News

Last month, the Planning Team acknowledged our financial contributors and sponsors, this month we would like to highlight the efforts of the in-kind sponsors that have made this Celebration possible.

As of May 1, 2010, exactly 7,842 performances, exhibitions and other
opportunities to attend 588 separate events have been registered on
our website. These literary, performing, visual and media arts events
showcase the outstanding work being produced by 260 different
cultural agencies in every area of the state, making this the largest
collaboration in Virginia history. Additional events are being added
every day.

After three years of planning, yesterday – March 1, 2010 – marked the first official day of this unprecedented collaboration which now involves over 200 cultural organizations. The Planning Team would like to thank each of you who embraced this dream and have helped make it a reality.

Congratulations to our 2010 ArtWorks for Virginia keynote speaker, Jennifer Higdon on her new Grammy! Her Percussion Concerto was named "Best Classical Contemporary Composition" at the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards on January 31st. The prize-winning disc was recorded by the London Philharmonic with soloist Colin Currie and conductor Marin Alsop.

Playing opens your imagination, refreshes your soul, expands your mind, and catapults you into a new world where anything is possible. Playing - to play, to put on a play - is what we do in the theatre. Sometimes play can be serious. Playing is the best way to learn. But always play means fun. We all need to play more often in our lives.

Celebration says Virginia is for arts lovers

Minds Wide Open will focus on collaborations, women's works with thousands of performances and displays expected.

Virginia has a long, rich history of arts programs, with more than 500 nonprofit organizations representing the arts. But state officials say many of these groups work independently of one another, leaving the small art gallery or the obscure dance troupe unnoticed.

The Contemporary Art Center of Virginia announces 2010 Boardwalk Art Show & Festival Poster Contest theme: "Celebrating Women in the Arts." Contest winner will be awarded a $500 cash prize, and the winning entry will be used to promote the 2010 show. Both male and female artists may submit artwork for the contest, and entries are due by noon on February 15, 2010.

Are you an artist seeking a venue for your MINDS WIDE OPEN event? Is your venue still looking to confirm a performance, lecture or exhibit for the Celebration? The MINDS WIDE OPEN team wants the celebration to include as many performers, artists and cultural organizations as possible. And we’ve heard from a number of performers and venues that are still looking to finalize their events . . .

Today, first lady Anne Holton and former Virginia first ladies stood together at the Executive Mansion to support MINDS WIDE OPEN: Virginia Celebrates Women in the Arts, a statewide tribute to female artists in Virginia.
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Peggy Baggett, steering committee member for MINDS WIDE OPEN and Executive Director for the Virginia Commission for the Arts, was recently interviewed by Virginia Public Radio Reporter Connie Stevens. Listen now.

The MINDS WIDE OPEN marketing team has redesigned the website www.vamindswideopen.com. The new site features a Participant Toolkit that includes participation guidelines, registration instructions, downloadable logos, text descriptions and much more.

MINDS WIDE OPEN is pleased to announce that Neathawk Dubuque & Packett will serve as our marketing agency for the Women in the Arts celebration in 2010.

The Altria Group, Dominion and the Virginia Commission for the Arts (VCA) are the first major organizations to provide leadership gifts in generous support

We are pleased to announce that Virginians for the Arts Foundation will be the fiscal agent for MINDS WIDE OPEN