$50 pays for supplies for a workshop for older adults from St. Francis Home

$100 covers the award prize for one award-winning young artist in our annual Scholastic Art + Writing Awards

$250 pays for one arts workshop for the 16 girls and 16 women in our Make Space mentoring program

$500 pays for one full-week scholarship to our ArtVenture summer camp for a community partner

$1,000 funds seven RPS middle school students to attend an 8-week Art After School class

$2,500 pays for a year of multimedia workshops for Veterans at the Richmond VA Medical Center

$5,000 covers one year of weekly classes for adults with disabilities through our partnership with Sheltering Arms Rehabilitation Center.

All Angel Gifts are 100% tax deductible.

After making your donation, please click "Pay" and select "Click Here to Pay" to finalize your payment! You will receive a confirmation email once the payment is processed.

Since 1987, the Board of Directors annually honors an individual who has demonstrated a sustained and extraordinary commitment to the organization.

Joel Ray is a long-time friend of VisArts, formerly sitting on its Board of Directors, serving as the Treasurer and Finance Chair, attending and supporting events like Craft + Design, and taking drawing and painting classes as a student. Joel has spent many years working at Davenport & Co. where he has held various roles, presently serving as a Senior Research Analyst.

Joel was an invaluable resource during his tenure on the board, helping to guide the organization as it weathered the COVID-19 pandemic and the financial hardship that it brought. He was known for being a positive and pragmatic force on this committee, balancing the importance of VisArts' mission with sound financial decision-making.

"Joel has always been an incredible advocate for VisArts," shared Executive Director, Jordan Brown. "He truly believes in the mission of this organization and understands the positive impacts of the arts in this community. He not only enjoys taking our classes and showing up to events with a smile, but he is also somebody I know I can rely on when I'm weighing a tough decision or trying to make plans for the future. He's the perfect example of what you hope for in a board member."

While he's no longer serving on the board, Joel continues to be a resource to the staff, offering his insight and expertise as well as volunteering his time to directly support fundraising.

Consider making a donation to the Visual Arts Center of Richmond in honor of this year's Distinguished Service Award recipient, Joel Ray. The Distinguished Service Award recognizes a longtime friend of VisArts who has demonstrated a sustained and extraordinary commitment to the organization. All donations are 100% tax deductible.

After making your donation, please click "Pay" and select "Click Here to Pay" to finalize your payment. You will receive a confirmation email once the payment is processed.

Since 2001, VisArts' staff annually selects one member of its faculty to receive the Shelly Shepherd Master Teacher Award. This award goes to an instructor each year who exemplifies the organization's mission through their excellence, creativity, and dedication to their students. To be considered for this award, the teacher must also meet various criteria, including a minimum of four seasons of teaching at VisArts.

The VisArts community submitted 150 nominations for this year's Shelly Shepherd Master Teacher Award winner, with more than 60 teachers nominated. After her more than 35 years of teaching screenprinting classes, VisArts' staff has selected JC Gilmore-Bryan as this year's Master Teacher.

JC Gilmore-Bryan is a professional artist. In addition to teaching at VisArts, she also teaches at Virginia State University and has taught at VCU. She is a member of the Professional Printmaking group ONE/OFF. In 2011 she received a Fulbright Scholar award to teach mural painting and do her own work in screenprinting for a solo exhibition at the National Academy of Art in Sofia, Bulgaria. She has done residencies in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe and in Paris at the Cite' Internationale des Arts. She has a MFA from Columbia University, MA from Vanderbilt University and a BS From MTSU. Her work is in collections around the world.

"She is generous in so many ways," shared one community member who nominated JC for this recognition. "She is there for student endeavors even outside of the classroom time. She's patient in helping students to understand process and sets expectations that help students to stretch their thinking and challenge their vision, organized in steps that build on experience and knowledge."

This spring, JC is teaching Screenprinting Immersion for adults, and will be teaching Fun With Printmaking for VisArts' ArtVenture youth campers this summer.

Consider making a donation to the Visual Arts Center of Richmond in honor of this year's Shelly Shepherd Master Teacher Award recipient, JC Gilmore-Bryan. Each year, the Shelly Shepherd Master Teacher Award goes to an instructor who exemplifies the organization's mission through their excellence, creativity and dedication to their students. All donations are 100% tax deductible.

After making your donation, please click "Pay" and select "Click Here to Pay" to finalize your payment. You will receive a confirmation email once the payment is processed.

Build an instant art collection with a selection of original work from some of our favorite local artists. This collection includes block prints, screenprints, photographs, cyanotypes, drawings and more. Contributing artists include Jordan Brown, Laurie Carnohan, Alezandria Decking, Aspen DeRosa, Justice Dwight, Riley Goodman, Ethan Hickerson, Grace Mae Huddleston, Aijung Kim, Emma Knight, Laura Loe, Shane McFadden, Tori Qualls, Alex Neckopulos, Amelia Rafle, Ashlyn Rudolph, Tim Skriven, Oura Sananikone, Studio Two Three, and Dennis Winston.

Win a collection of wine that includes more than 30 bottles of all types valued at over $1,000.

Ulysses Symphony #7

mixed media painting on panel

18 x 18 inches

Special thanks to the artist for this 100% donation

Mark Eanes is a painter, printmaker, photographer, curator, and educator
who currently lives and works in Richmond, Virginia. Prior to living in
Virginia, Mark lived in the Bay Area of California since 1970. He holds a
BFA in Fine Arts from U.C. Santa Barbara and an MFA from Mills College.

Eanes is Professor Emeritus from the California College of the Arts in San Francisco, where he taught drawing and painting courses for over thirty three years. Mark also taught at other art institutes in California including San Francisco State University, the Academy of Art University, Dominican College in San Rafael, College of San Mateo, and other community colleges.

Mr. Eanes taught figure drawing at the California State Summer School for the Arts (a pre-college arts program at CalArts in Los Angeles) for twelve years, and was the Chair of the Visual Arts Department for three years. Mark has also conducted numerous private drawing and painting workshops throughout California and Italy, and has recently created online courses (The Language of Color, Design and Drawing) through the Mark Eanes Academy website.
Eanes has exhibited his artwork throughout California as well as nationally
and internationally. His past solo and selected exhibitions include the Triton
Museum of Art in Santa Clara, CA., the Parsons School of Design in Paris,
the Applied Arts Museum in Belgrade, Serbia, the Cumberland Gallery in
Nashville, Tennessee, the Documenta Galeria de Arte in San Paulo, Brazil,
Sanchez Art Center in Pacifica, CA, Pence Gallery in Davis, CA, Hanford
Center for the Arts, Sebastopol Center for the Arts, and the San Francisco
Center for the Book, among many other venues.

Smoosh Drop Pendant in Orange

silver, aluminum, black tourmaline, antique foil-back gemstone

Pendant: 2 x 1 x 0.25 inches, Chain: 20 inches

Special thanks to the artist for this 100% donation

Sarah "Spee" Parker is a Richmond-based craft artist. She received her MFA from the Department of Craft/Material Studies at Virginia Commonwealth University and her BFA at Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina. Sarah's sculptures, installations and jewelry focus heavily on americana, punk, DIY, anti-containment, and questioning authorship through the lens of craft. Spee is part of the Radical Jewelry Makeover Artist Project. She is a recent teaching fellow at Virginia Commonwealth University. She was a recipient of the Baltimore Jewelry Center Emerging Artist Residency. She has exhibited regionally and has been a member to several DIY exhibition spaces in both Boone, North Carolina as well as Richmond, VA.

Opaline

acrylic and pumice on canvas

30 x 40 inches

Guest curated by Lanecia Rouse

Special thanks for to the artist for this 100% donation

Shana Blakley is a Virginia-born contemporary artist who has always been enthralled by the experience of creating. Self-taught, she has had an incredible passion for painting and sculpting since youth and turned deeply towards her craft as she began navigating a journey with grief in 2017.

She enjoys everything about the process of creating art-from configuring composition, to interpreting colors and forms from daily life, to the tactile and visual satisfactions of seeing something through to completion. Using the element of shape, her work explores the intersection between art as object and art as concept. The proportion, dimension, and composition of her pieces investigate space, and their colors, form, and texture create a sensory experience for the viewer. As non-objective art, her pieces become a space for thought and reflection, questioning notions of foreground and background, simplicity and complexity, and balance and counterbalance. We all need a process for introspection, and creating is hers.

Dock St

paint, drawing media, neon

36 x 48 inches

Courtesy of Bond Millen Gallery

Guest curated by Ashley Hawkins

Cameron is a non-objective multimedia artist based in Richmond, VA. His work has been the subject of numerous solo and group exhibitions at The Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art, Hidell Brooks Gallery, TEW Galleries, Bond Millen Gallery, Mana Contemporary, and The McLean Project for the Arts. He is currently represented by Bond Millen Gallery, Hidell Brooks Gallery, and Pryor Fine Art. He attended James Madison University, and accepted the school's
award for a graduating senior with a concentration in painting, among numerous other awards and scholarships. Notable collections include the McKesson Corporation, Capital One, and The JMU School of Integrated Science and Technology. He currently operates out of a studio space on historic Hull Street

Specimen TZ-4

ceramic

18 x 12 x 7 inches

Abby Lee works in the in-between-where clay softens, where forms blur, where function meets something a little stranger. With a decade in ceramics, she crafts sculptures that feel both familiar and otherworldly, blending raw earth with whimsy and curiosity.

