A Class Act to Showcase Cultural Arts

BY KATHERINE CALOS - Staff Writer
Published: July 22, 2008

Culture means many things to many people. To some, brush strokes on canvas paint a path. Others find satisfaction in shaping clay. Nostalgia may inspire an enjoyment of big band music. The drumbeat of African dance may cause hearts to stir.

Whatever approach you prefer, you’re likely to find it somewhere at The Cultural Arts Center at Glen Allen. Converted from the old Glen Allen School, which had been built in stages between 1911 to 1939, the center opened in March 1999 as a venue for the arts.

With a 10th anniversary approaching, the Cultural Arts Center is celebrating. An expanded performance season in its 350-seat theater will offer 33 events ranging from the local African dance troupe, Ezibu Muntu, to Washington political satirists. 

Anniversary Lineup

Music includes pianist George Winston, fiddler/guitarists Jay Ungar and Molly Mason, The Byrds frontman Roger McGuinn and Beatles cover band 1964 ... The Tribute, as well as the Glenn Miller Orchestra.

Family-oriented shows include the Shangri-La Chinese Acrobats, Theater IV on tour with two shows, children’s singer Justin Roberts, Eleone Dance Theatre and Ezibu Muntu African Dance Co.

A night at the theatre will offer a satirical take on Washington from The Capitol Steps, “Gilligan’s Island, The Musical” or Broadway and Opera with Cathy Motley-Fitch.

Come for a performance and you’ve only scratched the surface. Almost every day something is happening. 

Space For Creativity

Dance practice rooms, designed in collaboration with the Richmond Ballet, are used by the Latin Ballet of Virginia for weekday classes, which have grown from 35 students to more than 400 students. Music students take lessons in piano, guitar, mandolin and fiddle. Fiber arts include weaving, felting and crochet. Ceramics classes range from clay basics for kids to advanced wheel throwing.

A new generation of visual artists gains skills while getting inspiration from art on display in the gallery.

The current exhibition, through Saturday, features new works by Lee Baskerville, a Richmond realist whose portraits and landscapes fetch as much as $25,000. On Sept. 18, the gallery will open “A Touch of Class” featuring works by center faculty. If the pottery students are any indication, the crafts become addictive.

“It’s a great program,” said Eva Redford of Mechanicsville, who was finishing a 10-week intermediate wheel-throwing session with people who’ve become friends. A like-minded potter once told her: “When I signed up, I just thought I was taking a class. I didn’t realize I was getting a second family.”

“You build a camaraderie,” added Katherine Thomson of Ashland. “You either love it or you hate it. “I’ve been doing it three years in July. I just wish I’d started earlier. I will never learn everything I want to learn.”

Covers More Than the County

Students at the cultural arts center come from all over the metro area, not just from Henrico County. Though the county renovated the 50,000-square-foot building with money from a bond referendum, the center is operated by a foundation and is open to everyone. Donations, memberships, ticket sales and class fees help keep it going.

To foundation president Beth Bickford, the challenge is getting the word out, so no one thinks of the center as a best kept secret.

“We call ourselves that all the time,” she said, “though we’re not happy about that.

“When we’ve done surveys, people hear about us from word of mouth. We always hear, ‘I’ve heard of you and never been there.’ ... People think it’s out in the boondocks. It’s not.

“For us, the challenge is getting them there the first time.”

Once they’ve taken a class or seen a show, they’re part of the family.

IF YOU GOING TO THE CENTER

Getting there: The Cultural Arts Center of Glen Allen is at 2880 Mountain Road near Woodman Road and Interstate 295. From I-295, take exit 45B to go south on Woodman. Turn right at the first light onto Mountain Road.

Hours: Classes are held most afternoons and evenings. Performances are held most weekends. Gallery hours are 9 a.m to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday, noon to 5 p.m. Sunday.

Cost: Some events are free. Performance tickets range from $10 to $40, depending on the show. Classes typically cost $20 to $25 for a one-time class; $95 to $125 for a 10-week session.

Details: (804) 261-2787 or http://www.artsglenallen.com.