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CONTENTS
Showcase Magazine
MAY 2021
THE OTTERBOTS ISS U E @showcaseDVA
Showcase Magazine
showcasemagazineva @ info@showcasemagazine.com
FEATURES More futuristic, More skills, More adaptive Getting to know Danville Otterbots General Manager, Austin Scher Park 11
Bold, Vibrant, and Warm An interview with photographer Brooke Klauss 16
More futuristic, More skills, More adaptive Getting to know Danville Otterbots PG. General Manager, Austin Scher
11
ALSO INSIDE Editor’s Letter
Welcoming Home the Otterbots 6
Games
Crossword & Wordsearch 20 4 SHOWCASE Magazine |
Confessions of a 30 Something Happy Anniversary, Showcase 23
Paws for a Cause Meet Zola 25 MAY 2021
From the Kitchen of
Big Bear’s Wife
Easy Broccoli Salad 26
Piedmont Arts
Celebrating 60 Years of Art in Martinsville-Henry County 28
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PG.
16
SPONSORED CONTENT THE ARC OF SOUTHSIDE
The Arc of Southside is HIRING
A
Come grow with us!!
re you interested in a career that makes a profound difference in the life of someone else? If so, then you belong with The Arc of Southside!
We are looking for several FT, PT and PRN Direct Support Professionals (DSP’s) as well as other positions and we would love to have you join our team! Who We Are: The Arc of Southside is a local chapter of The Arc of Virginia and The Arc of the US, founded in 1954 to serve individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The Arc of Southside has changed dramatically over the past several years, shifting from a traditional facility-based model to an inclusive community-based model of support, currently serving over 100 adults and children in Danville, VA and the surrounding area. Driven by a passion to meet the needs of individuals with developmental disabilities striving for a fully inclusive life in the community, The Arc of Southside provides fully inclusive and person-centered residential, recreational, vocational, and transitional services. Why Join Us? We are a diverse team of dedicated individuals who are passionate about serving and empowering children and adults to live their most fulfilling and independent lives. We live by a Person First, Person Centered value system to create meaningful lives for the people we serve and each other. When hiring, we look for candidates that have the fundamental belief that people with disabilities are worthy of respect, are a strong fit with our culture, and bring the talent and experience required by the position. Our employees are dedicated to assisting those served in becoming a part of their community, while being an advocate for change by breaking down societal barriers and actively working to change negative perceptions. We offer a positive, team-oriented work environment with opportunity for professional growth and continuous learning, flexible hours, and the chance to make an impact on someone’s life.
to live, work, and play in their communities and have A Life Like Yours. Their role has transformed and their title has changed to reflect that transformation. The people who provide the support, who are advocates, mentors, teachers, and facilitators of life in the community are now called Direct Support Professionals (DSPs). The Arc of Southside’s Direct Support Professionals are responsible for helping individuals achieve goals and providing the support and guidance necessary for them to be productive, integral members of their communities. This revised role requires more skills and greater judgment than ever before. They also find themselves providing more individualized support in less congregate settings to individuals. Our DSP’s work tirelessly to assure that individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities are respected and included in their community. Inclusion is not just about being present; it’s about being a part of something. The role of the DSP is not just about assisting in navigating the community but more importantly about facilitating the community’s interactions with people with developmental and intellectual disabilities. For more information and job openings, please visit us at: www.thearcofsouthside.org or Scan the QR Code below to be directed The Arc’s page on Indeed
For More Information on The Arc of Southside call 434.836.3272.
