The District/Maryland/Virginia (DMV) region is unique in its vast number of educational and cultural institutions situated within an easy commute.  The Visual and Performing Arts (VPA) SIG allows members to experience these opportunities in a way that would not be possible within the confines of a classroom.  Typical activities/events include a mix of meetings with films, speakers, and member research, as well as field trips that take advantage of many museums, universities, galleries, and artist studios.  All LLI/NOVA members are welcome to participate in any activity/event of interest.  Responsibility for meetings is distributed among members who suggest, plan, announce, and coordinate meetings and events.  If you wish to participate in our events and/or join the VPA SIG, contact the Coordinator.

Announcements/Upcoming Events

Photo Gallery of recent VPA Activities.  Scroll down to the Galleries.

Upcoming VPA Events

Sunday, September 8, 2024 – National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden – Sketching

  • Meet onsite by 10:00am. This gathering is limited to LLI/NOVA members. Members will meet at the gallery for coffee in the outdoor cafe before the “masses” arrive. Explore the National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden, which offers a relaxing setting to enjoy works of modern sculpture.
  • We will sketch in the outdoor National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden (if weather is not good, we will go inside to the Sculpture Galleries) and sketch…but no painting is allowed inside of the sculpture galleries, unlike the sculpture garden. Bring your own supplies or use the National Gallery of Art’s simple sketchbook and pencils.
  • The landscaping of the 6.1-acre sculpture garden space provides a distinctive setting for seventeen major works, including important new acquisitions of post-World War II sculpture by such internationally renowned artists as Louise Bourgeois, Mark di Suvero, Roy Lichtenstein, Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen, and Tony Smith.
  • We will enjoy the reflecting pool and fountain in the center of the Sculpture Garden. Spacious walking and seating areas give participants a chance to rest and reflect on the works of sculpture amid the rich settings composed of native American species of canopy trees, flowering trees, shrubs, ground covers, and perennials.
  • Transportation: Not provided. We recommend Metro. One can park in Metro parking lots for free on Sundays. The Sculpture Garden is located at Seventh Street and Constitution Avenue, N.W., in the block adjacent to the West Building.
  • Registration: Please register on the LLI events calendar so we know who is coming. Click HERE. You must sign up for this event by September 5th.
  • Sculpture Garden Information: Click Here.

Special Virginia Opera Performance

Sunday, November 17, 2024, 2 p.m. – Carmen at GMU

  • Virginia Opera presents French composer Georges Bizet’s passion-filled masterpiece Carmen, one of the most popular operas of all time, with recognizable arias including “The Habanera” and “The Toreador Song.” Set in Spain around 1830, the drama centers on the titular character. Carmen is bold, uninhibited, and independent; she lives life on her own terms. She becomes infatuated with Don José, who throws away everything to be with her, only to be rejected when Carmen moves on, falling for a bullfighter named Escamillo. Carmen confronts the dangers of jealous obsession and falling madly in love with the wrong person. Sung in French with English surtitles.
  • Deeply discounted group ticket price of $34 for orchestra seats (pre-selected) provided we commit to 20 tickets.
  • Register on the LLI event calendar to show interest. If we get sufficient commitment (20 tickets), the VPA coordinator, Anna Dixon, will contact you with the procedures for procuring the tickets.
  • You must show your interest by July 1 in order to qualify for the group discount.
  • Center for the Arts, Concert Hall, Fairfax Campus
  • Click HERE for Carmen information.
  • Click HERE for the LLI Event calendar registration.

GMU Events – Special Discount

Another season of great deals on tickets for LLI/NOVA members and their guests is about to start! For $15.00 (plus a $4.00 service fee) per seat, LLI/NOVA members may purchase tickets for any available seat at selected performances at George Mason University Center for the Arts. (Note that tickets may also be purchased in person at the box office, where no service fee is charged.)

Starting August 1, 2024, when the tickets go on sale to the public, we can use our specially designated code to purchase. The details about the shows are provided below. Purchasing tickets from GMU for these events is a three-step process.

  1. Retrieve the special LLI/NOVA discount coupon code here. You must log in to your account to view the coupon.
    The following content is accessible for LLI/NOVA members only, please sign in.
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  2. Go to the GMU Center for the Arts website. Click HERE or click the link for the events below.
    • 2.1. If needed, scroll through the GMU event calendar to the event desired.
    • 2.2. Click on Get Tickets
    • 2.3. Select the number of tickets desired and enter the special LLI Coupon Code obtained above.
    • 2.4. Choose any available seat from the seat map and order/pay for your tickets online.
  3. Go to the LLI/NOVA event calendar and register for the event (like registering for a class) so that we will know who is coming.

