Katie Mooney
Curating Stories One Artist at a Time:
The Peter Bullough Foundation
Dr. Peter Bullough established his eponymous foundation with the lofty goal of “saving civilization through the power of the arts.” How does one go about saving the world, you might ask? In our case, the Peter Bullough Foundation (PBF) seeks to accomplish this one artist-in-residence at a time, one event after another, reaching out from our small community in the Shenandoah Valley to share the late doctor’s legacy with broader civilization.
Since the summer of 2021, the PBF’s two residential buildings and courtyard garden in downtown Winchester have been home to 42 different resident artists, from writers to visual artists, photographers to poets. Entering into the third year of our residency program, we will continue to explore our role within the local community, encouraging our residents to share their creative gifts in the form of lectures, workshops, events, etc. As we continue to evolve, we have been so grateful to partner with fellow local organizations, including 1455 Literary Arts, to bring these activities to our shared audiences and broaden our community engagement.
Residencies are crucial in providing the time, support, and space to tell stories. Not only the stories that find their way into books and publications, but the stories we tell one another as a community about who we are as individuals, as a society. In-person residencies expose artists to different communities, those within the walls of the residencies, and those just outside the bounds of the facilities. As a rural town, we are proud of the connections made between are residents and the city of Winchester, Virginia; how else are we to save civilization if we can’t have a conversation? If we’re afraid to speak and share our perspectives? These moments of connection are increasingly important as we move out of an isolating pandemic where our lifelines came across on the screen and, frequently, served as echo chambers to the voices in our heads.
We recently hosted a storytelling session with artist John Felix Arnold III here at the PBF. Arnold believes there’s something powerful in hearing words spoken aloud and advocated for an event sharing tales around a campfire. In this intimate setting, we heard stories of family, friendship, life, death and transcendent human experiences. There were tears; perhaps not because of the stories themselves, but because of the impact that comes from opening yourself to others. And perhaps, doing a little bit to save civilization.
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Katie Mooney is the Executive Director of the Peter Bullough Foundation.
Dr. Bullough established his eponymous foundation with the lofty goal of “saving civilization through the power of the arts.” Learn more below about their mission and how, as a 501(c)(3) registered nonprofit, they strive toward this vision via the link below.
Website: peterbulloughfoundation.org
