First Lady Anne B. Holton joins other First Ladies in supporting Women in the Arts.
RICHMOND, VA – First Lady Anne B. Holton has 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 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. Joining 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.
A few of the many Richmond area organizations hosting MINDS WIDE OPEN events scheduled for 2010 include: Richmond Ballet, Sycamore Rouge, Richmond Symphony, Theatre IV, Barksdale Theatre, Visual Arts Center of Richmond, Hispanic Women in the Arts, and the University of Richmond Museum.
Visit http://vamindswideopen.org/ for a complete list of scheduled events in the Richmond area.
