This month we will begin a series of monthly “spotlights” that will highlight each of the four disciplines here at the Henrico High School Center for the Arts! First, we will be focusing on the Visual Arts department, led by art teachers Mary Scurlock and Genevieve Dowdy.

The Center for the Arts (CFA) opened its doors in 1990, and in 1995, the first class of visual arts students was welcomed to the Center. The program began with a single teacher, Mr. Jeff Hall, and grew exponentially in the space of just a few years, necessitating the hire of a second full-time teacher, Ms. Mary Scurlock. In 2006, Mr. Hall left the Center to become the art teacher at the Maggie Walker Governor’s School, and Mrs. Genevieve Dowdy was welcomed to the CFA staff.

The Art Department is housed in the recently-completed, state-of-the-art Lee Hanchey Visual Arts Building. This building contains four fully-equipped classrooms, each with their own sinks, work stations, portfolio storage, and all the amenities that an art student could ever wish for. These classrooms flank a professional gallery space, located in the center of the building, which is home to the Fall and Spring Visual Arts Showcases.

We welcome you to come and experience the Center for yourself as we celebrate the CFA’s 20th birthday at the 20th Anniversary Fall Retrospective Showcase on Nov. 19-20! The Visual Arts showcase will be held in the Jeff Hall gallery from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m., and the performing arts showcase will follow at 7:30 in the auditorium. These showcases run for two nights only – Friday and Saturday – so make sure you don’t miss this opportunity to come out and see all the wonderful talent that the CFA has to offer!