What Is A Direct Support Professional (DSP)? We believe that it is important to recognize that the role of the people who provide the support (DSP’s) has evolved. The DSP’s role is much more than just the basic caregiving. They are supporting people www.showcasemagazine.com
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EDITOR’S LETTER
Welcoming Home the Otterbots Spring is in full swing. Excitement is in the air. And finally, baseball has come back to Danville. Many significant memories are made from baseball, whether it be playing or watching the sport. I remember afternoons watching WGN and Cubs baseball. I wasn’t a Cubs fan, but I enjoyed Harry Caray’s play-by-play and how animated he became when the Cubs scored a run or won. Having baseball back is another road back to normality. This month, Davin catches up with Austin Scher, the general manager of the Danville Otterbots. Baseball isn’t new to Danville, but the energy the Otterbots are bringing is stirring up national recognition for the city. Scher is settling into life as a Danvillian and enjoying what the city offers. We also sat down with Brooke Klauss. She has produced fantastic cover shots for Showcase through the years, including this one of Scher. We dig into her creative process and any advice she may have for aspiring photographers. In “Confessions of a 30 Something,” Lee reminisces on how baseball has been a huge part of his life and how much he is looking forward to the Otterbots’ inaugural season. Bernadette Moore gives readers the history of Piedmont Arts in Martinsville. Just as baseball, art is an integral part of a healthy quality of life for many. I really hope you take the time to appreciate art and history by visiting the many museums within our area, including Piedmont Arts and the Danville Museum of Fine Arts and History. These places have a variety of exhibits to keep art lovers busy during their visit. There is a Babe Ruth quote that goes beyond the circles of baseball and can apply to life. Ruth said, “Never allow the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game.” He also said, “Every strike brings me closer to the next home run.” So whatever you do, I hope you swing for the fences, just like the Otterbots.
showcase MAY 2021
CEO Andrew Scott Brooks scott@showcasemagazine.com EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Paul Seiple | paul@showcasemagazine.com GRAPHIC DESIGNER Kim Demont | demontdesign@verizon.net FINANCE MANAGER Cindy Astin | cindy@showcasemagazine.com ADVERTISING Lee Vogler | Director of Sales and Marketing lee@showcasemagazine.com | 434.548.5335 Kenny Thornton Jr | Account Executive kenny@showcasemagazine.com CUSTOMER SERVICE Subscribe to Home Delivery for $24 per year 753 Main Street #3, Danville, VA 24541 Phone 434.709.7349 info@showcasemagazine.com www.showcasemagazine.com CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Angie Barrett | Paulette Dean Bernadette Moore | Lee Vogler | Davin Wilson CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Angie Barrett | Captured Portraiture Lee Vogler COVER Danville Otterbots General Manager Austin Scher. Photo by Captured Portraiture
Enjoy the issue. Scan with your smart phone for
EXCLUSIVE ONLINE CONTENT at showcasemagazine.com
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The Averett University Cougars Welcome the Danville Otterbots! AVERETT UNIVERSITY • 420 W. MAIN ST., DANVILLE, VA 24541 • AVERETT.EDU • 1-800-AVERETT www.showcasemagazine.com
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The Danville Family YMCA welcomes the Otterbots to our community!
215 Riverside Drive, Danville, VA 434.792.0621 • www.ymcadanville.org
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FEATURE MORE FUTURISTIC, MORE SKILLS, MORE ADAPTIVE: GETTING TO KNOW DANVILLE OTTERBOTS GENERAL MANAGER, AUSTIN SCHER
More futuristic, More skills, More adaptive Getting to know Danville Otterbots General Manager, Austin Scher BY DAVIN WILSON PHOTOS BY CAPTURED PORTRAITURE
B
y now, we all know — unless you’ve been living under a rock like the Cavemen from the Geico commercials — of the, well, Geico spots featuring the woodchucks chucking wood into a pond, and Ronnie from Ronnie’s Lumber telling them to stop. And of course, we can’t forget about the Ronnie’s Lumber sequel, where Ronnie’s crew can’t finish filming a commercial because of the woodchucks chucking wood. Danville Otterbots General Manager Austin Scher knows the now infamous spots and had a few opinions on whether otters could have out-acted the woodchucks. “I would say yeah. I think honestly otters are underappreciated in their levels of adorableness. When you go to an aquarium or a zoo that has otters you might not be looking at a list of attractions and thinking the otter exhibit is at the top of the list but once you get there, you end up staring for an hour, because they’re just so cute,” Scher answered, after being asked if otters would have beat out the woodchucks. He also had a few thoughts on the athletic capabilities of otters and woodchucks as well. When asked if otters could have chucked more wood than the woodchucks, Scher replied, “So, I’m going to answer this with a caveat, if you’re going with a normal woodchuck and a normal otter, I’d say a woodchuck has got an otter beat, but if you’re talking about an otterbot, then the otterbot would win because you’re taking an otter and making it better. More futuristic, more skills, more adaptive, so I would say a woodchuck beats an otter, but an otterbot beats a woodchuck.” But Geico commercials and the acting and athletic abilities of woodchucks, otters, and even otterbots, aren’t the only pieces of popular culture Scher has in his wheelhouse. Taking a trip to his Instagram page, it doesn’t take long to see Scher is quite the shoe connoisseur and his feed
