VHCC - Arts Array - Fall 2023

2023

Fall of 2023

Arts Array is a VHCC-sponsored series of films, concerts, plays, art events, lectures, and more!

Cover Art Winner for Arts Array Fall 2023

The winner of the competition for Arts Array cover design is Rebecca Pippin with her blue morning glory flowers painting.

Who can ATTEND?

Many of our Arts Array events are free and open to the public.

Films at the Abingdon Cinemall are free with an in-date college ID for students, faculty, and staff at Virginia Highlands Community College, Emory & Henry College, King University, the University of Virginia’s College at Wise, and the Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center (including participants in the College of Older Adults). The community cost is $8.75.

Please see the individual event to learn if an RVSP is required or if there is an additional cost associated with attendance.

Our PARTNERS

Abingdon Cinemall

Barter Theatre

Emory and Henry College

King University

Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center

Our SPONSORS

University of Virginia’s College at Wise Washington County Public Library System

William King Museum of Art Virginia Commission for the Arts

If you would like to sponsor the Arts Array program or a specific Arts Array event, contact Debbie McCroskey at (276) 739-2536.

Need more INFORMATION?

For additional information about the Arts Array please contact:

Music Events

Samantha Gray Band Concert

Saturday, October 7th, 7pm • Keyser-Aday Theatre • FREE Admission

Samantha’s unique voice has been described as soulful, sultry, and powerful. She is also known for her retro style and her high-energy and hip-shaking performances, capturing her audience. Melding the influences of blues, soul, and rock ‘n’ roll, she combines these influences into her own brand of music.

Dreams and Drama: An Afternoon of Piano Quartets

Sunday, October 22nd, 3pm • Keyser-Aday Theatre • FREE Admission

The Paramount Chamber Players open their 19th concert season with an intimate evening featuring two masterworks for piano quartet. Frank Bridge’s Phantasy Quartet in F-Sharp Minor will sweep you away to the English countryside with its dreamy melodies and elegant lyricism, immediately followed by one of the most iconic works of the chamber repertoire, Johannes Brahms’ Piano Quartet No. 1 in G Minor, a dramatic and heroic musical journey. Join our all-star ensemble for an evening you won’t want to miss, featuring Violinist Evie Chen, Violist David Kovac, Cellist Max Geissler, and pianist Katherine Benson.

Jazz - America’s Music Concert

Sunday, November 5th, 3pm • Keyser-Aday Theatre • FREE Admission

A recital chronologically demonstrating all styles of Jazz and seeking to educate listeners on the origins and development of Jazz music. You’ll hear styles including Dixieland, Africaninspired works, Big Band Swing, Bebop, Cool Jazz, Latin, and Fusion, performed by an amazing collection of professional musicians. Composers include Gershwin, Hancock, Gillespie, and Strayhorn.

VHCC Women’s Choir Concert

Saturday, December 2nd, 1pm • Abingdon Arts Depot • FREE Admission

Come enjoy the wonderful festive sounds of the VHCC Women’s Chorus as they perform a variety of Christmas music. For many years, this has primarily been a women’s choral group featuring the unique quality and beauty of female voices uniting in song.

Symphony of the Mountains Holiday Concert

Sunday, December 3rd, 3pm • McGlothlin Center for the Arts at Emory & Henry $35 for General Admission.

VHCC Students and staff are admitted FREE if they sign up in the VHCC library by noon on Thursday, November 30, and pick up their tickets there.  Limited amount of tickets. Two per person. First come first serve.

Our ever-popular “By the Fireside” concert will return this year with the participation of our beloved guests. We are thrilled to welcome back the Academy of Strings, Mountain Empire Children’s Choral Academy, the Mountain Mission School Choir, the Voices of the Mountains, and Santa. The halls will be filled with the sounds of both classic and contemporary holiday favorites.

Music Events

VHCC Women’s Choir and Mixed Choir Christmas Concerts

Tuesday, December 5th, 7pm • Keyser-Aday Theatre

FREE Admission - Donations appreciated.

The annual concert by the VHCC Mixed Choir and Women’s Chorus has become a tradition in past years. The concert will blend sacred and secular favorites and will feature soloists and instrumentalists. The program will provide something for everyone and will put you in the Holiday spirit. Come and enjoy the wonderful music these students and community members will present.

State Line Wind Symphony Concert

Monday, December 11th, 7:15pm • Southwest Higher Ed Center

FREE Admission (Make-up Concert Date Tuesday, December 12th 7:15pm)

The State Line Wind Symphony began in 2013 and performed its first concert on the Paramount Stage in Bristol, TN and is a traditional Community Concert Band consisting of wind, brass, and percussion instruments. The membership has grown too large for the Paramount Stage and now all concerts are held at the Higher Ed Center in Abingdon, VA.

