Here’s a roundup of news briefs from around Southwest and Southside. Send yours for possible inclusion to news@cardinalnews.org.
* * *
Emory & Henry to add new housing
With enrollment rising by record levels, the Emory & Henry College Board of Trustees has approved plans for a new upperclass student housing unit, according to a release from the school.
The apartment-style building will be constructed on the northwest side of College Drive across from the college’s Lynch Links golf course, on a 10-acre property owned by the college. Construction will start in late spring 2022 with occupancy expected in the spring 2023 semester.
“The continued growth at Emory & Henry presents a good challenge of reviewing our housing inventory and planning for the future needs of our students,” said President John Wells in a statement. “Adding modern apartments will compliment our current apartment-style living in Emory and will offer a more independent living lifestyle to our students. In addition, we anticipate the units will give us flexibility to focus on renovating or repurposing some of our older housing options.”
For the fall semester, Emory & Henry has 1,372 total students with 1,100 on the Emory campus and 272 students at the Health Sciences Campus in Marion. In fall 2021, the school welcomed its largest incoming class ever, with 467 new students – an increase of 63%.
The apartment building will be three stories and house 144 beds in 36 apartments. A walking and bike greenway trail will be designed for easy access to campus, lined with trees, landscaping and lights.
The new apartments with two handicap-accessible units will each be 1,200 square feet and feature two bedrooms, two baths and walk-in closets; an open kitchen plan with all modern appliances; dining and living space; pantry and laundry; and a private balcony or patio. Parking will be included in the project.
As housing needs grow, plans call for additional units, a clubhouse and an outdoor pool, which mimics what graduates would find in more contemporary housing complexes, the school said in a release. The units will be accessed from College Drive for pedestrians and Hillman Highway for vehicular traffic.
BurWil Construction in Bristol, Tennessee, is helping design and build the units.
* * *
Southwest Virginia Songwriters Association honors founder
The Southwest Virginia Songwriters Association celebrated its 40th year in December. SVSA founder Sid Crosswhite was honored for “his outstanding leadership and dedicated service to the organization as President from 1981-1999,” according to a release from the group. The association says it is “still going strong, holding monthly meetings for Roanoke area songwriters to exchange ideas and receive feedback, grow their songwriting skills and enjoy the camaraderie of others who love the art of songwriting. For more information check out the SVSA website www.svsasongs.com, our newsletters and Facebook page. We welcome new members!”
* * *
Washington and Lee museum exhibit opens Feb. 3
The Museums at Washington and Lee University presents the works of artist Sharon Norwood in an exhibition titled “The Root of the Matter.” The exposition, which opens Feb. 3, will be on display through May 28 in the Watson Gallery at W&L.
The gallery will feature artwork that, according to Norwood, “investigates past stories, spaces and histories in order to challenge passive notions of looking.”
“The Root of the Matter” consists of digital collage prints on paper. The imagery is sourced from the MET 1840’s digital collection and aims to question historically constructed identity and explore the intersection of race and beauty. A number of Norwood’s works will be showcased in the exhibition, including “Hair Matters,” which features found tea sets and plates to which the artist adds her signature curly line; “The Root of the Matter,” line drawings over digital images made from 19th-century fashion plates; and one of the artist’s earliest series, “Split Ends,” in which she explored the curly line both in drawings and on ceramic dinnerware.
Over the course of the semester, several events associated with the exhibition will take place, beginning with an artist talk at 5 p.m. Feb. 3 in Northen Auditorium titled “Disrupting the Feminine Space.” The talk is free and open to the public.
At 6:30 p.m. on Feb. 3 and 3 p.m. on Feb. 4, there will be a “Walk and Talk” with Norwood in the Watson Galleries. This event will include conversations with Norwood about the issues and themes illustrated in her works. Registration is required to attend the “Walk and Talk” events and can be found online at go.wlu.edu/walkandtalk.
On Feb. 4, from 4:30 to 6 p.m., there will be an open reception for “The Root of the Matter: Works by Sharon Norwood” during which exhibition curators Patricia Hobbs, senior curator of art, and Posi Oluwakuyide ’24 will give the opening remarks.
Norwood has exhibited her work throughout the United States, Canada, Korea, Jamaica and Germany, and participated in national and international residencies. In 2019, she became a Joan Mitchell Foundation grant nominee. She earned her bachelor’s degree in painting from the University of South Florida and her master’s in studio art from Florida State University.
“The Museums at W&L are excited to support an emerging conceptual Black artist of Caribbean descent who engages with themes that are directly relevant to our students and our broader community,” said Lynn Rainville, director of institutional history and the Museums at W&L in a statement. “Her work provides a rare opportunity to interact with a contemporary artist who engages with historic objects that we showcase in our Reeves Museum of Ceramics, providing new relevancy for centuries-old objects.”
All individuals, including those who are fully vaccinated, are expected to wear masks in public indoor spaces on the W&L campus.