features a plethora of sneakers from Air Jordans to custom-designed Chuck Taylors. “Yeah, it’s probably my biggest vice,” Scher said, laughing. “I don’t want to say it’s a problem, but I often wear the same dress shirts and t-shirts and pants for a week at a time, clean of course, but with my shoes, I’ve got something different on every day.” However, Scher’s specific focus on sneakers causes him a few problems now and then. “But the issue is, I’ve only got one pair of dress shoes, so when I need to wear something nice, it’s the same pair over-and-over again. Even for the press conference to announce the Otterbots brand, I was wearing a complete suit with Air Jordan Concord 11s,” Scher recalled laughing. Scher’s vice comes from a pure place. After his great-grandfather immigrated from Italy to the United States, he settled into a small town right outside of Cleveland, Ohio, where he started a shoe repair shop. He passed it down to Scher’s grandfather, who continued operating the business as a shoe repair shop, but also transitioned it into a regular shoe store. To this day, his uncle runs the shop in its original location. “I like to use the excuse the shoe obsession is in my blood, and I can’t help it,” Scher said laughing. Like any true collector, he still remembers the first pair of shoes he ever bought on his own: A pair of silver Air Jordans. “I loved them with all of my heart,” Scher said. “I had sneaker cleaner, paper towels, and old toothbrushes in my closet. Every time I wore the Jordans, I would sit down on my bed and clean them. I kept them looking brand new every day because I loved them with all my heart.” Continued to Page 12 www.showcasemagazine.com
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FEATURE MORE FUTURISTIC, MORE SKILLS, MORE ADAPTIVE: GETTING TO KNOW DANVILLE OTTERBOTS GENERAL MANAGER, AUSTIN SCHER
Continued from Page 11
One of the most iconic sneakers in history is the Air Jordan I. The shoe is widely credited as the catalyst for sneaker-culture, changed technology in basketball shoes and changed collecting forever. The name or sight of them brings back a sense of nostalgia for those who grew up in the late-80s-90s and a chagrin from parents after being reminded how bratty
some of their kids were over getting them. When asked what his favorite shoes were, the Air Jordan brand was at the top of the list as he went back-andforth between the classic Air Jordan I and Air Jordan 12 Wings. “My favorite silhouette is the Air Jordan I, I have like nine pairs of those and they’re all different colors,” Scher said. “That’s the thing with them, you can have 100 pairs and none of them would be the same because they released so many color schemes. It’s a classic. It redefined not only sneakers, but footwear.” Any good shoe should be versatile, and it’s the Air Jordan I’s adaptability Scher loves and has needed, exemplified by his wearing the Jordan Concord 11s at the Otterbots’ press conference earlier this year. “It’s a shoe you can wear in a formal setting if you dress it up the right way and you can wear them on the basketball court or the blacktop,” Scher said. “You can wear them to the gym, to work on a casual Friday, they’re so versatile. So I think that’s my favorite silhouette.” In the end, though, it’s the Air Jordan 12 Wings Scher chose as his favorite pair because of the creative design. “They are a black-and-white base but when you wear them, there is a heat activated gold that appears over the black portion so you can either take a warm rag and rub it on them and expose the wings artificially or as you wear them, the natural body heat your feet give, it will slowly start to appear. I think the design is incredible.” Shoes aren’t the only part of Scher’s childhood he still carries with him. Scher grew up in Durham, North Carolina, where he attended Durham Bulls games like a religion. Whether it was birthday parties, class field trips, Field of Dreams days with his Little League teams, or going with his parents who had season tickets, Scher grew up in Durham Bulls Athletic Park — not knowing baseball could one day lead to a career. “I did my birthday parties there, my Little League teams did their Field of Dreams night, my mom was a teacher and they would do their Teacher Appreciation Nights there, my dad’s company had nights out there, I grew up Continued to Page 14
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FEATURE MORE FUTURISTIC, MORE SKILLS, MORE ADAPTIVE: GETTING TO KNOW DANVILLE OTTERBOTS GENERAL MANAGER, AUSTIN SCHER
Continued from Page 12
in that ballpark,” Scher said. “At the time, I didn’t think any more of it than this is awesome, this is fun.” That all changed after Scher’s first year at the University of Wisconsin. “One of my best friends from school interned one summer for the Madison Mallards of the Northwest League, and after that summer, he told me I should really look into working there and that I would enjoy it.” Scher listened, but was forced into delaying starting an internship because of his need to finish a few classes in summer school. However, he went over to the Mallards’ ballpark his first free summer and got his feet wet, literally. “I got my first job in baseball as a beer mover for the Mallards. My nametag literally said, ‘Austin S., Beer Mover,’” Scher recalled, laughing. “In a state like Wisconsin where people drink more beer than water, it
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was tough work, but I had the time of my life.” At the end of his summer, as he was preparing to go back to school, Scher’s mother asked him what he thought about the job and he replied by telling her he loved it and baseball was what he was going to do the rest of his life. Flash forward to 2021, and that’s exactly what Scher is doing, not only working in baseball, but readying to usher in a new age of baseball in Danville — something he’s thrilled to be doing. “I’m absolutely thrilled to be here in Danville and thrilled to be a part of baseball in Danville,” Scher said. “There’s a lot of baseball history in this town and it’s awesome to be able to improve the quality of life in Danville and offer fun, cheap, family entertainment, while also having highly competitive baseball, and also the opportunity to serve as a force of economic development in the region.”