Heart of Appalachia Orchestra

Saturday, December 9th, 7pm • Abingdon High School Auditorium

FREE Admission - Donations appreciated.

The orchestra is directed by Kevin Townsend and made up primarily of music hobbyists, people who just enjoy listening to and playing music. The group also has a few music educators or former music educators, but most members have a non-music-related career. They range in age from high school through retirees. Most members come from the Lebanon and Abingdon areas, but they also have members who drive from Kentucky and North Carolina. Come listen to some wonderful Holiday musical selections.

Blue Ridge Girls

Sunday, December 17th, 3pm • Keyser-Aday Theatre • FREE Admission

The Blue Ridge Girls, like their name, invoke a picturesque simplicity with their take on traditional mountain music. The trio features Martha Spencer, Jamie Collins, and Brett Morris. The trio plays both original and traditional music. All three members grew up in SWVA and in musical families and are now working to preserve and promote our region’s rich musical heritage. Their harmonies and instrumentation are representative of the sound that we call home here in SWVA.

Visual Art Events

Material For Serious Thought

An Exhibition of Paintings by Katie Murphy

Monday, Sept. 11– Thursday, Oct. 26 • Art Gallery, VHCC Library (LRC) • FREE Admission

Visit the VHCC campus art gallery to view paintings by Katie Murphy whose work explores the role of a woman, the home as a place of paradox, the concept of loss and reclamation, and personal narratives that reveal universal experiences including identity, loneliness, and motherhood. Her vibrant, energetic paintings will be on display beginning on Monday, September 11 through Thursday, October 26. The VHCC art gallery is located within the campus library in the LRC building of Virginia Highlands Community College, which is open to the public during regular business hours.

Visual Art Events

Ceramic Collard Leaf Tray Workshop at the Art Lab

Friday, September 15 • 10am-1pm • Art Lab - WKMA • FREE Admission

RSVP Required! Space is limited to 10 participants. Contact Marie Porterfield at mporterfield@ vhcc.edu to reserve a spot.

Join us for a hands-on workshop in the Art Lab ceramics studio to learn how to build a tray in clay and then use a collard leaf to create a printed impression. Participants will be able to take their ceramic collard leaf tray home with them following the completion of the kiln firing process, several weeks after the event. No prior experience with clay is required. This event is presented in partnership with the Art Lab at William King Museum of Art.

Artist Talk with Katie Murphy

Tuesday, September 26 • 2pm to 3pm • ISC 130 • FREE Admission

Join us for an artist talk with Katie Murphy whose exhibition of paintings, Materials for Serious Thought, is on display in the VHCC campus art gallery. Listen as she reveals her inspiration, explains her studio practice, and elaborates upon the ways in which painting became part of her journey toward wholeness in life. This event is free and open to the public!

Día de los Muertos: The Day of the Dead Celebration featuring Carolina Quiroga

Tuesday, October 10 • 2pm to 3pm • ISC 130, VHCC • FREE Admission

Generations of Mexicans have trusted their ancestors to come back and intermingle with their living family every year. The best way to welcome the ancestors who visit us yearly is to provide food, flowers, and presents. But what happens when we forget our ancestors? Occasionally, with a good fright, “un buen susto”, they remind us that they are still around! In this show, we learn and remember the stories and traditions celebrated around El Día de los Muertos. Join Carolina Quiroga for this storytelling event. This event is free and open to the public!

Spooky Wreck-It Art Workshop at the Art Lab

Friday, October 20 • 10am – 1pm • Art Lab – WKMA • FREE Admission

RSVP Required! Space is limited to 10 participants. Contact Marie Porterfield at mporterfield@vhcc.edu to reserve a spot.

Join us for a hands-on workshop in the Art Lab to learn how to wreck a historical work of art and transform it into something spooky, creepy, or strange in this Halloween-inspired workshop. Participants will utilize mixed media techniques and can expect to leave the event with a fabulously spooky, absolutely unique work of art. This event is presented in partnership with the Art Lab at William King Museum of Art.

Linocut Bandana Printing Workshop at the Art Lab

Friday, November 10 • 10am -1pm • Art Lab – WKMA • FREE Admission

RSVP Required! Space is limited to 10 participants. Contact Marie Porterfield at mporterfield@vhcc.edu to reserve a spot.

Join us for a hand-on workshop in the Art Lab printmaking studio to learn how to make a linocut print. Participants will create and carve a design and then print that on a bandana to make a one-of-a-kind wearable work of art. No prior experience is necessary. This event is presented in partnership with the Art Lab at William King Museum of Art.

