Thunder BRidge, in Arnolds Valley, will open 15 of its 16 art studios to the public on Saturday, April 19, from 11 a.m. to 5 a.m.
Attendees will find painters working in large and small formats, from mixed media and collage to traditional oils, acrylic, watercolor, alcohol ink, encaustic, canvas floorcloths and even postage stamps. There are also textile artists, printmakers, a poet and collage artist, a wet plate photographer, a videographer, a children’s book author, and a metal sculptor, to name a few. Many of the artists work in several media, and each studio reflects the different processes, styles and media the artists undertake. Maps will be available onsite to direct visitors towards the artists’ studios and will note which media they practice.
Artist who will open their studios include Cynthia Atkins, Tagen Baker, Susan Brady, Stevie Bond, Lenny Lyons Bruno, Benjamin Frey, Lauralee Sorensen Hart, Nancy Johnston, James Pannabecker, Karen Pannabecker, Christine Sajecki, Celeste Simon, Melissa Sizemore, Nina Whitehead and Brinn Willis.
Thunder BRidge is especially proud to display Karen Pannabecker’s large sculpture, “Painting the Pileated Woodpecker,” in the barracks area. The Roanoke Arts Commission recently chose this sculpture to be displayed for two years on the Elmwood Art Walk, in Elmwood Park, as a result of its competition, “Larger than Life.” The sculpture will move to Elmwood Park in May.
In addition to the eclectic studio landscape, all 100 acres of the property will be open for touring, including most of the 30-some buildings that for many years served the boys of the Natural Bridge Juvenile Corrections Center. Visitors may explore the forest campground formerly known as Camp New Hope.
Thunder BRidge Campground is owned by Karen and James Pannabecker, who bought the boys’ home property four years ago. They have been steadily creating a community arts and culture center, repurposing its many varied spaces as studios and performance spaces for artists, writers, dancers, musicians, theater performers, and more.
Thunder BRidge is preserving and enhancing a historic property that has cycled from a Civilian Conservation Camp in the 1930s, through a boys’ detention center at the forefront of juvenile justice reform, and into private ownership. The juvenile detention center provided troubled teenagers with a high school education and skills to return to society as productive adults, including classes in carpentry, woodworking, masonry, auto mechanics, barbering and gardening. Visitors will see that Thunder BRidge has respected and preserved memories of this mission. The Virginia Department of Historic Resources has touted the property as the best remaining example of a CCC camp. All of the CCC buildings remain, most in usable condition.
Thunder BRidge Campground, which opened in May 2022, focuses on spacious primitive sites, unlike most of today’s campgrounds that crowd as many people as possible onto the available acreage. The campground currently includes 11 tent sites, six RV sites, three screened cabins, two vintage log cabins, and three well-appointed cottages – all served by a pavilion with a dining/recreation room, water, bathrooms, showers, Internet service, and electricity.
The campsites and cabins may be reserved through Hipcamp.com and the cottages through Airbnb.com. A dining hall, the pavilion, and the entire facility are available for daily, weekend or weekly rental, as Thunder BRidge has hosted workshops, weddings, a mountain bike race, community meetings and other special events.
The name, Thunder BRidge, reflects the property’s rich history and geographical location (Blue Ridge). The CCC men called their weekly newspaper “The BRidge.” The boys built a large log cabin called “The BRidge.” Thunder Ridge Mountain overlooks the property, which loaned its name to the boys’ “Thunder Ridge High School.”
The Globowl Café will offer food and drinks. Thunder Bridge is located at 1425 Arnolds Valley Road, Natural Bridge Station.