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FEATURE BOLD, VIBRANT, AND WARM : AN INTERVIEW WITH PHOTOGRAPHER BROOKE KLAUSS
Bold, Vibrant, and Warm An interview with photographer Brooke Klauss PHOTOS BY CAPTURED PORTRAITURE
H
er photography has graced many covers of Showcase over the last few years. This month, we sat down with Brooke Klauss, the photographer behind Captured Portraiture. Showcase Magazine: Can you introduce yourself to the readers? Brooke Klauss: My name is Brooke Klauss, and I am a 25-year-old wife, mama, and business owner. I am super bubbly and a bit quirky, but a whole lotta fun. I love thrift shopping, crime shows, and Chick-Fil-A iced
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coffee. As much as I may seem extroverted, I am actually more introverted. I love being in the comfort of my home with my family, pups, and farm. If you ask folks about me, they’ll probably say I am funny, but it’s just because I have a genuine zeal for life, and I truly believe there’s nothing impossible with God. SM: What (or who) inspired me to be a photographer? BK: Actually, it was my sister-in-law, Hillary Cobbs. She Continued to Page 18
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FEATURE BOLD, VIBRANT, AND WARM : AN INTERVIEW WITH PHOTOGRAPHER BROOKE KLAUSS
Continued from Page 16
got a camera 10 years ago and asked me to model for her. We would go downtown, bring tons of funky outfits and just spend hours taking photos. I then asked my mom for my own camera that Christmas not knowing if I would even enjoy photography. “Santa” brought me
my Canon Rebel T3I kit, and I started taking selfportraits. They were terrible, but hey we all start somewhere. SC: When did you take up photography? BK: Nine years ago. As soon as I picked up the camera and started doing sessions, I knew this was what I wanted to do with my life. SC: How would you describe your style? BK: Bold, vibrant, colorful, warm, happy, candid, priceless–I feel like my photo style is a true representation of me and who I am as a person. SC: What is the perfect shoot? BK: Give me an overgrown field in the summertime, an hour before the sunset, and I can create literal magic. SM: What are your favorite shoots? BK: I used to want to be a wedding photographer, but once I had Brynleigh, my passion changed. Now, I am slowly trying to cut back on weddings to focus more on seniors and family photography. Those babies are only little once and capturing all those in-between moments matters most to me. SM: Whose photography has influenced you most? BK: I always hate this question because I never have an answer. It has not been one person’s photography that has inspired me. I get inspired by any successful photographer who has figured out how to be profitable in this business. When I see someone doing what they love and providing for their family while doing it, I get hype. That is my personal goal. SM: Do you have any advice for inspiring photographers? BK: How much space do you guys have for this question? It’s important to have a consistent style, but don’t get so caught up with that thought that you don’t give yourself room to grow creatively. PRACTICE. And then practice some more. Learn manual mode; it’s life changing. Don’t compare yourself to anyone else because there will always be someone worse than you and someone who will be better. It’s okay though because there’s room for us all. No one can do photography like you. And if you want to make this a business, run your numbers, and charge your worth.
