Press Contact: Bernadette B.
Moore Director of
Marketing/PR Program Contact: Barbara Parker Director of
Programs bparker@piedmontarts.org Phone:
276.632.3221 Fax: 276.638.3963 www.PiedmontArts.org
215
Starling Avenue Martinsville,
VA 24112
FOR IMMEDIATE
RELEASE
February 9, 2009
Martinsville, VA: Piedmont Arts is one of 208 organizations chosen to receive a grant
designating Martinsville and Henry County a Big Read community. The Big Read gives communities the
opportunity to come together to read, discuss, and celebrate one of 23
selections of classic American literature. The Big Read in Martinsville and
Henry County will focus on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee.
Numerous activities are scheduled to take place February 28 – March 31, 2009.
For more information or to request materials for a book club or other
organization, contact Barbara Parker at 276-632-3221 or
bparker@piedmontarts.org.
Big Read Kickoff Event
Saturday, February 28, 2009, 1:00 PM
Join
Piedmont Arts for the kickoff to Martinsville/Henry County Big Read Month. Meet
Mary Badham, who played Scout in the 1964 movie adaptation of To Kill a Mockingbird. Attendees will receive free copies of To Kill a Mockingbird, reader’s guides,
audio guides, buttons and bookmarks, and chances to win great door prizes! Minds In Motion Team XXL will perform a
dance in honor of the event and proclamations will be made by City and County
Officials. The reception is sponsored in part by Altrusa International Inc. of
Martinsville Henry County, whose members will be serving the Big Read cake and
other refreshments. Call 276.632.3221
for more information.
This event is admission free.
Who's
Your Atticus? Essay Contest
Sponsored by Piedmont Arts
In 500 words or less, entrants should write
about a person who has the same qualities of fairness, honesty, justice and
honor found in Atticus Finch, the main character in To Kill a Mockingbird. Prizes will be awarded to the winning essay
in the student (high school) and adult categories. Entries are due March 6,
2009 by 5:00 PM at Piedmont Arts. Winning essays will be printed in the
Martinsville Bulletin.
An Evening with Charles Shields
Monday, March 9, 2009, 7:00 PM
Piedmont Arts
Harper
Lee biographer Charles Shields talks about the elusive woman who created the
American classic, To Kill a Mockingbird,
the fascinating people and places she made immortal, and her friendship with
Truman Capote. Book signing will follow the talk, and copies of Mockingbird: A Portrait of Harper Lee will
be available for purchase. Reserve your seat by calling 276.632.3221.
This
event is admission free.
Cover to Cover – An Interview With
Charles Shields
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Hal Hubener, Director of the Blue Ridge Library System will
interview Charles Shields, biographer of Harper Lee, on “Cover to Cover” a
weekly television show that features a variety of topics of interest to the
public. Recorded live at 2:00 pm Tuesdays; aired 3 additional times throughout
the week.
Saturday, March 14, 2009, 7:00 PM
Rives Theater Uptown, Martinsville,
Virginia
Martinsville
Uptown Revitalization Association presents dinner and a movie, featuring the
classic film version of To Kill a
Mockingbird starring Gregory Peck. Cash bar and gourmet picnic dinners by
Arts, Etc. offered. Dinners must be pre–ordered by calling 276.632.3221.
Dinner and Movie $15 • Movie Only $5
"Fun
from the Thirties Kids Craft Day"
Saturday,
March 21, 2009 11 AM – 1:00 PM
Collinsville
Branch of the Blue Ridge Regional Library
Celebrate The Big Read at the Collinsville Library.
What did children do for fun in the 1930s? Come and see! Dress like Jem or
Scout from "To Kill a Mockingbird" and you could win a prize! Call
276-647-1112 for more information.
This
event is admission free.
Tuesday,
March 24, 2009 4:00 PM
Patrick
Henry Community College Walker Fine Arts Center
Students from high schools in Martinsville and
Henry County test their knowledge of Harper Lee's classic novel, "To Kill
a Mockingbird". The event will be televised and replayed on the PHCC
television show. Cash prize for winner.
This event is admission free.
Gallery Talk with David
Spear
Thursday, March 26, 2009, 6:30 PM
Lynwood Artists Gallery, Piedmont
Arts
David
M. Spears' photographic documentary, The
Neugents: Close to Home, is a powerful statement about the economically
marginal lives of a family who lives on Tobacco Road not 30 miles from
Martinsville. His photographs will be featured in the Piedmont Arts gallery
March 6 through April 18. His gallery talk will compare the lives of the
Neugents with those of the Ewells in To
Kill a Mockingbird Please RSVP to
276.632.3221.
This
event is admission free.
To
Kill a Mockingbird On Stage!
Tuesday, March 31, 2009, 7:30 PM
Martinsville High School Auditorium
Montana
Repertory Theatre, one of the most outstanding touring companies today, will
present the stage adaptation of To Kill a
Mockingbird, Harper Lee’s classic tale of dignity, tolerance, and unequal
justice in a small 1950’s town. The
content and language in this performance is inappropriate for children under
14.
Students $10 • Seniors $15 • Adults
$18 • Reserved $28
“To Kill a Mockingbird” Book Discussions with Betty
Jo Fulcher
No admission charge.
Call 276-956-1828 for more information.
Location:
Collinsville Public Library, Collinsville, Virginia 24078
No
admission charge. Call 276-1112 for more information.
Location:
Spencer-Penn Center, Spencer, Virginia 24165
No
admission charge. Call 276-957-5757 for more information.
Location:
Patrick County Public Library, Stuart, Virginia 24171
No
admission charge. Call 276-694-3352 for more information.
No
admission charge. Call 276-629-2426 for more information.
The
Big Read is an initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership
with the Institute of Museum and Library Services and Arts Midwest and is designed
to restore reading to the center of American culture. Support for The Big Read
is provided by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. For more information about this
program, please visit the www.NEABigRead.org.
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Piedmont Arts is nonprofit art
museum and educational outreach center in Martinsville, Virginia. Piedmont Arts
remains admission free through the membership support of people like you!
Hours: Tuesday - Friday 10 am - 5 pm; Saturday 10 am - 3
pm
We believe that art enhances the
quality of life. Therefore, the mission of Piedmont Arts is to provide
experiences in the visual and performing arts to enrich and enlighten the lives
of the people of Martinsville, Henry County and neighboring areas. Piedmont
Arts strives to cultivate an appreciation for the arts both in our physical
facility and in the community through exhibits, live performances, and
educational programs for children and adults. Additionally, Piedmont Arts
invites participation in the arts with display, marketing and performance
opportunities available for artists and craftsmen. Through all of our
activities, we strive to bring the arts close to home.