Claudia Mitchell Arts Fund Recipients
2023
Individuals
- Kiaya Abernathy – Production of a Fall Songwriters Workshop
- KC Bosch – Producing a three-day Writers Retreat
- Maeve Ciuba – Portable harp to continue her study and practice at college
- John Halberg – Three “crankie” performances at Estes Mill, featuring Katherine Fahey & local artists
- Linda Heimstra – Design and painting of a 72 ft. community mural on the fence at the Rappahannock County Park
- Peter Hornbostel – Creation of a Rappahannock Writers Journal
- Kitty Keyser – Scholarships to her Waldorf summer camps at Trinity Church and Hearthstone School
- Isaac Plaksin – A year of private trombone lessons
- Reilly Talley – Professional recording of two of his bands’ songs
- Daniel Webb – Three performances at Rappahannock Senior Center
- Ruthie Windsor-Mann – Self-publication of her sketchbook “12 Acres in 12 Months”
Organizations
- Belle Meade School – “Our Home Rappahannock” – an introduction to plein air painting for middle and high school students with Nora Harrington
- Living Sky/Cherl Crews – Planning & production of Red Tent Sisterhood’s annual spring gathering, open to the community
- Mountainside Dance Center – Dance scholarships for children
- Rappahannock County High School – New light board for the Drama Department
- Rappahannock County Library – Monthly free, hands-on art classes for seniors
- Scrabble School Preservation Foundation – Performing artists and technical direction for MLK performance at Little Washington Theatre
2022
Individuals
- Mary Bartlett – Mask-making & set design for productions of Julie Portman’s last play
- Maeve Ciuba – Weekly Celtic harp lessons with Allison Hampton & harp rental
- Maureen Day – Metalsmithing equipment & classes
- Daphne Hutchinson – Interviews & oral histories, anecdotes, family lore & legends from Sperryville for book entitled “In the Gateway Village”
- Janet Kerig – Arts & crafts summer camp at CCLC
- Kitty Keyser – Waldorf summer camp at Trinity Church
- Roger Piantadosi – Creation & production of original music & a video inspired by the natural beauty of Rappahannock
Organizations
- 1000 Faces/Peg Schadler – Creation and performance of Peggy Schadler’s new play “Marco Polo Travels The Electronic Super Highway,” in September at Pen Druid, plus video
- Belle Meade School – Staging of a musical for spring 2023
- Child Care Learning Center (CCLC) – Six visiting artists programs during 2022 summer and 2022-23 school year
- Headwaters – Summer Choral program for middle and high school students, including community performance
- Living Sky/Cherl Crews – Planning & production of Red Tent Sisterhood’s annual spring gathering
- Mountainside Dance – Scholarships for children & adults
- Rappahannock Radio/Kiaya Abernathy – Operational expenses
-
Rapp Nature Camp – Preduction of booklet of original songs and artwork as a tribute to retiring founder Lyt Wood
- Scrabble School Preservation Fund – Performing
2021
Individuals
- Colby Allred — Creation of large-scale ceramic sculpture series “Rural Monoliths” inspired by rural agricultural communities
- Kiaya Abernathy — Rappahannock Radio production of 12 new interviews with local artists and personalities
- Maeve Ciuba — Continued study of Celtic harp with Allison Hampton
- Lorraine Duisit — CD production of original songs that includes local artists and musicians
- Jason Goldman — Three pieces of equipment for his woodworking studio to facilitate his own work, plus teaching others
- Linda Heimstra — Equipment for recording and producing an album of original & public domain jazz songs written and/or arranged by Linda & members of “The Nethers Hot Club”
- Elena Kazmier — Creation of a series of “buon fresco” panels entitled “Rappahannock Renaissance” for her new Flint Hill studio & gallery
- Janet Kerig — Summer arts & crafts camp at CCLC
- Lisa Leftwich — Jazz piano lessons with Bill Harris
Organizations
- 1000 Faces Mask Theater — Production & video of new original masked theater piece, “Axis Mundi Travelling Medicine Show”. Fall performance at Pen Druid.
