Please note that this exhibit will be closed Friday, September 17th for a private event. 

In September 2021, Nancy Polo returns to Barns of Rose Hill with a collection of original watercolor and acrylic paintings. 2020 was an historic year—a capstone to an unprecedented time of social, political and environmental upheaval. Everyone everywhere has asked themselves “What’s Going On?” Marvin Gaye’s 1971 song asked the same question fifty years ago for the same reasons. In our little town of Berryville, some might like to insist that nothing much is going on. We are enduring a global quarantine, but we are not a hot zone for the COVID 19 pandemic. Our Unity March in response to the deaths of innocent people of color across our nation was peaceful. Our community discussions on race relations and other controversial subjects held at the Barns of Rose Hill have been relatively calm. Even with our  democracy on the brink of collapse, with families and good friends finding themselves divided, we continue to be relatively polite to each other in Clarke County.

Inspired by social injustices committed in the US, including the 1965 Watts riots, Gaye’s lyrics explore themes of racism, drug abuse, poverty, and the Vietnam War. As he struggled to get the song produced, Marvin Gaye asked, “With the world exploding around me, how am I supposed to keep singing love songs?” Nancy Polo asks herself the same question about painting. Her response is a series of landscapes, portraits, bird and nature paintings full of color and tension that brim just under the surface of reflected beauty. In our small county we are lucky enough to be removed from most of 21st-Century turmoil. That buffer does not give us permission to hide. Rather, it should give us pause to contemplate what we truly value, and find ways to preserve what we love in our world. Come see “What’s Going On?” at the Barns of Rose Hill this September.

Exhibit Info:

Barns of Rose Hill is open to the public Tuesday through Saturday, from 12 PM- 3 PM. All exhibits are free of charge. If you have any questions, please contact Barns of Rose Hill at (540) 955-2004.

Please note that this exhibit will be closed Friday, September 17th for a private event.

FAQs:

Are there any COVID restrictions?

Your safety is important to us. We are  following the CDC and Virginia state recommendations for public events.

Where are you located?

We are located in downtown Berryville, Virginia between the Rose Hill Park and the Berryville-Clarke County Government Center / Clarke County Library. View Map & Directions »

Where do I park & is it free?

Free parking is available next door at the Berryville-Clarke County Government Center / Clarke County Library / Barns of Rose Hill parking lot. View Map & Directions For Details »