RESTON, VA — New art exhibits at Reston Community Center Hunters Woods and at RCC’s Jo Ann Rose Gallery feature artwork created by area student artists and paintings expressing spiritual struggle. During the month of August 2012, the Reston Community Center Hunters Woods gallery will feature The Beauty of the World, composed of works by students at the US Arts Center in Chantilly, VA. Also during the month of August, the Jo Ann Rose Gallery will feature Resilient, a collection of paintings by Kevin Michael Earley.
The Beauty of the World at Reston Community Center Hunters Woods
The gallery at RCC Hunters Woods will feature The Beauty of the World from August 1 through August 31. This student art exhibit is proudly presented by the US Arts Center in Chantilly, VA.
The 50 lovely pieces on display have been created by US Arts Center students ages 4-15. Each piece demonstrates the creative understanding and appreciation for individual art expression that is encouraged by the teachers at US Arts Center. These works truly transport viewers to a beautiful world!
“US Arts Center is on a mission to provide art education to all children beginning at an early age,” said Janet Zhao, one of the founders. They strive to encourage artistic creativity in youth, provide professional training to help develop talent, and help build problem-solving and critical thinking skills through art. The Center, which also has three branches in California, combines Eastern and Western teaching methods to encourage creativity and help its students enhance their talents.
Reston Community Center Hunters Woods is located at 2310 Colts Neck Road in Reston, Virginia. The facility is open Monday through Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. and from 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. on Sundays.
Resilient at the Jo Ann Rose Gallery
The Jo Ann Rose Gallery at RCC Lake Anne will feature Resilient from July 31 through August 30. Everyone is invited to the opening reception with light refreshments in the gallery on Sunday, August 5 from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Resilient is a collection of paintings by Kevin Michael Earley depicting journeys of spiritual struggle through religious stories, renditions of personal experience and portraiture. Kevin Michael Earley is a 2005 graduate of Pratt Institute, where he earned a BFA in fine art with a concentration in painting. In this, his first solo show, he showcases a collection of paintings that deal with spiritual themes and endurance. From portraiture that captures the soul of the sitter, to a series of Biblical paintings that deal with great spiritual questions, to drawings that document his time spent in mental hospitals and struggling with bipolar disorder, he lays his pain and his joy out for the viewer on the canvas.
“Faith is a subject I wrestle with in such paintings as Daniel in the Lion’s Den, which was inspired by a Peter Paul Rubens painting,” said Kevin. It doubles as a self-portrait with the artist taking the place of Daniel, solemnly praying in a realm of majestic predators. Paintings such as Priscilla capture his love of portraiture and suggest the influence of Buddhist philosophy on the artist, as the sitter is posed in a lotus position.
The Jo Ann Rose Gallery is located in Reston Community Center Lake Anne at 1609-A Washington Plaza in Reston, Virginia. The facility is open Monday through Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. and 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. on Sundays. The Gallery is not open to the public during rental functions and/or some programs.
For more information regarding the Reston Community Center Hunters Woods and Jo Ann Rose galleries and these exhibits, please call Arts Education Assistant Gloria Morrow at 703-476-4500 ext. 3012.
