Join Arts Council of the Valley at Smith House Galleries on February 7 and enjoy an opening reception (5-7pm, during First Fridays of the Valley) for two new exhibitions: Trees and Other Friends highlights acrylic paintings by Billie Rosenberger, and When I Was Little: A Retrospective of Collegiate Artists and Their Growth features works in a variety of media by 11 artists of JMU’s chapter of the Kappa Pi International Honorary Art Fraternity. Meet the artists, discover their new work, and enjoy light refreshments while you’re here! With support from The School of Art, Design and Art History at James Madison University (JMU), the exhibitions are on view through Feb 28, with in-person visits Monday-Friday, 11 am to 4 pm and on Second Saturday (Feb 8), 10 am to 2 pm. Each exhibition will also be available online.
ABOUT THE ARTISTS: The Gamma Kappa chapter of Kappa Pi – a co-ed International Honorary Art Fraternity – was founded at JMU in 1959 and is now the largest chapter of Kappa Pi in the nation. The members of Kappa Pi (including students from the School of Art, Design and Art History and the School of Media Arts and Design) pour their creativity into film and journalism, painting and textiles, and everything in between. The Kappa Pi artists featured in February are: Ollie Adams, Sirena Alvarez, Chloe Cameron, Kate Funk, Sidney Hale, Riley Mercado, Penny Naden, Dani Perry, Georgia Pinkston, Maya Sumile, and Achilles Vasquez. Billie Rosenberger grew up just outside of New Market, VA in a house surrounded by forest on three sides, enjoying a childhood spent amongst the woods and creeks nearby. It comes as no surprise, then, that her favorite painting subjects are found in nature – particularly flowers and trees. As an adult in college and afterwards, Rosenberger pursued her love of art through various classes in painting, pottery, photography, and stained glass before she settled on painting, favoring water-based media.