Downtown Roanoke will be jam-packed with people of every size, shape and flavor imaginable throughout May. Roanokers are proud to host well loved major festivals that attract neighbors and visitor. The glorious pandemonium is exhilarating, but one month maybe a little to much for locals to take all at once. Luckily, City Magazine has a few options for secret getaway art events. To the west of Roanoke, The Blacksburg Partnership is hosting the 2nd annual Blacksburg Fork and Cork – Food, Wine and Art Festival. It is the perfect combination of wine connoisseurship and fine art, and it is just far enough away to retain that at home feeling. There are two outstanding art events at one of the areas most loved retreats, Smith Mountain Lake. One of the reasons is The Little Gallery, located in Bridgewater Plaza overlooking the lake. Artist Ion Carchelan will be there demonstrating and discuss his watercolors, May 8th and 9th. The Smith Mountain Lake Arts Council’s 16th Annual John Faber Memorial Photography Contest is always a wonderful display of fantastic photography, highlighting the beauty of the region. It will be held May 28th through the 31st. It is a glorious gift to have so many wonderful opportunities available in Roanoke, and beyond.
1) Fork and Cork
Sat May 1st, 12-6pm
First and Main Shopping Center
Blacksburg, VA
Make plans now to spend the day in Blacksburg with the Blacksburg Partnership and the 2nd annual Blacksburg Fork and Cork event. This is one great time you won’t want to miss. Fork and Cork will be held at the First and Main Shopping Center. Just outside of the wine garden, and free to the public, is Artists Alley, where more than two dozen regional artists will sell and demonstrate their craft. Tickets are required for access to the wine garden where 20 Virginia wineries will offer tastings and sales by the glass or bottle. The Kroger Bistro Cooking Tent will offer live demonstrations by local celebrity chefs and wine pairings. Live entertainment will be provided by Bruiser, Roanoke’s own Monkey Fuzz and the New River Valley’s hottest honkey- tonk band 3 Minute Lovin’.
Pick up tickets in Blacksburg and Radford at Sal’s Italian Restaurant and in Roanoke at the Wine Gourmet on Franklin Rd. Advance tickets are also available online at www.blacksburgforkandcork.com. Tickets are $15 in advance and $20 at the gate. ID is required. Tickets for Designated Drivers and guests aged 13 to 20 are $5. Children 12 and under are free. For a list of wineries and day of event details visit www.blacksburgforkandcork.com. For more information and ticket sales visit blacksburgforkandcork.com or call 540-443-2008.
2) Demonstration and Talk, with Ion Carchelan
Sat & Sun May 8th & 9th, 1-3pm
Smith Mountain Lake,
Bridgewater Plaza, Moneta, VA
Get out to the lake and talk with one of The Little Gallery’s premier artist. Ion Carchelan will be demonstrating and discuss his watercolors Saturday and Sunday. His watercolor subjects are the people, places and things that he sees around him while being a reflection on the transience of the seasons, the physical world, and ultimately of our own experiences and lives.
The Little Gallery is a local treasure that is as much a part of Smith Mountain Lake as the lake itself. It is located at Bridgewater Plaza on beautiful Smith Mountain Lake, Virginia. In addition to a wide collection of fine art, they sell handmade pottery, jewelry, stained glass, blown glass and prints in a variety of sizes and prices. For more information visit www.thelittlegallerysml.com or call 540-721-1596.
3) 16th Annual John Faber Memorial Photography Contest and Show
May 28-31, 2010
Trinity Ecumenical Parish, Moneta, VA
The Smith Mountain Arts Council makes one of the most approachable genres of art better, with the Annual John Faber Memorial Photo Contest and Show. They insure that there is something for everyone. The contest is open to all photographers – casual, amateur, and professional. Photographers at every level are encouraged to enter. There are full range of prizes for entries and several categories of photography ranging from people, sunrise/sunset to digital manipulation. Everyone is bound to find an artist or an image that will inspire them to dust off their camera and go out to the lake.
The Smith Mountain Arts Council (SMAC) serves as a coordinating body and provides opportunities for cultural enrichment and pleasure in the visual, performing and literary arts. Many SMAC activities are open to the public and free. For more information visit www.smithmountainartscouncil.com or contact Peter Coriasco at pcoriasco@gmail.com.