- Child Care & Learning Center (CCLC) — Visiting artists from summer 2021 through next school year bringing music, movement, drawing, puppeteering, storytelling and bubbles to CCLC children
- Headwaters Foundation — Two-week Summer Chorus Program for Rappahannock middle and high school age kids
- Living Sky Foundation — Development of a new website for Sperryville ARTists Cooperative
- Mountainside Dance Center — Student scholarships for children & adults and support for MDC’s dance studio expansion
2020
Individuals
- Kiaya Abernathy/RappRadio—Production of 12 monthly shows featuring the local artistic community
- KC Bosch—Production of 4th annual 3-day writers’ workshop at Bookworks in Flint Hill
- Maeve Ciuba—Harp lessons with Allison Hampton, plus rental of a harp
- Lilie Halko—Voice, piano & ukulele lessons with Linda Heimstra, plus purchase of a beginner’s keyboard
- Clayton Pearson—Woodworking equipment to create a variety of artisan products
- Cheryl Toth—Materials and workshops for creating figurative textile sculptures
Organizations
- 1000 Faces Mask Theater—production of new mask performance piece entitled “An Unexpected Turn of Events” at Castleton Farm
- Belle Meade Montessori School—Script rights for production of Belle Meade’s spring musical “Mary Poppins”
- Child Care & Learning Center—Multi-part arts programming for summer and school-year includes performances, puppetry, storytelling, music and singing
- Janet Kerig’s Arts & Crafts Camp—Scholarships and art supplies for summer 2020 camp
- John Jackson Piedmont Blues Festival—Production of 2nd annual event at Eldon Farm celebrating musical & cultural heritage of the county
- Kid Pan Alley—Virtual home concert series featuring Rappahannock musicians
- Mountainside Dance Center—Dance scholarships for children & adults to study ballet and movement
- Rappahannock County High School—Workshop for RCHS English students with visiting Cambridge (England) University Acting Troupe and attendance at CAST’s Shakespeare production at the Theatre at Little Washington
- Rappahannock County Recreational Facilities Authority—projector, sound equipment & screen, plus rental for free movie series Family Flicks in the Park
2019
Individuals
- Lillian Aylor—final production & distribution of her memoir My Rappahannock Journey: The Life of Lillian Freeman Aylor
- Lorraine Duisit—recording & production of an album of original songs, in partnership with bandmate Smiggy Smith
- Sue Davis Gabbay—production of a book of original poems focused on her new life in Rappahannock, with illustrations by Kerrie Gabbay Mullany
- Clayton Pearson—woodworking equipment for young emerging artisan working in deer horn and wood
Organizations
- Appalachian Dulcimer Museum—sound system in the new performance space at Estes Mill
- Belle Meade Montessori School—student design project, “Open a Door to Rappahannock County”
- Child Care & Learning Center—multi-part arts programming for 2019-20 school year including puppet residency, performance, music & movement classes for pre-school children and summer camp for school-age children
- Headwaters Summer Chorus—summer youth chorus program, with new additions this year of younger students’ group & adult participation
- Janet Kerig’s Arts & Crafts Camp at Hearthstone School—scholarships and art supplies
- Kid Pan Alley—songwriting residency-workshops at Hearthstone and Rappahannock Elementary Schools during the 2019-20 school year
- Living Sky Foundation—support of Rappahannock Red Tent Sisterhood’s two-day Red Tent Festival on March 21-22
- Mountainside Dance Center—scholarships for young & adult dance students, plus a collaborative dance showcase in February 2020 with visiting children’s dance company, Hope Garden Ballet Academy
- Piedmont Symphony Orchestra—music mentoring program with band students at RCHS & RCES during the 2019-20 school year
- Rappahannock County Elementary School—purchase & installation of a kiln for K-9 art classes
- Rappahannock Piedmont Blues Festival—support to the inaugural music and cultural festival honoring Woodville-born Piedmont blues guitarist John Jackson at Eldon Farm on September 28
- 1000 Faces Mask Theater—production of Peggy Schadler’s new mask performance piece “Another Crack in the Cosmic Egg” on September 28 at Castleton Farm
2018
Individuals
- Lillian Aylor— Editing and preparation of her book My Rappahannock Journey: The Life of Lillian Freeman Aylor
- Kevin Bosch— Producing the Rappahannock Writers Retreat, a 3-day workshop for local writers at Bookworks Studio in Flint Hill
- Joyce Harman— Expanding her RLEP-collaborative “Dark Skies” photography project into Shenandoah National Park and surrounding counties