As the clay studio manager at VisArts, she keeps the kilns burning and the space alive, supporting a community of makers. Based in Richmond, Abby's work is always evolving-never fixed, always becoming.

The State Flower of Virginia is Actually a Tree-The Flowering Dogwood Acts as Harbinger of both Spring and Fall with its Early Blossoms and Changing Leaves

archival inkjet print

37 x 27 inches

Guest curated by Ron Stokes

Peter Cochrane is a multimedia artist who depicts stories of resilience and metamorphosis through the lenses of horticulture, art history, science fiction, and autobiography. Working between sculptural materials such as metals and botanical matter, to digital imaging and experimental darkroom photographic techniques, he builds objects and elaborate narrative set pieces that explore fundamental questions of human existence and cosmic time.

He received his BA from San Francisco State University (2011), and his MFA from Virginia Commonwealth University (2019). His work has appeared in Headmaster, The San Francisco Chronicle, Vast Magazine, Hyperallergic, Brink, Artslant, the MoCP lecture series, the de Young Museum, the Vermont Center for Photography, the Tokyo International Photo Awards, and others. He is a recipient of the Snider Prize and has been a finalist for many awards including the Hopper Prize, the Fine Art Photography Award, the Exposure Award, and the Kodak Photo Film Award. In 2022, he was nominated for The Shpilman International Prize for Excellence in Photography. He has held several solo exhibitions nationally, and his work is in public and private collections.

He is the owner of Threep, a fine art printing and photography studio based in Richmond, Virginia, and teaches at VCUArts.

The blacker the berry (the sweeter the juice)

wax pastel on paper

13.25 x 16.25 inches

Courtesy of Reynolds Gallery

Guest curated by Julia Monroe

Special thanks to the artist for this 100% donation

"My works and practice are ever evolving, mostly finding inspiration from the black body and the environment that provides conditioning. I use saturated color, escapism provided imagery and reverberating emotion from perspective. Pulling references from African literature and folklore, juxtaposing it with a present artistic voice. This voice accompanied by flow state, allow me to generate not only imagery, but give a sense of purpose to why I create."

Born in Pittsburgh and raised in Hampton Roads, Hampton Boyer layers bright, geometric forms to create his figurative paintings and collages. He juxtaposes inspiration pulled from African folklore and literature with his own experience as a contemporary artist. The flow that he achieves through his artistic practice fills his work with reverberating energy and intimate emotion. He has exhibited in numerous group show and solo exhibitions, including one at Omni Gallery in London (2023). He also had a piece recently acquired by the Chrysler Museum in Norfolk, VA.

The flowers I bought for myself

pressed peony petals on handmade paper

18 x 24 inches

Guest curated by Ashley Millen

Hillary Waters Fayle is an artist from Elma, New York. Fayle received an MFA in Craft/Material Studies from Virginia Commonwealth University, and a BFA at Buffalo State College in 2010. She now lives and works in Richmond, VA where she continues her work establishing connections between nature and the human touch. Fayle's work speaks to her love for nature and the beauty in details often overlooked, but also of a concern for the fragility of the ecosystem and the necessity for intervention. Fayle also works as an artist assistant, and an instructor and program coordinator at VCU. In addition to being featured widely online and in print, Fayle currently has a solo show at the annual Woodlawn-Pope Leighey Embroidery Exhibition in Alexandria, VA. Her work is also currently on view locally at Quirk Gallery, as well as the Bedford Gallery in Walnut Creek CA, The Burchfield Penney Art Center in Buffalo, NY, The Slovak Arts Union Gallery in Bratislava, SK.

Two Bend Over, Towards Center

chromogenic print on archival paper

20 x 23 inches

Courtesy of Candela Gallery

Guest curated by Whitney Cole and Ashby Nickerson

Dana Bell was born in Detroit in 1974 and lives and works in Brooklyn, NY. She graduated from Wayne State University in Detroit in 2001 and went on to receive her MFA at Maine College of Art in 2004, studying with Vito Acconci and Joanne Greenbaum.

She has shown her paintings and choreography at many institutions and galleries including the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit (MOCAD), The Museum of Art and Design, New York, The Parrish Art Museum, Southampton, NY, The Salvador Allende Museum of Contemporary Art, Santiago, Chile, and Roulette in Brooklyn.

Bell's figurative based work extends from in-person to multi-media as well as in multiples in print and painting. Bell's muses are color and vernacular photography, where she finds gestures and poses that speak to contemporary issues.

Winter Sunset

quilt, textile

55 x 60 inches

Special thanks to the artists for this 100% donation

Alyssa Salomon, under the moniker Blue Skies Workroom, designs and makes joyful clothing, bags, pillows and table linens using textiles she hand screenprints. Alyssa is a very long term and grateful participant in VisArts' community: as teacher and student, as Craft + Design exhibitor and shopper, gallery visitor and exhibitor, donor and even once a board member.

Gretchen Carder creates bold, maximalist quilts that combine unexpected color pairings, rich textures, and playful patterns. Using cotton and linen fabrics, she crafts quilts that are both beautiful and built to be used. Passionate about the endless possibilities in modern quilting, she used her design background to make quilts that bring warmth, surprise, and joy into people's daily routines.

Tiny Forest

screenprint on watercolor paper

18 x 24 inches

Courtesy of Milk River Arts

Guest curated by Sally Kemp

"When I feel like doing something, I just do it. I enjoy everything, everyday. I draw with my cheek and shoulder. That's the way I draw. I don't have a favorite thing to draw. I just draw. I draw where I am, what I see where I am. I draw the outside of my church, I draw the inside of the hotel, I draw the inside and the outside of the studio, all these things. In Africa, I drew on the floor outside with a stick. It was my own idea. It was only me. My brother and sister, they just come to look at what I'm doing."

Bukuru is a member of Milk River Arts, a local nonprofit organization pairing adult artists with disabilities with professional artists who accompany them in creating, exhibiting, and selling unique bodies of work. In addition to providing transformative connections and mentorships, studio artists co-create and work together on ambitious, risky projects with a big community of accomplices throughout Richmond.

Bukuru's work has previously been exhibited at Quirk Gallery and the Institute of Contemporary Art.

Chutes and Ladders

mixed media on canvas

30.5 x 35 inches

Special thanks to the artist for this 100% donation

"My work is about being in the moment, about how form finds surface and then shifts, about the now that lives in every application of paint, wax, clay, and in the sheer presence of color.

The present keeps stacking-urgently, intuitively, playfully, boldly-on top of itself to become an intersection of texture, line, pattern and light.

My work is not about closure or tidy packages; rather, it braves the unrefined chaos, the spinning fans of the pinwheel, where the only language is this one: a visual expression which urges the viewer to stay again and again in the imperfect but beautiful moment."

Frankie Slaughter is a mixed media artist who works with a variety of materials including paint, encaustic, textile, paper, and porcelain. Frankie's art has been featured in numerous publications, in addition to being acquired for private and corporate collections, and has been shown at galleries, juried venues, and boutiques throughout the country and in Asia.

She is a Virginia native, and since 2010, after nearly twelve years living in Hong Kong, she now works and resides in Richmond, Virginia. Her experiences abroad continue to influence her work today.

Named one of "Richmond Style Weekly's 2015 Women in the Arts Honoree," Frankie has served as a juror and advisor for a number of community events and has participated as a mentor and visiting instructor for various universities, local schools, and non-profit organizations. Her decades-long career also included designing one-of-a-kind jackets and accessories, and she continues to design unique and eclectic necklaces, which can be found at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.

Composition #1

mixed media on panel

11 x 14 inches

Courtesy of Quirk Gallery

Special thanks to the artist for this 100% donation

Born in Bogotá, Colombia, South America, Diego Sanchez now lives and works in Richmond, Virginia. He obtained a BFA and an MFA from the Painting and Printmaking Department at Virginia Commonwealth University.

He is the first recipient of The Artists of the Year Award - Theresa Pollack Arts Award, Virginia Commission for the Arts 50 for 50 - Artists Award. He has served on several boards including the 1708 Gallery, Art 180, Culture Works, and The City of Richmond Public Art Commission. He is currently the Head of the Art Department at St. Catherine's School. He is also currently serving on the board of the Visual Arts Center of Richmond.

His works have been shown throughout Virginia, and he has participated in shows in Peru, Italy, Belgium, Hungary, Colombia, and France. His work is in several collections including the University of Richmond, William and Mary School of Business, VCU's Anderson Gallery, Sidney and Frances Lewis, Pam and Bill Royall, Media General, First Market Bank, Capital One, Federal Reserve Bank, Markel Corporation, Dominion, Phillip Morris, and the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.

