Williamsburg Area Arts Commission

AGENDA City of Williamsburg Williamsburg Area Arts Commission Wednesday, November 12, 2025 A meeting of the Williamsburg Area Arts Commission will be held Wednesday, November 12, 2025 in the Municipal Building: 401 Lafayette Street, Large Conference Room commencing at 3:00 PM. Page I. CALL TO ORDER II. APPROVAL OF MINUTES a. September 17, 2025 2 III. CHAIR REPORT a. Presentation by WHRO b. FY27 City of Williamsburg Funding Request c. Request for Photos IV. STAFF REPORT a. FY27 Applications - Status Update b. FY27 Applications - Review & Deadlines V. SUBCOMMITTEE REPORTS a. Forum Subcommittee VI. OTHER BUSINESS a. Liaison Reports - November 2025 3-6 VII. NEXT MEETING a. January 21, 2026 - Grant Review Day VIII. ADJOURN Page 1 of 6  Williamsburg Area Arts Commission Meeting Minutes - Wednesday, September 17, 2025 Call to Order: Chair Tom Phelps called the meeting to order at 3:19. Attending: Tom Phelps, Robert Leek, Robin Phillips, Sherri Phillips, Barbara Vollmer, and City of Williamsburg Tourism Division Manager Joanna Skrabala. Approval of Minutes: Minutes of the WAAC meeting of July 23rd, 2025, were approved as submitted. Chair Report: Tom Phelps • Discussed potential changes in upcoming meeting dates; no changes were made. • The Joint Meeting with the York County Arts Commission is planned for October 15th. Commissioners will receive details on time and location via email. • Request for Photos: Liaisons are requested to ask their assigned groups if they would be willing to submit photos of some of their programs for the purpose of illustrating the Chair’s reports to the City and for the Community Leadership Service presentation. Staff Report: Joanna Skrabala • All letters requesting release of funds have been received. • Commissioners will have the opportunity to submit an email to Joanna Skrabala in advance of future meetings to summarize news or issues concerning their assigned groups. There is no prescribed format. • At the November meeting, Joanna Skrabala will provide a refresher on the FY27 grant application dates, submissions, and review process. Committee Reports: • FY26 Forum Committee member Melody Matheny reported via email on progress in planning the Forum for February 5, 2026. Forum title, format, location, and survey questions are being developed. • Grant Application and Guidelines Committee member Barbara Vollmer reported on final draft changes to the Grant Application Form. After discussion, the Grant Application Form was approved as amended. The Guidelines and Application Form will go live on October 1st. Other Business: • Commissioners gave updates on their grantees. Next meetings: • October 15th, 2025: Joint meeting with York County Arts Commission. • November 12, 2025: next regular WAAC meeting. Adjourn: The meeting was adjourned at 4:48. Robin Phillips, Secretary, Williamsburg Area Arts Commission Page 2 of 6  LIAISON REPORTS: NOVEMBER 2025 SUSAN CORBETT iDance • iDance Community Performers: November 4 at 1:30 pm at the James City County Library. The talented dancers of iDance will perform the story, Bear Says Thanks by Karma Wilson. • Christmas Dreams: a unique-to-Williamsburg show that is written, choreographed, narrated, and performed entirely by iDance. December 20 and 21. Complimentary tickets to the WAAC (up to four) • The Movement Ballet: Select dancers in The Movement Ballet, which is one of our programs, will be traveling to participate in scholarship competitions this winter in Washington, DC, Chicago and Pittsburgh. Access VA • Williamsburg Players - Cabaret: Sat., 9/20/25 @ 2 pm, AD/OC - Rehearsal for Murder: Sat., 11/15/25 @ 2 pm, AD/OC - A Christmas Carol: Sat., 12/20/25 @ 2 pm, AD/OC - The Bad Seed: Sat., 2/14/26 @ 2 pm, AD/OC • Colonial Williamsburg - Audio Tour of CW: Mon., 11/3/25 @ 10:30 am, AD Stagelights • No programming until summer BOB LEEK Virginia Stage Company • Sept 3-21 - Ain't Misbehavin' • Oct 22 - Nov 9 - Emma • Dec 3-23 - A Merry Little Christmas Carol • Dec 4-28 - A Sherlock Carol • Jan 28 - Feb 15 - Wait Until Dark • Mar 19-29 – Joseph • Apr 8-26 = Malcolm X & Redd Foxx Washing