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Feb 16, 2009: Grand Opening Of The Neil Britton Art Gallery!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Norfolk/Virginia Beach, Va. – The Neil Britton Art Gallery, located in the newly modernized Hofheimer Library on the campus of Virginia Wesleyan College, opens it doors for the first time to present the opening reception of the 2009 Virginia Wesleyan Invitational at 5 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 20.

A variety of high-quality, traditional and contemporary artwork from Virginia Wesleyan art professors and alumni and local artists will be on display. The exhibition features creative works in media such as water color paintings, ceramics, photography and sculptures.

Contributing artists include: the late Neil Britton; former Virginia Wesleyan art professor Barclay Sheaks; Virginia Wesleyan art professors Phil Guilfoyle, John Rudel and Sharon Swift; Virginia Wesleyan alumni Robyn Bailey '98, Will Corr '94, Ola Gurney '82, Ben Harris '92, Christine Harris '92, Greg Jackson '06, Ryan Jones '06, Susan Jones '75, Beverly Mansfield '99, Lorrie Saunders '79, and Clayton Singleton '94; and local artists May Britton, Matthew Fine, Anna Freeman and James Jones.

During the reception, the College will dedicate the Neil Britton Art Gallery, made possible by a generous gift from Robyn '98 and Curtis Bailey. Robyn majored in art at Virginia Wesleyan and was a student of Neil Britton. Britton, a founding member of the Virginia Wesleyan art department, taught ceramics, sculpture, and crafts such as jewelry making, weaving and batik at the College. He taught for 23 years at Virginia Wesleyan until his retirement in 1999. He passed in 2003.

"This is the best kind of event to open the Neil Britton Art Gallery," said John Rudel, curator of exhibitions and assistant professor of art at Virginia Wesleyan. "We invited a wide spectrum of artists and used Virginia Wesleyan as the connecting point."

The opening reception is free and open to the public. The 2009 Virginia Wesleyan Invitational will be on display from February 20 – April 16.

For more information, contact John Rudel at 757.455.3257.

About the Neil Britton Art Gallery
The Neil Britton Art Gallery was created during the modernization of Virginia Wesleyan's Henry Clay Hofheimer II Library. The modernization of the library is part of the College's Key to the Future Campaign, transforming the facility into a hub for study, research and relaxation for students and faculty.

The Britton Gallery is an exhibition space for the perpetual and exclusive display of student and professional artists' works. Measuring 1,200 square feet with a closed floor plan, the gallery is a welcoming space for classroom instruction and exhibition openings with minimal disruption. The ceiling of the gallery is exposed and the floor is sealed concrete, accentuating the aesthetic neutrality of the space and highlighting the artists’ work. A combination of glazed windows and frameless glass doors allow daylight through to and acoustic separation from the Library.

For more information on Virginia Wesleyan's Key to the Future Campaign to become a Phi Beta Kappa-caliber college, visit www.vwc.edu/campaign/.

Or, for more news at Virginia Wesleyan College, visit the News and Events Web site.

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