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Art exhibitions explore Appalachian identity and newcomer experiences

The Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine is launching a dual exhibition featuring "From These Hills" and "Making it in America," opening April 14 in Roanoke. "From These Hills," on loan from the William King Museum of Art and curated by Kathy Foley, showcases contemporary Appalachian art across various media that explore regional identity and memory. Complementing this, photojournalist Heather Rousseau’s "Making it in America" documents the lived experiences of immigrants and refugees in Southwest Virginia, capturing the resilience of Afghan, Ukrainian, and Latino newcomers through five years of visual storytelling.

Savannah Penven creates a space for young artists to thrive

Savannah Penven, a 2024 graduate of Virginia Tech, has returned to the Center for the Arts as exhibitions program manager, a decade after her own artwork was featured in the center's first "Young Artists" exhibition in 2014. She now coordinates the current "Young Artists: dreamscapes" show, featuring 39 students from Craig County High School, and works to create validating, professional-level exhibition experiences for young creatives.