'Tideline' from the Chesapeake Bay Impact Crater Series

acrylic on US road map

23 x 38 inches

Guest curated by Joseph Papa

Meg Roberts Arsenovic is a multidisciplinary artist living on the remote rural edge of the Chesapeake Bay in Mathews, VA. She earned a BFA in Craft/Material Studies from Virginia Commonwealth University. Her work has been exhibited in solo shows at the Appalachian Center for Craft (TN) and Quirk Gallery (VA), as well as group shows and traveling exhibitions across the country including Massey Klein Gallery (New York, NY), The 2024 Virginia Biennial at The Museum of Contemporary Art (VA), The Taubman Museum of Art (VA), Sienna Patti Contemporary (MA), Fiberart International (PA), ARTFIELDS (SC), and The Chapter House LA (Los Angeles, CA). She has been awarded both a Haystack Studio Residency and a Monson Arts Residency. Her work is included in multiple corporate and private collections.

Four Strings

fused glass

7 x 12 inches each

Special thanks for to the artist for this 100% donation

Mark Trezise studied graphic illustration and prepress imaging at Montgomery College in Maryland. His bold, linear style is informed by his graphic arts background. Mark currently lives in Richmond and creates his art at Visual Arts Center of Richmond and Milk River Arts. His work has been exhibited at Quirk Gallery, 1708 Gallery, Glave Kocen, Studio Two Three, and the JCC's Sarah D. November Gallery.

Untitled

oil on panel

36 x 48 inches

Courtesy of Reynolds Gallery

Chris Gregson studied at the New York Studio and Forum of Stage Design. He worked at the Metropolitan Opera and theaters throughout New York City. His paintings are in the corporate collections of Capital One, Kaiser Permanente, Markel Corporation, SunTrust Bank, the permanent collections at the American Embassy in Guinea, Africa, Longwood University in Farmville, Taubman Museum in Roanoke, Virginia, and an assortment of prestigious private contemporary art collections. He has had one person shows at 1708 Gallery, Virginia Tech, Mary Baldwin University, University of Mary Washington, Randolph Macon College, ADA and Reynolds Gallery among others throughout the northeast. He has been in many group shows and notable traveling exhibits including the "The Garden" and "Constructs". These shows have toured museums, university galleries, and art spaces across the United States. Mr. Gregson, was an artist in residence at the Cite Internationale des Arts, Paris, France in 2022 and 2023. Gregson had a recent exhibit at Art First, Richmond. an upcoming show in September at Fred Schnider Gallery of Art, Arlington Virginia and at Lewis and Clarke University , Idaho as part of the "The Garden" exhibit in June. His work has recently been auctioned locally at 1708 Gallery in 2024. He recently published a book called Intersections: Journal Excerpts, 2020 -2025. Gregson will be returning to Paris for an April residency at the Cite Internationale des Arts. He has been a guest critic and speaker at Virginia Commonwealth University, lecturer at the SouthEastern College Arts Conference, and a speaker at Virginia Association of Museums and at universities along the east coast.

Circle in Square

acrylic on hand sculpted canvas and digitally designed frames, hand dyed wool yarn (a blend of sheep and alpaca) harvested by the artist's mother

20 x 20 x 3 inches

Special thanks to the artist for this 100% donation

Mel Renea is a fabrication and materials focused artist, with an education in fashion design, from VCU, and a creative practice spanning multiple disciplines. Her contemporary work is a distillation of studio art, craft, and speculative design, in corroboration with biological and material research. Her creative practice attempts to combat a paralyzing tendency toward hyper-conceptualism & perfectionism, and acts as a practice of meditative catharsis. Personal, subconscious motifs are explored and distilled visually through texture, color, and form. Compositions are clean, geometric, and organic; making space and ordering psychic clutter. Processes such as quilting, painting, sculpting, fiber craft, and natural pigment rendering are used often. Mel currently resides in the California Bay Area.

Basket #17

ceramic

4 x 4 x 20 inches

Special thanks to the artist for this 100% donation

"My work examines the relationship between humans and the objects we use, delving into the delicate balance between form and function. Through sculpture and everyday artifacts, I explore how ordinary objects - vessels, cloth, discarded materials - become objects of meaning that resonate far beyond their original purpose, carrying with them stories of history and transformation.

Through my hands - clay, paper mache, spun wool, and woven fiber become more than just methods of making - they are the threads that stitch together the physical to the intangible. Each piece I create is both a reflection and an extension of the human experience, where traditional craft techniques meet conceptual inquiry.

Though these objects may seem static, they are alive with the potential for connection. They hold memories of sorrow, joy, and change - each curve, each fold, each frayed edge is a testament to a lived experience. Through them, I seek to trace the hidden contours of love, loss, transformation, and the inevitable passage of time.

With consideration of the relationships we form with the objects around us, the viewer is invited to consider how the things we make and use also carry with them the traces of our lives. In these objects, we find reflections of ourselves-quiet, enduring vessels that speak, not in words, but in the language of transformation."

Christine Orr is an interdisciplinary artist whose work weaves together the tactile realms of clay, fiber, paper-making, and poetry. Based in Richmond, Virginia, her practice is an ongoing exploration of how humans and objects co-evolve, shaping, and being shaped by one another. Through a deep engagement with material culture, she investigates the intimate connections between domestic and utilitarian items, considering not only their functional roles but also their metaphorical and symbolic resonances. By examining the substances from which objects are made, she uncovers layers of meaning and speaks to the quiet stories embedded in the materials we often overlook.

Christine holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University (2015) and a Master of Fine Arts in Craft/Material Studies from Virginia Commonwealth University (2021). As a professor of ceramics at both the University of Mary Washington and Virginia Commonwealth University, she continues to foster a dialogue between students and the physical world, guiding the next generation of artists in their explorations of craft and meaning.

Legs, Wings, and Boogie Things

painting, oil pastel, charcoal, glitter

48 x 36 inches

Guest curated by Maggie Smith

Aleyah Grimes is a multi-media artist based in Richmond, VA. Utilizing texture, color, humor, and idioms, she explores the commonalities and differences between nature, animals, and humans, and how these comparisons shape our perceptions of ourselves and our environment. She is drawn to surrealism, photography, and wildlife, using these inspirations to create alternate realities that result in whimsical and anthropomorphic works of art. Aleyah has shown work in several group exhibitions, including Anderson Gallery (2016), Lima, Peru (2017), Main Street Station (2018), The Well (2020), VMFA's Studio School (2021), the Visual Art Center of Richmond (2023 + 2024), Gloucester Arts on Main (2024), Lewis Ginter (2025), and a solo exhibition at SCAG (2023). She also holds a BFA in Painting and Printmaking from VCU, is the Gallery Manager at Southside Contemporary Art Gallery, and the Executive Assistant at VisArts.

Lambdelabra

clay, underglaze

12 x 10 x 6 inches

Andréa Keys Connell is an Associate Professor of Ceramics in the Department of Art at Appalachian State University. Her work has been widely recognized, featured in national and international publications such as Colossal and The New York Times. She has exhibited internationally in galleries and museums, including the Jane Hartsook Gallery in New York City and the Gaya Culture and Art Center in Goryeong, Korea. With over 20 solo exhibitions since 2009, she is represented by Blue Spiral 1 in Asheville, NC, and J Mackey Gallery in the East Hamptons.

Beyond her studio practice, Andréa has extensive experience in public art commissions and collaborative projects. Her recent collaboration with Susan Alexandra in New York City was featured in Wirecutter.

In addition to exhibiting her work and teaching at App State, Andréa is an accomplished educator who has led figure-sculpting workshops at renowned craft schools, including Penland, Haystack, Arrowmont, Centre d'arts Rozynski, and The Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC. She has also been invited to present as a demonstrating artist at major conferences such as NCECA, Women Working in Clay, and The Bascom's Annual Clay Symposium.

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ceramic

17 x 14 x 9 inches

Ammity Rose is a sculptor who transforms her silly memories into soft, playful, and immersive forms. Growing up in a rural town in Arkansas, she found solace in art from an early age, using it as a means to process and escape the challenges of her upbringing. This instinct to create spaces of comfort and warmth continues to shape her practice today.

Working primarily in clay, but also exploring fiber arts and mixed media, Ammity builds sculptures that blend nostalgia, humor, and abstraction. Her work is an invitation-offering a world of rounded edges and vibrant colors that counterbalance the weight of reality. In 2022, she earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Bowling Green State University, where she fell in love with clay and received multiple awards for her work.

Now based in Richmond, VA, Ammity remains dedicated to making art that fosters connection, joy, and creative freedom. She is passionate about community, teaching, and helping others rediscover the playful, unburdened creativity that society often suppresses. Through her sculptures, she seeks to create reminders that, when the world is turning gray, and the burdens are heavy- there needs to be space for warmth, softness, and goofing off.

