For Immediate Release:
August 18, 2022
Primary Media Contact:
Sally Voth
Public Relations Specialist
[email protected]
Phone: 540-868-7134
A 28-poster traveling exhibit focused on the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) is coming to Laurel Ridge Community College’s Middletown Campus next week.
The public is invited to a reception 6-8 p.m. Friday, Aug. 26, in the art atrium. The college’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Council is sponsoring the exhibit, which will be in Cornerstone Hall’s Sekel Art Atrium Aug. 24 – Sept. 11, and will be at the Fauquier Campus Sept. 26 – Oct. 3.
The exhibit will include the work of two local artists, Kerry Stavely, of Strasburg, and Christy Broy. Broy has served as director of programming and exhibits at ShenArts and now works at the Museum of the Shenandoah Valley. She is an artist, curator, writer and educator, and much of her work is based on pop culture.
Stavely has worked as a graphic designer, art educator and freelance artist and designer. She owns Tip Top Art and Handmade in Winchester, and is co-owner of Horse and Hare, an art and design studio and online retail shop. Stavely focuses on block printing and mixed media figurative works, many of them portraits of female writers, artists and social justice icons.
The project was created by VoteEquality and Artists4ERA to raise awareness of the effort to add gender equality to the U.S. Constitution through passage of the ERA. The art depicts diverse groups and communities, including LGBTQIA+, Black women, people of color and indigenous people.
The ERA was first put before Congress in 1923, three years after women received the right to vote, according to the National Archives. The proposed amendment would codify full equality for women, ending legal distinctions between men and women when it comes to divorce, property, jobs and more.
“The DEI Council is proud to partner with Artists4ERA in bringing this exciting exhibit to our Laurel Ridge community, and in raising awareness of an effort that remains as relevant now as it’s ever been,” said Laurel Ridge librarian Kerry Kilpatrick, who chairs the council. “Equality is a universal human right and we’re proud to showcase that mission through this artwork here at the college.”
Sociology/Human Services Professor Larry Friedenberg said he and some fellow faculty members met to discuss how they could use the Artists4ERA exhibit to build student engagement.
“We felt that incorporating college events and campus spaces was a great way to build civic learning and engagement, a core component of our general education curriculum,” Professor Friedenberg said. “These conversations have opened new opportunities for faculty and Student Life to collaborate, encouraging students to explore civic engagement and grow as citizens and active members of our communities.”
For more information about the exhibit, visit artists4ERA.org or voteequality.us.
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Founded in 1970, Laurel Ridge Community College is a multi-campus public institution of higher education. With three locations — Middletown, Warrenton, and Luray-Page County — the College serves eight localities in the Shenandoah Valley and northern Piedmont regions. The localities are the counties of Clarke, Fauquier, Frederick, Page, Rappahannock, Shenandoah and Warren and the city of Winchester. Laurel Ridge offers more than 75 associate degree and certificate programs in a wide variety of disciplines, in addition to providing access to bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree programs offered on site by a four-year institution. Laurel Ridge also serves the business community by offering workforce preparation programs for employees and employers. Laurel Ridge serves more than 9,000 unduplicated credit students and more than 11,000 individuals in professional development and business and industry courses annually.
Laurel Ridge Community College is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) to award associate degrees. Laurel Ridge Community College also may offer credentials such as certificates and diplomas at approved degree levels. Questions about the accreditation of Laurel Ridge Community College may be directed in writing to the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, GA 30033-4097, by calling (404) 679-4500, or by using information available on SACSCOC’s website (www.sacscoc.org).
Laurel Ridge Community College is an equal opportunity institution providing educational and employment opportunities, programs, services, and activities. Laurel Ridge shall promote and maintain equal employment and educational opportunities without regard to race, color, religion, disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, ethnicity, marital status, pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions including lactation, age (except when age is a bona fide occupational qualification), status as a veteran, national origin, or other non-merit factors. Laurel Ridge also prohibits sexual misconduct including sexual violence or harassment. Inquiries may be directed to the Associate Vice President, Human Resources, [email protected], 173 Skirmisher Lane, Middletown, VA 22645, 540-868-7226.
Laurel Ridge Community College was known as Lord Fairfax Community College until June 2022. For consistency purposes, the college will be referenced as Laurel Ridge going forward.
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