Host Janet Michael talks with Nathan Stalvey about the Clarke County Historical Association's spring Art at the Mill show, upcoming VA250 events in Clarke County, and behind-the-scenes updates on the historic Burwell-Morgan Mill.

Art at the Mill – Spring 2026

Dates: Saturday, April 18 – Sunday, May 3, 2026
Hours: Sunday–Friday, 12–5pm | Saturdays, 10–5pm
Location: Burwell-Morgan Mill, Millwood, VA
Admission: $5 adults | $3 seniors | Children 12 & under free

Free admission with a show postcard or print advertisement

Submissions: 300+ artists, nearly 950 works
Media: Oils, acrylics, pastels, pencil, charcoal, glass sculpture, wood turning, baskets, and more
Art rotates daily as pieces sell; reserve works come down from storage throughout the first week
Online Gallery available at opening — browse, call in, and purchase by phone during business hours
Artist bios included in the online gallery

Behind the Scenes

The jury/volunteer committee selects which works are accepted and chooses the signature postcard image
Hanging is a curated process — color, style, and framing are all factored in for each placement
Works range from 5 ft. x 4 ft. down to 4 in. x 4 in.
Artists set their own prices based on experience, materials, framing, and time
The show has been running since 1990

VA250 – America's 250th Anniversary Events in Clarke County

Clarke County's VA250 Committee brings together local nonprofits, businesses, and organizations for a multi-year series of events running through 2031.

Upcoming Highlights:

April 18 @ 2pm – Taking Tea and Taxes — Celeste Fetta, Chief Educator at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, speaks at Barns Rose Hill on material culture and the revolutionary spark behind colonial tea culture
May 16 (Saturday evening) – Liberty Ball at Long Branch — black-tie celebration of America's 250th, featuring music, fife and drum, and food
May 17 @ 2pm – Blandy at 100: Communities that Give Rise to Scientific Discovery — talk at Blandy Experimental Farm
May 17 @ 2pm – Nathan Stalvey presents Religion in Early America: From Colony to the Republic, tracing the First and Second Great Awakenings from the 1740s to the 1840s
4th of July – Coordinated community events; CCHA plans to grind red, white, and blue corn at the Burwell-Morgan Mill

Mill Updates

Mill Dam project: Complete — a major restoration that had been a long-running concern
Greater face wheel repairs: Underway — the gear connecting the water wheel to the grindstones needs new mill teeth, being hand-crafted by a certified historic millwright to original spec
Mill grinding expected to resume mid-May (pending repairs)
Future projects: mill pond dredging, water wheel maintenance

Support the Clarke County Historical Association

Memberships, donations, and volunteers are vital — volunteer hours count toward grant applications
Learn more: clarkehistory.org
Facebook & Instagram: @ClarkeHistory