ISO 251

acrylic and graphite on paper

21 x 17 inches

Courtesy of Bond Millen Gallery

"My work uses a flat plane to convey the visual ideas of construction, mass, and volume. The formally arranged imagery is all invented but takes cues from architecture and engineering (materials and the structures themselves), as well as the erosion and the decay of perceived ruin. The display of process is an integral component to the work; it tracks the time, mistakes, revisions, and the experience used to arrive at a resolved composition. The end results are pieces that embrace surface and relate the ideas of the used, the weathered, the discarded, and the beaten. I aim to create a quiet calm to the work that is still able to convey a stoic presence.

At its core, the compositions are about physicality and decision making. The immediacy of drawing and painting allows me to attack spaces on the canvas. The size of the plane forces me to use my entire body; the act of painting, drawing, erasing, and sanding all require a certain balance of touch and force. One idea completion may necessitate removal, thereby initiating another physical activity. As an artist, I need the action, and the work needs to be work; the labor is chronicled in the surface as removed elements are never really gone, only ghosts of the materials' (pencil, charcoal, and paint) permanence.

Compositions are constructed primarily with line. Line acts as a device for the illusion of suspension as well as enclosing or mapping a shape. There emerges a printmaking look to the surface (at times with embossed marks) achieved through rubbings and other treated materials. Subsequently, the compositions read as a sort of blueprint. The line-play between the 'exact' straightedge is offset by the 'imperfect' hand and creates a diagrammed visual tension."

Frank P. Phillips has been professionally creating art for over 20 years. He has recently exhibited his work in shows at Bond Millen Gallery and ADA Gallery in Richmond, VA, Quirk Gallery in Charlottesville, VA, and Hidell Brooks Gallery in Charlotte, NC. Phillips works at St. Anne's-Belfield School, where he teaches Painting, Drawing, and is Chair of the Arts. He received his BA with High Honors from Hobart College in 1997 and received his MFA from the Maryland Institute College of Art in 2005. Phillips, his wife Meg, daughter Bess, and a brood of animals live in the greater Charlottesville area.

Untitled I

archival inkjet print on hand-formed paper

13 x 25 inches

Special thanks to the artist for this 100% donation

Each summer and fall, Hong Hong travels to faraway and distinct locations to make paper. The environmental, site-specific investigations map interstitial relationships between landscape, time, and the body through cartographic, symbolic, and material languages. During the winter and spring, she forms paintings directly on the floor of her studio. These schematics combine intergenerational story-telling, collaborative texts, and image-making to document states of interiority and subjectivity.

Hong is the recipient of a Tulsa Artist Fellowship (2024 - 2026), the Margie E. West Prize at University of Georgia (2024), a United States Artists Fellowship in Craft (2023), a Pollock-Krasner Foundation Grant in Painting (2023), a Carnegie Foundation Fellowship at MacDowell (2020), a Helen Frankenthaler Foundation Fellowship at Vermont Studio Center (2019), an Artistic Excellence Fellowship from the Connecticut Office of Arts (2019), and a Creation of New Work Grant from the Edward C. And Ann T. Roberts Foundation (2018 - 2019). She has also participated in residencies at McColl Center for Art + Innovation (2022), Houston Center for Contemporary Craft (2020 - 2021), Yaddo (2019), and I-Park (2018).

Hong's projects have been presented in exhibitions at Real Art Ways (Hartford, CT), Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art (Bentonville, AR), Fitchburg Art Museum (Fitchburg, MA), Ortega Y Gasset Projects (New York, NY), Georgia Museum of Art (Athens, GA), Center for Maine Contemporary Art (Rockland, ME), NXTHVN (New Haven, CT), San Francisco Center for Book Arts (San Francisco, CA), Tiger Strikes Asteroid (Los Angeles, CA), Akron Art Museum (Akron, OH), Texas Asia Society (Houston, TX), and University of Texas at Dallas (Dallas, TX), among others. Her practice received press in publications such as Art21, Art New England, Southwest Contemporary, Hyperallergic, Public Parking, Two Coats of Paint, and Glasstire.

Pussybow #2

silver, aluminum, powder coat, paint

5.25 x 5.25 x 2 inches

Special thanks to the artist for this 100% donation

Andy Lowrie is a jewelry artist who makes wearable, sculptural and functional objects, as well as works on paper. He is an Australian maker, living and working in the United States. Andy pursues contemporary expressions of jewelry and object making that interrogate and reflect his life and experiences while drawing on the power of a wearable object to act as an extension of a maker/wearer's intentions and desires. Narratives of queerness, labor and environmental catastrophe are currently feeding this work. The potential of process and material as metaphor is also important to his practice, expressed through experimentation with surface finishes that include paint, powder coat and enamel.

His work has been exhibited in Australia, China, Europe and North America, and has been professionally recognized with awards from Brooklyn Metal Works in New York and My-Day By-Day Gallery in Rome. From 2020-2023 he was the inaugural Teach Fellow at the Baltimore Jewelry Center. He is currently an adjunct faculty member at Towson University and Johns Hopkins University.

Night flight of the spirit guides

ink on habotai silk

21 x 21 inches

Cidney Cher is an artist living and making in Richmond, Virginia. She holds a BFA in Artist Books and Printmaking from Longwood University.

Her studio practice of marbling silk and textiles is rooted in the history of book arts, papermaking and fiber studies. A reverence for textiles comes from the hand of her grandmother who was a
farmer on the Eastern Shore of Virginia with a remarkable love for quilting and fabric.

As an Iranian-American artist, much of her current focus is storytelling through new marbling techniques focused on the spiritual history of Persian marbling.

Her work is included in Capital One's permanent collection and has recently exhibited at :iidrr gallery in New York and Iridian Gallery in Richmond.

Niki

oil on canvas

10 x 12 inches

Special thanks to the artist for this 100% donation

Kristen Peyton is a painter of color, light, and space. She works from direct observation, imbuing her paintings with site-specific atmosphere and painterly improvisation. Her paintings are poetic compositions that pay particular attention to the underlying geometry and specificity of color discovered in the commonplace environs of her home and community.

Peyton earned a Master of Fine Arts in Painting from the University of New Hampshire in May of 2017 and a Bachelor of Arts from the College of William and Mary in 2012. She worked as Curator of the Flippo Gallery at Randolph-Macon College from 2017-2023 and Professor of painting, drawing, and printmaking at Randolph-Macon College and the College of William & Mary. She was a Four Pillars Resident and Visiting Critic at the Mount Gretna School of Art in Mount Gretna, Pennsylvania in 2020, and a student at the Jerusalem Studio School in Civita Castellana, Italy in 2017. Currently, she spends her time painting and caring for her three young children.

I Am My Own

fiber

27 x 35 inches

Guest curated by Adrienne Cole Johnson and Melody Short

Sam Lee Christian is an artist and educator based in Richmond, VA. After earning a BA in Theatre and Sociology from Emory and Henry College in 2019, they returned to Richmond and have been blending performance with mixed media fiber and printmaking to work through topics of Afro-futurism, black joy and the surrealism found in dreams.

"My work is about me. How my grandmother shaped me. How my body moves and changes. It's about community. The community we're building. The community we're dreaming of and the one being kept from us."

Hand of God

mixed media collage

12 x 16 inches

Mary Holland is an artist, educator, and the Director of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts Studio School. She received a BFA in printmaking from Syracuse University and an MFA in painting & printmaking from The School of the Arts at Virginia Commonwealth University. She has been awarded five Visual Arts Residencies at the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts in Amherst, Virginia. She has exhibited her artwork nationally and is included in numerous private and public collections.

In a Landscape

birch, acrylic paint, fluorescent plexiglass

30 x 30 x 2.25 inches

Courtesy of Quirk Gallery

Guest curated by Bill Martin

Special thanks to the artist for this 100% donation

Robert Walz graduated with honors from the VCU Sculpture + Extended Media program, where he was awarded the Harold North Scholarship for Academic and Creative Excellence. Robert has served as board member of 1708 Gallery and his work may be found in a variety of public and private collections.

Quilting Party (diptych)

mixed media on canvas

60 x 40 inches

Courtesy of Louise Reed

"Most of my images come from nature and occasionally from dreams. Some of my images are views from planes, some things I look at under the microscope, but most are from direct and close observation of natural surroundings and objects. Color has always been an important element in my work, as well as textures. However the magic and mystery of sparkle, reflections and iridescence found in natural objects fascinates me the most, including neon and glitter. A rich creamy surface that reflects and sparkles makes the magic come alive. At times it seems like I am decorating a cake, so much fun. I love working when things are quiet, and my mind is still and I allow the creative juices to flow naturally. Once the idea/image is clearly in my head, my hands can execute the images."

Norbert Irvine grew up in Lexington, Virginia and received his BA from Washington and Lee University. He earned his MA from Claremont University in California and his MFA from East Carolina University. Known for years as a printmaker and serigrapher of brightly patterned graphic aesthetics, Irvine became engrossed in works of art with elaborate surface treatments.

Beginning with thin transparent layers of color, Irvine built up his pieces with brilliant, saturated hues and glittering materials such as sequins, prismatic dots, and textural paint as he continued to add media to the surface of his work. The final result is a very tactile painting, brightly colored and sparkling with iridescent luster. He sought brilliance and reflectivity, and his paintings achieved both as he created pieces that present the viewer with a mosaic of glittering texture.

