Blue Ridge PBS announces artist, Joni Pienkowski as its featured artist for Artistic Encounters – Meet the Artist.
The award-winning series highlights artists and invites the community to meet the individuals while seeing their works with an opportunity to acquire pieces during a reception and following exhibit held at Blue Ridge PBS. The art will remain on display for several weeks.
Pienkowski began creating art as a young girl in Soldiers Grove, Wisconsin. n 1948, she was the youngest entrant at the Wisconsin State Rural Art Show and went on to study art at the University of Wisconsin. In the 1960s, she moved to Blacksburg.
Ranging from abstract to realistic portraits, much of her art is large format. She often mixes mediums in a single work.
Her award-winning creations have been exhibited in galleries across the country including the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond, the Parthenon in Nashville, the William Dale Gallery in New Orleans and the Franz Bader Gallery in Washington, D.C. Her work is in many museums and private collections.
Pienkowski taught at Virginia Tech, the University of Wisconsin and Radford University.
Acoustic ballads and covers for the reception will be performed by Martie Hoover, who once performed at the Louisiana World’s Fair and at D.C.’s Constitution Hall. Both reception and exhibit are completely free of charge. However, as a non-profit, donations are highly appreciated. Donation proceeds go to funding the local station operations and make it possible for Blue Ridge PBS to continue to provide the community with entertaining, educational, and inspirational content.
Blue Ridge PBS is located behind Virginia Western Community College at the end of McNeil Drive. The reception will take place Thursday, Aug. 28, 4 – 7 p.m., and the pieces will remain on display weekdays, Sept. 2 – 12, 1-4 p.m. and by appointment. Visit BlueRidgePBS.org for details.
