Marion Park Lewis (1910-2001) had a “heart for the Arts” and during her lifetime was a vital force in the establishment and continuation of every significant arts activity in the area. She was the first person from the Winchester area to be appointed to the Virginia Commission of Arts and Humanities, on which she served from 1971-1979. During that time she instigated the formation of the Shenandoah Arts Council, for which she was the primary supporter for two decades, and served as its second president. She also obtained funding and recognition for Wayside Foundation for the Arts, the Bluemont Concert Series, the Handley Library, the Shenandoah Music Festival and Shenandoah University. When Mrs. Lewis arrived in Winchester in 1941 she was told that people who wanted to “take in” the arts had to go to Washington, D. C. Instead, she began her life-long commitment and devotion to developing the arts in Winchester. With her husband she owned and operated WINC Radio, and putting to use her degrees in drama and education, she developed and presented arts programming for the station. Upon the untimely death of her husband, she took over the business and operated the seven stations that comprised the Mid-Atlantic Network. Mrs. Lewis was passionate about providing hands-on artistic experiences for both adults and children. In 1942, she led the effort to reactivate the Winchester Little Theatre after it closed during the war years, twice serving as president. In addition, she performed leading roles in 13 productions, directed 27 plays and worked on nearly every production from 1950 until 1980. In 1974, she was a major force in the fund-raising campaign that enabled the group to purchase the railway freight station that continues to serve as the home to the Winchester Little Theatre. In 1992, Mrs. Lewis established the Marion Park Lewis Foundation for the Arts to nurture the development of local artists by awarding scholarships for Northern Shenandoah Valley students of music, theater, dance, painting, sculpture and creative writing and to provide grants to area arts organizations. As a result of her generosity and foresight, in the last 27 years the MPLF has awarded more than 2.5 million dollars, ensuring that individuals and organizations in her adopted hometown will continue to develop their artistic talents. Just a few of her awards: Shenandoah University’s Community Arts Program Award for Distinguished Service and SU’s President’s Community Service Award; Lord Fairfax Community College’s College Medallion; Shenandoah Art Council’s Community Arts Award for Distinguished Service in the Arts.

Don’s first career was in music, encompassing nearly 60 years as performer, conductor, and teacher of woodwinds, conducting and music theory. In 2014 he retired from Shenandoah University with the rank of Professor Emeritus after 46 years on the music faculty. His varied assignments there included teaching clarinet, serving as chair of the Instrumental Division, and conducting the Symphony Orchestra. Don also performed as principal clarinetist with the acclaimed Seventh Army Symphony Orchestra during its European tours. Don’s art career began in the early 1980s. After a period of studying oil painting, he turned to watercolor, subsequently studied with nationally and internationally known artists, and in 1995 was elected to signature membership in the prestigious Baltimore Watercolor Society. In 2009, the Shenandoah Arts Council mounted a large retrospective show of 75 of Don’s paintings done in the previous 25 years. Other significant solo shows have taken place at: Gallery One, Jubilee, East Meets West and Lawrence galleries in Winchester; Gallery 222 and ArtSquare Gallery in Leesburg; the Bridge and Mayer galleries in Shepherdstown, WV; Duvall Designs Gallery in Millwood; Long View Gallery in Sperryville; and Newman Gallery in Washington DC.