4) May 6, 1942, A Photographic Exhibition by Jennifer Fowler at the O. Winston Link Museum
The Link Museum is happy to welcome local photographer, Jennifer Fowler, to the Trackside Lobby this May. Fowler’s exhibition features 26 black and white film photographs and four alternative process pieces, in honor of her grandfather who fought in World War II and held as a POW in Japan for 3 ½ years. The work explores his memory, belongings, property, and funeral in photographs enriched with text, transfer processes, xerography, and cyanotypes. This exhibit opens with a Beyond the Frame event hosted by John Reburn on May 13 and will close on July 30.
Beyond the Frame with Jennifer Fowler, hosted by John Reburn Join us for an evening of entertainment and exploration with a new kind of gallery reception to mark the opening of Fowler’s exhibition. John Reburn will host an artist’s interview with Jennifer Fowler about her exhibition, work, and life in the style of the popular television show “Inside the Actor’s Studio”. In our G.E. Theater, John, Jennifer, and their audience will discuss topics of interest this evening in a casual and entertaining setting with food and spirits provided in the adjoining Robert Kulp Trackside Lobby. $5 Admission. Members free.
5) Rodney Laughon Exhibition at Artifacts Gallery
Artist Rodney Laughon is a talented self-taught painter who began his career in watercolors and now works mostly with oils. The majority of his works are landscapes that are detail oriented and reflect his love of nature. Sometimes it is light and shadows that attract him to a subject, sometimes color, but he is always trying to capture the beauty of a scene so others might share that same attraction. Whether he is painting the majestic mountains and landscapes of the west or the streams and valleys of his native Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, Rodney’s art tells a story and delights the viewer.Rodney has exhibited his work in galleries and shows and has won a number of awards. He is a commissioned artist for corporate and private collections throughout the country. A Lynchburg native, Rodney is enjoying using his God given talent to paint full time. Lovingly called “Pops” by his grandchildren he spends time with his family, traveling and, of course, painting. “I want my paintings to tell a story, including the details of the subject helps to share the feeling of the place that attracted me to paint it.”
An opening reception will be held May 7 from 5 p.m.until 8 p.m.
6) “Painted Ladies” at Gallery 108
Gallery 108 is celebrating Virginia’s statewide “Rising Stars/Women in the Arts” campaign with a window exhibit entitled “Painted Ladies.” Women-themed art in all mediums will be on display during May and June. 108 Market Street, downtown Roanoke. www.gallery108.biz
7) “Black and White Dreams”: Photographs by Ed Deasy at Angelo in Charlottesville
This show features black and white photographs using time exposures, light painting and conventional photography. Using these techniques Deasy moves beyond the moment a still image captures to convey change over time, to reveal an expanded present moment. This exhibit runs from May 1 through June 30. Reception for the artist: Friday, May 7 from 5:30 till 7:30. www.angelojewelry.com
“A Place in Her Landscape: Mother Nature and Human Nature” by Christine Drake at Nelson Gallery in Lexington
Nelson Gallery features work by guest artist Christine Drake from May 2 though 31. Drake titles her series of evocative, semi-abstract paintings “A Place in Her Landscape: Mother Nature and Human Nature.” Nelson Gallery, an artists\’ cooperative, is located at 27 West Washington Street in Downtown Lexington. Visit www.nelson-gallery.com or call 540.463.9827 for more information.
9) “Railroad Passenger Stations: A Retrospective” at the O. Winston Link Museum
In an exhibition titled, “Railroad Passenger Stations: A Retrospective,” photographer Susan V. Lockwood takes us on a tour of area passenger stations. Through black and white photography, the show documents and preserves a vanishing landmark of our regional American transportation heritage. Featured are select passenger stations still standing throughout a twelve county/five city region in Virginia. The series showcases more than twenty railroad passenger stations originally built by several railroads. These include the Norfolk and Western, the Virginian and the Southern railways which are now part of the Norfolk Southern system; the Chesapeake and Ohio and the Baltimore and Ohio which are now part of CSX, and the short-line Franklin and Pittsylvania which is no longer in operation. Only one of the stations in the show, the Kemper Street Station in Lynchburg, continues to actively serve Amtrak passengers. A majority of the stations are enjoying second lives as visitor centers, lodging facilities, and a restaurant, to name a few. Sadly, a handful have been neglected. It is hoped that this pictorial collection of architecturally unique railroad icons enables viewers to gain an increased appreciation for train stations and depots in both small and large communities. O. Winston Link Museum, Roanoke presents an opening reception May 6, 2010 from 5-9pm Exhibition closes June 9.
