Category: Arts & Culture

Snow forces Fiber Arts Collective and other events to adapt at Virginia Tech

Fiber Arts Collective details written on chalk board: Courtesy of VT Perspective Art Gallery Instagram

By Caroline Herbert, Arts and Culture Reporter


The Fiber Arts Collective event was supposed to take place at Virginia Tech’s Perspective Gallery on Tuesday, Feb. 11, but was cancelled due to snow.

Why It Matters: Events like the Fiber Collective at Virginia Tech are important because they bring students together that have similar passions and interest, to create a community. But when obstacles like weather get in the way of doing so, all those involved must adapt.

The Big Picture: Virginia Tech’s decision to close schools due to the snow on both Feb. 11 and 12 not only affected classes and regular activities, but also planned events scheduled for these days.

  • Virginia Tech’s statement on their website: “Due to inclement weather, the Virginia Tech campus in Blacksburg will be closed on Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025. All Blacksburg campus in-person classes and activities are canceled for Tuesday.”
  • Examples of events this effected: Beginner bowling tournament, Financial Wellness Workshop, movie night at the student center, and the School of Communication Professors Q & A

Zoom In: Olivia Coutre, Art Program Coordinator for Student Engagement and Campus Life, works with Studio 72. Coutre designed and facilitates the Fiber Art Collective Program and the weekly events that take place.

  • About Fiber Art Collective: Fiber Art Collective is one of the “crafternoon” events among others such as Watercolor Wednesday and pop-up programs in Johnston Student Center on Thursdays.
  • This week’s event was supposed to be in a similar format to previous weeks.
  • “We do everything from crocheting, knitting, punch needling, embroidery, hand-sewing, needle felting, and I also just introduced some weaving,” said Coutre. “I am available to help teach them any of the projects that they want to start but don’t know how to do yet.”
  • “Typically, we have a pretty good group of returning students that come every week, and then we’ll have a few new students that will show up,” said Coutre.
Activity at Perspective Gallery: Courtesy of VT Perspective Art Gallery Instagram

How they adapted: Although Coutre says they are bummed that this week’s event fell on a snow day, she said they found ways to adapt to the circumstances.

  • “People were sharing updates on their projects through a group me that one of the students started, which was a nice alternative if we couldn’t meet.” said Coutre, “I encouraged people to work on their projects on the snowy day.”

Zoom Out: Beyond the Fiber Art Collective, there were many other events that were affected by the snow cancellations. On Tuesday, Feb. 11 there was supposed to be a School of Communication Professors Q and A.

  • Emma Duncan, Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) member who has been
    playing a role in the planning of the School of Communication Professors Q and A, shares her experience with the event cancellations in Blacksburg. Originally supposed to be on Feb. 4, this event has been through a long planning process due to the room and professor availability. With the rescheduled date being Feb. 11, the snow cancellation date, they are having to reschedule once again. Duncan and others involved with the planning of this event decided to move it to Tuesday, Feb 18, on zoom to avoid any further rescheduling due to weather in the future.
  • Duncan shares that for SPJ, this type of cancellation is unusual.
  • “With planning any event, you never really think about weather because most of the events we do for our club are indoors. Our biggest challenges are normally scheduling guests to come,” said Duncan “It was the first time we’ve had to reschedule for weather.”
  • Duncan is adapting with a positive mindset. “We’re hoping zoom might even bring out more attendance,” said Duncan.

Mill Mountain Theater welcomes in new Producing Artistic Director

By Will Frank, arts and culture reporter

Photo courtesy of https://www.visitroanokeva.com

The Mill Mountain Theater’s Producing Artistic Director, Ginger Poole, has officially retired, placing the theater’s future in new hands. 

Mill Mountain Theater has been a symbol of arts and culture in Southern Virginia for over 60 years, hosting hundreds of talented artists and programs on its stage since 1964. What makes the theater unique is its emphasis on supporting the arts with various performances and programs, not just the typical musical or theater performances expected at a theater. 

Ginger Poole, the previous Producing Artistic Director of the last 15 years, is credited for revving the theater twice through financial struggles and leading it through the COVID-19 pandemic. During the economic struggles, she continued to open the doors by hosting classes and a holiday show once a year for four years, while being the only full-time employee at the theater. 

“It’s an interesting take to apologize for a problem that you didn’t create. I knew the past of Mill Mountain and the quality of productions, and it would have been a detriment to the community if it were lost. That was my thought line to keep fighting for the theater, while we were digging ourselves out of a big, big hole. The other part was I truly enjoyed the people that I was working with”, stated Poole.   

