First Fridays at the Depot are full steam ahead and we are excited to feature artist Charlie Raisner at our next gallery opening on June 3rd, from 5:00-7:00pm. Charlie is a talented artist specializing in scenic watercolor paintings. He shares more about himself and his artwork below.
“There are a multitude of beautiful and interesting places around this marvelous world that God has created. I am thankful for the opportunity to represent a few of them in watercolor painting. There are many lovely sights in the Shenandoah Valley and in other locations that I have visited. I consider myself fortunate to be able to share with others my view of some of these places (and people). I do this with watercolor painting on site, or more often in studio, from my recollection and my personal photos. My paintings are representational, impressionistic and in some respects realistic. In addition to recognized extraordinary views, I look for the beautiful that often can be found in the ordinary and may be overlooked. My paintings are all original watercolors of scenes I have personally observed.
After retirement from the U. S, Government, I began watercolor painting in 1994 in a Lifelong Learning Institute at Furman University. Since then, I have taken part in numerous painting classes and workshops. In 2009 I moved to the Bridgewater Retirement Community to be near one of my daughters. I am a Signature Member of The Shenandoah Valley Watercolor Society in Harrisonburg and have taken part and received awards in their annual juried show at Virginia Mennonite Retirement Community. I am also a member of The Beverley Street Studio School in Staunton. I have exhibited at numerous local venues (and galleries such as OASIS).”
This event is free and open to everyone. Snacks and refreshments will be served and we look forward to seeing many of you there! See the event page and RSVP here.
We are excited to feature pieces from the talented group of local artisans known as Rocktown Urban Wood. These craftsmen have a passion for making quality pieces that bring joy and function to their customer’s lives. From custom dining tables to wall hangings, mirrors, and cutting boards, their portfolio houses a variety of one-of-a-kind pieces. Each of their unique pieces is crafted from locally sourced wood and they partner with local individuals and companies to ensure surrounding resources can be used to their fullest potential.
We invite everyone to stop by the Depot on Friday, May 6th between 5:00-7:00pm to check out their work. Visit our event page here to RSVP and learn more about this event. We look forward to celebrating the arts in our community and seeing many of you there!
Cutting boards custom-made by Rocktown Urban Wood.
We are thrilled for the return of First Fridays downtown and will feature artist Lori Mier on Friday, April 1st, 2022 from 5:00pm-8:00pm. Read along to learn a bit more about Lori’s story and the influences on her work.
Lori Mier is the creator and owner of her story. She loves chai tea and sunrise hikes. She owns Blue Mountain Path Coaching LLC where she offers healing experiences as an Ecotherapist Guide, Author, and Photographer. Merin and Her Very Bright Star: A Story of Resiliency is her first children’s book. Lori is on a mission to help normalize grief and healing and hard conversations. Lori has a degree in Social Work and created a not-for-profit hiking program–Through Hiking– along with her husband to offer guided hikes to agencies and youth in foster care. She serves on the Equity Committee for Rockingham County Public Schools and also sits on the Board of Directors for RISE Foundation in Waynesboro, VA where she is committed to education, political action, and racial justice work. Although she is not originally from Virginia, Lori feels the most at home where she lives in the Shenandoah Valley with her husband and son.
It took a couple of years for Lori to call herself an artist. She never set out to be a photographer and only began calling herself one after multiple people asked if she sold the images that she captured on her sunrise and sunset hikes in the Appalachian Mountains. Originally she grew up in Minnesota, a few years on a lake resort, where she began connecting to nature; the northern lights, the great blue heron named Willie that would sit at the end of the dock every morning. What she now believes connects her to the Appalachian mountains is her time living in Oregon when she was a toddler; the place where her parents lost their lives. When she returned in the summer of 2020 to those Oregon mountains she saw how much they resemble what she knows of the Valley. Lori loves to capture the morning and evening light and share her spiritual and therapeutic connection of her hikes with others. She created an Etsy shop, Butterfly and The Storm, to do so. Her work can be seen in a gallery in Staunton, VA, Basement on Byers, and has been featured on the cover of and inside AT Journey’s Magazine and local travel brochures.
