Advancing the Arts Grant Recipient Gallery

Fall 2023

arts for education

• Nathan May of Good Company A Cappella for A Cappella Workshop, an opportunity for singers ages 13-18 to participate in a one-day vocal workshop culminating in an evening performance.

• Anna Marie Smith for Sole Stories Workshop Series, an introduction to careers in Arts and Design for 7th and 8th grade students at Wilbur S. Pence Middle School.

• Sarah Orem of Any Given Child Shenandoah Valley for Water Cycle Arts Integration Residency, allowing all public school third graders in Harrisonburg City and Rockingham County to enhance their science comprehension skills through the use of reading, improvisation, music, rhythm, movement, and choreography.

Creative inspiration

• Amber Linde of ArteInMovimento for Walking Art, a collaborative performance where the choreography of dancers showcases renditions of the four seasons by local visual artists.

• Robert Mott of Big 3 Music for Set My Spirit Free: Jazz Music’s Soul Connection, a Black History Month program of music, stories and poetry to be presented free of charge at Eastern Mennonite School on Sunday, Feb 18, 2024.

• Pat Augsburger and Phyllis Ressler for Shenandoah Valley Food Stories, an exhibition of portraits painted by Augsburger, accompanied by food stories collected from more than 50 Valley residents by Phyllis Ressler.

• Nathan Horst for Safe Art, providing a safety upgrade to prevent hazards related to outdoor firing of kilns using liquid propane gas in an urban environment.

• Alex Kent for True Love Stays, a short narrative film exploring the complicated experience of grief from the standpoint of a young woman losing her beloved pet.

• Sarah Phillips for The Valleys Split Apart: A Poetry Cycle, an essay project involving writing and photography based on time in Shenandoah National Park.

• Izaiah Smith-Dugger for Development of Poetry Career, showcasing the trials, tribulations, and everyday struggles of poverty while in pursuit of freedom.

Spring 2023

arts for education

• Joseph Arbaugh of Lacey Spring Elementary School, for More Than A Click with a Blick Printing Press; allowing students to work with collagraphs, monographs, dry-point etching, and linoleum block printing.

• Jo Enke of Mountain View and Fulks Run Elementary Schools, for Music A la Carte: A Cross Curricular Musical Storytelling Project for students in grades pre-K through 5 to compose and create sound stories based on children’s literature.

• Megan Frantz Kaspar for Harrisonburg Songtuary, a group that promotes community singing through public song circles as well as gatherings for mentorship of potential songleaders.

• Harriet Flynn, Harrisonburg Parks and Recreation, for Art in the Park, a six-week summer series offering a variety of outdoor art projects that use nature as an inspiration for creativity.

• Amanda Gookin, Shenandoah Valley Bach Festival, for Book Notes, a storytelling hour at Massanutten Regional Library during the Shenandoah Bach Festival.

• Leeanne Shepherd, Second Home Learning Center, for a production of It’s The Hard Knock Life at Second Home.

Creative inspiration

• Jeffrey Guinn for Ink Drops, a new mural in downtown Harrisonburg highlighting the natural landscape of the area, local activities and people, as well as the history of the property.

• Aili Huber of Silk Moth Stage, to sponsor accessible tickets for underserved populations to attend the world premier of Wonder of Our Stage, a play about a Renaissance-era automaton trying to be human.

• Rachel FitzGerald for recording Spectator Bird Sings Songs for the Very Young and holding an album release show.

• Rebecca Porter for an inclusive music video, Rebecca Porter Music Video.

public art forward

• Ben Hughes and Andy Keeler for a MODdisplays Building mural by artist Laura Thompson.

Fall 2022

arts for education

• Trace Feng of MIMA Music for Band Together Harrisonburg, a collaborative songwriting program at the Explore More Discovery Museum, designed to provide a rich musical experience for K-12 participants and foster positive relationships within the community.

• Winifred Yu for Ascend-Emotions. Ascend is an On the Road Collaborative afterschool program supporting students with disabilities. Students will create digital designs for magnetic tiles, key chains, and stickers, with a goal of recognizing and regulating emotions, as well as advocating for themselves when verbalization is difficult.