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EXTRA GAMES
Games
Crossword Puzzle ACROSS 1 ssociation (abbr.) 5 Poke 9 Do a dance 14 Tardy 15 Day-time tv’s Mr. Donahue 16 Bye 17 Moved air 18 Air (prefix) 19 Plastic wrap 20 United States of America 21 Soft drink brand 23 African nation 24 City in India 26 Insult 28 Lode yield 29 Nearly horizontal entrance 31 Foreign Agricultural Service 34 Motel (2 wds.) 37 Steam bath 39 African nation 40 Attack 41 Babysit 42 Be concerned 44 Able to be stowed
47 Poem of praise 48 Fair 50 Estimated time of arrival 51 Pounds per square inch 52 Flirting 56 Absent without leave 59 Accident 63 Delaware 64 Demonstrations 66 Central Thai 67 Mistake 68 Hauls 69 Tiny body part 70 Alack’s partner 71 Pick up 72 Head coverings 73 Evils DOWN 1 Picture book 2 Popular condiment 3 Word with home or in 4 Not old 5 Scantier 6 Biblical “you” 7 Put on __
8 Coalition 9 Used to be 10 Belonging to Eve’s husband 11 Italian currency 12 Bluish green 13 Member of an Arizona Indian tribe 2 Card game 22 Sum 25 Rotating mechanism 27 Possessive pronoun 29 Negatively charged particle 30 Ancient Indian 31 Butane 32 Green Gables dweller 33 Miserable 34 Atmosphere 35 Giant 36 Island 38 Treed (2 wds.) 39 Couple 43 Okay 45 Small items 46 On top 49 Vigor 51 Works soil
53 Country poem 54 Asian nation 55 Burnish 56 Totals
57 “as you __” 58 Asian country 60 Annoying, like a bug bite
61 Popular stadium 62 Cease 65 South southeast 67 Thai
Word Search BUNT
MITT
FOUL
OTTERBOTS
SAVE
UMPIRE
LEAGUE
PITCHER
STEAL
UNIFORM
LINEUP
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RUN
STRIKEOUT
WALK
Answers on Page 30
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There’s a lot going on at the
Danville Museum of Fine Arts & History presents
A Stitch in Time
A yarn bombing Fiber Art Exhibition July 4th - September 28, 2021
The Danville Museum of Fine Arts and History is proud to present WANDERLOVE: A Stitch in Time. This Large Community Art Engagement will be opening July 4th as a “Yarn Bombing” or “Fiber Installation” along the Riverwalk Trail in Danville’s River District. The final installation week is June 28 - July 3. There is still time until June to participate - come be a part of this fun exhibition...sign up today! For more information or to register, email the Museum at: info@danvillemuseum.org, or call 434-793-5644. Scan the QR Code and go to A Stitch in Time page on our website to sign up.
Sponsored by: the DMFAH, Danville Pittsylvania County Chamber of Commerce, Danville Parks & Rec., the Dan River Basin Association, the River District Association, the Danville-Pittsylvania County Libraries, Sovah Health - Danville, and Goodwill Industries. This project is supported in part by the Virginia Commission for the Arts
Gallery Exhibitions 500 Gallery Block Galleries | Danville River District
Veronica Jackson: The Burden of Invisibility April 18 - May 23, 2021
Timothy Duffy: Blue Muse
June 1 - August 28, 2021
Smithsonian’s Museum on Main Street Traveling Exhibit
Crossroads: Change in Rural America
Coming this Fall to Chatham, VA • October 16 - November 21, 2021 For current schedules, workshops, classes, summer camps and exhibits at the Museum, go to danvillemuseum.org or call 434-793-5644 or email info@danvillemuseum.org 22 SHOWCASE Magazine |
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CONFESSIONS OF A 30 SOMETHING
Confessions of a 30 Something The Right Time for America’s Pastime BY LEE VOGLER PHOTO BY LEE VOGLER
“Put me in coach, I’m ready to play.” Whenever I hear those words, I’m taken back to my younger days as a kid playing baseball. My dad would play that classic John Fogerty song “Centerfield,” where the line comes from before every game as I sat in the back seat in anticipation of that day’s contest. I spent a good chunk of my life playing baseball from age four to twenty. Heck, I’ve been playing recreation league softball nearly every year since. There’s just something special about being on the field, a glove on your hand and a hat on your head, waiting for the next pitch. It’s a love that seems to have been passed on to my son, Kingston, as he has begun his own playing journey over the past few years.