- Barbara Heile— Teaching twice-monthly “spontaneous painting” classes to seniors at the Rappahannock Senior Center
- Janet Kerig’s Arts & Crafts Camp— Scholarships & art supplies for kids at her multimedia summer camp at Hearthstone School
- Virginia Pates— Building materials for a new pottery studio and several community pottery workshops
- James Reston, Jr.— Production of his new play “Luther’s Fortress” at Stone Hill
- Shinola Creek— Recording and production of a CD of original songs by local musicians from the Shinola Creek collective
Organizations
- Child Care & Learning Center (CCLC)— Multi-arts programming for preschool children during the school year and elementary kids in the summer
- Headwaters— Two-week intensive Summer Chorus for Rappahannock middle and high school students
- Hearthstone School— Productions of an original play “The Flood of Kindness”, including community dialogues on disaster preparedness
- Living Sky— Arts programming at seasonal community festivals hosted by Rappahannock Red Tent Sisterhood
- Mountainside Dance Center— Scholarships for young & adult dance students, plus a showcase with visiting children’s dance company, Hope Garden Ballet Academy
- Piedmont Symphony Orchestra— Music Mentoring program with the Rappahannock County High School Band during the 2018-19 school year
- Stone Hill Theatrical Foundation— Support of John Henry’s new play “Good Guys & Bad Guys” at Stone Hill
- 1000 Faces Mask Theater— Performance and production of Peggy Schadler’s new piece “Lucid Dreaming” at Castleton Farms
2017
Individuals
- Kevin Adams— A public drawing and painting program as part of his summer artist’s residency at Shenandoah National Park
- Janet Kerig— Scholarships for Summer Arts & Crafts Multimedia Camp at Hearthstone School
- Ann Baumgardner— Continuing instruction in watercolor painting and creation of a series featuring Rappahannock County buildings and scenes
- Veronika Benson— To explore, investigate and research the history of Portland and Albuquerque for her novel
- Kevin Bosch— Producing a Rappahannock Writing Retreat, a 3-day workshop for local writers at Bookworks Studio in Flint Hill
- Patti Brennan— Creating a body of stained glass work focused on Rappahannock to be exhibited at Gay Street Gallery
- Barbara Heile— Teaching twice-monthly “spontaneous painting” classes to seniors at the Rappahannock Senior Center
- Sheila Lamb— 2-week summer writer’s residency at Porches Writing Retreat in Nelson County, Virginia to finish her novel begun in 2015
- Wil Sands— Photojournalism project exploring the historical, cultural and economic dynamics of life in rural America, focused on Rappahannock County
- Wendi Sirat— A series of 3 intergenerational community drum circles at the RAAC Theater
Organizations
- 1000 Faces Mask Theater— Creating a new performance piece and public performance at Castleton
- Child Care & Learning Center (CCLC) — Multi-arts programming including visiting artist residencies, theater camp instructor, music curriculum and teacher training, and “sound wall” for musical exploration
- Goodlife Theater— Creating a new educational puppet production to be performed in cooperation with CCLC and Rappahannock Elementary School
- Kid Pan Alley— 3-day songwriting and singing workshops for adults and high school students, plus a public performance featuring Paul Reisler, Ysaye Barnwell & Three Good Reasons
- Mountainside Dance Center— Scholarships for young dancers plus showcase by visiting children’s dance company, Hope Garden Ballet Academy
- Rappahannock High School Band Boosters— Scholarships for individual instrumental music instruction, plus masterclasses by instructors
- Stone Hill Theatrical Foundation— Support of citizen theater and theatrical productions in Rappahannock Country
2016
Individuals
- Janet Kerig— Scholarships for Summer Arts & Crafts Camp at Hearthstone School
- Kevin Bosch— Producing Rappahannock Writing Retreat, a 3-day workshop for local writers
- Maeve Ciuba— Scholarship to attend Allegro Broadway Summer Camp
- Joyce Harman— Photographing Night Skies in Rappahannock, developing a basic website and teaching in partnership with RLEP’s Dark Skies Initiative
- Barbara Heile— Teaching “Spontaneous Painting” classes to seniors at the Rappahannock Senior Center
- Linda Heimstra— Studying oil portrait painting and initiating a portrait series of county notables
- Donna LaPre— Improvements to her fiber arts studio
- Roger Piantadosi— Documenting Rappahannock artists’ connection to nature through written profiles and videos
- Wendi Sirat— Series of 3 Community Drum Circles at the RAAC Theater
