Sisterhood Spotlight

Congratulations on your appointment to lead the Virginia Commission for the Arts! Can you share a little bit about your role?

Thank you, I am incredibly honored to hold this position! The Virginia Commission for the Arts (VCA) is the state agency dedicated to investing in the arts. We do so through funding from the National Endowment for the Arts and the General Assembly, allocating more than $5 million annually in support of all arts disciplines for the benefit of all Virginians. So my role is to steward those investments and ensure we are elevating the arts across Virginia through state support.

This Arts & Humanities Month, what would you like to share with Virginians about the role of arts and culture?

A spotlight on the arts and humanities is so wonderful and this October, I encourage Virginians to seek out experiences defined by the rich arts and culture of our state –experiences that connect, inspire, uplift, entertain, and educate. This is an especially exciting time to do so as so many organizations and sites across Virginia are leveraging Arts & Humanities Month for expanded (and often free) programming.

What is one special thing that makes Virginia unique or that’s happening in Virginia that people ought to know about?

While all arts sectors are strong in Virginia, I am especially inspired by the spoken word. One of the VCA’s initiatives is Poetry Out Loud – a national arts education program that encourages the study of poetry for high school students. The annual program culminates with a recitation contest and Virginia is the only state to have produced two national winners in the competition.  

What is an important lesson you’ve learned in your area of work?

An important lesson is understanding and appreciating just how diverse the Commonwealth is – diverse in geography, diverse in populations, diverse in need. This makes the VCA’s grants, especially the General Operating Support grants, even more significant and impactful. The majority of our funding ($4+ million), provides unrestricted support so that Virginia’s arts organizations can meet the unique needs of the audiences they serve. What is critical for an established theatre in a metropolis and what is critical for an emerging studio in a rural county differs greatly, and our grants intentionally support such a diverse range for the benefit of all Virginians.

Do you have a favorite artist or art era?

Yes – a Virginia artist, of course! Photographer Sally Mann, who is a recipient of one of the VCA’s prestigious Artist Fellowship awards, is one of my favorite artists. I first came to know of her work when I was a docent at the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington D.C. and would always include one of her photographs in their permanent collection on my tour. Mann is consistently reimagining and pushing boundaries within the medium of photography.

What’s a piece of advice you’d give your younger self?

My younger self – especially as an undergraduate student at Duke – was frequently asked “what are you going to do with a degree in art history?”. My advice to her would be to just wait as someday you will have the perfect answer. “I’m going to accept the appointment of Governor Youngkin to lead the arts for the Commonwealth of Virginia.” 

About Margaret Hancock

Margaret Hancock is the Executive Director of the Virginia Commission for the Arts, overseeing the agency and its multimillion-dollar investments in the arts of all disciplines for the benefit of all Virginians. She studied art history at Duke University, during which she completed an internship with the National Gallery of Art, and earned a Master of Education degree from the University of Virginia. For more than two decades, she has worked to advance the missions of prestigious arts, culture, and education institutions including the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the Savannah College of Art and Design, the University of Virginia, and the National Geographic Society.