existing arts events offered by local arts organizations, thus minimizing necessary additional administrative support.
• The project will support the nonprofit sector by expanding and diversifying arts audiences, which strengthens organizational performance measures and increases programmatic impact.

To get involved in the Arts Access Project as a participant or partner, please call PCA at 971-2787 or email Max Fenton at access@charlottesvillearts.org. Stay tuned for more details!

Arts-Related Workshops & Roundtables

PCA coordinates practical workshops about various aspects of the arts for community members in and around Charlottesville. PCA recently launched a series of free seminars called The Life Cycle of Artists presented by the Virginia Bar Association Young Lawyers Division on navigating the legal processes for arts-related issues. Covered topics include business formation, contracts and negotiations, and copyright law.

PCA also works with the Virginia Alliance of Local Arts Agencies to produce a statewide professional development workshop each year in locations throughout Virginia on arts and community development. Over 75 people attended the workshop on April 18, 2008, including Charlottesville’s Mayor Dave Norris and a representative from the city’s economic development office, Hollie Lee. This year’s workshop will explore Building Arts and Cultural Districts in Virginia and will take place on May 15, 2009 in Fredericksburg, VA.

The new Creative Conversation Series and Art Drinks at Zinc! networking nights, described on the Programs for Artists & Arts Organizations page, are open to and benefit the community at large.

Arts Awards

Piedmont Council of the Arts honors area artists, arts organizations, arts educators and arts supporters, through its annual Arts Awards Celebration. Please note that in 2008 PCA will recognize and celebrate the Governor’s Awards for the Arts, which will be presented by Governor Tim Kaine in September. These state awards, which have been presented only three times in Virginia, recognize outstanding lifetime achievement by Virginia artists, arts organizations, and those who support and encourage the arts.

More information on the Governor’s Awards for the Arts:

• History of Awards
• Schedule and Deadlines
• Press Release

In light of this special opportunity and statewide honor, PCA’s fall 2008 event will recognize all area nominees for the Governor’s Arts Awards. Stay tuned for a list of area nominees. As we focus our attention on the state award nominees, PCA’s local Arts Awards will not be given in 2008.

Past local Arts Awards recipients have been nominated by the community in the following categories:

• Individual Artist: Outstanding individuals who have been involved with and supported the arts;
• Arts Educator: Individuals, schools, organizations, or nonprofit groups, whose main focus is education in the arts for students of all ages;
• Arts Organization: Organizations, associations, and clubs that are actively involved in the arts;
• Business: Corporations and businesses actively promoting the arts
• Lifetime Achievement: Demonstrated excellence, involvement and accomplishment in the arts and a major contributor to the community.

Purpose:

• To recognize those who have made significant contributions to the arts through support, involvement and accomplishment;
• To increase awareness of this community’s vital arts scene;
• To encourage greater participation and support of the arts.

Arts Awardees are chosen by a Selection Committee comprised of former Arts Awards winners.

Browse All Arts Awards Winners

2008 Governor’s Arts Awards

This year Governor Tim Kaine called for the Governor’s Arts Award to be awarded to outstanding artists, arts organizations, and arts patrons to recognize excellence in the arts throughout Virginia. Piedmont Council of the Arts served as one of the state’s Area Coordinators for the Awards and led the effort to get 21 outstanding individuals and organizations nominated from the Charlottesville area. PCA plans to host a special celebration this winter to honor the nominees as prime examples of the richness of the arts in our community.

The Charlottesville-area nominees for the 2008 Governor’s Arts Awards are: Aaron Fein, Anne Maxwell Megibow, Ash Lawn Opera Festival, Bree Luck, Catherine Maguire, Charles Wright, Chris Wharam, Eleanor Ross Taylor, First Night Virginia, Hantzmon Wiebel LLP, Ibby Roberts, John Casey, Judith Walker, Live Arts, Ludwig Kuttner, Mildred Spicer, Music Resource Center, Second Street Gallery, Tuesday Evening Concert Series, Vietnam Graffiti Project, and Virginia Film Festival.

Partner Programs

Working in partnership with other groups, PCA offers additional programs and projects for the Charlottesville-area community:

VSA arts of Charlottesville and Albemarle

Promoting the creative power of people with disabilities is a major goal of Piedmont Council of the Arts, through its partnership with VSA arts of Charlottesville and Albemarle. The ninth annual VSA arts Winter Exhibition opened in January 2009 in the lobby of the Martin Luther King Jr. Performing Arts Center at Charlottesville High School. This is an annual event and the art works of over 100 talented artists with disabilities are exhibited there through February every year.

Festival of Cultures

The Festival of Cultures is an annual celebration of linguistic and cultural diversity, held in May at Lee Park in Charlottesville. The Festival presents music, dance, storytelling, crafts, food and exhibits by diverse ethnic and cultural groups. PCA helped develop the program in partnership with the Charlottesville City Schools Adult Learning Center English as a Second Language Program. This year’s Festival of Cultures will be held on May 9, 2009.

Virginia Festival of the Book

Each year, PCA volunteers organize several events for the Virginia Festival of the Book geared towards youth and families, artists, and citizens with disabilities. Past events have explored topics such as memoirs, storytelling through quilts, and children’s book illustrations. Events are organized in partnership with local entities such as WorkSource Enterprises, ARC of the Piedmont, Post High, Charlottesville Parks and Recreation, Region Ten, and Service Dogs of Virginia.