Dishes • Tour - Every Brilliant Thing Williamsburg Book Festival • February 2026 Page 3 of 6 Virginia Arts Festival • June 2026 - Williamsburg LIVE • April 16-19, 2026 - Virginia Tattoo at Scope Arena MELODY MATHENY Tidewater Classical Guitar: • Saturday, Nov 8th, 6 - 8 pm - Guitars in the Gallery show - Glass Light Hotel in Norfolk. Free admission. • Saturday, Nov 15th, 7:30 pm - The Beatles Reimagined - Wells Theatre in Norfolk. $20 admission. • Sunday, Nov 16th, 2 - 3:30 pm - TCG Open Stage - Wells Theatre in Norfolk. • Sunday, Nov 23rd, 3 pm - Luca Stricagnoli - Attucks Theatre in Norfolk. Tickets on sale. • Thursday, Dec 4th, 7:30 pm - TCG Holiday Showcase Concert - Williamsburg Library Theatre. • Tuesday, Dec 9th, 7pm - TGO Candlelight Concert - First Lutheran Church in Norfolk. Tidewater Arts Outreach: • 2 upcoming public events on Nov 8th and Nov 19th in Chesapeake and Suffolk, which can be found at this link: https://tidewaterartsoutreach.org/events/list/?tribe_eventcategory%5B0%5D=27 • They are still looking for a Williamsburg-based Board Member to help them connect with Wmsbg- based venues for more opportunities Open Door Concerts: • Sunday, Dec 14th, 4 pm - BeauSoleil avec Michael Doucet (Cajun band) • Sunday, Feb 22nd, 4 pm - Plunky & Oneness (Richmond Jazz legend) (THIS IS THE WAAC FUNDED EVENT) TOM PHELPS Opera in Williamsburg • Playing November 4, 7, and 9 at the Kimball Theatre, Gluck’s Orfeo ed Euridice, which has gained wide acclaim and some excellent reviews (I will attend this Sunday, 11/09). OinW had two pre- performance presentations with members of the cast at the Williamsburg Winery and had a major fundraiser with singers at Colonial Heritage. Members of the cast sang at two schools last week. A pre-opening review was published in the Virginia Gazette. • Since WAAC had some advisory role in the reorganization and reconfiguration of the organization, the Board of Directors has had much contact with me in the conduct of the operation for the past year. This will not be necessary in the future but was an added courtesy this year. The organization is functioning now within legal parameters. Virginia Opera • The Virginia Opera opens its first major performance in Richmond with Rosinni’s Cinderella—I will attend on 11/16. The Opera has already performed in Norfolk. I am working with many of the very new staff to reach out more to the Williamsburg area. While the company plans to perform scenes from the operas they have on schedule for the year at the Regional Library, they are now under discussions with William & Mary to do them in the Music Hall. They continue to work with the schools in Williamsburg/James City County to perform opera for grades 7 – 9 and have been successful in booking programs for the classroom in the early spring as the third production is in rehearsal. I’m hoping this is successful. I am pleased with the new staff members and will continue to work with them for both programming and school presentations. Page 4 of 6 Virginia Symphony Orchestra • The Virginia Symphony Orchestra organization also has a new staff. I’m working with them mainly for the recognition of WAAC as major doner. While they recognize WAAC at those programs (both verbally and in print) in the Williamsburg area, our logo is not on their web site or major publications, like the program. However, the VSO is doing more programming in the Williamsburg area, utilizing the W&M Music Hall, where they have performed chamber pieces and a program of several of Beethoven’s Violin Sonatas, which I attended. The VSO is also presenting the Holiday Brass Concert at St. Bede’s as they have done in the past. There is still work to be done here regarding credit and presentations in the area. But as our new guidelines support projects and not operating support, the VSO was a first in forming their applications to do projects/programs, and they will continue that in the future, asking support only for the programming in the Williamsburg area—namely St. Bede’s and W&M Music Hall. ROBIN PHILLIPS An Occasion for the Arts: • I attended the event on 4 October and met up with President