Saturday, October 19, 2024, at 2 p.m. – Mark Morris Dance Group

  • Welcome back the Mark Morris Dance Group (MMDG) for a radiant program of must-see dance, accompanied by live music by the MMDG Music Ensemble. Founded in New York City in 1980, the company has received “highest praise for their technical aplomb, their musicality, and their sheer human authenticity” (Bloomberg News). Over the years, choreographer Mark Morris has created more than 150 dance works that have earned him the title of “the most successful and influential choreographer alive, and indisputably the most musical” (New York Times). This program features audience favorites and rare gems, including Pacific (1995), “a beautiful, contemplative piece” (Dancetabs), set to music of Lou Harrison; Going Away Party (1990), which Critical Dance dubbed “thoroughly enjoyable, a little risqué and laugh-out-loud funny at times;” Rock of Ages (2004), set to music by Franz Schubert; and Castor and Pollux (1980), which the New York Times called “breathtaking” and “ferocious, raw yet precise and in possession of an unquenchable wildness.”
  • Center for the Arts, Concert Hall, Fairfax Campus
  • Click HERE for tickets and information.
  • Click HERE for the LLI Event calendar registration.

Sunday, December 1, 2024, at 2 p.m. – Take 6 (holiday acapella group)

  • The most awarded a cappella group in history, Take 6, brings its superlative vocal genius to the Center for a gospel-infused holiday concert. Take 6 has captivated audiences for more than three decades, earning 10 GRAMMY Awards, 10 Dove Awards, 2 NAACP Image Awards, a Soul Train Award, and more. Heralded by Quincy Jones as the “Baddest vocal cats on the planet,” experience vocal artistry with their silky-smooth program that slips and slides from jazz to pop to R&B, doo-wop, and blues. “The impeccable vocal harmony of Take 6 is a magic fairy dust that renews every song it touches” (Keyboard).
  • Center for the Arts, Concert Hall, Fairfax Campus
  • Click HERE for tickets and information.
  • Click HERE for the LLI Event calendar registration.

Sunday, March 9, 2025, at 1 p.m. – The Peking Acrobats

  • For more than 30 years, The Peking Acrobats have revitalized Chinese acrobatics, fusing ancient athletic discipline with modern special effects to create a kaleidoscopic marvel for all ages. These world-class gymnasts, jugglers, cyclists, and tumblers provide a gravity-defying spectacle with amazing displays of contortion, flexibility, and control. Accompanied by live musicians who skillfully play traditional Chinese instruments, The Peking Acrobats execute daring maneuvers and display their technical prowess at trick cycling, precision tumbling, juggling, somersaulting, and gymnastics. The Peking Acrobats will leave you and the whole family breathless with a performance full of exuberant pageantry and amazing feats that need to be seen to be believed. “The Peking Acrobats are pushing the envelope of human possibility, combining agility and grace in remarkable feats of pure artistry” (New York Post).
  • Run Time: approximately 100 minutes, plus intermission.
  • Center for the Arts, Concert Hall, Fairfax Campus
  • Click HERE for tickets and information.
  • Click HERE for the LLI Event calendar registration.

Saturday, April 5, 2025, at 2 p.m. – Cirque Mechanics: Pedal Punk

  • Known for their modern circus incorporating mechanical marvels, Cirque Mechanics introduces the wildly astonishing Pedal Punk, set in a Steampunk-inspired world where cycling provides wondrous escape from pervasive obsession with technology. A 22-foot, pedal-powered performance platform (dubbed the Gantry bike) serves as the caravanning mobile centerpiece of this high-flying thrill ride, featuring spectacular storytelling and daredevil acrobatics. The awe-inspiring ensemble of aerialists, jugglers, and clowns—including a zany bike shop mechanic— interacts with the elaborate contraption as well as penny farthings, unicycles, and tandem cycles. The Spectacle magazine hailed the troupe as “the greatest contribution to the American circus since Cirque du Soleil,” while the New York Times raved “exceptional, evocative, eye-catching, ear-catching and, to keep the list short, engrossingly entertaining.”
  • Run Time: approximately 85 minutes, plus intermission.
  • Center for the Arts, Concert Hall, Fairfax Campus
  • Click HERE for tickets and information.
  • Click HERE for the LLI Event calendar registration.

Sunday, May 4, 2025, at 2 p.m. – Virginia Opera: Loving vs Virginia

  • In a co-commissioning with Richmond Symphony, Virginia Opera is thrilled to present the world premiere of Loving v. Virginia by composer Damien Geter with a libretto by Jessica Murphy Moo. The opera is based on the true story of Mildred and Richard Loving, a married couple from Central Point, Virginia. The Lovings were criminally charged for their interracial marriage and forced to leave the state to avoid prison sentences. They took their case to the Supreme Court and won a landmark victory for civil rights in the United States. Co-produced by Virginia Opera and Minnesota Opera, and in partnership with the Institute of Contemporary Art at Virginia Commonwealth University, this highly anticipated world premiere opera will conclude Virginia Opera’s 50th Anniversary season. Sung in English with English surtitles.
  • Center for the Arts, Concert Hall, Fairfax Campus
  • Click HERE for tickets and information.
  • Click HERE for the LLI Event calendar registration.

