On the average summer day, VisArts is buzzing like a beehive. ArtVenture campers and teachers are covered in glue and pipe cleaners, independent artists are swapping ideas across the workbench, visitors are exploring art in the gallery, and staff are keeping the whole operation running smoothly. In celebration of this particularly energetic season at VisArts, […]
read more
The votes are in: Readers picked the Visual Arts Center of Richmond as the Best Place to Take Art Classes for Style Weekly‘s Best of Richmond 2026 issue! VisArts loves Richmonders, and it’s wonderful to feel your love in return. VisArts was also ranked third for Best Community Art Space, alongside our friends at Studio […]
read more
At the Visual Arts Center of Richmond, we believe art is for everyone. Year-round, we proudly serve as a creative hub for a vibrant community of makers from a wide range of backgrounds, identities, and life experiences; and especially this month, VisArts is proud to celebrate and support Richmond’s LGBTQIA+ community. In honor of Pride […]
read more
Cameron Weston Nicholson (who goes by Weston, he/him) is part of the 2026 Fall/Winter cohort of VisArts’ Studio Access Residents. Weston has been an artist “since he knew what the word felt like.” He has explored multiple media over the years, but a few have stuck with him more than others. Classically trained in Media […]
read more
Alexandra McGowan (she/they) is a member of VisArts’ Fall/Winter 2025-2026 cohort of Studio Access Residents. She’s an abstract painter and multimedia artist living in Richmond, VA. Most of her work is abstract, taking inspiration from tender moments shared with her partner, and experiences with natural ephemera such as shifting shadows on pavement. When we met […]
read more
This past Saturday, VisArts hosted our biggest auction to date. For the 40th anniversary of Collectors’ Night, about 550 attendees joined us under the tent outside our new sister building in celebration of art and the creative life. Thank you to the 59 donating artists who brought their magic to this event, and to the […]
read more
Jake Lahah (he/him) is one of VisArts’ Studio Access Artists-in-Residence in the Fall/Winter 2025-2026 cohort. Born in Wildwood, NJ, living and working in Richmond, VA, Jake is an artist, researcher, and educator whose work examines topics on labor, queerness, and ecology. His work considers how visual culture and data are testimony of the human condition […]
read more
Aaron Uzzle (he/him) is one of the Visual Arts Center of Richmond’s Fall/Winter 2025–2026 Studio Access Residents. Aaron is a Virginia-born artist who’s conjured expressive, mysterious works for almost a decade. He understood art as a tool for communicating complex feelings and ideas from an early age. Uzzle’s dedication to the craft is unbounded in […]
read more
Every spring, the Visual Arts Center of Richmond recognizes a longtime friend of the organization who has demonstrated a sustained and extraordinary commitment to our mission. A beloved member of our community since 1988, VisArts is honored to present this year’s Distinguished Service Award to Frankie Slaughter. Frankie is a mixed-media artist who works with […]
read more
After receiving an outpouring of nominations from our community, the Visual Arts Center of Richmond is proud to name Brad Pearson as our 25th annual Shelly Shepherd Master Teacher. Brad Pearson has helped VisArts students play with fire since 2008, teaching flameworking classes for adults of all ages and skill levels. A VCU graduate with […]
read more
Leah Raintree (she/her) is one of the Visual Arts Center of Richmond’s Spring/Summer 2025 Studio Access Residents. Leah Raintree is an artist based in Richmond, VA and Brooklyn, NY. Her practice focuses on the human connection to earth, with an interest in how we frame and experience time, matter, scale, and phenomena. Her work is […]
read more
Richmond, VA — January 22, 2026 — The Visual Arts Center of Richmond (VisArts), a nonprofit arts center serving the local community since 1963, today announced the purchase of 1914 W. Main St. in Richmond’s Fan District. The property is the former location of Fan Tastic Thrift and is just a half a block away from […]
read more
From the Friday night cheers at the McKinnon and Harris Patrons’ Preview Party, to the hands-on family workshops in the Carole and Marcus Weinstein Education Wing, to two full days of shopping museum-quality craft from more than 170 exhibitors—we had a blast at our 61st annual Craft + Design, and we hope you did, too. […]