His work has been exhibited in numerous venues across the country, including the Corcoran in Washington, D.C., the National Endowment for the Arts in Washington, D.C., Saks Fifth Avenue in New York, and the University of North Carolina in Wilmington, NC. Irvine died in Ashville, North Carolina on May 1st, 2015.

Impression unique, Generations d'espoir

screenprint on paper

25 x 31 inches

Special thanks to the artist for this 100% donation

JC Gilmore-Bryan is a professional artist. In addition to teaching at VisArts, she also teaches at Virginia State University and has taught at VCU. She is a member of the Professional Printmaking group ONE/OFF. In 2011 she received a Fulbright Scholar award to teach mural painting and do her own work in screen-printing for a solo exhibition at the National Academy of Art in Sofia, Bulgaria. She has done residencies in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe and in Paris at the Cite' Internationale des Arts. She has a MFA from Columbia University, MA from Vanderbilt University and a BS From MTSU. Her work is in collections around the world.

Obstacle Course

acrylic on canvas

36 x 48 inches

Dathan Kane is a contemporary abstract painter and muralist based in Hampton Roads, Virginia. He holds a BFA in Art & Design from Virginia State University. His work focuses on the constant duality of life's choices using bold, organic, black and white shapes to explore this complexity and gain a sense of balance.

Dathan's work is included in many collections including institutions in Germany and France, Dollar Tree HQ, Work Programs Architects at Assembly in Norfolk, Within Interior Design Firm in Norfolk, PMA Architecture in Newport News, Commune in Virginia Beach/Norfolk, Capital One, Newport News City Mayor's office, Hampton Roads Biomedical Research Consortium (HRBRC) and the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.

He has exhibited at the Assembly Norfolk, Chrysler Museum, Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art, Hermitage Museum & Gardens, Southside Contemporary Art Gallery and the Sichuan Contemporary Institute in China. Dathan participated in the "More Than Art" mural project, RVA Street Mural Festival, Three Notch'd "Leave Your Mark!" mural festival in Richmond and has completed a two-week residency program at Studio House in Baltimore contributing two murals.

His documentary film, CURATE, produced by P.B.S "WHRO Media" in Norfolk has aired throughout Hampton Roads, Boston, and North Carolina. Dathan completed a mural project for White Claw during Pharrell's 2023 "Something in the Water Festival" in VA Beach. Dathan was a participant in the Newport News Street Museum Mural Festival as well as the 6th annual ViBE District Mural Festival. He recently completed a 4-week residency exchange program with "Visible Records" located in Charlottesville VA. He currently serves on the board of the Hermitage Museum in Norfolk and works on the Contemporary Arts Network exhibition team in Newport News.

Swatch #5

found silver-plated platters

18 x 18 x 2 inches

Guest curated by Anne Fletcher

Jaydan Moore was born into a family of fourth-generation tombstone makers in Northern California. Most of his childhood was spent at the family business, which doubled as a rental storage space. He would rummage through other people's objects that were left behind, and listen to family members making burial arrangements for their loved ones. It is through these experiences he began to value the heirlooms and objects chosen to become markers for significant moments that occur during the human experience.

His career began as an undergraduate student at California College of the Arts, in Oakland, CA. Moore received his MFA and MA from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Jaydan's work is in the permanent collection of the National Gallery of Victoria (AU), the Carnegie Museum of Art (PA), Museum of Fine Arts-Houston (TX), and the Dallas Museum of Art (TX). He has furthered his career through generous opportunities as an artist in residence at Penland School of Crafts, Kohler Arts/Industry Program, the Fountainhead Fellowship at Virginia Commonwealth University Craft/Material Studies Program, and Houston Center for Contemporary Craft.

Black and White Dogs

porcelain

11 x 12 x 3 inches each

Special thanks to the artist for this 100% donation

Victoria White Berry is a ceramicist, glass blower, and metalsmith. Born in Saskatchewan, Canada, she started her adult career pursuing the pastry arts, graduating from Le Cordon Bleu Ottawa at the top of her class. She had the opportunity to reconnect with the fine arts community in South Texas and began a degree in studio art at Del Mar Community College. After relocating to Richmond, Virginia, she finished her degree in Craft/Materials at Virginia Commonwealth University(VCU). She has received various scholarships at VCU, such as the Allan A. Eastman Founders in the School of the Art Scholarship, Peachtree Award in the Visual Arts, Craft and Materials Studies Scholarships, and VCU Opportunity Scholarship. Since graduating from VCU, Victoria has relocated to the nation's capital, Washington D.C. where she lives with her husband and dog.

Freedom of the Stone

sculpture

11 x 11 x 4 inches

Special thanks to the artist for this 100% donation

Jere was born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia. He graduated from Georgia State University after completing work on an M.A. degree in philosophy and an M.F.A. degree in sculpture. In 2000, Jere began a teaching career in sculpture, woodworking, art theory, and the philosophy of art at the Atlanta College of Art. He has been teaching in private secondary and middle schools since 2005. Jere has exhibited and published work around the country. His work has been published in the Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism, The International Journal of Social Science, and Fine Woodworking Magazine. He has received numerous awards for his sculpture: The People's Choice Award and an Honorable Mention for his sculptures exhibited at the Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art, an exhibition award at Artfield's 2022 competition, and most recently the Best In Show Award at the Craft + Design 2023 show in Richmond. Jere has also worked extensively with nonprofit companies, and he collaborates with other artists in dance and theater companies. He currently lives in Savannah with his wife, Sally, and their dog Burton.

Create new memorable moments with your family when you take advantage of all this package has to offer. Local artist, Lacy Heiberger, will create a custom pastel portrait of your little one, suitable for framing and a perfect family heirloom. Book a studio photography session with Wendy Humble. This can include the whole family---even pets---and could be a great option for this year's holiday card! Add a Storytelling workshop or performance to your next birthday party, play date, or neighborhood block party courtesy of Liza Newell. Enjoy family memberships to Maymont, Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens, VMFA, Children's Museum of Richmond and VisArts so your whole gang can attend events like Garden Glow as well as exhibitions, art-making activities and classes for parents and children throughout the year.

This package is loaded with opportunities to enjoy local theatre and dance performances all year long. Season subscriptions from Yes And! Theatrical Company, Richmond Shakespeare, and 5th Wall Theatre will allow you to catch the latest plays, musicals, and original works produced by these companies starting this fall. This package also includes tickets for two to Waitress at Virginia Rep and four tickets to Smoke presented by Cadence Theatre. For dance lovers, a pair of tickets to Richmond Ballet's Studio Two performance at VMFA and a voucher for the program of your choice during the Modlin Center for the Arts' 2025-26 season are sure to be a hit. To complete this prize package, enjoy an annual membership for two to Firehouse Theatre where you can watch plays and dance performances presented by resident companies as well as burlesque shows, stand-up acts, and other great programs.

Grab a group of friends for a private reformer class at Niche Pilates Studio with up to 16 participants. This experience could be a great addition to a weekend with out of town guests, a bridal shower or bachelorette trip, or as a fun reset for you and your squad when you need it. Ride the wellness wave with a gift bag of health and beauty items as well as a skin treatment courtesy of Dr. Godin to make yourself feel refreshed inside and out.

Leave your worries behind and enjoy five nights in Virginia Beach this September or October. This canal-front condo (ideal for couples or friends) is just a short distance to the ocean and includes the use of bikes and kayaks. While you're in town, visit Taste Unlimed and grab a bite or take your order to go and enjoy it near the water!

Engage all your senses with this package offering the best of summer! Take in the scenic views during a kayak or paddle-boarding experience for four with James River Experiences. Listen to all of the great musical acts at Friday Cheers with season tickets for two. Enjoy the best scents of the season with a collection of soap, lotion and candles handcrafted by Na Nin. Pack a picnic with delicious items from Libbie Market and, for the ultimate taste of summer, enjoy a 90-day supply of ice cream sandwiches courtesy of Nightingale.

Enjoy a catered party in a beautiful West End home with up to 30 of your friends and live music from one of Virginia's most notable musicians, Steve Bassett. Steve is an award winning musician who has produced and released 24 albums. He is the co-author of Virginia's official state song, "Sweet Virginia Breeze." This specialized event includes catering services, wine and beer.

Take a deeper dive into the rich histories of Virginia and Richmond with two exclusive tours at The Valentine Museum and The Library of Virginia. Your private tour for six at The Valentine includes a curator-led, behind-the-scenes look at their newest exhibition: "Fancy: Costumes, Characters, and the Richmond Masque." Your Library of Virginia tour for eight includes a VIP Special Collections showing. Each tour includes lunch for you and your guests. This package also includes an annual membership to the Virginia Museum of History and Culture.

Book an exclusive curator or educator-led tour at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts with up to eight guests to take a closer look at noteable pieces in the museums' collection. This special tour includes lunch for you and your guests. Enjoy an annual family membership so you can explore the special exhibitions and permanent collection all year long. When you visit, don't forget to pack your drawing kit, courtesy of Lamb Arts and Healing, so you can sketch your favorite pieces in the museum or sculpture garden!