While at the top of their game, like most other art organizations, the COVID-19 pandemic lowered the theater’s curtains. Poole led the charge of navigating the theater through this difficult period and was able to skillfully revive the theater to its present-day stature.

“Through COVID, however, it was different, because the first round of debt was Mill Mountain’s problem, and it was Mill Mountain’s problem to fix, where COVID was out of all of our control. It wasn’t just a Roanoke-centric problem, we were all in it together, nationally and globally. It had a different flavor [than the debt] but I had the same drive of wanting to keep Mill Mountain going. I wanted to keep my staff and my guest artists in my community and my volunteers safe. We were all in it together, and that comradery, and accountability, kept us going”, remarked Poole.    

Poole journeyed to Roanoke 18 years ago to pursue her career in acting and was asked to perform and choreograph in the MainStage Seasons, which turned into an opportunity to join the Mill Moutain Theater family as the Director of Education. She became the first female to hold the position of Producing Artistic Director at the theater. 

“My first time in Roanoke, I was brought in as an actor, and then I was brought back as a director, choreographer, and actor. I would come and go from Flatrock, North Carolina to Roanoke, for probably two years, back and forth, just being a guest artist in productions. From that, I built the relationship with Mill Mountain and became their Director of Education in a pinch”, Poole recounted.    

After a staggering 35-year career in the industry, 18 of which were with Mill Mountain, Poole will step down from her leadership role but will remain on a consulting contract with the theater to ensure a smooth transition.    

After a grueling 11-month period and reviewing hundreds of applicants, Matt Shields, a Radford University alum with a BS in theater, was selected to fulfill Poole’s position.

Shields grew up outside of Washington D.C. and fell in love with Southwest Virginia after his time studying in Radford. He has worked in the Mill Mountain Theater family for seven years, learning the ins and outs of every corner of the theater, previously handling the responsibilities of Director of Productions, prop master, costume manager, teaching artist scenic designer, and company manager. 

When asked what about Southwest Virginia influenced Shields to stay he remarked, “I loved the lack of traffic and how beautiful it is. The mountains, the rivers, the streams, we don’t have anything like that where I’m from, and lastly its sense of community. Roanoke is still a city, but it has a small-town feel. You get to meet your neighbors and the community members have so much support for what’s going on around here. That was awesome, to be a part of a community.” 

Shields plans to continue in the direction that Poole has been leading the theater down and wants to embody the leadership that he saw Poole demonstrate.

“Always lead with compassion. I don’t think any leader is successful unless they’re compassionate about the people who work with them and the staff around them. Secondly, it is being a servant leader. I try not to just sit at my desk all day, I try to be up helping the production staff build the show, or a development person write a grant or our business person write a budget. We are a team and it’s important that your staff sees that you’re still a working member of the staff”, said Shields. 

Poole and Shields have been working closely with each other during this period process to ensure a smooth transition between responsibilities. 

“Ginger and I have a great working relationship, so I think it makes the transition a lot easier, knowing that I can call on her when I need help. She is still in an advisory role while I put everything in my name. We are going to continue to prioritize our staff, our people, and our community. I want Mill Moutain to be a full experience as opposed to a ‘just come and see a show’. There will be small changes, but it’s still going to be the Mill Mountain that people know and love”, expressed Sheilds. 

Everyone in the Mill Mountain teams seems to believe that Shields is the perfect replacement to fill the gap that is left with Poole’s departure.  

International Art Exchange Gets It’s Start at Virginia Tech.

By Zain Omar

The Art, Research, and Technology Exchange (ARTx) was founded in collaboration with Virginia Tech’s Institute for Creativity, Arts and Technology (ICAT) and hosts conferences in specialized performance venues with universities on the advancement of technology’s role in art.

The idea of ARTx came to fruition when Kyle Hutchins, assistant professor of practice at Virginia Tech, played a piece that was composed specifically to be played at the Cube in Moss Arts Center. He realized that certain works could not be duplicated or transferred to digital media because the experience of the performance is affected by the environment.

ARTx allows for professionals and students in the art space to research the impact that advancements in technology affect the way art is shared, learned and taught. Universities and organizations have the opportunity to be awarded grants for their research to keep advancing multimedia performance spaces on their campuses. Virginia Tech was awarded the SEAD grant to fund future projects at the Cube during the spring 2024 ARTx conferences.

