Women in the Arts
FIRST LADY HOLTON JOINS FORMER FIRST LADIES IN SUPPORTING WOMEN IN THE ARTS
~ Thousands of events honoring women’s contribution to the arts planned for 2010 ~
RICHMOND – First Lady Anne B. Holton today joined five other Virginia first ladies in supporting MINDS WIDE OPEN: Virginia Celebrates Women in the Arts, a statewide tribute to female artists in Virginia.
“I am pleased and privileged to be part of this celebration of women in the arts today,” First Lady Holton said. “I am honored to join my fellow first ladies, who have historically supported the arts, both during their tenures here at the Executive Mansion and in their private lives.”
MINDS WIDE OPEN: Virginia Celebrates Women in the Arts is the first statewide celebration of its kind. Between March and June of 2010, thousands of special programs and events will occur across the Commonwealth to honor contributions by women to arts and culture. Any individual or group can participate by presenting at least one public program—including plays, choreography, compositions, and exhibitions of paintings, photography or films that have been created by women or feature women as the primary focus.
First Lady Holton and the other first ladies are serving as honorary chairs of MINDS WIDE OPEN: Virginia Celebrates Women in the Arts. Joining first lady Holton at the ceremony were former first ladies Lisa Collis, Roxane Gilmore, Susan Allen, Jeannie P.Baliles, and Virginia “Jinks” Holton. Former first ladies Lynda Johnson Robb, Eddy Dalton Phillips, and Katherine Godwin were unable to attend
In addition to the first ladies, six notable Virginia women artists attended the ceremony. These included Beverly “B.J.” Brown, executive director of the Richmond Jazz Society; Daphne Maxwell Reid, co-founder of the New Millennium Studios in Petersburg; Marian Van Landingham, founder of the Torpedo Factory Art Center in Alexandria; Nikki Giovanni, poet and English professor at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg; Carolyn Griffin, producing artistic director of MetroStage in Alexandria; and Stoner Winslett, founding artistic director of the Richmond Ballet.
Visit http://vamindswideopen.org/ for a complete list of scheduled.