Virginia to celebrate women in the arts in spring 2010

Virginia first lady Anne Holton and five former Virginia first ladies gathered outside the Executive Mansion yesterday to announce the statewide Minds Wide Open program.

Between March and June 2010, women in the arts will be spotlighted at thousands of events across Virginia.

Any individual or group can par ticipate by presenting a public program -- a play, composition, painting exhibit -- as long as it has been created by women or features women as the primary focus.

"The hope is that all of this participation will raise the awareness of how much the arts are part of our culture," said Susan Hirschbiel, the statewide chairwoman for Minds Wide Open.

Joining Holton and former first ladies Susan Allen, Lisa Collis, Roxane Gilmore, Jeannie P. Baliles and Virginia "Jinks' Holton to announce the program were Richmond Jazz Society founder B.J. Brown; author and professor at Virginia Tech, Nikki Giovanni; producing artistic director of MetroStage in Alexandria, Carolyn Griffin; actress and co-founder of New Millennium Studios in Petersburg, Daphne Maxwell Reid; founding artistic director of the Richmond Ballet, Stoner Winslett; and former member of the Virginia House of Delegates and now-full-time painter, Marian Van Landingham.

Keith Martin, managing director of the Richmond Ballet, is the chairman of the steering committee for Virginia Celebrates Women in the Arts and believes the biggest benefit of the program is that many arts groups might be discovered. The program emerged from the Virginia Commission for the Arts and has been in discussion for a year and a half.

"What's so great is that the small community theater on the Eastern Shore is getting the same exposure as the Barter Theatre in Abingdon and the Tony Award-winning Signature Theatre in Arlington," he said.

On April 28, the Richmond Ballet and Richmond CenterStage Foundation will co-sponsor the seminar, "The Glass Slipper Ceiling," specifically as part of Minds Wide Open. The event will focus on the challenges for females and the rarity of female artistic directors at major ballet companies.

Women also will get the spotlight on March 11, when "Full Plate Collection" opens at Theatre Gym in the Empire Theatre. "Full Plate" is a production from Erin Thomas-Foley, a program director at the School of the Performing Arts in the Richmond Community; Jenny Jones Hundley, a teacher at SPARC and Collegiate School; and playwright Irene Ziegler.

Thomas-Foley believes it is the first-ever production in Richmond that is designed and produced by women.

Female students from SPARC and several local schools will be paired with professional actresses and technical experts (lighting, stage design) to work with them in tandem.

And on April 8, Richmond Shakespeare will open "Elizabeth Rex," which pointedly addresses gender roles.

"I can't think of any show that is more aligned with Minds Wide Open," said Cynde Liffick, who is playing Elizabeth in the production. "We're not done with this issue."

Contact Melissa Ruggieri at (804) 649-6120 or .