SMAC eXpo 2024

By: Dianna Weiner

The shores of Smith Mountain Lake are set to come alive on May 11, 2024, as the Smith Mountain Arts Council (SMAC) eXpo makes its debut.  Free for all who attend, this family-friendly event will be hosted rain or shine from 10AM to 3PM at Trinity Ecumenical Parish. It will showcase the extraordinary literary, visual, and performing arts talent here in the community.

Art enthusiasts are invited to immerse themselves in a vibrant array of styles, mediums, and expressions alongside local artists. You will discover paintings, sculptures, photography, mixed media, woodturning, and literature that the whole family will enjoy. For the young and young at heart, the eXpo will feature face painting, juggling, a stilt walker, food vendors and opportunities to meet and mingle with fellow art lovers. 

The SMAC eXpo will also feature an exciting lineup of live music and theater performances, including a look at selections from the Lakeside Singers upcoming June concert, monologues and songs from the recent Lake Players show, the Junior Appalachian Musicians – a group of talented children in grades 4-8 who are being taught to play traditional old time and bluegrass music – and more.

Alongside local artists, SMAC is thrilled to have the Virginia Fine Arts Museum Artmobile on site for the event with works brought to you from the VMFA collection “Love Laughter, Tears: An Artist’s Guide to Emotions”.  Viewers will be guided through a dynamic compilation of paintings, prints, photographs, and film, which examine the relationship between art and emotion and consider how artistic depictions of emotions can connect humanity and foster mutual understanding.  The art traveling in this exhibition includes work by Kiyoshi Saito, Stephen Shame, Gabriel Sunday Tenabe, and Nell Blane.  

The SMAC eXpo is more than just a showcase of talent; it is a community-centric event that promises to be filled with laughter, inspiration, and creativity.  Whether you are a seasoned art aficionado or simply looking for a fun-filled day out with the family, the SMAC eXpo is the place to be!

The Smith Mountain Arts Council is a 501(c) (3) non-profit organization that serves to bring together the communities surrounding Smith Mountain Lake through the creation, celebration and connection of visual, performing and literary arts. To learn more about SMAC events, visit the Smith Mountain Arts Council website at www.smac-arts.com