Amherst's VCCA welcomes new director from the 'real world'

When you get to the end of the long, twisting road leading down from the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts in Amherst to U.S. 29, you’ll see a sign that reads: “The Real World.”

At some point later this month, Suny Monk will cross that borderline for the last time as VCCA director, and Gregory Allgire Smith will make his transition from the other side.

Apparently, a lot of people in the Real World thought the directorship would be a nice job to have.

“We had around 100 applicants,” said Monk, who is ending a 15-year tenure as only the third director in the VCCA’s 40-year history. “I guess that says a lot about our reputation nationally.”

Certainly, it’s a job that offers more than financial rewards — a good thing, since the VCCA is, of course, a nonprofit. Perks include lush vegetation, distant mountains, ambling cows, three meals a day and frequent jolts of intellectual stimulation. The center draws writers, artists and musicians not just from across the nation, but around the world.

“I had a sculptor from Nigeria in my office this morning,” said Sheila Pleasants, director of artists’ services. “Later this week, a composer from Argentina and an artist from Germany are arriving.”

Pleasants was part of a search team seeking a replacement for Monk, who is officially retiring Oct. 1.

“It was kind of daunting,” Pleasants said, “but we had professional help — a human resources person who helped us eliminate the applications that weren’t really appropriate.”

The job is as multi-faceted as the VCAA itself. The director must be able to interact with the “fellows” who come there to write, paint, sculpt and compose; must be available to the surrounding community and to neighboring Sweet Briar College; and must be comfortable asking people for money.

“We offer a rural and Southern, but sophisticated, welcome to the best minds of our time,” said Monk. “Our challenge in the community is to be a good neighbor, but also to remain somewhat invisible.”

Gregory Smith, even though he came from the Art Academy of Cincinnati, had more than a touch of what Monk called “that Southern easiness.”

“He and his wife are both very focused, but also easy to talk to,” Monk said. “In the end, all of the finalists were highly qualified. It came down to whose style would best fit here. I think he (Smith) will be a very good fit.”

When the VCCA director contacts a potential donor, the selling point is nothing less than artistic legacy and cultural survival.

“These things that are created here are important,” Monk said. “They are the things that will remain.”

A lot of people think of the VCCA as a sort of isolation tank in which creative people can block out real life and all its myriad distractions. But that’s only part of the attraction. After all, some people can find solitude in their basement.

What keeps fellows coming back is an invigorating mix of solitude and community. The energy level from a dozen gifted people who are all working on new ideas is palpable and motivating. Then, at some point, one can say to those other people: “Now leave me alone, because I’m going to go create something myself,” and fellow artists will be fine with that.

Or, in other cases, alliances are formed, as when a writer finds an illustrator for a book, or a filmmaker stumbles upon a potential musical score in the next studio.

As for Suny Monk, she already knows what she’s going to do once she hands off the VCCA baton.
   “I’m going into my art studio to work on some projects,” she said. “I’ve loved my time here, but I’ve got some catching up to do.”