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| Hanes to Begin Teaching; Passes Leadership of Art Center to New Executive Director | |||||||||
| By KIM RAMSEY Editor, News aRound the Hill Walk into the Round Hill Arts Center and chances are you’ll be greeted with a friendly “Hello” from the Center’s artistic director, Hope Hanes. Come fall, however, Hanes will be greeting a new set of faces, and the face behind the desk at the Arts Center will be new as well. Hanes, who co-founded the Center eight years ago with her father, Wally Johnson, and his wife, Carolyn Kruger, is “going back to what it is that I do best and enjoy most—teaching, doing art, and studying languages.” She is enrolled in a certification course and expects to be teaching in the fall. A search for a new executive director for the Arts Center is underway. During her tenure, Hanes has been instrumental in establishing events such as the monthly bluegrass jam sessions, Western Loudoun Artist Studio Tour, and Round Hill Last Night New Year’s Eve celebration. “Hope has given a lot of her time and energy to making the Arts Center not only a place to experience, enjoy and take home the artistic talents of Western Loudoun but also a place in which the community can get together—all of which has contributed to and reinforced the uniqueness of Round Hill,” said Mayor Frank Etro. “We appreciate her many efforts and will miss her enthusiasm and desire to share the local arts with the community.” The Center has grown exponentially under Hanes’ leadership. She credits the growth to having had “wonderful support from the visual artists and musicians that participate.” Managing this growth—and some of its unintended consequences—will be among the challenges facing the Center’s new executive director. Facilitating and fund raising for improvements to the historic building will be one of the most pressing orders of business, as a surprise visit from the Loudoun County Fire Marshall in March brought to light the need to update the former furniture factory to meet modern safety regulations. While operation of the gallery and classes meet code, large gatherings like the jam sessions require additional precautions. Special care will need to be taken to honor the character of the historic structure. The Center is exploring funding options for this work. In the Center’s early days, Hanes recalled, the Town helped secure grant money to ensure the Center’s survival. Today, once again, local support may prove crucial to the Center continuing to be a place “where the arts and the community converge.” Tax deductible donations may be sent to the Round Hill Arts Center, PO Box 3, Round Hill, Va. 20142. |
 Arts Center Director Hope Hanes plans to begin teaching in the fall. |
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