• Kelly Snow of Explore More Discovery Museum in partnership with artist Wendy Lam for Youth Artist Mentorship Program, allowing local artists to work with small groups of students in a multi-session mentoring program. This unique art experience will allow students to engage with and understand the full creative process for a professional artist from beginning to end.

Creative inspiration

• Ellie de Waal and Dancers for Untitled: A Collaborative Performance, a collaborative performance showcase with Cumulus Dance and Harrisonburg Dance Cooperative.

• Mandy Lawson of New Creation VA for Looking Good, World Changer Mural to create a fun social media destination for the nonprofit.

• Mallory McKendry of The Hot Mamas for The Hot Mamas Record, a two-pronged project designed to help the band record a live concert at a Harrisonburg venue and hold an all-female songwriters contest.

• Viktoriya Samoylov for Her Wounded Soul, a visual art exhibition exploring the impact of the current Ukrainian war on individuals.

Spring 2022

arts for education

• Angie Clemens for Talking with the Chief: Learning About Native American Arts and Culture, to allow 820 Rockingham County Public Schools second graders to participate in a virtual presentation by Chief Brown of the Cheroenhaka (Nottoway) Indian people.

• Jane Crockett and Terry Wiita of the Shenandoah Valley Quilters Guild for Stronger Together,” the guild’s biennial quilt show designed to educate, inspire, and entertain the public via a display of some 150 quilts constructed - using a variety of techniques - by guild members. 

• Amanda Gookin of the Shenandoah Valley Bach Festival for Book Notes, a musical storytelling hour featuring a reading by Dr. Joanne V. Gabbin, interwoven performances by five Bach Festival musicians, and opportunities for children to participate through dance and singalongs.

• Bryanna Lyn Dean of Expressive Dance Studio in Elkton for Student Financial Aid and Program Scholarships, making it possible for students with financial need to learn proper dance technique while experiencing the art form’s spirit of play and creativity.

• Chelsea Rowe for Beginner Jewelry Workshop, created to offer an introduction to the tools and techniques of jewelry and metalsmithing.

Creative inspiration

• Jerry Holsopple and Justin Poole for Bonhoeffer: Cell 39, a multi-media performance on the life and legacy of Dietrich Bonhoeffer.

• Yi-Ping Chen of Caravanserai Music for Music for Latinx Community.

• Brian Bratton for The Brian Bratton Story: From Homeless to Selling Homes.

• Aili Huber of Silk Moth Stage for Give Us Good, a new magical realist play exploring mental illness through a metaphorical lens.

• Darla Stanley of Ensemble InterTwining for Evelyn/Evelyn, a dance-opera video designed to inspire conversation, broaden understanding, and encourage generosity around current issues of evolving identity.

• Yasir Nabeel Razak for his band Nabeel, to create an Iraqi Diaspora project album demonstrating the diverse musical perspectives in Harrisonburg and encouraging greater immigrant participation in the visual and performing arts. 

• Janet Hostetter of the Shenandoah Valley Children’s Choir for The Shapes of Home, a YouTube video combining the musical talents of the choir with the creative talents of Australian composer Dan Walker and Pennsylvania quilt artist Nancy Hershberger.

Fall 2021

arts for education

• J.R. Snow of Any Given Child Shenandoah Valley for Comic Artist Residency, allowing 500 Harrisonburg and Rockingham County public school students to work on murals in their schools.

• Celeste R. Thomas of EMU/Multicultural Student Services for The Anne and Emmett Project, designed to create dialogue around the subjects of race, religion, oppression, healing and reconciliation through a combination of theater and a coinciding curated exhibit.

• Carlene Lantz and Tammy May of Lacey Spring Elementary School for Artistry with Foundations in Literacy, created to expose students to diverse forms of visual art processes, dance styles, and musical instruments through impactful literature.

• Leeanne Shepherd of Second Home Learning Center for A Tale as Old as Time: Second Home Learning Center Presents Beauty & the Beast.

Creative inspiration

• Corrie Lynn Green for The Appalachian Project, a collection of original mountain ballad songs rooted in the perspective of passing musical narrative and instrumentation from one generation to the next.