Consider yourself booked for a Downtown date with your Valentine next February! Enjoy a dinner for two with a gift card from Heritage followed by an evening at The Richmond Forum for their Febraury 21, 2026 program.

Spend a special night out with VIP tickets for two for The Richmond Forum's March 21, 2026 event which includes a preshow reception and dinner at the Omni Hotel, transportation to and from the Altria Theater, the evening's program followed by a moderated Q & A period, and a post-show dessert reception back at the Omni. Stop in to Stella's to enjoy a cocktail or glass of wine before your night at the Forum begins.

Enjoy a one-on-one studio visit with Anne Blackwell Thompson of Blackwell Botanicals. Anne will walk you through the process she uses to create one-of-a-kind pieces of art featuring the pressed botanicals and specimens she collects from public and private gardens all across the country. While you're there, you may select one of Anne's standard size pieces for your home. Framing for this piece can be done by the team at Frame of Mind.

You don't need to travel very far for a truly relaxing vacation. Enjoy a two-night stay in the Van Lew Suite at Shenandoah Mansions, The Fan District's newest (and only) boutique hotel. This property does include a cafe, bar and restaurant but you can also treat yourselves to a dinner for two at Belmont Food Shop. Before you check in, stock up on wine and fancy snacks for your room with gift cards from J Emerson and Truckle Cheesemongers.

Create your own one-of-a-kind stationery with Richmond printmaker and VisArts teacher, Paul Morris. Use the facilities in the letterpress studio at VisArts to select your favorite typeface and graphic elements, then complete your design with Paul. This does include 50 flat cards and envelopes in the color of your choosing as well as a gift card to Paper Plus where you may choose sealing wax, stamps, or other accessories to complete the look of your custom stationery!

Host your next birthday at VisArts! Parties include an artist-led project of your choosing with options in many disciplines: clay, fiber, letterpress, printmaking, glass, metals, jewelry, photography and more! VisArts parties can accommodate up to 12 guests ages five and above. A cake from nearby Shyndigz will complete the party and we'll even include a handmade gift for the honoree, created by fiber artist, Becca Martin-wrapped and ready to go!

Book a Creative Team Building session at VisArts to drive innovation, improve creative thinking, and strengthen your team's collaborative spirit. All corporate team-building programs are led by professional artists and include demonstrations and group exercises. Each program matches artistic processes with your group's goals. Throughout the program, instructors build in plenty of time for discussion and self-reflection. To get those creative juices flowing, treat your team to coffee and pastries with a gift card from Shyndigz. This offer is good for a group of up to 10 members and would also make a great holiday party for a small team!

If you have a passion for fashion, this prize package is for you! Enjoy tickets to VCU's Fashion Show that will include a private tour with Michael-Birch Pierce, a professor in the Fashion Design and Merchandising department. Michael-Birch is also a skilled artist and designer who will create custom stitched portraits for your group of four. Get yourself runway ready with a gift card for a shopping trip at Levy's.

Fill your fall schedule with fun seasonal activities! Grab a few friends and join designer and visual merchandiser, Marty Mitchell for a private workshop to create your own Halloween decor. Marty has created some of the most memorable window displays at Thalhimers, Pink Cadillac, and Verdalina. Marty will also invite your crafting crew to have a front row seat on her porch during Halloween on Hanover-complete with cocktails! Embrace the spooky season with a Haunts of Richmond Ghost Tour gift certificate. This package includes VIP tickets to Virginia Pride, VIP tickets and a parking pass to Folk Fest, tickets to Chili Throwdown, and weekend passes to Craft + Design---four major fall events you can't miss! And what fall would be complete without the taste of Pumpkin Spice everything? Enjoy a Starbucks gift card so you can grab your favorite seasonal drink or treat as soon as the mood strikes!

Hit the links this season with a gift certificate for four rounds of golf and cart rental at The Brookwoods Golf Club. Before you do, take advantage of three private lessons with golf pro, Phill Hunt, a Class A professional member of the PGA of America and the founder of golf consultation company, TFG Golf Services, Inc. Practice your swing with a gift certificate to Top Golf, the perfect way to improve your game in bad weather or off season.

Calling all sports fans! This package includes amazing catering spreads for the next time you and your friends get together to watch the big game or plan your next tailgate party. Stanley's will hook you up with hoagies, cheesesteaks, sides, and a cooler of Coors Light for a group up to 20 and Bell Greek will help you put together a gyro bar for 10.

Enjoy a long weekend during the off peak season at The Dog's House, an oceanside 4 bedroom, 3 bath house in the heart of Kitty Hawk, NC. This property is dog-friendly so your best friend can join you on this fun getaway! To make your four-legged friend's trip extra fun, we're including a beach tote full of great dog gifts and accessories.

This package is full of unique experiences perfect for date nights! Enjoy two complimentary seats at a Wine Dinner hosted by Ruth's Chris Steak House, featuring exquisite food and wine pairings. Get the VIP treatment with a reserved table for two all season long at The Branch Museum's 2026 mini-concert series. This includes wine, beer and a cheese plate at all eight concert events. For a change of pace, schedule an early morning date and join Can Can's pastry chef, Ben Hill, for a behind-the-scenes look at how this team rolls, shapes, and bakes the bread and pastries for each day's service. You'll also leave with an assortment of baked treats! As an active option, rent e-bikes from Kul Wheels and cruise around the city. Reserve a lane at River City Roll and enjoy cocktails while you bowl at Richmond's fanciest bowling alley!

Here's a package for the ultimate lover of cocktails or would-be mixologist! Learn from the best starting with a cocktail class for six led by Beth Dixon of Salt & Acid and leave with a handsome new cocktail kit so you can practice at home. Continue your cocktail education with a tequila tasting for two at Casa del Barco and conduct some field research in the bars at Common House with a three-month membership. Finally, you will have the opportunity to design a craft cocktail that will be featured on the menu at Heritage.

Treat yourself to an art consultation with designer and artist, Wendy Umanoff who will help reimagine and rework the display of artwork in your home. After your curation plan is complete, schedule an appointment with the amazing Artworkrs team to install your pieces. Continue this home makeover with new textiles and home decor courtesy of gift cards from Flourish Spaces and Thnk Collective as well as a one-of-a-kind Blossom lamp created by Wendy Umanoff and a modern pedestal plate from Flourish. To top it off, enjoy house cleaning services from Clean U LLC to make your newly curated home look magazine-ready!

This package has everything you need to throw a beautiful dinner party at home. All you have to do is add the guests! Build your menu around a 12-bottle wine collection, all of which have an outstanding rating of 91 points or above from Wine Spectator! Select an entree and side dishes from Yellow Umbrella and Supper Club. Finish things off with a centerpiece for the table with a gift card from Strawberry Fields and a chic cachepot from The Shops at 5807.

Marrakech

archival pigment print on Museo silver rag paper

41 x 30 inches

Courtesy of Reynolds Gallery

Guest curated by Alice Livingston

Special thanks to the artist for this 100% donation

In addition to his day job as the Director and Chief Executive Officer at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Alex Nyerges is an internationally award-winning photography, curator, author, and photo historian who has exhibited across the United States, Australis, and Europe. His work is in collections in New York, Washington DC, Virginia, Ohio, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Palm Beach, Tampa, Richmond Budapest, and elsewhere. His work has been exhibited in Atlanta, Budapest, Canberra, Houston, Richmond, Vienna, and Washington, DC, among other places.

A native of Rochester, New York - the home of George Eastman and the Eastman Kodak Company - he grew up with a family tradition in photography and music. For more than 40 years and digitally since 2002, he has been creating photographs in 35mm, medium, and large formats.

Seeking out the elements of beauty that surround us, so often unseen and neglected in the built and natural worlds, his work uses sunlight and its shadows to create works that are both modern and timeless.

The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts' recent exhibition, "American, born Hungary: Kertész, Capa, and the Hungarian American Photographic Legacy" was curated by Alex Nyerges. This exhibition of more than 170 photographs plus related ephemera examines the works of Hungarian-born American artists and their influence on photography since the early 20th century. Before opening at VMFA in October 2024, the exhibition opened at the Museum of Fine Arts, Budapest in April 2024 marking the grand opening of their newly renovated exhibition space. After its run at VMFA, the exhibition will travel to the George Eastman Museum in Rochester, New York, where it will open on September 26, 2025.

Ciphers

fabric, machine embroidery, hand embroidery

29.5 x 14.5 inches

Guest curated by Shane Prada

"Through my art, I engage in world-making through the process of play and material-errantry. My form of world-making uses craft traditions as a flexible constraint; I collaborate with materials and colors to achieve a coherence and consistency finely attuned to my intuitive judgment. I look for openings in the making process where I can ply confident imperfections and deviations, subverting fixed expectations of the tradition or technique at hand. I often use bright colors and repeating patterns as a way of injecting each project with evidence of the exuberant aliveness I feel when making art. My practice seeks to alleviate daily doldrums and spiritless ways of living - instead, transforming objects and spaces into paratelic experiences. I gift these works to the viewer as an optimistic nudge towards joy, connection and a playful awareness of how the larger world could be."