ARTx features guest lectures at their event where researchers and art faculty from around the world can share how they found that technology has impacted the learning and performance landscape. Music therapist, Grace Carr, has experienced first-hand how technology has affected the way we learn art. “As a music therapist, I have seen first-hand how teaching music and understanding it have changed because of technology. It is my opinion that technology has allowed for teaching to become much more accessible and readily available to people,” said Carr.

ARTx research focuses on advancements in technology and how they impact the way art is shared, whether in educational environments or in specialized performance venues, such as the Cube. According to Virginia Tech’s Institute for Creativity, Arts and Technology, “The initiative emphasizes collaborations with peer institutions that feature spatial audio and multimedia performance spaces and festivals.”

Advancements in technology also play a role in art classrooms. As new technology is being introduced each year, students and teachers must adapt to new ways to create.

Advancements in technology change the learning landscape for students who are pursuing careers in artistic fields. Former music education student and Music Therapist Grace Carr found that technology has enhanced the learning environment when it comes to artistic fields. “I would say that technology has changed the way we learn art, in that it had simply added on to what we learn. That is not to say that I didn’t learn anything the “old fashioned” way. When I was learning to transcribe music, I would first learn on paper, then on a computer software. So, I would say that in leaning art, technology can help us enhance what we already know,” said Carr.

With the rise of art created for specialized research environments, institutions have found that sharing their work in other settings can be difficult. “When institutions have highly specialized research spaces for art-making, sharing work with other institutions can become challenging, if not impossible,” according to ICAT. ARTx is a way for these institutions to team up to find ways to develop these works to be shared in other space.

Through ARTx, researchers are finding ways to better be able to share these works that have been composed to fit only certain environments. This research will open doors or new ideas and innovative ways that art can be created.

ICAT hosts collaborations with festivals, universities, and organizations throughout the year. They have currently teamed up with 11 partners with locations all around the world. Currently, ARTx has partners in Canada, California, Ireland, New York, and Washington, D.C.

Virginia Tech hosts the New Music and Technology Festival every two years, where faculty and researchers apart from ARTx convene to share their research through lectures, performances and installations. The festival also features student works and is an environment for art and technology disciplines to learn and collaborate with each other. According to ICAT, “the festival highlights diverse disciplines, including music, theatre, cinema, dance, visual art, creative coding, computer science, neuroscience, molecular biology, robotics, and cybersecurity.”

Events for this festival are held in specialized research and performance spaces around Virginia Tech’s campus, such as the Cube, the Sandbox, and Perform Studio.

When Virginia Tech is not hosting the organizations that are part of ARTx, faculty is sent to attend conferences all over the world hosted by other institutions in the art exchange. The most recent conference that Virginia Tech attended was a five-day conference at the Center for Interdisciplinary Research in Music Media and Technology in Montreal, Canada.

Through the collaboration with ARTx and ICAT, along with the other universities and organizations that have joined the art exchange, new understandings of the way technology and art intertwine will start to change the way we share and view art.

Winter Weeks of Welcome: Pottery night becomes paint night

By Caroline Herbert, arts and culture reporter 

On Tuesday, January 28,  New Student and Family Programs hosted a pottery night at Squires Student Center, one of the final  Winter Weeks of Welcome (WWW) events. 

“With all of our programming, we aim to create welcoming spaces for new students and their families. We really hope that by attending the Winter Weeks of Welcome, students start off on a good foot and get to know other people, and feel a little more at home on campus,” said Maeve Marley, Programs Coordinator of New Student and Family Programs at Virginia Tech. 

The event took an unexpected turn when organizers ran out of clay within the first thirty minutes due to higher-than-expected attendance. “This event was advertised as a pottery night, but we had so many more students attend than we expected. We ran out of clay in the first thirty minutes, and now it is a hangout and paint night,” said Marley. The Hokies on Track staff quickly adapted by adding tables, bringing in painting supplies, and playing a Disney movie in the Squires ballroom. Despite the change, the event exceeded expectations. 

Aanya Suri, a first-year fall transfer from California, has found the  Weeks of Welcome (WoW) events extremely beneficial. “It’s like a third place for us to interact and talk. It’s not just going out or getting food; it’s an activity we can do together,” Suri said. “Painting and pottery are hands-on things I can do with a group of friends or people I’m meeting.” 

Marley emphasized that the primary goal of the WWW events is to welcome new first-year and spring semester transfer students, helping them connect with others and learn about Virginia Tech. This semester, they are welcoming 300 new students and aim to make them feel part of campus life. 

