Blacksburg Museum & Cultural Foundation This Month
Jesi Pace-Berkeley: Faces & More Closing Reception
Friday, February 7, 5-8 pm, The Alexander Black House
Join us for the closing reception of Faces & More on Friday, February 7 from 5-8pm at both the Y Gallery and BMCF’s Alexander Black House during the Downtown Art Walk.
Faces & More is a representation of Jesi’s creations and teachings over 53 years. Her collection is so vast and impressive that we are highlighting her retrospective work in two locations. The new Y Community Gallery at the YMCA will exhibit her larger portraits while The Blacksburg Museum & Cultural Foundation gallery at The Alexander Black House will highlight her smaller scale work, most of which has never been publicly displayed.
Jesi’s passion for art and education over the years has led her to teach in Montgomery County schools, lead multi-day Plein-Air Watercolor workshops, and plan enrichment courses overseas in France, where she guides participants through the composition of stunning scenes from Avignon, Aix en Provence, Arles, Aigues Mortes, Uzes, Nime, and more. This event is free of charge.
Market Jam at the Museum
Saturday, February 8, 2-4pm, The Alexander Black House
This jam will feature the “Reed Tradition String Band” with Russ Boyd on banjo, Bill Blevins and Chris Via on fiddle, and Matt Peyton on guitar. This session will honor the Reed Family of Giles County. Henry Reed captured many local fiddle tunes, and Alan Jabbour recorded his playing for the Archive of Folk Culture at the Library of Congress.
Henry’s son, Dean Reed, attended many of our Market Square Jams. He passed away this summer at age 95 and our old-time community misses his playing and singing very much. This event is free of charge.
Soul Food Sampling
Saturday, February 15, Three time slots available, St. Luke & Odd Fellows Hall
Celebrate Black History Month and take a step back in time at the 8th annual Soul Food Sampling at historic St. Luke & Odd Fellows Hall, where generations met to enjoy delicious food, music, and fellowship. In this spirit, you will receive generous portions of traditional soul foods at dinner table settings, learn about the history of soul food, and enjoy discussions with former New Town residents.
There are 3 time slots for the event, all of which are capped at 18 people:
12:00 – 1:45pm
2:00 – 3:45pm
4:00 – 5:45pm
Each time slot serves three menu samplings, including catfish, black-eyed peas, fried chicken, green beans, chili, collard greens, biscuits, cornbread, and savory desserts. Tickets are $40 per person and available at SLOFH Soul Food Sampling – Blacksburg Museum and Cultural Foundation.
B. Scott Crawford Lecture Series
Thursday, February 20, 5:30-6:30 pm, The Alexander Black House
Presentation #1
The Selfie: From Stone Age to Digital Age
Join us as B. Scott Crawford presents the first lecture in his series, Artistic Footprints through Time: The Preservation and Remembrance of Self. The Digital Revolution has launched an unprecedented communications revolution. Individuals can now promote themselves at a global level at any time and in a matter of seconds. The selfie has emerged as the latest means for individuals to project images of themselves for public viewing, but now, through digital technologies, in a democratic manner. No longer is portraiture reserved for the wealthy; access to a ubiquitous mobile phone and a free social media account can allow an individual to share self-images with audiences possibly larger than many traditional portraits ever reached!
This presentation will explore the art behind the preservation of images of individuals, spanning cave art to Instagram. Through this journey over time, we may very well find that the selfie is not as much about megalomania as it is about simply magnifying a timeless component of human nature. However, with the introduction of artificial intelligence, we will end with a reflection of how AI may, through training, be embracing this nature as well!
This event is free and part of our 2025 Lecture Series, which will focus on Blacksburg history, community, and culture plus intriguing history and arts topics in general.
Alexander Black House
204 Draper Rd. SW
Blacksburg, VA 24060
Tuesday-Saturday 10am-4pm
