Director's Note: Sharing the Art of the Commonwealth

Fortune, Courage, Love: Arts of Africa’sAkan and Kuba Kingdoms from the 
Virginia Museum of Fine Arts opens at Piedmont Arts on Friday, January 15.

A new year is a great time to look forward to what lies ahead, but it is also a good time to reflect on the past. For Piedmont Arts, one constant in our history is its statewide partnership with the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (VMFA) in Richmond, Virginia. Since Piedmont Arts was founded in 1961, it has been a statewide partner and we greatly value the support and resources we have access to from our partnership with the VMFA. Founded in 1936, the VMFA is owned and operated by the Commonwealth of Virginia and is one of the first museums in the American South to be operated by state funds. It is also one of the largest art museums in North America and ranks as one of the top 10 comprehensive art museums in the United States.

On Friday, January 15, Piedmont Arts will be opening its latest exhibit, Fortune, Courage, Love: Arts of Africa’sAkan and Kuba Kingdoms from the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. Curated from the collections of the VMFA, the exhibit will highlight royal life in Africa through the decorative arts of Africa. Linking history, statesmanship and tradition, the exhibition will travel the continent with a special focus on comparing the traditions of the Kuba kingdom in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Akan culture in Ghana. Traditional masks, personal jewelry, woven textiles and other regalia bring the customs of African kings to our region.

Ryan Gothrup (standing) teaches a glass blowing workshop at Piedmont Arts.

Anne Kenny-Urban will give a talk about history's
greatest art heists of May 3 at Piedmont Arts.

In addition to access to amazing exhibits like Fortune, Courage, Love, Piedmont Arts is also able to take advantage of arts educators vetted by the VMFA. In August, students and the community enjoyed creating glass art with teaching artist Ryan Gorthrup and, in previous years, tile artist Beryl Solla, another VMFA teaching artist, has worked with students and community members through Piedmont Arts educational outreach programming. Later this year, the museum will host Anne Kenny-Urban, executive director of Agecroft Hall in Richmond, for the lecture, Stranger Than Fiction: Great Art Heists in History.

Through its partnership with the VMFA, Piedmont Arts is able to expand its offerings to the Martinsville-Henry County community and surrounding areas. For more than five decades, the museum and the VMFA have been linked and we look forward to strengthening our partnership in the future. The VMFA is your state art museum and Piedmont Arts is your regional museum. Both museums open the world to the community and the state.

Happy New Year. All of us here at Piedmont Arts are excited to see what 2016 brings.

Director's Note is a monthly blog by Piedmont Arts Executive Director Kathy Rogers, examining the impact of the arts in our community. 

Contact Kathy at kathyrogers@piedmontarts.org.