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MEET COnSTAnCE FAHEY: QUEEN OF THE ARTISTS GALLERY
This year, The Artists Gallery celebrates its 34th anniversary as Virginia Beach’s first and only artists’ cooperative. And the artist who most helped found it is still its director and a practicing member.
Constance Fahey was four years old when she first fell in love with art. It was during World War II and she wanted a wagon. So she took scissors, cut paper and glued it together to make one. From then on, give her a pencil and paper and she was a happy child.
At 13, she got her first set of oils and began the discovery of painting that she now practices so masterfully. Her acrylic paintings grace the walls of collectors from all over the country and the world. Few others so compellingly capture the essence of the sea and its breaking waves.
The reason? Like so many others in Hampton Roads, Constance was a service brat, following her father’s Coast Guard postings all over the country and beyond. “All my life, I have lived by the sea and many of its shores,” she says.
Born in New London, Connecticut, during the Great Hurricane of 1938, she figures she has attended 22 different schools, including colleges. Relocations included here, Florida, Bermuda and around the Great Lakes. “I became a Greenbay Packers cheesehead,” she laughs. While in Bermuda, her parents paid for her to study with a nun, Sister Regina Delores, who had studied in Italy, and who taught her much about painting fine art.
After college, she moved from Hampton Roads. Happily, she met and married a man in the insurance business. However, soon he was drafted, decided to take a Navy commission… and loved it. She was back on shore duty again.
During a stay in Washington, D.C., she noticed the Torpedo Factory, the storied artists’ cooperative in downtown Alexandria. There she got the idea that artists could work together – a concept that took form here in 1987 when she and seven others joined forces to found what was first called “Artists At Work.”
They established space for studios in a decrepit building, above a Chinese take-out restaurant at 2407 Pacific Avenue, one block from the beach. She says, “there you could buy art and get an eggroll.”
Soon they cleared space downstairs for a gallery, and Constance served as its first president when they formally organized as a not-for-profit corporation called “The Artists Gallery” The idea, she says, was to be a gallery “for the artists” – sharing expenses and taking less of a commission. Exhibiting artists and volunteers manned the desk and helped put on monthly exhibitions. She is quick to point out much of its success is due to others.
Many artists have been attracted to its strong sense of cooperation and a unique atmosphere of friendship and good humor. In fact,
Constance often found Post-It notes on her canvas saying “It’s finished”, “Use a bigger brush”, “Don’t touch it” or best of all, “Take up golf!”
Seventeen years later, the gallery moved to a space on Norfolk Avenue where it stayed for years. Then in 2018, a new opportunity evolved. The gallery, with the guidance of the late Jean Rawls, was able to help create a non-profit organization taking on responsibilities for education, exhibitions and public outreach. Combining with the city’s former ceramics operation, the Virginia Beach Art Center was formed with a greater role, to be “for the community.”
Today, both the Art Center and the Gallery successfully operate out of the purple building in the heart of the ViBe, at 532 Virginia Beach Boulevard. Constance is proud of her association with the creation of both, while she continues to paint in her studio regularly.
At the Gallery, you can find some of the best of local art for sale, along with an opportunity to meet with artists and watch as they create; in the Art Center, classes are filled, programs bring the public and art together, and monthly exhibitions explore a wide variety of themes.
Visitors are always welcome during operating hours, 10–5 Tuesdays –Fridays, 10–4 Saturdays, 12–4 Sundays. You can also see the work of many participating artists on the website www.theartistsgallery.org. Virginia Beach Art Center programs can be found at www.artcentervb.org. Or go to either to reach the other.
All thanks to the early efforts of Constance Fahey and friends.
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Kendall Snyder Art Connecting with Community
Kendall Snyder, otherwise known as “KendiiArt”, is a locally recognized artist in Virginia Beach. She has been involved in the arts since a child, having won numerous awards from elementary all the way up to highschool. She pursued art through college at George Mason University and graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Graphic Information Design in 2010. It wasn’t until she made the impulsive move to live by the beach in 2015 that she found her love of the ocean, reconnected with painting and truly created her own style.
She has sold many commissioned pieces of all subjects ranging from sea life to astronauts, but her pet portraits have become a staple in the area. Her dog portraits created a wave and landed her a number of opportunities. She currently creates dog inspired beer labels for Wasserhund Brewery on a regular basis and has painted a dog mural in their Chesapeake location. Vibrant Shore Brewing Company has used her dog paintings and designs for their apparel, as well as local crossfit gym Kaizen Athletics, to name a few. She designed the cover for Virginia Craft Beer Magazine Aug/Sept issue last year and was the featured artist for the 10th Anniversary 757 Battle of the Beers. She participated in the Art of the Vibe 3 exhibit with the Virginia Museum of Modern Art and is a curator of Aunt Flo’s Art Show, an all female artist event held in the VIBE district. She is one of the 14 artists featured in this year’s 6th annual mural festival, and looks forward to experiencing all that the event has to offer.
Kendall uses her passion for painting as a means of relaxation and connecting to Virginia Beach’s community. “There is something special about this area and living by the ocean. It immediately felt like home to me. I love being able to be recognized for my own unique style and most of all have FUN with it! There is nothing like doing what you love and being rewarded for being yourself.” What’s her next move? She will be hosting painting workshops beginning this fall for kids to help guide their creativity and teach them the basics of painting. You can find Kendall’s work and follow along her artistic journey on her social media pages- Facebook and Instagram @KendiiArt.
