By The Continuous News Desk

Published: July 27, 2009

CONTRIBUTED

Each year, the Virginia Highlands Festival commissions an artist to create a signature piece to represent the Festival and its theme.  For 2009, the Festival chose Val Lyle of Bristol, Tennessee as their signature artist.  Lyle graciously offered her newest sculpture, “Entwined Dancers,“ for the signature piece, and the Festival accepted it, and made their theme, “Entwined in the Virginia Highlands”.

The piece is constructed of aircraft carrier rope made of Kevlar, and it is heavily coated with resin. Lyle says that she uses rope because it is a “metaphor for what ties people down and for what binds people together.” 

On Thursday, July 23, The Virginia Highlands Festival formally presented “Entwined Dancers” to the Town of Abingdon.  The piece is now a permanent fixture of community art, and it located at Main Street Park, across from the United States Post Office in Abingdon. 

This is the first time that the Festival has turned over ownership of its signature art to another entity; however, because the piece comes to life in a natural setting, and because of its size, it was thought to be a wonderful outdoor piece that would add to the ambience that is Abingdon.  The Festival hopes that this art will inspire those in the community to keep creating and being passionate about art. 

Please note that the people in the photo are:  (From Left to Right:  Priscilla Miller, Festival MAPS Chair; Val Lyle, Signature Artist; Greg Kelly, Abingdon Town Manager; Cathy Lowe, Abingdon Town Council Member; and Ed Morgan, Abingdon Town Mayor).