Visual Art Events

ArtsFest

In Collaboration with King University

Friday, November 17 • 1 pm – 7 pm • LRC Building, VHCC • FREE Admission

Join us for a day celebrating the arts on the campus of Virginia Highlands Community College, in collaboration with King University. Musical and interdisciplinary arts performances will begin at 1:00 pm in the LRC building of Virginia Highlands Community College. Works of art will be on display in the VHCC art gallery, located in the campus library, with a reception from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm. The ArtsFest culminates with the 7:30 pm showing of VHCC’s Fall theatre production. This event is free and open to the public!

Greenhouse Plant Drawing Session

Friday December 1 • 10am - 1pm • Greenhouse, VHCC • FREE Admission

Escape the chilly weather and join us in the tropical oasis of the VHCC Greenhouse for an open drawing session. Assorted drawing supplies will be provided at the event, but participants are welcome to bring along favorite drawing tools, a personal sketchbook, or other preferred supplies. Support and instruction on drawing plants will be provided by the VHCC art professor, Marie Porterfield, and a representative of the horticulture program will be present to provide context on the plants and greenhouse space. This event is free and open to the public!

Theatre Events

Beyond the Fringe

Thursday, November 16 • 7:30pm

Friday, November 17 • 7:30pm

Saturday, November 18 • 7:30pm

Sunday, November 19 • 2:30pm

Keyser-Aday Theater

FREE Admission

Join us this upcoming Fall as VHCC’s Theatre Arts Department presents “Beyond the Fringe”; a brilliant ground-breaking comedy review which revitalized parody and satire on both sides of the Atlantic. The material continues to be relevant, thought provoking, and hilarious.

Film Events

FREE with valid VHCC ID, local school ID, and for members of COA

Cost for Community Members is $8.75

The Whale Rating: R

Mon., Sept. 18 & Tues., Sept. 19 • Show times: 4:00pm & 7:30pm • Abingdon Cinemall

A reclusive English teacher suffering from severe obesity attempts to reconnect with his estranged teenage daughter for one last chance at redemption.

Film Events

FREE with valid VHCC ID, local school ID, and for members of COA Cost for Community Members is $8.75

Good Hair Rating: PG-13

Mon., Sept. 25 & Tues., Sept. 26 • Show times: 4:00pm & 7:30pm • Abingdon Cinemall

Comedian Chris Rock examines the role of hair in the African American community and its far-reaching effect on cultural identity. Also: a look at the highly competitive world of black stylists.

Hoosiers Rating: PG

Mon., Oct. 2 & Tues., Oct. 3 • Show times: 4:00pm & 7:30pm • Abingdon Cinemall

A disgraced basketball coach takes a job at a small Indiana high-school and leads the small squad on an improbable run for a state championship. Meanwhile, he helps the town drunk, a former basketball player, redeem himself.

As Good as It Gets

Rating: PG-13

Mon., Oct. 9 & Tues., Oct. 10 • Show times: 4:00pm & 7:30pm • Abingdon Cinemall

When a gay artist is assaulted and hospitalized, his cranky neighbor with OCD is forced to care for his dog, triggering a change in his selfish attitude, and leading him to set up medical care for the son of his favorite waitress.

Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner? Rating:

TV-PG

Mon., Oct. 23 & Tues., Oct. 24 • Show times: 4:00pm & 7:30pm • Abingdon Cinemall

In Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn’s final screen pairing (their ninth), they play an affluent couple whose liberal views are put to the test when their daughter brings home her fiancé, and he turns out to be a black doctor.

Paranormal Activity Rating: R

Mon., Oct. 30 & Tues., Oct. 31 • Show times: 4:00pm & 7:30pm • Abingdon Cinemall

When married couple Katie and Micah become convinced that their house is haunted, they set up cameras to catch the spirit on video.

The Miracle Worker (1962) Rating:

TV-G

Mon., Nov. 6 & Tues., Nov. 7 • Show times: 4:00pm & 7:30pm • Abingdon Cinemall

A visually-challenged teacher educates a blind and deaf girl, teaching her sign language while fending off her overprotective parents.

Top Gun: Maverick Rating: PG-13

Mon., Nov. 13 & Tues., Nov. 14 • Show times: 4:00pm & 7:30pm • Abingdon Cinemall

After more than thirty years of service as one of the Navy’s top aviators, Pete “Maverick” Mitchell is where he belongs, pushing the envelope as a courageous test pilot and dodging the advancement in rank that would ground him. When he finds himself training a detachment of Top Gun graduates for a specialized mission, Maverick encounters Lt. Bradley Bradshaw, call sign “Rooster”, the son of Maverick’s late friend and Radar Intercept Office Lt. Nick Bradshaw, aka “Goose.”