Windows in the Garden

In 2017 a public arts project was initiated by Blacksburg Regional Art Association to up-cycle dozens of windows into art under the leadership of local artist and BRAA member Diane Relf and her husband Dave Angle, a remodeling contractor. The project consisted of a series of three installations of Art Windows over a three-year period, created by BRAA members and other “creativities” in the community.

In 2017, the Alexander Black House on Draper Road in Blacksburg happily hosted the first assortment of windows designed by both BRAA members and other local artists. Promoted as a two-month installation, the windows were so well received by the public that the Board requested an extension which lasted two years until the windows were removed to reconstruct the frames for use at the 2019 Hahn Garden installation.

In 2018, local artists created two dozen windows and installed in the lawn and garden of the Montgomery Museum and Lewis Miller Regional Art Center on S. Pepper Street in Christiansburg. The Director reported a noticeable increase in visitors as people were attracted to the Windows and requests to use them at City Hall were even made. Both of these museums have been promised the return of windows after the completion of the show at the Hahn Gardens. You can view the art from these two exhibits at https://www.blacksburgart.org/public-art

In 2019, the final collection of windows has been installed at the Hahn Horticulture Garden on campus at Virginia Tech co-presented by BRAA members and Art in the Hahn Horticulture Gardens volunteer committee, which have a significant overlap in membership. With 38 windows installed, this represents the widest diversity of artists with local artists from various parts of the NRV, faculty from the VT Visual Arts, students from VT and the Blacksburg New School, as well as a few retrospectives from 2017 and 2018 shows.

Combining the original estimate to have the frames built for the installations of $125 each, the usual market price of the 60+ windows used over the 3 years of $20 to $85 dollars each, the value of the art work and the cost of installation would have brought this installation to over $15,000, if it were not for it being implemented as public art for the public by the public as volunteers brought together resources, creative energy and old fashioned hard work as a gift to their community.

According to BRAA President Gerri Young none of these public art exhibitions would be possible without the unflagging enthusiasm and amazing assortment of "stuff" stocked at the Christiansburg home of Diane Relf and Dave Angle. Their generous offer of old windows, art supplies, labor building and installing the frames, and time organizing the events, goes above and beyond anything we could have asked for.

BRAA offers our admiration and thanks to Diane, Dave, Sue Farrar of the Montgomery Museum, Rhonda Morgan of the Black House and Scott Douglas of Hahn Horticulture Gardens and all the participating artists, volunteers and staff of the three installation sites for their hard work and willingness to think outside the norm for these exhibitions.

Art Exhibition Dates: May 1 to June 30, 2019

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Related Links

Simply Elemental 2017

Simply Elemental 2016

Simply Elemental 2015

Art in the Garden

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