Exposure Unlimited 35th anniversary

Exposure Unlimited

35th Anniversary Exhibit

by John Nichols, Jr.

Left to right, Jimmy Butler, Cathy Herndon, Bob Worthy, John Nichols Jr., Tarver Harris, Joan Limbrick, David Lovegrove

After approaching Mo Schiff (late) then president of FCCA, I was encouraged to form a mixed artwork producing group and use FCCA as a base for meetings and exhibition space.

Cathy Herndon and Bob Worthy joined Mo and myself in reaching out to some other Fredericksburg area artmakers in order to cause a functioning group.

Sometime in February 1986 the first membership met at the FCCA and decided to be "Art Shop" using the center room at the FCCA main floor as a for sale of work display area. This group may be the first one of this type formed in the Fredericksburg area.

Maybe it was a coverage issue, but we changed gears at the August 1986 meeting (there were twelve + members) and decided to rename as EXPOSURE UNLIMITED. The intention was to pursue places to exhibit as a group in Fredericksburg and beyond (Unlimited).

While that intention was met somewhat the group has mainly exhibited in Fredericksburg. An important early one was an Invitational from the Fredericksburg Commission for the Arts at Mary Washington College (now University of Mary Washington) Dupont Galleries (there were four rooms then - we had one and other organizations occupied the other three) during the winter of 19861987.

The main outside of Fredericksburg exhibits: "Our First Offense" Rappahannock

Community College, Warsaw "Multiple Exposure" Northern Virginia Community College, Woodbridge "20th Century Gallery" Williamsburg, and other Gallery venues in Portsmouth,

Ashland and Louisa, Virginia We initiated "Risk Takers" type shows in Fredericksburg.

Other than FCCA, past meeting and exhibiting bases have been the 3rd floor of 725 Caroline St. (a previous studio and exhibit space for the group) and Paula Rose's former shop Colonial Art and Frame. John Nichols, Jr. "is continuing with minimalistic mixed media/collage relief oncanvas"; Bob Worthy "makes acrylic and mixed media paintings that are composed of many layers of paint and texture creating a movement of surface that appears to be found rather than constructed. They suggest a feeling of time having moved on with understated pops of color providing energy to the dreamy compositions"; and Retta Robbins -(emeritus), figurative and social commentaries.

An article in the August 1991 Fredericksburg Times quoted our thought that "camaraderie and group harmony is based on a support for and enjoyment of the diversity in the group…." Reviewer Linda Max Joyce, Feb. 13, 1990 Free-Lance Star Reviewer LMJ February 13, 1990 Free-Lance Star "neon sculpture, xerography, and a lace bedecked glitter encrusted pair of jockey shorts are included in the exhibit…Exposure Unlimited have exposed their strength and diversity in a show that is well worth seeing".

This attitude among members continues today. Present members are: Jimmy Butler with "exquisite figurative wooden sculptures of incredible stories to tell"; Tarver Harris "that loves articulating both visually and verbally the current energetics on our planet. Lately, feeling more refined and lighter"; Cathy Herndon "continues a portholes series using mixed media and tunnel vision views of now in the world"; Joan Limbrick “starts with space and color that evolves from day to day blending emotions and feelings to create a viewer's own story"; David Lovegrove "uses abstracted strength to remember and connect us with local objects and places"; Age, as in most members are now "seniors" and in that most members of the present group have been together for many years and that the "younger" members are very experienced, gives the group a rare mature momentum. We don't exhibit "pictures" or "just décor "…" objects. That's not today.

This Exposure Unlimited 35th Anniversary exhibit is at, as many of the anniversary exhibits have been, the Fredericksburg Center for the Creative Arts and will be an enlightening experience to witness.

John Nichols, Jr is a local artist and a founding member of Exposure Unlimited Photo by Carrol Morgan

Exposure Unlimited 35th Anniversary Exhibit Fredericksburg Center for Creative Arts 813 Sophia St, Downtown September 25 thru October 29 Thursday - Friday noon - 4pm Saturday 11am- 4pm Sunday 1-4 4pm

Bill Freehling Guest Porch Editorial

Contributing Writers & Artists

Rita Allan Sally Cooney Anderson Amy Bayne Nancy Bevilaqua Laurie Black Dianne Bachman Sarah Kay Bierle Sonja Cantu Collette Caprara Janet Douberly Nancy Fahy Christina Ferber Frank Fratoe Bill Freehling Jon Gerlach Lisa Gillen Kristin Herman Ralph “Tuffy” Hicks Carol Hyland David C. Kennedy Nancy Kelly Peter Maugle Amanda McCreary Wendy Migdel Ray Mikula Vanessa Moncure Carol Morgan Pete Morelewicz Patrick Neustatter John Nichols Jr Gerri Reid Paula Raudenbush Rob Rudick Mandy Smith Carleigh Strakston Lone Tabor Christine Thompson Tina Will Nancy Williams Kristie Wooldridge Norma Woodward

Front Porch Fredericksburg is a free circulation magazine published monthly by Olde Towne Publishing Co. Virginia Bigenwald Grogan, Publisher.