MEDICARE EXPLAINED IN CLEAR TERMS to help you undertand ALL coverage available to meet your unique healthcare needs
MEDICARE EXPLAINED IN CLEAR TERMS to help you undertand ALL coverage available to meet your unique healthcare needs
MEDICARE EXPLAINED IN CLEAR TERMS to help you undertand ALL coverage available to meet your unique healthcare needs
MEDICARE EXPLAINED IN CLEAR TERMS to help you undertand ALL coverage available to meet your unique healthcare needs
Medicare approved grocery benefits under certain conditions for 2022. I am very grateful to have helped hundreds of Medicare beneficiaries obtain thousands of dollars worth of groceries this year. Please contact me to see if I can help you.
MEDICARE EXPLAINED IN CLEAR TERMS to help you undertand ALL coverage available to meet your unique healthcare needs
Medicare approved grocery benefits under certain conditions for 2022. I am very grateful to have helped hundreds of Medicare beneficiaries obtain thousands of dollars worth of groceries this year. Please contact me to see if I can help you.
Medicare approved grocery benefits under certain conditions for 2022. I am very grateful to have helped hundreds of Medicare beneficiaries obtain thousands of dollars worth of groceries this year. Please contact me to see if I can help you.
Medicare approved grocery benefits under certain conditions for 2022. I am very grateful to have helped hundreds of Medicare beneficiaries obtain thousands of dollars worth of groceries this year. Please contact me to see if I can help you.
Medicare approved grocery benefits under certain conditions for 2022. very grateful to have helped hundreds of Medicare beneficiaries obtain thousands of dollars worth of groceries this year. Please contact me to see if I can help you.
Integrity Insurance Services is credentialed with the top Medicare carriers in our market. CMS requires us to let you know. “We do not offer every plan available in your area. Any information we provide is limited to those plans we do offer in your area. Please contact Medicare.gov or 1-800-MEDICARE to get information on all of your options.
Integrity Insurance Services is credentialed with the top Medicare carriers in our market. CMS requires us to let you know. “We do not offer every plan available in your area. Any information we provide is limited to those plans we do offer in your area. Please contact Medicare.gov or 1-800-MEDICARE to get information on all of your options.
MEDICARE EXPLAINED IN CLEAR TERMS to help you undertand ALL coverage available to meet your unique healthcare needs
Integrity Insurance Services is credentialed with the top Medicare carriers in our market. CMS requires us to let you know. “We do not offer every plan available in your area. Any information we provide is limited to those plans we do offer in your area. Please contact Medicare.gov or 1-800-MEDICARE to get information on all of your options.
Integrity Insurance Services is credentialed with the top Medicare carriers in our market. CMS requires us to let you know. “We do not offer every plan available in your area. Any information we provide is limited to those plans we do offer in your area. Please contact Medicare.gov or 1-800-MEDICARE to get information on all of your options.
YOUR HOMETOWN INSURANCE GROUP SPECIALIZING IN MEDICARE COVERAGE FOR OUR NEIGHBORS IN & AROUND HAMPTON ROADS
Insurance Services is credentialed with the top Medicare carriers in our market. requires us to let you know. “We do not offer every plan available in your area. Any information we provide is limited to those plans we do offer in your area. Please contact Medicare.gov or 1-800-MEDICARE to get information on all of your options.
YOUR HOMETOWN INSURANCE GROUP SPECIALIZING IN MEDICARE COVERAGE FOR OUR NEIGHBORS IN & AROUND HAMPTON ROADS
NO COMMITMENT FREE healthcare assessment
Medicare approved grocery benefits under certain conditions for 2022. I am very grateful to have helped hundreds of Medicare beneficiaries obtain thousands of dollars worth of groceries this year. Please contact me to see if I can help you.
HOMETOWN INSURANCE GROUP
YOUR HOMETOWN INSURANCE GROUP SPECIALIZING IN MEDICARE COVERAGE FOR OUR NEIGHBORS IN & AROUND HAMPTON ROADS
YOUR HOMETOWN INSURANCE GROUP SPECIALIZING IN MEDICARE COVERAGE FOR OUR NEIGHBORS IN & AROUND HAMPTON ROADS
DALE S. WHITE
NO COMMITMENT FREE healthcare assessment
Integrity Insurance Services is credentialed with the top Medicare carriers in our market. CMS requires us to let you know. “We do not offer every plan available in your area. Any information we provide is limited to those plans we do offer in your area. Please contact Medicare.gov or 1-800-MEDICARE to get information on all of your options.
SPECIALIZING IN MEDICARE COVERAGE
NO COMMITMENT
NO COMMITMENT FREE healthcare assessment
(757) 650-2500 daleswhite@integritymedicareva.com
DALE S. WHITE
DALE S. WHITE
(757) 650-2500
OUR NEIGHBORS IN & AROUND HAMPTON ROADS
(757) 650-2500
DALE S. WHITE
YOUR HOMETOWN INSURANCE GROUP SPECIALIZING IN MEDICARE COVERAGE FOR OUR NEIGHBORS IN & AROUND HAMPTON ROADS
FREE Consultation
FREE Consultation
FREE healthcare assessment daleswhite@integritymedicareva.com
FREE Consultation
NO COMMITMENT FREE healthcare assessment daleswhite@integritymedicareva.com
(757) 650-2500
DALE S. WHITE
DALE S. WHITE
(757) 650-2500 daleswhite@integritymedicareva.com
(757) 650-2500
FREE Consultation daleswhite@integritymedicareva.com
FREE Consultation daleswhite@integritymedicareva.com
