For Immediate Release:Febuary 10, 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
DESIGNERS NEEDED FOR SHOWHOUSE AT RUST SANCTUARY IN LEESBURG
Loudoun Arts Council Announces Call for Designers
LEESBURG, Va. - The Loudoun Arts Council (LAC) today announced it is seeking interior designers/decorators who have interest in participating in its third Designer Showhouse. The Showhouse event will be held at the historic Rust Manor House in Leesburg and is scheduled to open September 2006. The Arts Council is working in partnership with the Audubon Naturalist Society (ANS) which accepted trusteeship of the Rust property in 2000. Both are nonprofit organizations.
"We're inviting designers who have interest in this special property to visit the house in February," said Gale Waldron, Showhouse co-chair and LAC board member. "This is a unique opportunity for designers and landscapers to return these grand rooms and gardens to their elegant past," Waldron added that the original Manor House was built in 1910 and sits on 68 preserved acres.
"The theme of the 2006 Showhouse is 'Timeless Elegance,'" said Deb Schaffer, Showhouse design chair. "We hope that each designer will be able to celebrate his or her individual style while staying true to the traditional, gracious, Southern feel of the home." Schaffer said two floors of the Manor House and several garden areas and outbuildings will be included in the Showhouse.
The Manor House will be open for designers to walk through February 13 through 24, 2006, from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m. (Monday through Friday), and at other times by appointment. Designer boards will be due April 3.
Waldron said the Audubon Naturalist Society is taking an active role in the Showhouse by raising funds and in-kind support to make repairs to the building and grounds before the designers arrive on site. "This is an exciting partnership between two nonprofit organizations. As a fundraiser, it will benefit the arts in our community. It also will allow ANS to increase its earned income by becoming a major event site for weddings and corporate functions." That, in turn, will help ANS to achieve its vision of the Rust Nature Sanctuary as the region's leading environmental education center.
The Arts Council is also seeking volunteers who want to be involved in the project. "Our two previous Showhouse events have prepared us for this year's undertaking at Rust," said Waldron. "We're ready to begin and looking forward to an extraordinary event."
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 lauralongley@mac.com
###Photo attached: The foyer of the Rust Manor House is one of the spaces that will get a facelift as designers refresh the property for the 2006 Designer Showhouse, a project of the Loudoun Arts Council and Audubon Naturalist Society.