Tower Vessel Pair

slipcast porcelain

4 x 4 x 17 inches each

Originally from Madison Wisconsin, Daniel currently lives in North Carolina, where he is a long term Resident Artist (21'-24') at the Penland School of Craft. He holds a BFA from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (2011). Daniel was Core Fellow at the Penland School of Craft (15'-17') and participated in a variety of residencies including the Jentel Foundation, AZ West, The Bright Angle, Haystack Mountain School of Craft, Houston Center for Contemporary Craft and Western New Mexico University. His work has been shown throughout the US in a variety of group and solo exhibitions.

Daniel Garver is a clay artist, his work consists of functional and sculptural slipcast ceramics. The studio work is focused on creating systems which result in iterative processes that investigate structure and form. He has constructed a comprehensive library of interchangeable plaster mold parts from which he can compose a wide range of ceramic slipcast forms that are unique from, yet also related to one another. The work is pushed further through the use of color and pattern in relation to the structural composition. For source material, Daniel researches cast concrete, mid modern design, brutalist architecture and industrial design to inform his work. Daniel is currently a long term resident at the Penland School of Craft.

This collection of work is all made from slipcast porcelain. The process of slipcasting utilizes plaster molds in which liquid porcelain (casting slip) is poured into the molds, and the plaster pulls the water content out of the slip forming a shell which is the resulting form, object or pot. This method was developed to readily recreate identical forms in a reliable fashion, I use the same method but have altered the process in such a way that I can construct a variety of forms from the same mold parts. This collection was been designed and constructed from a library of interchangeable plaster molds parts that can be assembled in a variety of forms which makes them all related to one another for a cohesive collection of functional ceramic pieces. Furthermore the molds were designed so that I can work into the surface of the pots by inlaying colored or black and white porcelain to compose some striking patterns.

Tainted Oasis 16

ink and acrylic on panel

30 x 30 inches

Courtesy of Quirk Gallery

Guest curated by Sarah Irvin

Suzanna Fields grew up in Appalachia, where the strange beauty of nature seeped into her hyper-intricate paintings. A recipient of a Bethesda Painting Award, a Liquitex Purchase Prize, a finalist for the Trawick Prize, and residencies at Mountain Lake Biological Station, the Studios at Key West, and Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, Field's art is in collections including: VMFA, the Eleanor Wilson Museum, Capital One, Philip Morris, the Kimpton Hotel Group, Bill and Pam Royall, and Shepard and Amanda Fairey. She has been recognized in the Washington Post, New American Paintings, the Roanoke Times, and Art Papers Magazine. Her work has been exhibited at the Taubman Museum of Art (Roanoke, VA), the Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art (Virginia Beach, VA), the Weatherspoon Museum of Art (Greensboro, NC), The Swan Coach House Gallery (Atlanta, GA), the Lauren Rogers Museum of Art (Laurel, MS) and Quirk Gallery (Richmond and Charlottesville, VA). Fields received her MFA in Painting from Virginia Commonwealth University and a BA in Art and English from Mary Baldwin College and lives in Richmond.

When I First Met You

collage, acrylic, oil, oil varnish

60 x 44 inches

Josh George is a contemporary realist painter, with an emphasis on draftsmanship and an unconventional mixed media approach. He has enjoyed a successful gallery career for 20 years, with representation in New York City, Richmond, VA, Denver, CO, Raleigh, NC, Tulsa, OK, Kansas City, MO, and other markets. His art career also includes seventeen years' experience teaching painters, illustrators, and designers at Virginia Commonwealth University and Pratt Institute and as a guest lecturer for several degree-granting arts institutions.

Though primarily a contemporary realist painter, his work hints at the surreal and
incorporates an expressive palette. Using an aggressive collage sensibility, he creates cityscapes, architectural portraits, and figurative snapshots of everyday life in the American city. He aims to capture the rich texture of these places and moments-the humor, drama, despair, and surprising beauty. Along with narrative and conceptual content, technical mastery and innovating materials drives his work.

George has mounted 45 solo exhibitions and 88 group shows with commercial galleries in New York City, Boston, Scottsdale, Kansas City, Richmond, Raleigh, Milan, Italy and other markets, and his work has been featured in the Aqua Art Fair and Scope Art Fair
in Miami for the last six years. His paintings are part of numerous private collections and the corporate collections of Sony Music, Nissan, Sheraton, Warner Brothers, Dominion Energy, Altria, and Capital One.

Sit together or apart

wood (imbuia, walnut and tiger maple)

40 x 26 x 38 inches

Special thanks to the artist for this 100% donation

Based in Richmond, VA, Mark has worked in wood for over 40 years. His work has included traditional designs inspired by antique furniture, contemporary pieces and furniture using repurposed materials. Mark has built custom furniture for several churches throughout Virginia, including altars, ambos, presider's chairs and other pieces. In the last several years, a portion of his work has migrated toward natural edge furniture design, exploring the integration of the wood's innate form with the functionality of art furniture. Most recently, he has been developing his "Twisted" series which incorporates bent and twisted laminations in everyday furniture pieces. He teaches woodworking at the Visual Arts Center of Richmond and The John C. Campbell Folk School in North Carolina. Mark's studio is in Richmond where he shares his space with talented woodworkers, furniture makers and a luthier. Beautiful furniture and music emanate from his studio as a result.

Gatsby Girls

acrylic and graphite on canvas

28.5 x 36.5 inches

Courtesy of Pamplemousse Gallery

Kevin Sabo is a painter living and working in Richmond, VA. His colorful, character-driven works use exaggerated proportions and distinct fashion choices to define his figures. Men in suits serve as symbols of masculine tropes in American culture-nodding to the corporate world and the twisted nature of manhood. In contrast, the feminine figures embody playful heroines, often seen stomping on these suited men with high heels, playfully subverting traditional gender dynamics. Sabo has had successful solo exhibitions internationally; most notably New York City, Paris, Brussels and San Francisco. His work has been featured in publications like Architectural Digest and Metal Magazine.

Study IV, Southside

cyanotype

30 x 22 inches

Em White is a photographer and visual artist, specializing in vintage photographic processes and large format work. Raised in rural Virginia, much of her work emphasizes personal relationships to land and the ways in which environment informs the emotional self. Drawing on her background in sociology, White examines how natural environments function as community spaces and the ways that they can connect and transform. Primarily self taught, White's approach to photography has been shaped by personal experimentation and opportunities to learn from established artists. She works with analog processes, valuing the ability to produce by hand, for the slow movement they require and the present state of mind they demand.

Today she lives and works in Richmond, Virginia with her two dogs, Sadie and Gus. She runs a portrait studio where she collaborates with members of the community to produce tangible works in a digital era. She has taught at Virginia Commonwealth University, Penumbra Foundation and various community arts organizations.

Grounding

oil on hardwood panel

40 x 30 inches

Special thanks to the artist for this 100% donation

"I used to design things. Custom rugs mostly. Also mirrors, lamps, plates, furniture, and even scarves. The years spent in the high end home furnishings market trained my eye and taught me much about the detail and discipline required to develop design strong enough to translate through the many phases of development from sketch to final manufactured product.

But now I paint. My designer eye responds to line, form, and certainly color. I look for the color and structure hiding beneath the surface of things. I push the world I see into an abstracted, but recognizable play of color, texture and geometry - afresh, fun, modern take on the classic genre of landscape painting. I plan a little, play a lot, listen to music and let my instincts lead the way. This is about joy - in both the visual experience, and the creative process as it unfolds.

As much fun as it is to loosen up and play with paint, the designer in me is alive and well. I'm attracted to clean composition, color, pattern and texture. Afteryears of the controlled specification required for production of custom rugs and other home furnishings products, I enjoy the immediacy of paint on my brush, color at my fingertips, the smell, the feel, and the constant surprises that lead the way. Painting, for me, is a rewarding form of down and dirty magic.

I'm a native Richmonder. A VCU Arts alumnus. The CEO of the former Sarah Gayle Carter Design Studio. Living and working now in Lexington, Virginia, surrounded and endlessly inspired by these gorgeous, layered fields and old blue mountains. Life is good."

Blue Cubes

shellac, acrylic, oil pastel, oil stick, conte crayon

70 x 54 inches

Courtesy of Quirk Gallery

Guest curated by Margaret Meehan

Special thanks to the artist for this 100% donation

Aimee Joyaux received her MFA in photography in 1995. She has shown work at the Center for Book and Paper at Columbia College, The Art Institute of Chicago, The Indianapolis Museum of Art, the Center for Book Arts (NY), The National Museum of Women in the Arts, Nexus Press in Atlanta and locally at the Taubman Museum, MOCA, Quirk Gallery, The Valentine, and Try-Me. Her work is in the collections of The Museum of Fine Arts Houston, The Center for Book and Paper at Columbia College, Indiana University East, Penland School of Crafts, Dominion, Capital One, Altria, and Reynolds Community College. Joyaux received a CultureWorks Equity Grant in 2019, a VMFA Professional Fellowship in 2017, an Illinois Arts Council Residency Grant and an Individual Artist Grant from the Indiana Arts Commission in 1999.

