Gene Marrano photos
Arts of all sorts Pop! > The Taubman Museum of Art was a busy place over the first weekend in March with a free multi-discipline event called Roanoke Arts Pop! - featuring dance, author readings, hands-on creative activities for families and Grandin Film Lab videos. Douglas Jackson is the Arts and Culture Coordinator for the City of Roanoke: “what [Arts Pop] says about is that we care about art, we want to create these welcoming public spaces. It takes it to another level.” Jackson also calls 2022-23 "The Year of the Artist" and says the city is taking applications for NEA-funded grants it will issue to local artists later this year. Tyler Lyon - program coordinator for the Grandin Film Lab - was screening some
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of the short features that students at the Grandin Theatre based lab had put together as Roanoke Arts Pop! wrapped up a threeday run at the Taubman Museum: “it brings together all these different disciplines that you don’t necessarily think about in the same vein that are all part of the arts and culture scene – whether that’s live theater, movie making, fine art, painting, sculpting, music, graffiti, it’s all here under one roof. Lyon says he hopes events like Roanoke Arts Pop! will lead to more collaborations among cultural organizations in the valley. The second Arts Pop! (2020 was the first) featured some 30 participants in all. Lyon also said some Film Lab high school students have gone on to study various aspects of filmmaking in college or have used that experience for their work.