read more
Courtney Lebow (she/her) is one of the Visual Arts Center of Richmond’s Spring/Summer 2025 Studio Access Residents. Teaching and utilizing her love for the visual arts as a vehicle for human connection is her ultimate professional goal and passion. Courtney has been working in art education for the last decade. She received her Masters in […]
read more
Jeffrey Deane Hall (he/him) is one of the Visual Arts Center of Richmond’s Spring/Summer 2025 Studio Access Residents. Born in Richmond, VA, Jeffrey (Jeff to his friends) is an artist and educator whose work blends precise trompe l’oeil technique with layered symbolism. Jeffrey earned his degree in Studio Art, along with minors in Physics and […]
read more
Are you an intermediate metalworker looking for some kiln time to independently cast your work? Well, we have just the opportunity for you: Earlier this fall, VisArts introduced Community Casting to our repertoire. On designated casting days each month, a VisArts instructor fires up the kiln and facilitates open studio time for pre-approved metalworkers to […]
read more
Since early September, VisArts’ True F. Luck Gallery has been filled with joyful and colorful works by Maine-based artist, Eleanor Anderson. Color Block features Anderson’s recent fused glass panels (created during her residency at VisArts) alongside her ongoing series of mixed-media textile tapestries. Now in its final week on view, this is your last chance […]
read more
Lexi Staton (she/her) is one of the Visual Arts Center of Richmond’s Spring/Summer 2025 Studio Access Residents. Lexi is a Virginia-born multimedia artist with interests in ceramics (both functional and sculptural), painting, and illustration. Creative activity has been a huge part of her life since childhood; however in the wake of the pandemic, she found […]
read more
Your favorite craft show is taking over Main Street Station the weekend of November 21! Mark your calendars for another fun weekend of shopping contemporary craft, enjoying local brews, experiencing live artist demonstrations, and so much more. Today, VisArts is proud to announce the more than 170 artists exhibiting at Craft + Design, and has […]
read more
Brace yourselves: There’s a 100% chance of chili on Friday, October 3. At VisArts’ community fundraiser this fall, hundreds of our friends and neighbors will come together to blindly taste-test chili from 25+ of Richmond’s favorite restaurants. As an event attendee, you get to browse hundreds of handmade bowls, pick one (or more!) to take […]
read more
The 11th Annual VisArts Chili Throwdown presented by TowneBank is coming up on October 3, as you may have seen. Perhaps you’re reading this after a hot day on the River or under the shade of your rainbow umbrella on the beach; our fall fundraiser might still feel out of reach in the somewhat distant future. […]
read more
Evie Metz (she/her) is one of Visual Arts Center of Richmond’s Annual Residents. Evie is an interdisciplinary artist working primarily in sculpture, animation, and photography. Nearing the end of her residency, we caught up with Evie in her studio to learn more about her practice and her experience here at VisArts. VisArts: Evie, tell […]
read more
Doah Lee (she/her) is one of Visual Arts Center of Richmond’s Annual Residents. Doah is a mixed-media visual artist originally from Korea. Her practice spans a range of media, including drawing, painting, printmaking, textiles, and installation. Nearing the end of her residency, we caught up with Doah in her studio to learn more about her […]
read more
Luis Vasquez La Roche (he/they) is one of the Visual Arts Center of Richmond’s 2024–2025 Annual Residents. Luis is an interdisciplinary artist whose work delves into performance, sculpture, video, drawing, and most recently, painting. Their work explores aspects of the transatlantic slave trade that continue to repeat themselves in varying ways in the present. Much […]
read more
April Sopkin (she/her) is one of Visual Arts Center of Richmond’s Annual Residents. April writes fiction and personal essays, and even dabbled with some sculpture work for the Annual Resident exhibition, What We Share. Nearing the end of her residency, we caught up with April in her studio to learn more about her writing practice […]
read more