ABOUT THE VIRGINIA CENTER FOR THE CREATIVE ARTS

Staff of the VCCA

Suny MonkExecutive Director Suny Monk has been at the  VCCA since 1997. She is currently on the board of Virginians for the Arts, the Alliance of Artists Communities and the Academy of Fine Arts in Lynchburg. From 1982 until 1996, she was the Headmistress of Aylett Country Day School in Miller's Tavern, Virginia, where she was responsible for all aspects of the administration of this private school. Suny was a partner in Phoebus Gallery, a fine art and crafts gallery in Hilton Head, South Carolina from 1977 to 1981. Trained as a ceramicist, Suny's current artwork focuses on fabric and wearables.

 

office

staff

Craig PleasantsCraig Pleasants is Program Director and former Acting Director and has been at the VCCA since 1989. From 1985 to 1989, he was Co-Director and Exhibition Designer of 80 Washington Square East Gallery and Broadway Windows, two exhibition spaces of New York University's Department of Art and Art Education. In 1978 he founded The Upstairs, one of the first alternative spaces in the southeast. He was its Director/Curator until 1984. In that capacity he was a founding member of the National Association of Artists' Organizations.   Craig has been an exhibiting artist for the past 20 years. Solo shows of his work have been mounted at The Alternative Museum, White Columns, and Berland/Hall Gallery in New York City, the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, and Virginia Commonwealth University's Anderson Gallery, in Richmond, the North Carolina Museum of Art, and Musee d'Art Contemporain in Marseilles.

 

Sheila PleasantsDirector of Artists' Services Sheila Gulley Pleasants has served in that capacity since 1989. As Admissions Coordinator, Sheila manages the scheduling of over three hundred Fellows each year. She also administers the international exchange programs with Austria, Germany, France, Malta, Ireland, and UNESCO. From 1984 to 1989, she was an administrator in the Institute for Speech and Language Sciences and the Department of Linguistics at New York University. She has taught French in the Modern Languages Department at Sweet Briar College and Randolph-Macon Woman's College. She has also taught English at the Université d'Orléans in France. With Craig Pleasants, Sheila was instrumental in the operation of The Upstairs, an alternative exhibition space in Tryon, North Carolina.

 
 
Office Manager Beatrice Booker arrived at the VCCA in 2003 after working in Lynchburg as a case manager at GE Financial. Bea, who has a paralegal certificate from Central Virginia Community College, is the mother of two girls, Bianca and Bijoana. She is active in her church, singing in the choir and working with youth groups. She enjoys walking, reading and traveling with her husband Sylvester and her daughters.

zaneOriginally from Richmond, Sous Chef Zane Burchett grew up in the kitchen, working side by side with his mother. Currently living in nearby Schuyler with his wife Marcie Martinez, Zane brought varied talents to the VCCA when he joined Chef Rhonda's team in 2007. He is a vegetarian who grinds his own ingredients, including sugar, wheat berries for flour, and even his own seasonings. And, after five years at the humongously popular Dr. Ho's Humble Pie near Charlottesville, Zane possesses practically unparalleled gourmet pizza making skills. He cooks with a lot of garlic and onions and is interested in helping bring many unique and flavorful vegetarian entrees to Fellows, including curries and stir fries.

 

Bruce HartlessBruce Hartless joined the VCCA in 2003 as Facilities Manager, with oversight of the grounds and buildings. Previously, he was a long-time CAD engineering manager at Ericsson, a communications firm in Lynchburg. In his spare time Bruce is an enthusiastic camper and a part-time beef cattle farmer in Amherst County, where he was born and raised. He and his wife, Marian, have one daughter.



 

Dorothy Johnson Dorothy Johnson came to the VCCA in 1981, and for a while, she also prepared breakfast and lunch for Fellows. Her method for keeping oatmeal warm was once featured in Parade magazine. For more than 25 years she kept the Fellows' Residence clean, comfortable, and welcoming. Dorothy retired in August 2009, but will always be part of the VCCA family.

Robert JohnsonRobert Flimming Johnson, November 28, 1933 to June 23, 2006. Robert joined the staff of the VCCA in 1977, the year it moved to Mt. San Angelo, and for three decades served in so many capacities,
caregiver, chef, host, driver, poker player extraordinaire, always faithfully and always cheerfully. No facet of the VCCA was untouched by Robert's special blend of charm, wit, and grace and his mark upon this place endures even after he is gone. We miss him tremendously.

 

Dana JonesDana Jones is Associate Director of Admissions and assistant to Director of Artists' Services Sheila Gullley Pleasants. She joined the VCCA staff in 1998. She has an Associates Degree from Central Virginia Community College. Her job includes processing all applications received for the VCCA's various residency programs as well as oversight of the computers and network.

 
 
 

Carol O'BrienCarol O'Brien, Director of Annual and Planned Giving, joined the VCCA in 2002. She is responsible for the development, implementation and stewardship of the annual giving program, the VCCA Legacy Society and special events. A graduate of Western Kentucky University, she was the co-founder of Colony House, a retail gift and furniture store in Russellville, Kentucky that she owned and managed from 1975 until 2002. She has been an active board participant in various civic and nonprofit organizations.

Mike PattersonMike Patterson joined the grounds and maintenance crew in 2004, tending everything from fast-growing grass to persnickety plumbing and electrical systems. He had been a building mechanic at Tritech Laboratories in Lynchburg. Mike and his wife Jennifer have one daughter, Katherine. They live on a farm in Amherst County where Mike enjoys hunting and fishing.

 

Chef Rhonda Scovill managed one of Charlottesville's oldest fine dining establishments, The C&O Restaurant, for more than 13 years and remains a chef there for special events. Knowledge of food preparation, technique and presentation was expanded during training and apprenticing at 20 South Catering where she claimed Executive Chef for four years. She has continued her indulgence in providing exquisite dining experiences with her own small catering business and her passion for nourishing and entertaining family and friends is a perfect match for the Fellows at VCCA. She lives in Charlottesville and is currently preparing to study for the Culinary Institute of America/American Chef Federation professional chef certification. Y'all come and eat!

 

 

Financial Officer Bonnie Sue Wine has been keeping the books at the VCCA since 1998.. Previously she has worked as an auditor for Bank of America in southern California, an accountant and assistant manager for Carey Limousine in Washington, D.C. and West Palm Beach, Florida. She was also the Town Treasurer for the Town of New Market, Virginia. She has served on the Board for the Shenandoah Valley Travel Association and the New Market Area Chamber of Commerce and has been a member of the New Market Planning Commission.

 

BACK TO TOP

 

Above right, top of page: painting of VCCA office by Jessica Dunne