Organizations
- 1000 Faces Mask Theater— Production assistance with their October public performance
- Belle Meade School— Production assistance for school’s Spring 2017 Musical
- Child Care & Learning Center (CCLC)— Weekly music program for pre-schoolers with songbooks & instruments; Visiting artist residency
- Flourish Root Florals— Series of Children’s Workshops in floral arts & photography and public exhibit
- Goodlife Theater— Creating & developing an Original Puppet Show, “Berry Tales”, including audience blueberry picking for the Food Pantry
- Headwaters— Creating a Choir for middle school and high school age students in Rappahannock County Public Schools
- Kid Pan Alley— Song-writing Residencies in 8 local schools, inspired by visits to Shenandoah National Park, to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service
- Mountainside Dance Center— Scholarships for young dancers
- Stone Hill Theatrical Foundation— Support for theatrical productions during their inaugural year as a non-profit
2015
Individuals
- KC Bosch— Producing art books combining his photography and poetry
- Sheila Lamb— Summer writer’s residency at Virginia Center for the Creative Arts
- Lisa Leftwich— Vocal training at Augusta Heritage Center
- Forrest Marquisee— Song-writing lessons with Paul Reisler
- Kerrie Mullany & Darien Reece— Project with local students to create a mural for RappCats
- Clive Pates— Creating new paintings focused on Rappahannock County & the Piedmont
- Virginia Pates— Kiln to work with local clays & minerals
- Michael Pollack— Professional production of a CD of the music of Kiaya Abernathy
- Wendi Sirat— Series of Community Drum Circles at the RAAC Theater
Organizations
- 1000 Faces Mask Theater— Production assistance with their public performance at Stone Hill
- Castleton Festival— Summer programs with Rappahannock students
- Child Care & Learning Center (CCLC)— Children’s music, writing and theater programs
- Headwaters— Grades 2-7 mosaic project at Rappahannock County Elementary School, with field trips to DC
- Hearthstone School— Community art gallery for student and adult work
- Mountainside Dance Center— Dance scholarships for young students
- Rappahannock 4H— Summer film-making workshop and school-year film club
- Rappahannock County High School Band Boosters— Student scholarships for instrumental & vocal lessons, plus assistance to band director in studio/masterclasses
- Paul Reisler/Kid Pan Alley— Script editing and production assistance in developing a Kid Pan Alley musical “Bouncin’”
2014
Individuals
- Pete Pazmino— Support to complete his novel at a month-long writing residency at Virginia Center for the Creative Arts in Amherst VA
- Darien Reece— Soapstone carving class at Art League School in Alexandria VA
Organizations
- Castleton Festival— Participation of 100 Rappahannock students in “Castleton Alive” program as part of Castleton Festival
- Child Care & Learning Center (CCLC)— Weekly music program for pre-schoolers with guest artist Forrest Marquisee;Theater Arts Camp for elementary school age children
- Headwaters Foundation— Mosaic project at Rappahannock County Elementary School, including a field trip to the National Gallery in Washington, DC
- Kid Pan Alley— Intergenerational songwriting residency at Rappahannock County Elementary School and Hearthstone School
- Mandalele— Public performance at Rappahannock Senior Center
- Middle Street Gallery— Workshop series taught by member artists and development of an intern/docent program with Rappahannock County High School
- Mountainside Dance Center— Scholarships for four underserved youth dance students
- 1000 Faces Mask Theater— Public performance of masks, dancers, actors, and musicians at Stone Hill in Flint Hill, including videotaping
2013
Individuals
- Nicole Espinola— Art supplies to establish her Rappahannock studio
- Sarah Grenzebach— Drawing class and lessons
- Forrest Marquisee— Production of a video series featuring local musicians
- Sam Mullany— Film-making workshop
Organizations
- Child Care & Learning Center (CCLC)— Pre-school music program and school-age theater program
- Headwaters— Mosaic project at Rappahannock Elementary School
- Kid Pan Alley— Character development assembly at Rappahannock Elementary School
- Mandalele— Performance at Rapphannock Seniors Center
- The Studio School— Teen studio arts program
- 1000 Faces Mask Theater— Public performance of masks, dancers, actors and musicians
Rappahannock Association for Arts and Community
PO Box 24
Washington, VA 22747
info@raac.org
800-695-6075
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