Deciding to become an artist at age 2, Jane Vance continues to create and collect from past travels.
Correction: This story has been modified from its original version. — This article has been modified from its original version to more accurately reflect Jane Vance's status as an instructor here at Tech. The Collegiate Times regrets this error.
The chilling images cause the Tech campus to remember the tragic events of last year, when Harrington went missing in Charlottesville during a Metallica concert. Her remains were found on a nearby farm several months later.
“I love Morgan still, and the film is dedicated to her,” Vance said. “She was an especially amazing 19-year-old when I knew her.”
Harrington would have joined Vance this past summer on their trip to Nepal, but instead she “carried her ashes.”
“That is a huge reason why the film means the same as my heartbeat,” Vance said.
Vance remains close friends with Harrington’s family, and they have helped each other through the grieving process.
In fact, her brother, Alex Harrington, and mother, Gil Harrington, recently helped Vance set up a display of some of her artwork at the Community Arts Information Office on College Avenue.
Vance has about five paintings on display there, and Gil Herrington created the concept for the window display, which represents the trip from Blacksburg to Nepal. It includes Vance’s hiking poles and boots, as well as photographs of her children on the “Blue Ridge side,” plus items from Vance’s trip and a photo of the Dalai Lama.
Vance also included essays and projects from her students in the gallery.
Vance is not only proud of her artistic work, but also of the time she dedicates to public schools helping special needs children, and her recent involvement with a Virginia Foundation for the Arts Grant.
The kids Vance works with at Prices Fork Elementary did projects in response to “A Gift for the Village,” in the form of giant necklaces, which are also included in the display.
Despite Vance’s many ventures, she still enjoys the homely company of her cats, the visits from her children and the entertainment from friends and family. But sometimes, she does relish alone time in her studio to work on her craft. However, even then, she is not truly alone among all the relics and mementos of her travels.
Currently, she is far from lonely as she prepares for her documentary’s premiere at the Lyric Theatre Saturday, Oct. 9, at 3 p.m.
Out of the blue, she asked what music Bob Marley played. She answered her own question.
“Reggae. Well you know how if you are good with a guitar you can kind of riff a beat, sort of the way reggae sounds?” she asked. “Well, I can paint these Tibetan gods and goddesses, but what good is it if I’m only riffing? I had to make the two parts relevant to one another by this bridging, bringing one culture to the other.”
Little did she know, that as a young child painting with such tiny detail, she was actually mirroring the “infinitesimal, patient commitment” that the ancient tradition of Tibetan art honors, something she has devoted a piece of her life to today.
“What I want to be taken from this film is that your nature is knocking on your own door,” Vance said, “hidden in plain sight.”
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A version of this article appeared in the Oct 7 issue of the Collegiate Times.
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Jane Vance is actually an instructor, not a professor. Perhaps in the future you could be more accurate.
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Your comment comes across as an arrogant and condescending thing to say in response to this lovely article. I don't think it makes any difference to the whole point of the article whether Jane Vance is an instructor or professor.... And I'd be willing to bet that that the whole professor/instructor status difference doesn't even matter to all of the students who she has worked with over the years. In fact, most students probably don't even know or care about the status hierarchy within academia, but hey, thanks for pointing that out and making sure that everyone knows that Jane is only an "instructor". It is very important to correct those reporting mistakes.
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The university officially uses of the title of professor for anyone who teaches at Virginia Tech for any context external to the university. Internally, we draw a lot of distinctions about adjuncts, instructors, assistants, associates, and full professors. I don't consider the CT as part of the university administration or their audience as being only faculty and staff, but they have a history of making this type of faculty distinction.
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Otherwise an excellent article, though. Jane is a courageous artist and member of our community.
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Ms. Perry wrote a fantastic article about an even more amazing person, and you chose to focus on the minutae? Really? Hey Local Mom, your nature is knocking at the door, and it wants to remind you to take your meds.
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This article was quite refreshing. As an old dear friend, Jane Vance has inspired me on my own path as an educator and artist through two degrees at VT and several years of teaching in the community. She's exactly what makes Blacksburg such a wonderful place to call home. I read this morning and missed my friends!
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