A Vibrant Community
By Joe Li
Despite never having had a population to surpass 50,000, Charlottesville, VA, has always boasted an art scene comparable to those of larger metropolitan areas. Take a walk around town and you’ll quickly come to see the rich and vibrant art community that a century ago inspired celebrated painter Georgia O’Keeffe’s to embark on her legendary career and help establish American modernism. Today, art is even more so ubiquitous in Charlottesville, with a studio, exhibit or gallery on practically every street. We take a look at some local art exhibitions and chat with a member of the art community.
Art Exhibitions
Immediately noticeable are the various public art installations scattered around town. The University of Virginia, long a creative hub for Charlottesville, alone boasts various exhibits including four panels of the Berlin Wall entitled Kings of Freedom in front of Alderman Library, as pictured below.
On the UVA Grounds, there is also a plethora of sculptures and statues, and larger-than-life murals dotting its historic halls and libraries like the On the Fly public art exhibit, pictured below.
Even with its rich art history, recently the city has further increased its investments in fostering art in the community. The IX Art Park, shown below, opened in 2014 and quickly has become a local staple, attracting artists and locals alike in a creative shared space. It is also the home for many local events such as pop-up markets and cultural/artistic exhibitions. Check their online schedule for current happenings.
Charlottesville has also commissioned a cool program called the City Art Bus that has seen one city bus per year painted with artistic mural designs, which serves as a reminder of the town’s constant art interest. Entries are taken, and the public votes on the winner. Pictured below is the 2017 Art Bus design. The program is presented by the Tom Tom Founders Festival, in partnership with the CAT (Charlottesville Area Transit).
Charlottesville Art Community
I was recently able to catch up with Laura Jones from the McGuffey Art Center to discuss Charlottesville’s intricate history and bond with art. McGuffey is a local artist-run community art center, and an integral cog to the city’s art machine as an artist incubator, exhibition site, art camp host, and studio renter. Laura had some interesting insight on art’s role in bringing the community together.
Nest Realty: Describe the kind of bond that McGuffey has had with the Charlottesville art community.
Laura Jones: McGuffey has been around for 42 years, and we have had so many artists associated with us that we’ve become an institution, the first place that people look for art in the community. Part of that comes from our fantastic downtown location, the fantastic building, but most of it is a testament to the big artistic hearts of our members. Some of our members teach, all of them make work in a variety of media, and whether through their teaching or through the sale of a piece of work they are touching people’s lives.
Because this is a working art center and artist run organization, you have to be really invested in the mission of McGuffey to be an artistic member of it, and that has paid off in our reputation within the community. We are completely artist-run, and a not-for-profit Virginia corporation, so no one gains from this. The main focus here is for community growth, which is why we have been able to become such an integral part of the Charlottesville art community. This is precisely our mission statement: We are a community of artists dedicated to practicing our art and to passing on the creative spirit.
NR: It’s amazing that Charlottesville, despite being a town with a population of around 50,000, has developed an immense arts scene that rivals those of many bigger cities. How do you think this community in particular has been able to cultivate such a diverse and great arts scene?
LJ: I think we have to acknowledge the effect of the University of Virginia. There are many fantastic art teachers and students that have come out of the University, and what it offers to the community is a big draw for a lot of people and that enables us to attract people here because people are interested in a University town. You also have to give lots of credit to the city government for continuing to foster the arts in the community. Our location is also a plus for attracted people since it is a small town close to DC and Richmond. The presence of Live Arts and Second Street gallery in addition to McGuffey have definitely developed the Charlottesville art culture, and we’ve been lucky to have some great philanthropist support here as well.
NR: It seems that your goal of art encouragement is really working as Charlottesville is definitely beginning to see a lot of art initiatives taking place. Where do you see art in Charlottesville going moving forwards?
LJ: I think we’ll see more of the same but even better. I hope we’ll see some commercial galleries open here, maybe some with specialized focal points, like a photography or sculpture gallery. Those are always nice to see in towns with lots of art galleries such as Santa Fe. But given that education is such a big focus in the town, I think the focus will be to continue to provide opportunities for growth and professional collaboration for aspiring artist. The art community will continue to make sure that no artist is left behind, and that everyone has what they need to chase their dreams. This community especially appreciates that art is not just beautiful, but also a creative and effective means of expression.
If you’re interested in supporting our local artists, be sure to check out First Fridays! On the first Friday of every month, several Charlottesville art galleries including McGuffey Art Center and The Bridge feature free exhibit openings. First Fridays are a great way to meet some of the hard-working artists behind the growing art community and support our local art initiatives.