Two New Exhibitions Open May 1 at Smith House Galleries

HARRISONBURG, VA – Arts Council of the Valley (ACV) debuts two brand new exhibitions at Smith House Galleries during First Fridays of the Valley May 1: Young Warriors by Sukenya Best and Water’s Journey by Anna Freeman. From 5 to 7 pm, the opening reception festivities include an opportunity to meet and hear from both visiting artists; time to explore their paintings and ceramic works; and complimentary refreshments. Artist Will Stroud also returns with a popup, pay-what-you-will live portrait-drawing session on the Smith House porch!

Both May exhibitions, sponsored by The UPS Store #6595, remain installed through May 29, with in-person visits Monday-Friday, 11 am to 4 pm. The galleries will also be open Second Saturday (May 9, 10 am-2 pm), featuring another live, pay-what-you-will popup portrait-drawing session by artist Will Stroud and additional time to explore Freeman’s and Best’s exhibited works. For more information, see valleyarts.org, or email acvofficecoordinator@gmail.com.

Sukenya Best is an artist and art educator based in Richmond, VA, where she has lived and worked for over 30 years. She brings more than 17 years of experience teaching art to youth and adults in both school and community-based settings. Her professional practice includes artist residencies, studio work, commissioned projects, competitive exhibitions, and ongoing participation in regional, national, and international art events. Her work has been exhibited in a range of geographically diverse venues, including Artspace Gallery (Richmond, VA); Laxness Gallery (Vadodara, Gujarat, India); exhibitions with the Soul of Artists organization in Hawaii; the 2nd International 2D Online Art Exhibition; ArtFields (Lake City, SC); and the Rawls Museum Arts (Courtland, VA). Her artwork has also been featured in several publications, including the Richmond Times-Dispatch, Phoenix Literary Art Magazine, Urban Views Weekly (Richmond, VA), and Studio Visit, a national and international arts publication.

In addition to her studio practice, Best travels throughout Virginia as part of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts Artmobile program, presenting works from the museum’s permanent collection to communities across the state. She holds a Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Virginia Commonwealth University.

Best’s portraits, vibrant with youthful energy and an emphasis on the splendor of nature, aim to convey the essence of friends and family members the artist knows well. She shares,

“Conversation is a vital part of my process, ensuring that each painting reflects the resilience, protection, and inner strength of the individual portrayed.”

Award-winning ceramic artist Anna Velkoff Freeman lives in Virginia Beach, VA, where she works as an artist and art instructor, teaching at the Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art and local colleges. Freeman concentrated in Ceramics and Printmaking at Alfred University's School of Art & Design, where she received her B.F.A. She earned her M.F.A. in Visual Studies through a joint interdisciplinary program at Old Dominion University and Norfolk State University. Her work has been exhibited across the country and is held in private collections internationally. Images of her work have been published in books including Image Transfer on Clay, 500 Ceramic Sculptures, Ceramic Sculptures and Ceramics Today.

Freeman’s artwork - 2D and 3D - focuses on the ever-changing boundary between water and land; the fluctuating intertidal area between wet and dry that both lures people in and is also fraught with warning. A reflection on coastal landscapes and their ecosystems, her artmaking is influenced by personal memories of coastal childhood trips from Maine to North Carolina and observations of intertidal zones throughout her home of southeast Virginia.

This exhibition features mixed-media watercolor and acrylic paintings mounted on birch panels, with sculptures and sculptural vessels of wheel-thrown and altered porcelain clay as well as hand-built stoneware clay. The artist adds, “Some pieces explore intertidal ecosystems, while other pieces evoke the tranquil feeling of resting by a woodland stream, surrounded by softly weathered forms. Overall, I design my work to evoke the rejuvenating experience of being by the water, whether at a river’s source or the expansive mouth of the bay.”

Arts Council of the Valley is located at 311 South Main Street in Downtown Harrisonburg, Virginia. Programs are supported in part by 2026 ACV Strategic Partners Kathy Moran Wealth Group, Riner Rentals, and Virginia Mennonite Retirement Community.

A 501(c)3 nonprofit, ACV is dedicated to cultivating the arts, creating experiences, and connecting communities throughout the City of Harrisonburg and Rockingham County. Since it was established in 2000, ACV has grown into a multi-faceted community organization that fosters innovative partnerships among area businesses, civic organizations, schools, and artists. Today, ACV manages Smith House Galleries, funds local art projects through its Advancing the Arts grant program (awarding more than $532,300 since 2001), supports public art initiatives, and coordinates monthly First Fridays of the Valley community gatherings. ACV is supported in part by the City of Harrisonburg and the Virginia Commission for the Arts, which receives support from the Virginia General Assembly. To learn more, visit valleyarts.org.

This press release was provided by Martha Hemingway at Arts Council of the Valley.