The Barns of Rose Hill in Berryville, owes its birth and flourishing to the vision and persistence of Diana Kincannon. In 2004, she formed a 501(c) 3, recruited a board of directors, and led a successful capital campaign to restore two dilapidated dairy barns in Rose Hill Park for use as a center for the arts. Between 2004 – 2011, the board, with Diana acting as president, sponsored arts events in local venues, sometimes with grant support from the Virginia Commission for the Arts (VCA), the Marion Park Lewis Foundation (MPLF), and individual and corporate funders. In 2011, construction was completed and the Barns of Rose Hill opened to great acclaim. Diana led the board through its formative years, then returned as chair in 2014 and continues to serve in that capacity, guided by the mission to enrich lives through artistic performance, education, and community. Now in its seventh year, the Barns offers approximately 80 programs annually in the performing, visual and literary arts, including films, exhibits, readings, and musical performances by regional, national and sometimes international artists. In a short time, it has especially gained a reputation as a first-class venue for the visual arts and acoustic music. Ongoing projects include an expansion of arts education programs for young people and the establishment of the Rose Hill Chamber Orchestra to offer an annual classical music series. Diana has worked to create partnerships with such entities as the Josephine School Museum, the Clarke County Historical Association, the Clarke County Library, Magic Lantern Theater and the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. She has succeeded in raising funds from individual, grant and corporate sources. The Barns recently won a $500,000 endowment matching grant from the Eugene B. Casey Foundation. Since 2015, it has more than doubled its annual audience for its programs. From its inception to its ambitious future goals, Diana has been a steady, indispensable, guiding presence.

Perhaps Tracy’s most visible contribution to the arts in the community is the ArtScape banner project, which enhances the Old Town pedestrian mall. As executive director of the Shenandoah Arts Council from 2007-14, Tracy was a dynamic advocate for the arts in the region and statewide. During her tenure, the organization achieved tremendous visibility. Working not only with area artists but also with government officials, educational leaders, non-profit boards and entertainment figures, she developed mutually beneficial relationships centered on the arts with the Old Town Development Board, Shenandoah Pottery Guild, Boys and Girls Clubs, Bright Box, Shenandoah University, and regional arts councils. Tracy implemented creative collaborations with the Discovery Museum and The Sow’s Ear Poetry Review, instituted studio tours and teaching opportunities for professional artists, as well as provided exhibition opportunities for emerging and visual artists at the ShenArts Gallery. Tracy’s leadership was heartfelt, effective, and transformative.

Julie Read has been involved in local arts for over 25 years, painting, teaching, and opening her downtown studio for special art shows. Julie’s commitment to the arts community includes serving on local art committees, on the board of the Shenandoah Arts Council, co-chairing the 2017 VA Watercolor Society Annual Exhibition, and teaching workshops and classes at the MSV. She has taught graphic design part time at Shepherd College in Shepherdstown, WV, and has given design workshops and art classes at Lord Fairfax Community College. An accomplished pen and ink artist, Julie has drawn and produced watercolor paintings of over 200 local homes and landmarks. Julie is a signature member of the Baltimore Watercolor Society, and a member of the Virginia Watercolor Society, the Central Virginia Watercolor Guild, and the Shenandoah Arts Council.

With her wide array of talents and activities, Kristin is considered a genuine treasure in the local arts community and beyond. She helped put Winchester on the map as a literary hub with the quarterly magazine she helped found in 1989, The Sow’s Ear Poetry Review. She went on to become Associate Editor from 1996-2004 and has been Editor from 2004 to the present. A 30-year run of a literary magazine is very rare! In collaboration with ShenArts, Kristin conceived and helped to implement “Art Inspired by Art,” a show in which local artists and writers created new work in response to one another’s work. She was also half of a two-woman show at ShenArts on Journaling, and in conjunction with The Sow’s Ear, established a poetry reading series that brought poets of both regional and national renown to the community. As a poet published in numerous anthologies and hundreds of journals, Kristin brought that art to the community through readings at Blue Ridge Hospice, the Clarke County Historical Association and Winchester Book Gallery. She conceived and has performed in Poetry Theater in Clarke and Frederick counties and the city of Winchester. She taught poetry in Shenandoah University’s Center for Lifelong Learning and is a founding member of Collage, a multi-cultural organization that has presented a series of programs for children through the arts. Kristin has also supported and enhanced the arts in the community through her passionate involvement in photography and music. As an award-winning photographer, she has exhibited at the Barns of Rose Hill, ShenArts and ArtScape. Her work has been displayed in museums and in state and national parks, and is in the permanent collection of the Winchester Medical Center. In music, she volunteered for 20 years with the Bluemont Concert Series. She performs with the Arts Chorale of Winchester, of which she was a founding member.