Suny Monk, the new president of the board for Virginians for the Arts, is a former consultant and panelist for the University of Virginia at Wise.
Virginians for the Arts elected the following officers for two year terms, at its board meeting January 28, 2010:
-- Suny Monk has been elected president of the board of directors of Virginians for the Arts (VFTA) and for the board of the VFTA Foundation.
Monk is the executive director of the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts (VCCA) located in Amherst, Va.; a position she assumed in 1997. Before this, she was Head of Aylett Country Day School in Millers Tavern, Va.
She is trained as a ceramist and for the last 20 years has produced one-of-a-kind wearable art. Since coming to the VCCA she has served as a consultant and panelist for University of Virginia at Wise, Randolph Macon Women's College, the Virginia Commission for the Arts, the Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation and the Appomattox Regional Governors School for the Arts and Technology.
She served on the selection committee for the Governor's Awards for the Arts 2008. She was named Woman of the Year in the Arts in 2006 by the YWCA Academy of Women. She is a board member of the Academy of Fine Arts, The Alliance of Artists Communities, and New Vistas School.
-- Jim Thompson, Hampton, has been elected vice president of the Virginians for the Arts and VFTA Foundation boards. Thompson is a photographer who displays in local and regional arts shows and was an educator (photographer) for 30 years.
He is past chairman of the Hampton Arts Commission, past president and present board member of Hampton Arts Foundation, and past chair for the Architectural and Construction Committee for the just-completed $4 million expansion of the American Theatre in Hampton. He is vice president for advocacy, Cultural Alliance of Greater Hampton Roads, Norfolk, and a board member of Peninsula Fine Arts Center, Newport News
-- Daphne Maxwell Reid, Petersburg, known as "Aunt Viv" on NBC's hit comedy, "The Fresh Prince of Bel Air," has been elected secretary/treasurer of the Virginians for the Arts board, and treasurer of the VFTA Foundation board.
With her husband, actor/writer/producer Tim Reid, Maxwell Reid co-founded and is a principal partner in New Millennium Studios, the first full-service film studio in Virginia, a state-of-the-art facility opened July 12, 1997. For the past 12 years, she has been acting chief operating officer and has handled the business affairs and finances of New Millennium Studios and its various subsidiary companies, and serves as a Producer on various projects.
She is a member of the Board of Visitors of Virginia State University, Petersburg; on the board of the Library Foundation; and on the board of the Petersburg Area Art League. Daphne Maxwell Reid is an avid digital photographer and has just produced and exhibited her first collection, "Doors" to critical acclaim.
-- Sandra Lee Kjerulf, Richmond, has been elected secretary of the Virginians for the Arts Foundation. As a human resource professional more than 30 years, she specialized in employee relations, teambuilding, and organization development and served as president of the Richmond Human Resource Management Association.
Kjerulf came to the arts through the Richmond Arts Council Business Volunteers for the Arts and 1708 Gallery more than 20 years ago. A long-time 1708 Gallery board member and former board president, she continues as a member of the Emeritus Council working on special projects. Kjerulf's community volunteer roles also include the boards of Richmond SPCA and ChildSavers, where she chairs the Art Collection Committee. She has served on Virginia Museum of Fine Arts Collectors' Circle Steering Committee and as a panelist for the Virginia Commission for the Arts.
Now in its 18th year, VFTA's membership includes artists, arts patrons, and arts organizations. VFTA's mission since its establishment in 1992 has been to preserve the arts in the Commonwealth by advocating for increased funding for the Virginia Commission for the Arts. In its sixth year, the VFTA Foundation works to enhance the appreciation and visibility of the arts in Virginia and to provide education and professional development for arts professionals.