Photo Galleries

There were 14 participants yesterday for the in person with Painting with Padma class (22SP36). This VPA related event was held on Monday, April 18, 2022 at the Spring Hill Clubhouse in Lorton, VA. 

It was a contemporary painting class where students learned about painting from memory.  Students selected reference pictures, and Padma directed students in creating a free, loose drawing that formed the skeleton of the painting.  After establishing the drawing, she guided the students on brush work and to listen to their own internal visual input. 

PADMA SURAPUREDDI is president of the Fairfax Arts League, and has been painting since she was a child.  She is the daughter of Indian contemporary master oil painter, Dr. M. Reddeppa Naidu.

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Artful Meetup with Mark Geiger


This VPA event was held on Friday, December 4, 2021, at the Spring Hill Clubhouse in Lorton, VA.

In this single session, Mark Geiger lectured on the use of the Color Wheel to understand Color Mixing and Color Theory, and then with moderate assistance, participants produced their own work of art to take home using watercolor!  Mark is a DC native and well-known local artist.  As an artist, he specializes in local scenery, particularly using the medium of watercolor, as well as drawings, pastel and oils. His style is impressionistic, and he is drawn to the theory behind light and color.

Mark provided a detailed handout which can be found here.

 

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Fairfax Art League Meetup to Make Watercolor Paintings


This VPA event  was held on Thursday, May 9, 2019 at the Spring Hill Clubhouse in Lorton, VA.


It was led by local artist Mark Geiger who volunteered to work with LLI/NOVA participants on watercolor painting techniques.  All were welcome to particiapte, whether beginner or expert.  Mark Geiger is a DC native.  As an artist, he specializes in local scenery, particularly using the medium of watercolor, as well as drawings, pastel and oils. His style is impressionistic, and he is drawn to the theory behind light and color.


Mark provided a detailed watercolor handout which can be found here.

 

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Richmond Museum Visit – April 2019


VPA’s April in Richmond outing began with beautiful gardens and colorful trees everywhere we looked. We started our rainy afternoon with a visit to the Edgar Allan Poe complex, including gar-dens and his childhood home. Afterwards we visited the bucolic and manicured University of Richmond campus to see several exhibitions be-fore checking into our ultra-modern lodging, the Graduate Hotel.


We had dinner nearby at the trendy Max's on Broad restaurant in Richmond’s Arts and Theater District, where a popular local fish dish, Water-zooi, atop local fresh vegetables, was the hands-down favorite.


Saturday morning, we began with a visit to the Valentine Museum complex and afterwards to the nearby John Marshall House. Mid-day, after a five-minute carpool ride, we were at the famous Virginia Museum of Fine Arts for the remainder of the day. At the VMFA, we were wowed with a docent-led highlight tour that ranged from the Faberge eggs and modernity to antiquities from several continents. Also at the VMFA, we had lunch and took a break for a picture with the camel. We capped our long day with a French dinner at the well-appointed Chez Foushee. Patty and Richard Steelman had to skedaddle to catch their 8 p.m. play, Neil Simon's "Broadway Bound."


Sunday morning we continued to bathe in luxury by having breakfast at the renowned Jefferson Hotel before visiting the Virginia Museum of History and Culture. The Jefferson has received both the AAA and the Mobile Five Diamond awards, and Forbes magazine recognized it as the “Best Hotel in America.”

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Usual Meeting Dates & Times

We meet at our scheduled events and trips, which occur at frequent, but irregular intervals.  Event and trip meeting dates and places, as well as any changes to them, are published in the Announcements area above, in the Events calendar and in the Newsletter.

Usual Meeting Location

Our meeting location varies accordingly to the location of our event.  Locations and directions will be provided on this site and in the Events calendar.

Cancellation Policy

Trips and events will take place unless canceled at the leaders’ discretion. When in doubt, check the LLI/NOVA website and the Announcement section above.

Join the Visual and Performing Arts SIG

If you are an LLI/NOVA member and you would enjoy the activities offered by our SIG, please log in, then join our SIG by clicking on the button at the right. [The Join button has not been implemented yet.]

Visual and Performing Arts SIG Members

[This function has not been implemented yet.] Want to know who is a member of the Visual and Performing Arts SIG? If you are an LLI/NOVA member, please log in, then click the button at the right.

No Email Address?

Members without email addresses should contact the SIG Coordinator in order to join or to find out who is a member of the SIG.

Cancellation Policy SIG Member Directory (Members Only)

Visual and Performing Arts SIG Coordinator

Anna Dixon.

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