• Ben Schlabach for Harrisonburg Music Archive Website Development.

• Nicholas Gekoskie for MACROCK Music Festival.

• Cara Walton for Danse Macabre, a series of photographs exploring the historical concept of the Danse Macabre and how it translates into today’s pandemic world.

Spring 2021

arts for education

• Rebecca Kenaga of Amplify Music for Gemeinschaft Home (Women’s Project) Amplified to develop a music enrichment class incorporating resident-led, project-based learning, music technology, and narrative-sharing through songwriting.

Creative inspiration

• Bob Adamek for Enhancing My Wildlife Photography.

• Gene Bowlen for Bringing the Artist Forward, providing a virtual public portal for Shenandoah Valley musicians to use for online performances.

• David Brennan for A Cyborg’s Father, to compose a series of flash essays exploring various aspects of medical dependence on machine technology.

• Yi-Ping Chen of Caravanserai Music for Promoting Empathy Through the Arts, to conduct a video project depicting emotions of rejection and acceptance in Richard Dehmel’s poem Transfigured night, using Arnold Schoenberg’s string sextet of the same name, and visual works by local artists.

• Ivan C. Christo for Empire of Excellence, an eight-episode virtual variety show, with live musical performances, interviews, sketch comedy, dimension hopping, puppetry, and interaction with the online audience.

• Tyler Kauffman for Nest Realty Mural, to paint a 210-square-foot mural on the retaining wall near the renovated Nest Realty building.

• Mike Simpson and Becky Glick of Simply Folk Music for Songs for Seniors, offering musical programs for residents at area nursing homes and retirement communities.

• William Snyder, III for installations of The Blue Rider and #BigVespa sculptures in front of Smith House Galleries in Harrisonburg and The Oliver Art House in Broadway.

• Jenna Bryant, Anne Paulus, and Shauna Frantz for TRYST in Plain Site, to conduct experimental dance workshops and create a public, site-responsive dance performance in downtown Harrisonburg.

  Fall 2020

arts for education

• Jessica Strawderman of Bluestone Elementary School for Embracing Identity & Singing the Mission: A School Songwriting Project

• Maria Paz G. Esguerra of The Making Space, for Open Studio programs and community art events. 

• David McCormick of Shenandoah Valley Bach Festival for Virtual Instrument Petting Zoo. 

• Leanne Shank of Shenandoah Valley Youth Symphony for Old Music for a New Generation.

Creative Inspiration

• Ellie de Waal for Embodying Emily: A Dance Film.

• Jeff Guinn for Language of Love.

• Sue Ryan for Enchanted Garden.

• Darla Stanley of Ensemble InterTwining for Running Absence.

• Erich Stem for Music about the Shenandoah Valley.

Spring 2020

arts for education

• Yi-Ping Chen of Caravanserai Music for Classical Connections Interactive Music Videos.

• Jo Enke for Mountain View Elementary School’s Drumming with Mindfulness project to help students build everyday coping skills.

• Tammy May of Lacey Spring Elementary School for Shape, Fire, and Cherish: A Kiln for Our Finished Works of Art.

• Lydia Mix of River Bend Elementary School for Uke Can Do It! Strumming Up Fun in the Elementary Classroom.

Creative Inspiration

• David Brennan for The Panic Architect.

• Erica Cavanagh for HOME.

• Kyle Kirby for Downtown Harrisonburg Art Guide.

• Robin Lyttle, to support a Shenandoah Valley Black Heritage Project performance of Not Made for This: A Story of Fearlessness, Determination, and the Journey to Freedom, by local playwright Brianna Madden-Olivares.

• Havi Wingfield for Learn to Sing with the Birds.

Fall 2019

arts for education

• Heidi Jablonski for Inside Out PlaybackTheatre, to connect with intentional learning communities. 

• David McCormick for Shenandoah Valley Bach Festival, for the purpose of educating children through an ‘Instrument Petting Zoo’; and 

• Leeanne Shepherd for Second Home Learning Center, to provide an after-school theatre learning program for children who are at a socio-economic disadvantage. 

