Join the VECCA Community
Art History Spotlight
Billy Smelser
Reception, Oct. 10, 11:30am @ VECCA
Special Exhibition
Reception, Oct. 10, 11:30am @ VECCA
Community Show
Art and music have long influenced each other, and we invited artists and musicians to explore this connection in our current community show.
On display September through October.
VECCA Writers
Bi-monthly meetings.
Plein Air
Oct. 24, Noon - 4pm, Edinburg, VA
Capturing the outdoors at a different valley location each month. All skill levels are welcome. Just bring yourself and your art materials to create whatever inspires you.
Our Mission
VECCA (Valley Educational Center for the Creative Arts) is dedicated to bringing the arts and the community together through educational and cultural programs. By utilizing the skills of professional instructors and talented area residents, VECCA creates opportunities for persons of all ages to pursue the arts and develop their creative skills to whatever degree they desire, as well as to exhibit or perform those skills.
By creating an awareness of the arts, VECCA hopes to inspire and encourage creativity and develop an active cultural environment throughout The Shenandoah Valley. VECCA, an educational non-profit organization in Shenandoah County, Virginia, was founded in 1984 and continues to thrive. It benefits the community through annual student scholarships, workshops, exhibitions, community art projects, and more.
VECCA is open to the community during special events and on Saturdays, 10 am – 4 pm / Sundays, 12-3 pm. Or any time you see an artist in the gallery working on their artwork, Tuesday through Friday 10am – 2pm. Closures due to inclement weather are posted on this website, on our Facebook page, or our Instagram page,
Private viewings are available. Please contact us at veccarrts@gmail.com to set up a visit to the gallery outside of our posted or studio hours.
Below find current VECCA shows and upcoming Calls-for-Arts and other events. On our Art Calls page we also list external opportunities sent to us by members who wish to show off more offerings in the valley and beyond.
Artist of the Month - Billy Smelser
“The Seasons We Carry: A Dialogue in Watercolor”
As humans we are an integral part of nature. These paintings of nature’s landscapes are mirrors of our inner worlds. They capture how we all evolve by navigating the winters of solitude, the autumns of change and the shared warmth of cooperation all while dealing with the confinement of barriers, that, like fences, want to trap us in or keep us out. These watercolor paintings evoke our deep relationship with nature and its connectedness and our own personal evolution as humans.
Billy Smelser is a Strasburg-based contemporary painter who began his artistic journey in 2018. Principally self-taught, Smelser has developed a versatile practice rooted in a deep appreciation for the natural world. While watercolor remains his primary passion, he frequently explores other mediums to capture the complexity of his subjects—drawing inspiration from the paradox of nature’s seemingly permanent landscapes and structures that continuously shift through the rotating seasons.
Special Exhibition
PFLAG Woodstock and VECCA are working together to celebrate LGBTQ+ history month in October. The show will highlight LGBTQ+ artists and their works as well as anyone who is an ally of the LGBTQ+ community and would like to submit art in celebration of the community’s history month.
Current Community Show
RECEPTION September 12, 1-3pm at VECCA.
Art and music have long influenced each other, and we invite artists and musicians to explore this connection in our next community show.
We are looking for traditional 2 and 3-D media that features music, for example, drawings of an instrument, photos of musicians, or illustrations of songs.
Next Community Show
Deadline October 25.
That time of year again, this show is an opportunity to sell smaller and lower-priced art around the holiday time. Buyers will have the option to take purchased work with them, artists will be notified of the sale and can replace work if desired.
Plein Air Meetups
Next: Oct. 24, Noon - 4pm, Edinburg, VA
All skill levels are welcome. And all kinds of artists welcome, Painters, Illustrators, Sculptors, Writers, Photographers… just bring yourself and your art materials to create whatever inspires you.
New Art History Spotlight
Help with the Arts in Your Community
Call for Volunteers & Instructors
Call or email if interested. Learn More about volunteering and being a part of arts in the valley.
Classes & Groups
The events listed below have all concluded their run. The instructors and organizers pulled off some amazing creative events that got folks together to create. While these events have passed and you may have missed out for now, all we need to start them up again is you! VECCA members are encouraged to submit class, workshop, and/or meetup ideas to the board. We also encourage you to reach out with feedback about what you would participate in. If there’s enough interest, we will do our best to bring those events to fruition! Or you can run the meetup yourself! (With help from VECCA’s volunteer board of directors of course)
VECCA Writers
Bi-Monthly Meetings
Meet local authors and talk about different aspects of the literary business and get feedback on your work.
Hosted by Terry A. Thiele
If you are a VECCA member and interested in hosting a backyard bird photography meetup at your place, email us at veccarts@gmail.com
OUR COMMUNITY OUTREACH
Dedicated to Excellence in the Creative Arts
Scholarships
Each year, graduating high schoolers are invited to apply for visual arts, music, & writing scholarships, which provide financial aid to recipients.
Call to Artists
VECCA holds several art shows throughout the year. Each call for artists has its own guidelines, entry fees, and deadlines.
Education
Projects, workshops, and more provide the community with opportunities to unleash their creative sides through art.
Support the Arts
BECOME A MEMBER TODAY
Whether you are an artist, a musician, a writer, or simply a lover of the arts, VECCA is for you.
VECCA members enjoy two free entries to all art shows, opportunity to share their creative skills & sell their work during Saturday Demo Days, an invitation to our annual Holiday Market during November and December, a chance to exhibit their work year-round, and a unique position to share their love of the creative arts with The Shenandoah Valley. Free for students 18 and under.