The events also serve an educational purpose. “Whether it’s learning something small like where the Commonwealth Ballroom is or something bigger, we have more involved and specific events,” Marley said. For example, a paint night hosted by the Sexual Violence Prevention Education (SVPE) office facilitated conversations about healthy relationships, teaching students about the office and its resources.  

Another event at The Lyric Theatre allowed students to bond while watching “Pitch Perfect” and learn about the theater, a popular spot in the Virginia Tech community.  

Katie Robbins, a Hokies on Track (HOT) intern, shared how these events impacted her since attending as a freshman. “I got into this because I went to these events my freshman year and really liked them, so I applied to be a Weeks of Welcome leader,” Robbins said: “It’s one of the best experiences I’ve had.” Coming from a small town in West Virginia, Robbins understands the challenges of starting at a big school without knowing many people. “It’s a really good experience to be that one person someone can reach out to because starting college is a hard, confusing time,” she added. 

While the primary target for the WWW is new spring semester students, New Student and Family Programs welcomes students of all classes and continues to bring Hokies together.

A Taste of Home: Virginia Tech celebrates the 50th International Cafe Hour

By Elizabeth Hill, education reporter

 Braised pork with rice, sweet potato balls and brown sugar bubble tea at the International Cafe Hour (Photo: Elizabeth Hill)

The aroma of braised pork and rice mingled with the sweet scent of brown sugar bubble tea at Virginia Tech’s Deet’s Place on Jan. 31 as students and community members gathered for the 50th International Cafe Hour. This milestone event, hosted in collaboration with the Taiwanese Student Association, celebrated Taiwanese culture and traditions, reinforcing the university’s mission to foster a welcoming environment for international students and promote cross-cultural understanding.

Since its formation, the International Cafe Hour has provided students with a platform to share their cultures, develop a sense of belonging and connect with the wider community. These free events featuring food, presentations and interactive activities have become a vital part of campus life, enriching the student experience and encouraging global connections.

Fawna Zwart, assistant director for campus and community engagement at the Cranwell International Center, has led the initiative since the beginning. “I think one of the biggest goals is to help international students feel more welcome and more at home here at Virginia Tech,” Zwart said. “What I have discovered is that when students share their culture, they just light up. It helps them develop a sense of belonging, express pride in their culture and also helps them find their people.”

The event started as a small gathering in the Cranwell Center’s community room, offering students a space to connect. “We had 112 people in the first hour,” Zwart recalled. “We had a line out the door.” The overwhelming response quickly turned the event into a campus favorite, necessitating a move to a larger venue. Today, it takes place in Deet’s Place, where attendance continues to grow.

As participation increased, so did the offerings. In collaboration with Virginia Tech Dining Services, the program now provides authentic cuisine that resonates with the featured country or region. “We get their home recipes, and the chefs choose a sweet, a savory and a beverage,” Zwart said. This approach ensures each gathering feels like a taste of home for international students while inviting the broader campus community to explore global flavors.

Each cafe hour is unique, showcasing different cultures through food, music, presentations and hands-on activities. To mark the 50th event, organizers extended the celebration to three hours, offering attendees a deeper dive into Taiwanese culture. The event featured information boards, traditional dishes and a Mandarin calligraphy station. Attendees also participated in trivia with questions about Taiwan and the chance to win tickets to a Moss Arts Center performance. The Global Education Office (GEO) and the Council of International Student Organizations (CISO) were also on hand to connect students with international opportunities.

A student learning the art of Mandarin calligraphy (Photo: Elizabeth Hill)


For Maya Collins, a student eager to explore different cultures, the event offered an immersive experience. “This is my first time at an international cafe hour,” she said. “Since I have not had the opportunity to study abroad, this event made me feel like I teleported to a new country, even if it was just for a couple of hours.”

Beyond the event itself, the Cranwell International Center strives to maintain long-term cultural engagement. A key element of this initiative is the creation of “culture boxes”—collections of decorations and artifacts representing different countries.

Student groups receive a small budget to curate these materials, ensuring a meaningful representation of their heritage. “I have created the culture boxes for them because many of them don’t have things from home,” Zwart said. “You know, they are restricted with their two suitcases to get here. They are not packing all the things from home, so I try to buy a few things for them that they can use and decorate with.” These boxes serve as valuable resources, not only for the cafe hours but also for student organizations presenting at local schools and community events.

With its growing popularity, the International Cafe Hour has become a highly sought-after opportunity for student groups, with several already expressing interest in participating next year. Zwart envisions the program as a living travelogue, offering the entire community a chance to learn about different cultures and break down barriers. 

