Humanities, Fine Arts, and Social Sciences

The Prison Creative Arts Project

The Prison Creative Arts Project is a two-part initiative supported by a generous grant from Virginia Humanities. The project aims to collect original writings and artworks from incarcerated students enrolled in PVCC's Higher Education in Prison Program for use in annual theatrical productions based on their stories.        

The project is managed by the PVCC Division of Humanities, Fine Arts & Social Sciences and its dean, Dr. Leonda Keniston with support from faculty.      
        
Click here to enjoy the full 2023 documentary.  

Click here to enjoy some of the visual and written works that contribute to the production of our annual Flying in Place performance.

The Prison Creative Arts Project is possible thanks in part to our sponsor, Virginia Humanities, and with assistance from Light House Studios.

 

2023 Annual Student Art Exhibition      

This exhibit showcases the phenomenal artwork of our students. All of the pieces were created for a PVCC art class during the Fall 2022 and Spring 2023 semesters. Please check out the work of these gifted artists here.

To view virtual art galleries for previous exhibitions, please visit the Virtual Gallery Archive.

College Publications

"The Forum"                  
The Forum, PVCC's student newspaper, is an opportunity for students to gain journalism experience while providing news and opinions of interest to the college community. Students can take part through writing, photography, drawing, editing, and design.

"The Fall Line"                  
The Fall Line, PVCC’s literary magazine, is a celebration of PVCC student writing and art. Published each spring, The Fall Line features fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction and comics--all selected by members of the Creative Writing Club—alongside student art. The magazine is designed by the Advanced Computer Graphics class and published in both print and digital form.

"Insights" Student Journal                  
Insights is an annual journal that provides a platform for student research within the Humanities, Fine Arts, and Social Science Division at Piedmont Virginia Community College. Papers are nominated by instructors for inclusion in the journal. Once nominated, students work with faculty editors to modify their work. Each year, the top three student research papers are formally recognized.

PVCC Fine Arts & Performance

Piedmont Virginia Community College features performances, workshops and exhibitions from our Theater, Music and Art departments and clubs, as well as a rich array of professional dance, theatre and visual arts programming as part of our Fine and Performing Arts Series.   Since 1999, PVCC's Fine and Arts and Performance Series has offered high-quality arts experiences that entertain, enrich and educate students and the larger community.

 The Prison Creative Arts Project

The Prison Creative Arts Project is a two-part initiative supported by a generous grant from Virginia Humanities.  The project aims to collect original writings and artworks from incarcerated students enrolled in PVCC's Higher Education in Prison Program for use in annual theatrical productions based on their stories.  

The project is managed by the PVCC Division of Humanities, Fine Arts & Social Sciences and its dean, Dr. Leonda Keniston with support from faculty.  

We invite you to enjoy some of the visual and written works that contribute to the production of our annual Flying in Place performance.  Galleries for all Prison Creative Arts Projects works can be found here.

Faculty Achievements and Awards

PVCC Professor Connie Jorgensen Receives 2022 American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) Dale P. Parnell Distinguished Faculty Award

The Humanities Division at PVCC has always known how fortunate we are to call Ms. Jorgensen our own, so we cannot agree more that she merits receiving this prestigious recognition. 

As the primary advocacy organization for community colleges, the AACC represents more than 1,000 two-year, associate degree-granting institutions and six million students. Ms. Jorgensen is one of only 29 faculty members within these institutions of higher learning to receive this prestigious award.

Recipients for this award are selected for their passion for teaching, support for students inside and outside the classroom, participation in college committees and going above and beyond to ensure students are successful in their academic endeavors.  Ms. Jorgensen embodies all of these and more.  "Professor Jorgensen is so deserving of this recognition and all attendant accolades.  She should be very proud of the tremendous work she does for our students and institutions.  As her supervisor, I am very proud of her accomplishments around civic engagement," remarked Dr. Leonda Keniston, the dean of Humanities, Fine Arts & Social Sciences at PVCC.

Ms. Jorgensen teaches political science and directs the PVCC Quality Enhancement Program (QEP), Civic Sense: Engaging Students in the Civic Life of Their Communities. She also serves on the PVCC Curriculum and Instruction and One-Book committees and is a member of the College Senate. Additionally, she is active in national organizations including the Faculty Network for Student Voting Rights, Civic Virginia and the Students Learn, Students Vote Coalition.

PVCC Professor Jennifer Koster Receives State Council of Higher Education for Virginia 2021 Outstanding Faculty Award

Piedmont Virginia Community College (PVCC) is proud to announce Professor Jennifer Koster as a recipient of the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) 2021 Outstanding Faculty Award. The Outstanding Faculty Award is the Commonwealth’s highest honor for faculty at Virginia’s public and private colleges and universities. These awards recognize superior accomplishments in teaching, research and public service.

Koster is an English professor and the Writing Center coordinator at PVCC. Through her work and classes she builds community and encourages students to explore their interests as potential areas of study. Koster is committed to education and demonstrates this commitment across communities in Virginia. She is founder of the Virginia Community College System’s Learning Assistance Professionals Peer Group, coordinator of the Virginia chapter of the Southeastern Writing Center Association (SWCA) and Virginia representative to the SWCA Board. In addition, this year she initiated Virginia’s first statewide tutor collaboration, TuColla-VA.

“Professor Jennifer Koster is a remarkable educator who is truly deserving of the SCHEV Outstanding Faculty Award. The award is a testament to her extraordinary dedication to PVCC students,” noted Dean of Humanities, Fine Arts and Social Sciences Dr. Leonda Keniston.

To learn more about the 2021 SCHEV Outstanding Faculty Award and view the full list of winners, click here