Jill Pongonis. I will have to meet up with her at some point in the future; she indicated that they might not continue the Artist in residence program, but she didn't want to discuss details until after she has a chance to get more clarity from her next board meeting. • I also met Bob Oller, the AOFTA Artist in Residence for last year and this year. He had just completed his project with Queens Lake 7th and 8th grade art students. There were photos of the school projects in the Youth Art Tent, from both last year and this year. • I emailed Jill to remind her of the application going live online; she has acknowledged. Aura Curiatlas: Last shows from last FY in Williamsburg were in March. Aura Curiatlas was part of W&M's Dancevent 30 Oct-2 Nov, which I believe was partly funded by WAAC (they displayed our logo on promotional emails). The calendar for the rest of 2025 does not include the WAAC area. I have reminded Joan about the applications going online, and have asked if she is projecting any additional shows for Williamsburg in the first half of 2026. I have not yet heard back. I know Aura Curiatlas has been performing outside of our area, so I will have to reach out again regarding plans for any more WAAC-funded performances in our area, and the applications for next FY. Chamber Music Society of Williamsburg: • 21 October Weiss, Stumpf and Kaplan played at Jamestown High School. The next show will be the Ying Quartet at Berkeley High School on 19 November. Any commissioners wanting to attend the outreach presentation should arrive at the school office at 10 AM to sign in. • I have emailed the group to remind them of the applications being live online. They have a new president, Erik Christensen, and Mario Botelho has moved out of state. I am still in touch with Mike McDonald who keeps me up to date on the concert schedule. They are very good about inviting me to the outreach performances. Young Audiences Arts For Learning Virginia: • I have emailed their new CEO, Anna Green, and my contact, Katie Driskill, to remind them of the applications being open and to ask about the calendar. So far this year they have done three programs in our area, and they're currently working on more plans with the York County Library and JCC Parks and Recreation. I reminded them to give me a heads-up on future events so I can try to attend, and they have acknowledged. The three completed events so far were: Page 5 of 6  - 7 Aug, Caribbean Dreaming, at the JCC Rec Center, for ARC of Greater Williamsburg. - 28 Aug, Creative Voices: the Art of Sound and Story, at the Abram Frink Community Center, for ARC of Greater Williamsburg. - 25 Sep, Dance, Baile, Ngoma, at Lafayette HS, for the International Club. (I saw this one last year, it was quite good). BARBARA VOLLMER Muscarelle Museum of Art • Current exhibits: - Expanding Horizons – contemporary Native American art until Oct 13 - American 18th, 19th, 20th Century oil paintings - Life of Toussaint L’Overture – silk screens by Jacob Lawrence - Vital: Our irreplaceable Earth– Photography by 8 international photographers until Nov 2 - Faculty Show 16 – on view Oct 17- Jan 11 - Liquid Commonwealth: Art and Life of Water in Virginia on view Nov 14 – Feb 15 • Lectures at 5:00 – no charge, but register at muscarelle.wm.edu: - Oct 25: Visualizing Climate Change through the Fragile Beauty of Marine Life - Oct 28: reclaiming Truth: Art as Force for Environmental Justice & Collective Action • William & Mary’s focus this year is on the Environment Williamsburg Symphony Orchestra • Upcoming performances: - Oct. 21 – 7:30 - Courts to Castles includes Mendelssohn’s 5th Symphony - Nov. 13 – 7:30 - Broadway Divas - Dec 6 & 7 – 1:30 and 3:00 both days – Holiday Pops Williamsburg Youth Orchestra • Sat., Nov. 8 @ 4 pm – WYO Concerto Competition – Williamsburg Presbyterian Church • Sun., Nov. 16 @ 4 pm – Fall Concert – William & Mary Concert Hall Virginia Regional Ballet • The Nutcracker Performances: - Sat., Dec 6 @ 1 pm & 5 pm; Glenn Close Theater on W&M campus - Sat., Dec 20 @ 1 pm & 5 pm, Sun., Dec. 21 @ 1:30 pm; Ferguson Center for the Arts Page 6 of 6