The impact of this program extends far beyond the walls of the cafe itself, highlighting the importance of international education outside of the traditional classroom setting. Experiences like these foster crucial intercultural skills, such as communication, empathy and adaptability, that are essential for success in today’s globalized world. These skills aren’t always effectively taught in lectures or textbooks; they are best learned through direct interaction and shared experiences, like those offered at the International Cafe Hour. 

By fostering global awareness and mutual understanding, the International Cafe Hour prepares students to navigate an increasingly interconnected world. Through food, conversation and shared traditions, the event continues to bridge cultures, create connections and celebrate the diverse voices that make up the Virginia Tech community.  

A New Hip Hop Studies Class to Start at Virginia Tech in Spring 2025

By Ben Janusz and Jackie Mitchell

Arthur Craig, the co-founder of Virginia Tech Digging in the Crates (VTDITC) worked with other faculty members to create an intro level class at Virginia Tech, Introduction to Hip Hop Studies, for the Spring 2025 semester. Arthur also won a The Virginia Library Association’s “Academic Innovator Award.”

VTDITC has been around since 2016 and over the last few years, moved into a new room that members worked to form into their own studio. The program works to bring lovers of not just hip-hop, but all music together to collaborate and grow as creatives.

WRKE and its Impact

WRKE is Roanoke College’s student radio station, and after being listed on Princeston’s Best College Radio Stations Listing two years in a row, new DJs are stepping up to make it the best it can be.

Tori Shoonmaker, a DJ at WRKE is working to have more live performances brought to Salem by the radio station to shine a spotlight on local talent.
While WRKE is a small radio station at a smaller school, the impact that it is having on the students that walk through its doors is profound.

The Red Ferns, Releasing Debut Self-Titled Album

The Red Ferns, a Blacksburg based rock ‘n’ roll band, is releasing their debut album in the coming weeks, marking a big step for the future of the band.  

Why it Matters: The Red Ferns have been performing in Blacksburg for nearly two years now without any music released on streaming services. Having music released will allow for audiences to learn their songs, in turn helping The Red Ferns to grow and be able to market themselves more effectively. 

Flashback: The Red Ferns have been staples in the local Blacksburg music scene over the last two years. When they started, they were comprised of Zach Gesa (Bass), Peter Nelson (Guitar), Cole Zimmerman (Guitar/Vocals), Malcolm Woehrle (Vocals/Drums), and Jackson Rosa (Guitar).  

  • Started jamming in 2021 since “they all played guitars” said Woehrle, with Gesa and Woehrle making the move to the instruments they play now 
  • “Really just played a lot of open mics around Blacksburg” before Zimmerman joined said Woehrle 
  • All have “a love for The Grateful Dead” said Zimmerman, and with all of them growing up listening to that genre. Zimmerman, “is really the only person who really branches out into more indie-folk stuff like Mt. Joy” said Gesa. 

Zoom In: The album is self-titled, meaning it will be called, “The Red Ferns.” 

  • The album will be “seven songs” and will be “33ish minutes,” said Zimmerman. 
  • It will span many different sub-genres of rock ‘n’ roll but a few songs “have a lot of influence Americana-rock” said Gesa 
  • While taking influence from many bands from the 1970s and 1980s, “none of the songs feel like they’re from that time” and that they, “sound modern” said Woehrle.  
  • “Malcom and Cole wrote a lot of songs, especially lyrics” said Gesa. 
  • When writing the songs, “some came as eureka moments and I brought them to the band” but “some had to be worked out” with the rest of the band, said Zimmerman. 

Forming the Record: While this first started as a project to finish before the band members graduated from Virginia Tech in the Spring of 2024, the process took longer than initially expected. 

  • “We really locked in and committed to write the album in February or March” of 2023, said Zimmerman. 
  • Zimmerman wrote one of the songs two years ago, and Rosa wrote one of them in the fall, 2023.  
  • “Not having tracks already written made us write really fast,” said Zimmerman.  
  • In spring of 2024, went to “Giles County to a studio to record every weekend for six or seven weeks” said Woehrle. 

What We’re Watching: The Red Ferns debut album, “The Red Ferns” will release in mid-October.  

  • This a “tentative date since we are still finalizing some of the tracks with the distribution group,” said Zimmerman.  
  • They do not have many shows lined up surrounding the release of the album but, “we have a house show with Cherry Moon” around the date of the release, “which we are probably going to treat as an album release show,” said Zimmerman.  
  • The next step for the band is “to get back to playing and writing more music” and that, “we are excited to play all of these songs live” said Woehrle.