MBCNews - Mary Baldwin on Beverley Street

Mary Baldwin on Beverley Street

2009-03-12
Mary Baldwin College alumna Shirley Wray '58 and former art professor Jan Olsson open the spring festivities for MBC Reunion and Commencement Weekends with consecutive exhibitions exhibitions at the Beverley Street Studio School, beginning March 27 and May 22 respectively.
The Beverley Street Studio School, founded by MBC alumnae, former instructors and a former vice president of the College, celebrate the continuing link between the College Art Department and the community art School for adults with annual exhibitions that reinforce the connection between "Town and Gown," the Staunton community and the College located above the downtown arts district.

The exhibition of paintings by Shirley Wray '58 opens during Reunion Weekend on Friday, March 27, with a reception from 5-7 pm. The show remains on view during gallery hpours until Commencement weekend when the exhibition of original prints and paintings by former faculty member Jan Olsson opens on Fridy, May 22 from 5-7 pm. The Olsson show will remain open until July 7.

An English Literature major at Mary Baldwin, Shirley Wray '58 was among the founders of the Beverley Street Studio School. She taught at the Virginia School for the Deaf for twenty years before taking her first art class at Blue Ridge Community College "as a favor for a friend for a friend." Wray explained that she used art to reach her young deaf students and found it to be a rewarding way to work interactively with the students, but never thought about developing her own abilities to draw or paint. Then she took a class at Blue Ridge with Frank Hobbs who was later to become a co-founder of the Beverley Street Studio School.

That class convinced Wray that she wanted to continue her studies of art and she eagerly joined with other community leaders who recognized the need for an art school where adults could continue to develop their interests under the direction of professional artists. Individual artists had offered instruction in the historic Crowle Building on Beverley Street since 1992. By the beginning of 1994, the loosely organized classes had been transformed into the Beverley Street Studio School with classes in all media and at all levels taught by practicing artists. In addition, the community at large was invited to attend lectures, discussions and exhibitions designed to enhance their knowledge, enjoyment and appreciation of the arts.

In the years since Shirley Wray's first art class, she has emerged as one of the leading artists in the area, with exhibitions at Shenandoah Valley Art Center and Washington and Lee University.

Former Mary Baldwin College professor Jan Olsson, who will show her work during Commencement Weekend, now works in Paris, France. She taught at the College from 1980 until 1990 when she was offered a studio at La Ruche, an international art center sponsored by the City of Paris. Olsson had already completed three residencies at the Cite' Internacionale des Arts in Paris and her work had been shown in three of Paris's juried salons, including the prestigious Salon de Montrouge.

Olsson has continued her relationship with Staunton, teaching workshops at Mary Baldwin College and at the Beverley Street Studio School. In 1995 she had a one person exhibition at the Staunton Augusta Art Center in 1995. In 2004 she served as Visiting Artist at Mary Baldwin. She has also taught for the BSSS Travel Study program in Mexico in 2004 and in Provence, France 1998-2002.