I’m looking forward to a summer of fun, watching my son play youth baseball. I also look forward to stepping back on the field with my friends and playing under the lights. And yes, after almost two years away, I’m looking forward to sitting in a packed stadium with a beer in one hand, and a bag of peanuts in the other, watching the greatest game ever invented. Now is the right time for America’s pastime.
As we enter May, baseball is back. The major league season is in full swing with actual fans, and not cardboard cutouts in the stands. Minor league baseball is just getting started again, and now Danville’s newest team, the Otterbots, will make its debut in June. It’s been fun to watch the reaction to our new team being called the “Otterbots.” There was definitely some hesitation from many locals at first, but it seems most have warmed up to, or downright love, the name. Barstool Sports even named us the best team name in baseball.
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PAWS FOR A CAUSE
Paws for a Cause In May, we celebrate Mother’s Day. The very word “mother” brings to mind safety, warmth, care, and love. There are bad mothers, to be sure, but the vast majority offer unconditional love. In fact, all nature values mothers. There is a reason our planet is called Mother Earth.
mother first has to be killed.
WRITTEN BY PAULETTE DEAN EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR DANVILLE HUMANE SOCIETY
There are many documented stories about the care animal mothers give. In 1988, several female elephants brought one of their babies to a park ranger’s office for help. When the baby was hurt, they walked two miles to the ranger’s office, where the baby would be safe from other animals.
At the shelter, we dread the times when obviously nursing dogs and cats are brought in as strays without their babies. If we know where the animal came from, we go and attempt to find the babies. Many times, we have put a mother dog on a leash, and she has led us to her puppies so we can rescue them.
Cows are very maternal, and sadly, that leads to sorrow for them. Dairy calves are immediately taken from their mothers after birth, and the cows look for the babies and try to get to them as they hear the calves’ cries.
Puppies and kittens adjust easily and quickly to shelter life if they come in with their mother. As long as they have her, all is right with their world. People know to exercise caution approaching a mother animal that has her babies with her. Even some very trusting dogs and cats become nervous when a human picks up their young. In the wild, most fights with a female are caused by a protective mother. Wild animal poachers and collectors know that in order to capture a baby or a young animal, the
Mother chickens can recognize their chicks’ peeps, and sheep and goat mothers make sure their offspring play with others in their own age group. Even some species of insects are raised by their mothers!
MEET ZOLA This six-month-old, spayed Lab mix is a sweetheart. She was adopted in February and then brought back after-hours. She escaped from her owner. Surveillance video showed she stayed in the parking lot for a long time before running toward the River Walk. Thankfully, several days later she returned to the shelter and went into a humane trap that was set for her.
How grateful the earth and its creatures should be for the institution of motherhood. I know I am grateful for my mother. DANVILLE HUMANE SOCIETY
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FEATURE BIG BEAR’S WIFE
From the Kitchen of
Big Bear’s Wife Easy Broccoli Salad WRITTEN BY ANGIE BARRETT OF BIGBEARSWIFE.COM PHOTO BY ANGIE BARRETT
A perfectly Easy Broccoli Salad that’s perfect as a side dish, great for picnics and perfect for cookouts! This make-ahead side dish is mixtures of fresh broccoli, sunflower seeds, raisins and bacon bits that has been tossed in a sweet southern dressing and chilled! PREP TIME: 15m; CHILL TIME: 6h; TOTAL TIME: 6h 15m; INGREDIENTS • 4 cups raw broccoli florets, roughly chopped • 1/2 cup sunflower seeds • 1 cup raisins • 1/2 cup bacon bits • 1 cup mayonnaise • 2 tablespoons sugar • 2 tablespoons orange juice INSTRUCTIONS 1. Wash and dry broccoli. 2. Cut broccoli florets into bite sized pieces. 3. Toss raw broccoli into a large bowl. 4. Toss in sunflower seeds, raisins, and bacon bits. Stir together. 5. In a small bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, sugar and orange juice until smooth. 6. Pour over broccoli mixture. Toss to combine. 7. Once everything is mixed well, cover bowl with foil or plastic wrap and stick it into the fridge. 8. Chill for 4-6 hours for dressing to soak into broccoli NOTES Double dressing recipe for a “saucy” salad.
