Earlier this month, I had the privilege of attending the opening reception for
“The Canterbury Tales: Stories in Quilts,” the latest art exhibit in Virginia
Wesleyan College’s Neil Britton Gallery. The exquisite works by fabric artist
B.J. Elvgren will be on display through Oct. 23—I urge you to visit the gallery
to witness their beauty for yourselves. Thank you to the Center for the Study
of Religious Freedom and the Art Department for bringing this outstanding
visual display to our College.
It was exciting to see such a spirited turnout at the reception, which included artist’s remarks from Ms. Elvgren and a Readers’ Theatre performance featuring Dr. Gillette Elvgren as Chaucer, and pilgrims played by Virginia Wesleyan professors Dr. Kellie Holzer (English); Dr. Rebecca Hooker (English); Dr. Terry Lindvall (Communication and Religious Studies), Dr. Travis Malone (Theatre); Mr. Adam Ruh (English), and Dr. Jennifer Slivka (English).
Batten Associate Professor of Art John Rudel, who also serves as Curator of Exhibitions here at Virginia Wesleyan, began the evening with some particularly interesting statistics. He highlighted the ways in which the arts are of markedly growing importance in the contemporary world that we will send our graduates into and specifically referenced a “cultural obsession” with object making known as the DIY (do it yourself) or “Maker Movement.” He noted that:
It was exciting to see such a spirited turnout at the reception, which included artist’s remarks from Ms. Elvgren and a Readers’ Theatre performance featuring Dr. Gillette Elvgren as Chaucer, and pilgrims played by Virginia Wesleyan professors Dr. Kellie Holzer (English); Dr. Rebecca Hooker (English); Dr. Terry Lindvall (Communication and Religious Studies), Dr. Travis Malone (Theatre); Mr. Adam Ruh (English), and Dr. Jennifer Slivka (English).
Batten Associate Professor of Art John Rudel, who also serves as Curator of Exhibitions here at Virginia Wesleyan, began the evening with some particularly interesting statistics. He highlighted the ways in which the arts are of markedly growing importance in the contemporary world that we will send our graduates into and specifically referenced a “cultural obsession” with object making known as the DIY (do it yourself) or “Maker Movement.” He noted that:
- In the United States alone, there are approximately 135 million adult makers—that’s well over half of the American population ages 18 and up, not including children and teens.
- The Maker Movement pumps roughly $29 billion into the economy each year.
- More than 300,000 people attended approximately 200 worldwide “Maker Faires” last year, with a 62 percent rise in attendance in the last five years.
- The White House held its inaugural Maker Faire in 2014, recognizing that “Today’s D.I.Y. is tomorrow’s ‘Made in America’”
John also shared that at the Virginia Wesleyan student club fair on Sept. 1, two students took the initiative to create arts and crafts clubs. At the end of the day, they left with nearly 100 signatures from other students interested in joining. Those are impressive numbers. And according to John, with the Maker Movement continuing to grow rapidly, we can anticipate much more interest among our student population in coming months and years.
The arts are indeed thriving here at Virginia Wesleyan College, and I am proud that we consistently provide our students with top-notch creative outlets, whether academic or extracurricular. View upcoming visual and performing arts events at the Arts at Virginia Wesleyan College webpage or view the 2015-2016 fall arts brochure.