Creative Inspiration

• Christopher and Maria Clymer Kurtz, for the purpose of creating an album related to many aspects of life; and  

• Susan V. Facknitz for the completion of a manuscript of poems.  

• Barbara Camph for OASIS with the purpose of creating and installing a large mosaic artwork to celebrate Earth Day Every Day of Harrisonburg. 

Spring 2019

Arts For education

• Natalie Doughty for Expressions of Home, involving K-12 music and art students and other community organizations to create awareness/benefit Central Habitat for Humanity; and

• The Arc of Harrisonburg and Rockingham, Inc. (grant proposal submitted by Sara Harper) for Small Group Music Therapy Program.

Creative Inspiration

• Adrie Voors for Art to Complement Composting, to provide a work of art at an outdoor public market compost drop-off site; and 

• Cara Walters for Pantheon, photographs of people portraying ancient gods.

Fall 2018

arts for education

• Students as Songwriters, John C. Meyers Elementary School, Angie Clements

• The Rhythm of Our Hearts, Keister Elementary Music Department, Maggie Hagy

• Instrumental Petting Zoo, Shenandoah Valley Bach Festical, David McCormick

• Raiders of the Lost Art, Peak Elementary School and Ottobine Elementary School, Christopher Michael

• Baroque Festival Workshop, Shenandoah Valley Preparatory Music Program - Eastern Mennonite University, Sharon Miller

• Fly Away with Peter Pan to Second Home, Second Home Learning Center, Leeane Shepherd

Creative inspiration

• The Making Space, Monika Burkholder

• The Keeper of Secret Selves, Deborah Pugh

• Musical Resistance with Leonard Cohen, Trent Wrangler

Spring 2018

arts for education

• Creativity 3D: Keister Artists Build, W.H. Keister Elementary School Visual Arts, Mary Yoder-Anderson

Creative inspiration

• Arts Meets History and Science, Virginia Quilt Museum, Barbara Roadcap

• Story-gathering with our neighbors, Stories in three mediums, Inside Out Theatre, Heidi Winters Vogel

Fall 2017

Arts for education

• The Making Space, Lucy Simms Center, Monica Burkholder

• The Importance of Art from Youth Perspectives: a Mural, Shenandoah Art Mobile, Emily Reese

• The Art of Needlework, Cub Run and Linville-Edom Elementary Schools, Robin W. Goble

• Exploring Printmaking with Children, Pleasant Valley and Plains Elementary Schools, Amerila Guido

• Boys and Girls Club Art Expansion Program, Boys and Girls Club, Kristin Lewis

• Follow the Yellow Brick Road, Second Home Learning Center, Leeanne Shepherd

• Professional Practice Intensive Practice for Arts, John Ros

• Wall of Wood, Peak View and Lacey Springs Elementary Schools, Christopher G. Michael

• Socially Conscious Chamber Music, The Second Movement, David Perry

Creative INspiration

• On a Silent Night, The Shenandoah Valley Children’s Choir, Lorraine Campbell

• Bridging the Gap of Rocktown Ringers, The Arc of Harrisonburg and Rockingham, Inc., Heath Denman

• Buck Gooter Sound System, Buck Gooter and Billy Brett

• Musical Hands, Ice House Studios Photo Exhibition, Lara Ressler Horst

• Confluence: Rivers in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed, Scott Jost

• Steve B.I.K.O. EP Project, Steven Thomas

Spring 2017

Fall 2016

Fall 2015

2013-2014

2012

2011

arts for education

• Retelling the Tale with Masks and Movement, Elkton Elementary School, Alesia Talbot

• Mural Project, Skyline Middle School, Valerie Smith

• SRES Art Night, South River Elementary School, Edwina George

• Dewey (Decimal) is a Star in the 700s!, Lacey Springs Elementary School, Carlene Lantz

• Children's Passport for Court and Market Days Festival, Harrisonburg Downtown Renaissance, Kris Ludwig

• Gyotaku (Fish Rubbing), W. H. Keister Elementary School, Tara Kent

• Persuade Me Tee, Stone Spring Elementary School, Kate Nesmith