First Fridays – November 2025

Join us on Friday, November 7 from 5:00–8:00 PM at the Academy Center of the Arts for November First Friday: Ted Batt & Elaine Wilson, an evening celebrating texture, place, and the intimate relationship between artist and material.

In the Up Front Gallery:

Ted Batt: New Works in Clay

Ted Batt presents New Works in Clay, a collection that reflects his decades-long dedication to craftsmanship, material, and form. With over thirty years of experience working in clay, Ted’s practice bridges tradition and experimentation, shaped by a lifelong passion for the arts and community engagement.

A Lynchburg resident since 2004, Ted is the former Director of the Visual Arts Program at the Academy Center of the Arts and currently serves on several local arts and education boards. His work embodies the balance between refinement and spontaneity—pieces that honor both the tactile process of making and the meditative rhythm of clay itself.

In the Ann White Gallery:

Elaine Wilson: Sight/Site

Elaine Wilson’s Sight/Site invites viewers into a painter’s intimate dialogue with place. Working outdoors, she explores how human intervention shapes the landscape, finding potential for beauty in every structure and space. Through repeated visits to the same sites, Elaine reveals patterns of mark and color that elevate ordinary settings into contemplative visual experiences.

Her paintings tell the stories of the places she encounters—urban structures, evolving neighborhoods, and the people who inhabit them. Each work captures authenticity and light, uncovering the narratives embedded in familiar environments while allowing viewers to draw their own conclusions.

✨ Meet the artists, explore new works in clay and paint, and experience an evening where creativity, material, and meaning converge in our galleries.