For Immediate Release:January 28, 2006
Media Contacts:
For Loudoun Arts Council:
Roxann Henze
roxann.henze@verizon.net
703-725-8167
Gale Waldron: gwaldron@anent.com
For Rust Manor House:
Laura Longley: lauralongley@mac.com
RUST NATURE SANCTUARY IS SITE OF DESIGNER SHOWHOUSE
Loudoun Arts Council and Audubon Naturalist Society Team for Third Loudoun Showhouse
LEESBURG, Va. - The Loudoun Arts Council (LAC) today announced the Rust Nature Sanctuary Manor House in Leesburg as the future location of its third Designer Showhouse. The Council will work in partnership with the Audubon Naturalist Society (ANS) which accepted trusteeship of the Rust property in 2000. Both are nonprofit organizations.
"This is an enormous opportunity for two community organizations to come together in a project that will benefit our region," said Jeff Stern, LAC's president. "By bringing the talents of our most creative designers to this hidden treasure, we hope to restore the elegant Rust Manor House to pristine condition." Stern added, "We have begun recruiting Showhouse volunteers who have enthusiasm for this special property and who want to have a hand in its restoration as well as support the arts."
"The Audubon Naturalist Society is delighted that the Loudoun Arts Council has chosen the Rust Manor House for its Designer Showhouse," said Frank O'Donnell, ANS Board president. "This project gives us two significant opportunities: One, to forge a strong working partnership with the Loudoun Arts Council, and two, to transform the Rust Manor House into a valuable regional events and meeting facility.A restored Manor House can provide a revenue stream that can help ANS expand our environmental education programs for Loudoun County residents of all ages." O'Donnell added that the two organizations have begun to tap prospective in-kind donors for help with road and structural repairs.
Scheduled to open in the fall of 2006, the Designer Showhouse is a major fundraiser for the Loudoun Arts Council.Showhouse efforts will restore the historic Manor House to its elegant past and establish Rust Nature Sanctuary as a prominent site.Each room and several garden areas will be professionally finished by designers from the area who will be selected to work on the project based on proposals they submit.Interior and landscape designers who have interest in the project should contact the Loudoun Arts Council.
About the Loudoun Arts Council: Founded in 1988, the Loudoun Arts Council is a 501(c)(3) organization that promotes the development of artistic expression throughout the county.The Council operates as the interface between artists, organizations and arts supporters by providing information, education, research and communication to benefit the arts community as a whole. For additional information about the Loudoun Arts Council, visit www.loudounarts.org or contact (703) 777-7838 or info@loudounarts.org.
About the Audubon Naturalist Society: Fostering stewardship of the region's environment since 1897, the Audubon Naturalist Society (ANS) of the Central Atlantic States is a 501(c)(3) organization that educates the area's residents in the importance and beauty of our natural world and promotes the conservation of our region's natural resources. The ANS provides field trips, school visits, classes, teacher training, summer camps, partnership programs with community organizations and conservation advocacy leadership to minimize the impact of growth on the natural environment. For additional information about the Audubon Naturalist Society, contact Lynda DeWitt at (301) 652-9188 or visit www.audubonnaturalist.org. For information about Rust Manor House and ANS's role in the Showhouse, contact Laura Longley at (703) 669-0755 or RustRentals@audubonnaturalist.org
###Photo attached: The Rust Nature Sanctuary Manor House in Leesburg, future site of the Loudoun Arts Council's 2006 Designer Showhouse.The house and its 68 acres with six distinct habitats are the property of the Audubon Naturalist Society.