Girl Sailor

oil on canvas

48 x 36 inches

Courtesy of Reynolds Gallery

Andras J. Bality is a fine artist painter living in Richmond, Virginia. He has a BFA from VCU and completed post graduate studies at the Cyprus College of Art. His works are in many public and private collections throughout the United States including the Federal Reserve Bank, Markel Corp., UVA Children's Hospital, MCV, Jersey Shore Medical Center, and Gloucester Museum of Art. He has received The Pollak Prize in Painting and a VMFA Professional Grant in Painting. He is represented by Reynolds Gallery in Richmond, Virginia, Blue Print Gallery in Dallas, Texas and the Willard Gallery in South Portland, Maine.

Funky Form No. 10

blown and coldworked glass

8 x 8 x 36 inches

Guest curated by Asa Jackson

A musician who fell in love with studio glass, Cedric Mitchell is no stranger to sampling a wide range of influences in his practice. His Modern Funk series combines the bold attitude and eclectic style of 1970s and '80s funk music, the playfulness of Memphis Milano furniture, the aesthetics of 1990s toys and street art, and the minimalism of modern design into one-of-a-kind sculptures and vases. He forges each geometric component with precision and dedication in a saturated candy-colored palette. Mitchell then mixes and matches the pieces into stacking whimsical tabletop sculptures. He also makes functional wares that similarly engage color and shapes. Mitchell navigates his growing career while developing a social practice as an organizer and educator with dexterity.

For the past ten years, he has actively supported emerging artists and disseminated knowledge about making glass art through his involvement with youth organizations in underserved communities that have historically not had access to art education. He is also on the leadership team of Crafting the Future, an artist-run organization that provides scholarships for young artists of color to connect with craft-based educational opportunities. Mitchell is looking to shatter the glass ceiling of the art world for generations to come.

The Window

charcoal and collage on paper

42 x 65 inches

Guest curated by Michael-Birch Pierce

Born in Santiago, Chile in 1982. Federico Infante works predominantly in the medium of painting, he received his BFA from Finis Terrae University (Santiago, Chile) in 2002 and graduated in 2013 with his MFA in Illustration from the School of Visual Arts in New York. He was the recipient of the Uanlane Foundation Scholarship (2012), the Conicyt Scholarship (2009), and the Juan Downey Grant (2004). He has had several successful solo and group exhibitions in Chile, New York and Italy and his work has been adopted into private collections around the world. In 2015 he illustrated Nabokov's masterpiece, Lolita, edited by The Folio Society. Currently Federico's work can be seen at Punto Sull'Arte Gallery (Italy), I'll Corregio Museum (Italy), Hugo Galerie (New York) and Animal Gallery (Chile). Federico is currently living and working in Richmond VA.

In Cotton We Trust

archival pigment print

21.25 x 29.75 inches

Kat Thompson is a multidisciplinary artist living and working in Washington, D.C. She received her BFA in Photography from George Mason University and her MFA in Photography & Film from Virginia Commonwealth University. Recent exhibitions include solo shows at The Anderson Gallery in Richmond, VA, Fenwick Gallery and George Mason University, both in Fairfax, VA. Kat's work has been featured in numerous group shows in the DC Metro area including Tephra Institute of Contemporary Art and the Congressional Black Caucus Creator House, among others. She was recently selected for the Hamiltonian Artists Fellowship, a two year program for emerging visual artists seeking to establish and sustain a professional art career.

Connect the Dots: 2022

archival ink on paper

36 x 36 inches

Courtesy of Bond Millen Gallery

Guest curated by Ashley Kistler

Sarah Irvin earned a Master of Fine of Arts from George Mason University and a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of Georgia. Irvin has been featured in more than twenty solo shows, as well as more than fifty group exhibitions, across the United States and abroad. Irvin's work is included in the collections of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Capital One, Four Seasons Hotel, Federal Reserve Bank, and Royal Caribbean, as well as the private collections of Quirk Hotel and the University of Richmond. She is the founder of the Artist Parent Index, a searchable database of artists making work about their experience with reproduction and caring for their children. Irvin is represented by Page Bond Gallery in Richmond, and Kathryn Markel Fine Arts and Massey Klein Gallery, both in New York City. She is an independent curator and an adjunct instructor at Virginia Commonwealth University.

Portal 3

mixed media, crocheted fiber and glass

30 x 26 x 3 inches

Guest curated by Tracy Stonestreet

Franchell Mack Brown is an artist employing an amalgam of materials in her practice. From the pliancy of crocheted ribbon to industrial cording and the solidity of welding, she juxtaposes soft and hard, exploring the dualities of being. Undulating forms and dripping tendrils suggest movement evocative of Nick Cave's Soundsuits. Color and texture prevail in ecstatic collision, echoing her fascination with Egungun masking traditions and Native American tribal ceremonies. With her background as a jewelry designer, she features semi-precious gemstones, particularly freshwater pearls, in much of her work. The pearl embodies individuality. Each is a unique speck emerging from metamorphosis as an exquisite gem, a metaphor for the development and full expression of self.

Harvest Moon

stained ash and acrylic

24.5 x 29 x 2.5 inches

Guest curated by Ted Elmore

Leigh Suggs is a Richmond-based artist whose practice exists at the intersection of craft, painting, and sculpture, engaging with the themes of perception, ambiguity, and transformation. Her intricate works, created through a process of drawing, painting, and hand-cutting, transform the modernist grid into a site of tension and exploration, oscillating between positive and negative space, structure and fragility. Suggs' process is deeply tactile and methodical, combining layers of painted paper with painstaking cuts that evoke woven textiles or radial webs. These patterns mutate and evolve, engaging with light, shadow, and reflection to create works that shift and transform with the viewer's perspective. Rooted in the tradition of process-driven, labor-intensive craft, Suggs reimagines the grid as a flexible and ambiguous framework, asking viewers to remain active participants in their experience of the work.

Suggs' work is held in prominent public and corporate collections, including the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Weatherspoon Art Museum, and Deutsche Bank. She has exhibited widely across the United States, with solo and group exhibitions at venues such as the Mint Museum (Charlotte, NC), Massey Klein (New York, NY), Abigail Oglivy (Los Angeles, CA), and Reynolds Gallery (Richmond, VA). Through her explorations of material and process, Suggs creates works that act as meditations on endurance, fragility, and the risks of desensitization in an overstimulated world. Her practice invites viewers to engage deeply with the interplay of structure, pattern, and perception, offering a reflective space to consider their own relationship to form and the act of looking.

Daniel Rickey has been making furniture in Richmond, VA since 2012. Daniel and his team of specialists design and build furniture that incorporates clean lines, is built to last, invites touch and is pleasing to be around. In addition to his one-off originals, he designs and builds custom pieces for residences as well as corporate clients both domestic and international.

Necklace + Earrings set

sterling silver, 18k gold

Necklace: 17 x 0.75 inches; Earrings: 2.25 x 0.75 inches each

Guest curated by Ashley Williams

Gabriel has maintained a successful jewelry-making practice for more than fifty years. He graduated from the University of Virginia with a B.A. in English literature. During his last two years of college, he became interested in making jewelry. Unable to land a prep school English teaching job, Gabriel traveled to a craft show in Danville, Virginia, and made $400 in two days.

This eye-opening commercial success sparked the beginnings of a solo and largely self-taught career designing and making gold, platinum and silver jewelry. Over the next few years, he traveled throughout Virginia to rural craft fairs and then expanded his schedule to larger events on the east coast. With the help of workshops with Hekki Seppa and Ronald Pearson and a gem-setting class at the Revere Academy, he started to articulate his design ideas and form a cohesive body of work. His lack of extensive formal education in metalworking became a strength; he learned through trial and error often using tools and materials in non-traditional ways.

Today, although more conscious of maintaining design continuity, Gabriel still uses tools in an unconventional manner and mostly designs by trial and error. Sometimes playing around directly with the materials can produce some surprising "aha!" results.

Buttermilk Trail, Following a trail of Elvin Jones light speckled cymbal drops around tree trunk bass notes, scattered brush, and thorn snare hits

acrylic on canvas

60 x 48 inches

Ed Trask is a musician, painter, and muralist whose work has been collected into many permanent collections. Trask earned a BFA in Painting & Printmaking from VCU and while in school, he transformed many of the dilapidated buildings around Richmond City into his very own art gallery through painted murals. After graduating in 1992, he continued painting illegal murals around the world while on tour with different punk rock bands and friends. Trask has since become involved with bringing creative changes to Richmond and other cities through public art. He co-founded the RVA Street Art Festival and served as a commissioner for Richmond's Public Art Commission. He is a past board member of the Visual Arts Center of Richmond and has lectured and facilitated creative consulting programs for numerous corporations while working with community nonprofits to bring creative, inclusive public art throughout the city. Ed Trasks' paintings and murals appear in many permanent collections, including the Modern & Contemporary Art Collection at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. Ed lives in Richmond VA with his wife and two children.