We feel the challenges faced in our community every day as we work to build a better community. In today’s climate, there is a shortage of affordable housing, flexible childcare, efficient transportation options, and food accessibility challenges. We know these problems can be solved and there are good people determined to find solutions, but complications continue to hinder progress. These are not simple challenges, but rather systemic problems with many challenges and barriers to face before finding a solution. We want to be a part of the solution and believe that paying a living wage is essential to building a healthy, vibrant, and livable community. Thus, we are encouraging business owners to begin the journey of paying a living wage and spread the message about its importance.
The Harrisonburg Rockingham Living Wage Certification serves to enhance the health, vitality, and livability of our community. Foundationally, our team at Gaines Group Architects strives to build a better community through design, this guides our decisions in projects, pro-bono work, and where we invest our time and resources. Our mission gives us a baseline in accomplishing business ethically and with care, which led us to learn more about obtaining the Living Wage Gold Certification. We understand there is a relationship between thriving team and community members who feel valued for their contributions and the subsequent positive impacts on our client’s experience.
As an architecture firm, we exceeded the baseline for gold-level certification without modifying pay scales. The process of learning about the impacts of paying a fair wage gave us the opportunity to engage in intentional and clarifying discussions concerning our most valuable asset: our team members. We are accustomed to adjusting pay rates along with advancement in careers and inflation, but this was the first time we discussed what it takes to live comfortably in a community. Some of the areas we identified as essential in promoting quality of life ranged from access to childcare, the ability to pay utility bills, or appropriately budget for groceries.
Paying a living wage directly affects the overall community and supports a robust local economy. There is a chain reaction that occurs when we invest in our workforce, and we encourage all businesses in Harrisonburg and Rockingham to consider this certification. Even if your organization is unable to currently meet the standard, it will open up a thoughtful conversation about the cost of living in our community. For more information on this program, visit www.hrlivingwage.org or watch the video here https://www.facebook.com/hrlivingwage/videos/387194656280216/.
Rotary is celebrating a birthday. This organization founded by Paul Harris on February 23, 1905, is 115 today!! With a core mission of #serviceaboveself, these business leaders in Chicago set out to build a better community. Using their influence and power they used service, the act of reaching out and helping others, and a way to bring business leaders together for the greater good.
Rotary is #serviceaboveself
Locally we have a variety of Rotary Clubs doing good in our community while Rotary international works on their core mission of eradicating Polio worldwide. The 7 pillars of Rotary include Peace and conflict prevention/resolution, disease prevention and treatment, water and sanitation, maternal and child health, basic education and literacy, economic and community development, and sustainability. Rotary is open to everyone to join. Most clubs have weekly meetings including a meal to build community within the club members and have a speaker usually telling us about local organizations or activities. These weekly meetings bring us together and allow us to better know each other and our community.
I encourage you to look at the local Rotary Clubs in your area, each has a different vibe, and find the right fit to magnify your service in your community. Want to visit our breakfast club next Tuesday at 7 a.m.? Just reach out to me and I am happy to have you as my guest.
Happy Birthday Rotary! Thanks to all Rotarians for putting #serviceaboveself.
It is that time of year again and we are beyond excited to dive into another First Friday Christmas at the Chesapeake Western Depot. We are thrilled to get back to engaging with our community and getting back to what matters, building community. Santa once again returns to the R.S. Monger & Sons Window and Door Showroom and will be available for visits and pictures until 6:30 pm, First Friday Christmas will last until 7:00 pm there will also be drinks and cookies provided!
We will also be featuring a pop-up art gallery in the upstairs offices, featuring Tony Distefano, Nicole Clatterbuck, and Lorie Mier! Please come enjoy the music of Red Wing Academy students upstairs at the Depot and purchase some presents from our artists! You can learn more about this event and RSVP to attendhere!