The mission of Front Porch Fredericksburg is to connect the diverse citizenry of Fredericksburg with lively features and informative columns of interest to our community’s greatest resource, its people.

Messages from our readers are welcome. All submissions must be received by e-mail by the 19th of the month preceding publication.

Writers / Artists / Photographers are welcome to request Guidelines and query the Publisher by e-mail.

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ON THE PORCH

progress despite pandemic

by Bill Freehling

After a year of pandemic-induced semi-hibernation, downtown Fredericksburg is again bustling with energy - with more on the way soon.

In the early days of the COVID-19 shutdowns, you could practically hear a pin drop downtown. Our downtown businesses did a wonderful job pivoting their models to get through the pandemic with a variety of strategies, including ramping up online sales and going to a takeout/delivery model. While the pandemic certainly isn't over, downtown businesses that got through the pandemic are now reaping the rewards.

It's wonderful to see crowds of people downtown again dining, browsing art galleries, working on scavenger hunts like Itty Bitty City, shopping, going to museums, walking the trails, getting on the river and generally enjoying the historic downtown ambience.

One thing that didn't grind to a halt during the pandemic was downtown construction, and we are all soon to get the benefit of that. Throughout the pandemic, a host of downtown projects carried on mostly as usual, and many will soon be ready. Here is a partial list of them:

The rebuilt Chatham Bridge is expected to open in October. Not only will that restore a vital link to downtown for vehicles, it will include a 10-f foot multi-u use path on the down-river side that will provide a wonderful connection to the outstanding trails in South Stafford. People will then be able to safely walk or bike to Chatham, Belmont, Pratt and Brooks Parks and more. There will also be a scenic overlook in the middle of the multi-use path that will be a great spot for photos of downtown.

Also coming soon is Riverfront Park, which will be a new center of gravity for downtown. We expect copious events, relaxing, splashing, playing and rivergazing to occur in that park - which is right across from a nearly 300-space parking garage.

A host of private developments are also adding energy to our downtown. Liberty Place has now opened, and the crowds arrive nightly to Mellow Mushroom and Blue Cow Ice Cream. Coming soon to the development is Harry ' s Downtown. Cary Street Partners, Fit20 and Atlantic Union Bank are among the occupants of the upper floors. In that same block, there's now a second downtown parking garage, and a 34-unit apartment building should open before too much longer.

In the next block over, The Free Lance-Star former headquarters has now been cleared, and a new 99-r room hotel and 50-u unit apartment building with a fitness center are beginning to take shape. More activity will occur on this property and across William Street in the years to come.

A host of new residential projects in and around the downtown will add additional foot traffic and energy to support some of these new businesses in addition to our highly valued existing businesses. These include The Lofts at Frederick Street, the Janney-Marshall project, the Hanover House project and more.

I look forward to watching all of this take shape in the coming years, and to being an active part of the downtown community throughout it all. I firmly believe that our best years still lie ahead.

messages

Thank you Pete for sharing your music & passion. RIP. (“When the Music Died” Tribute to Pete Fields, by Arch DiPeppe), July, 2021

M&S Studios

Great Article about Adam West (Spotlight, July 2021) Katherine Manikas Limerick Dear Virginia; We really enjoyed Jon Gerlach’s article (“What’s in a Village”, August 2021) featuring Normandy Village, our neighborhood that began with young families in the 50’s/60’s,and is experiencing regrowth with a whole new set of young families. In addition to being affliated with the Canal Quarter Association, we qalso proudly refer to ourselves as Normandy Village, as well as the adjoining Old Fairground/Riverside neighborhood. Dear Virginia Another great cover (August, 2021, “Farmer’s Market”, by Pete Morelewicz). Thanks for highlighting local artists and photographers each month in Front Porch.

Norma Woodward

Front Porch Thank you Amanda McCreary for your useful & informative article (Preserving your Garden Herbs”, July 2021)...So helpful

Sheila Brown

Bill Freehling is Fredericksburg's director of economic development and tourism and a long-time cover-to-cover reader of Front Porch. He lives just outside downtown Fredericksburg with his wife, two kids and two cockapoos