Under the leadership of Festival Director Mary Lawson, the Southwest Virginia Community College Festival of the Arts launched in 1995 with the theme From Sea to Shining Sea: A Celebration of the American Arts.
A few features of the Festival of the Arts which have continued through the years are the Cultural Walk, master classes, and Spotlight on Talent.
The inaugural year featured the talent of Victoria Bond as Conductor, Efrem Zimbalist, Jr. as Narrator, and Pavlina Dokovska as Pianist. Pavlina Dokovska began the Festival as the Pianist-in-Residence and continues to perform and teach in recent festivals, as well as serve as the Festival Artistic Director each year.
2024 | Our French Connections
2021 – 2023 | Events were canceled due to restrictions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
2020 | Visionaries
2019 | Movies: The Music, the Dance, the Fashions, the Stories
2018 | From Across the Pond to Southwest Virginia: A Fusion of Cultures
2017 | The Diversity of Dance: Its Styles, Rhythms & Music
2016 | Shakespeare and the Age of Romanticism
2015: International Folk and Classical Arts: Inspiration and Reinvention
2014 | Winds of Change, Winds of War-1890-1920: An Era of Empire, Invention and Upheaval
2013 | NO LIMITS!
2012 | VIVA Italia!
2011 | Our French Connections
2010 | Along the Silk Road: From Italy to China and Back Again!
2009 | A Retrospective 1995-2009
2008 | Spotlight on Scandinavia and the White Nights
2007 | Spotlight on Colonial America: Virginia 1607-2007 Community Program
2006 | Spotlight on Eastern Europe
2005 | Spotlight on Africa and Her Legacy
2004 | Spotlight on Global Harmony
2003 | Spotlight on Spain and Latin America
2002 | Spotlight on France
2001 | Spotlight on Russia!
2000 | Spotlight on England
1999 | Spotlight on Austria!
1998 | Spotlight on Appalachia: A Fusion of Cultures!
1997 | Spotlight on Italy!
1996 | Spotlight on Germany!
1995 | From Sea to Shining Sea: A Celebration of the American Arts