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MidMountain, a local agricultural nonprofit and arts collective, will host a Spring Fellowship Cohort, as well as an open house, on Saturday, March 9, in Arnolds Valley.
The event will feature free workshops, a ritual reflecting on the history of the space, a mutual aid Really Free Market set up in its Post Office Community Center, and a concert featuring gothic hillbilly band the Laurel Hells Ramblers and Indie folk act the Timber Bridges.
The featured “creatives” will include “Been There, Done That” author, former Popular Science executive editor and podcast host Rachel Feltman; media product manager Amy Fuchshofen; interdisciplinary creative alexis sāga; organizer John Henry Williams; and artist and activist Katie Hanzalik.
“This is our largest fellowship cohort yet and we cannot wait to see what creative projects germinate and come to fruition this season,” said MidMountain curator Andy “River” Peterson.
MidMountain, which achieved its nonprofit status last year but has been in existence since 2021, seasonally hosts fellowships at its five-acre riverfront property along the James River at 338 Arnolds Valley Road in Natural Bridge Station wherein the group shares time and space for creative people to work on personal passion projects and also offers private rentals and paid residencies.
The nonprofit recently launched a membership program called MidMountain by Mail which helps support the organization’s programming while sharing exclusive postcards featuring artwork from members of the collective.
The open house will begin with a Restorative Writing Workshop with Rachel Feltman and Amy Fuchshofen from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Those interested should reserve a spot in the workshop at midmountain.org/workshop. Attendees may pay what they want; there is no minimum donation.
A potluck and Really Free Market will be held in the Post Office Community Center from 1 to 5 p.m. Donations can be dropped off from now through March 9. More information can be found at midmountain.org/ rfm.
At 2 p.m., a Storytelling in Organizing workshop will be held by John Henry Williams.
At 3 p.m., there will be a Reflection Ritual led by alexis sāga.
The concert featuring Laurel Hells Ramblers and The Timber Bridges will start at 5 p.m. The suggested donation is $10, but no one will be turned away due to lack of funds.
MidMountain will also be hosting “Art is a Natural Bridge: Connecting Creativity and Environmental Activism,” a juried art show and film festival, this spring, with an open call for submissions that closes March 15. The show, which benefits Protect Our Water, Heritage, Rights (POWHR), Artivism VA and MidMountain, will highlight works related to the constant connection between the natural world and the choices people must make to protect it, locally and globally. Artists working in 2-D, 3-D, and film/video media are invited to interpret that theme broadly while submitting work for consideration. More information on this can be found at midmountain. org/art.
MidMountain is a 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization, arts collective, and project in constant growth that believes in the power of people to reclaim space and caring for their neighbors, said a spokesperson. They also organize professional, creative development and artistic programming while seeking community input about interpreting the property’s past — which includes ties to colonization and human bondage.
Contact MidMountain founder/curator Peterson at [email protected] with any questions.
