ENR Announces Top 20 Under 40 in the Mid-Atlantic Region

Jan 25, 2013

ENR Announces Top 20 Under 40 in the Mid-Atlantic Region

Engineering News Record (ENR) has named Charles Hendricks, AIA, CSI, CDT, CAPS, LEED AP, Partner at The Gaines Group, PLC, a winner of its Top 20 Under 40 competition in the Mid-Atlantic region. This competition celebrates the excellence of young design and construction professionals in Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and the District of Columbia. This year’s call for nominations yielded an impressive collection of entries from around the region. An independent jury pored over the entries, judging candidates on the basis of their career experience; industry leadership; community service; and other factors. “I am very excited to see so many strong leaders coming up the ranks in our industry” commented one judge. Mr. Hendricks is the only professional included from Central Virginia or the Valley.

It is always a very humbling experience to be recognized by your industry peers for the work you do designing solutions to build a better community. This particular recognition includes criteria for leadership and community service making it all the more meaningful to me. It is very important to me that I am doing everything possible to assist my community at becoming the best place possible for everyone and everything in it. Design is such a powerful tool that can be applied to buildings, outdoor spaces, systems, and networks to create more efficient, healthy, and durable outcomes. As a designer, I have never moved away from innovation, best practices, or hard work to find the best possible solutions available at the time. We have had some huge success stories along the way reducing energy consumption in buildings, hosting the first ever Harrisonburg Parklet Project, and on an even more local level, building a community network of people with like minds. With every step forward there comes some hesitation, but if we keep focused on our best future possible for the entire community, I believe strongly that design matters and we will find unlimited success.

As always, this event is free and open to everyone, and refreshments will be provided by Gaines Group Architects.

Series Name: An Interlude of Water

Medium: Hand-cut Montage

Artist Statement: “An Interlude of Water

The stillness of a hot, lazy summer evening broken by the laughter of good friends as fishies bite and the sun slowly slips towards the horizon.

The pond collection swirls and twirls like the eddies at the shoreline. Developing slowly to capture the quiet aspects of what creatures could quietly inhabit a pond within the Shenandoah landscape.

The past eight months have been a creative frenzy of exploration, joy, and personal contentment, from envisioning a cohesive grouping of collages that share a color palette to letting my imagination play. The resulting collection has stretched my artistic skills and broadened my perception of interpretation and idea development.

My Process:

Each collage starts as a line drawing, creating a detailed map of the imagery to be included within the work. Moving the drawing to the wooden panel entails many bits of hand-cut paper, acrylic mediums, and acid-free paste. A sticky mess, but it so satisfies the need for detail my brain requires. All papers used are colored with acrylic paint applied with painting tools or a Gelli plate. A lot of time is spent pressing (lever press, heavy books, etc) and drying the glued papers before and after mounting on the wooden surface. Acrylic varnish provides a protective sealant for the completed collage. From concept to finished work, the process takes, on average, four weeks.”

Artist Bio: I’ve always been one to dabble in new trends and techniques. Treading water, seeking the thing that would capture and devour my imagination. In 2018, when life was overwhelming and my soul needed an escape, I fell back in love with collage. Over the intervening eight years, my artistic practice has settled into an obsession, forcing a growth in style and technique with results that personally bring me joy. A relocation to Harrisonburg, Virginia, has allowed me to establish a permanent studio space, adding momentum to my artistic journey.

*Accessibility Note: This building was previously restored from a fire. The elevator shaft is currently not functioning and there is an absence of ramps in the space. Because the show is on the 2nd floor, this may pose an issue for those who have mobility challenges. We are aware of this need and we apologize greatly if this changes your ability to attend.

This event is free and open to everyone. Snacks and refreshments will be served and we look forward to seeing you there!

Each month we host a new artist in our building’s 2nd floor gallery at the Chesapeake Western Depot at 141 W. Bruce St. (second floor entrance is on Chesapeake). Artwork will remain on exhibit through the month. Come view the show anytime and get a tour the Depot!