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EXPLORE PIEDMONT ARTS: CELEBRATING 60 YEARS OF ART IN MARTINSVILLE-HENRY COUNTY
Piedmont Arts
Celebrating 60 Years of Art in Martinsville-Henry County BY BERNADETTE MOORE
Martinsville has long been home to industry, from tobacco to furniture to textiles — even earning the area the title “sweatshirt capital of the world” in the 1980s — but the arts have also played an important role in the community’s history. Since 1961, the city has been home to Piedmont Arts, a nonprofit art museum dedicated to serving Martinsville-Henry County and the surrounding area. This year, Piedmont Arts is celebrating its 60th anniversary. This milestone comes when small museums are increasingly important venues for the exploration of arts and culture. Community-centric organizations like Piedmont Arts, which hosts exhibits and events that impact 20,000 residents and visitors each year, provide entertainment and educational opportunities, often to underserved areas, while adding to the vibrance and economic health of cities and towns across the country. According to Sarah Hodges, Director of Tourism for the
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Martinsville—Henry County Economic Development Corporation, “The arts contribute to communities in a multitude of ways, and we are proud of all the ways in which Piedmont Arts has enhanced the quality of life in Martinsville—Henry County for the past 60 years. Visitors to the community are able to experience powerful and beautiful exhibits and participate in creative events throughout the year. These exhibits and events continue to draw visitors to Martinsville—Henry County and help make a lasting, positive impact on the visitor experience.” As the museum reflects on its past, Executive Director Heidi Pinkston says she sees great opportunity to grow with the times. “Piedmont Arts has made much progress in the last 60 years. It has gone from humble beginnings as a small group of artists to an art museum accredited by the American Alliance of Museums. We are proud of the advances we have made and look forward to growing with the future.”
Early Years Formed as a local chapter of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Piedmont Arts was founded through a grassroots effort by local artists who needed a place to show their work and collaborate. For years, the group met in members’ houses and displayed their work in bank lobbies and local businesses. In 1981, the heirs of Michael “Big Mike” and Purnell Schottland donated their family home to Piedmont Arts as a permanent facility. Big Mike was the co-founder of Virginia Glass and Mirror, a company that still operates in Martinsville today. He purchased the home for his family around 1918 and an extensive remodel in the 1930s gave the house many of the defining features it still retains, like inlaid wood floors, ornately carved woodwork and a crystal chandelier rumored to have come from the Governor’s Mansion in Richmond, though any written evidence of this has been lost to time. Over the next decade, Piedmont Arts programming expanded so dramatically that, in 1996, the Board of Directors launched a capital campaign to renovate and expand the museum to meet the community’s need. The campaign raised $3.5 million used to transform the facility into a state-of-the-art museum with a performance hall, seven galleries, a classroom, a reference library, and a playroom for children. The expansion, improved climate control, and updated gallery space allowed Piedmont Arts to apply for accreditation from the American Alliance of Museums, the highest national recognition afforded to U.S. museums. In 2004, Piedmont Arts gained accreditation, a status currently shared by on only 3.2% of the nation’s estimated 33,000 museums. 60 Years and Beyond Today, Piedmont Arts remains true to its roots as an art museum dedicated to serving its community. It curates and hosts exhibitions — a blockbuster exhibit of Ansel Adams photographs just left the museum in February and watercolors from the American Watercolor Society are on view through May 1 — and offers performing arts, events, and art classes for all ages. To kick off its 60th anniversary, the museum plans to host a semiformal jubilee on June 11, a luncheon on June 22 and a Family Day on August 28. In addition, other events highlighting favorite programs from the past, like a talk by crowd-favorite Dr. Elliot Engel and the annual holiday performance by Roanoke Symphony Orchestra, will fill out the museum’s calendar. Pinkston says these events will not only celebrate Piedmont Arts’ 60year history, they will help raise money for the exhibits, events and programs that the community looks forward to each year. “Community support is so important to a museum like Piedmont Arts. Memberships, donations and ticket sales provide the revenue that a small non-profit like ours needs to survive. By taking part in the museum’s 60th anniversary programs, your contributions will help to ensure that Piedmont Arts remains a center for the exploration of arts for the next 60 years.” For more information on Piedmont Arts 60th Anniversary events, exhibits and sponsorship opportunities, visit PiedmontArts.org. www.showcasemagazine.com
| MAY 2021 | SHOWCASE Magazine 29
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