Over the last several years, the arts district along West Main Street in Richmond, VA has developed into an eclectic community of galleries, restaurants and independently owned businesses.
You can browse a variety of traditional and contemporary artwork while enjoying lunch or coffee in the afternoon. Or, if you prefer, enjoy a night on the town, experience the evening art openings (often on first Fridays!), and indulge in dinner and drinks afterwards.
With so many exciting places to see and choose from, you're bound to find something to suit your taste.
VIEW A MAP OF THE WEST MAIN STREET GALLERIES
Artemis Gallery
1601 W. Main St.804.353.2676
www.artemisgalleryrichmond.com/
Artemis Gallery was established in 1997 by John T. Crutchfield in Richmond, VA. It is located at 1601 W Main St. in the heart of the Fan District. The Gallery is named after Artemis, the Greek goddess of the moon associated with mystery and known for her skills with the bow & arrow. Likewise the artists represented in the gallery hold the same qualities of mystery, creativity, and skill.
After extensive studio and exhibition experience with his own business Metallic Art Graphics, Crutchfield decided to open a retail space to showcase his own work along with other up and coming artists. The Gallery houses a growing collection of fine art and crafts gathered through attending and trading at national exhibitions.
Artemis Gallery has exhibited over 170 national and international artists at its monthly openings. These openings take part in the First Fridays art walk along with the rest of the Main St gallery community. The openings are full of contemporary art and live music. They encourage the community to celebrate the high appreciation for fine arts and crafts.
Hours: Wed-Fri, 4-7pm and First Fridays; Sat, 12-6pm.
Brazier Studio
1616 W. Main St.804.358.2771
www.lorynbrazier.com or www.brazierstudio.com
Richmond's gallery for realist and impressionist paintings, Brazier represents over 30 nationally known artists. These artists often teach workshops in the gallery. Loryn Brazier's portrait and painting studio is located in the rear of the gallery.
Hours are Tues-Fri, 10am-4pm. Sat, 12-4pm.
1509 Main Street Gallery
1509 W. Main St.804.828.1709
www.vcu.edu/arts/graphicdesign/dept
1509 Main Street Gallery invites you to a diverse series of exhibitions and events that celebrate and explore the exapanding role of graphic design in our world.
An extension of the Department of Graphic Design at Virginia Commonwealth University's School of the Arts, 1509 Main Street houses both the gallery and the working studios of senior graphic design students as well as the Department's client based student studio, Design Center. At the heart of 1509 is a commitment to community, collaboration and connection to culture, technology and public service.
Come feel the hum.
Glave Kocen Gallery
1620 W. Main St.804.358.1990
www.glavekocengallery.com, www.glavekocen.blogspot.com/
Specializing in vibrant contemporary artwork in all media, The Glave Kocen Gallery has earned the distinction of being warm, inventive and inviting. Artists represented span from across the country with national recognition to young emerging artists.
Bringing over 20 years of combined gallery experience, the husband and wife team of Jennifer Glave and BJ Kocen seek artists that inspire them from David FeBland, Maggie Siner, Sheep Jones, Heidi Fowler and Steven Walker to name of few.
The Glave Kocen gallery is proud to be neighbors and partners with Main Art and Frame!
Laura Loe Paintings
2513 W. Main St.804.359.9506, cell 804.366.6327
www.lauraloe.com
Laura Loe Paintings features the work of local oil painter Laura Loe. A professional artist, Loe has been a mainstay of the Richmond art scene for many years having been a faculty member of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts Studio School for over a decade as well as Director of the Nimrod Hall Summer Arts Program. Her work is primarily vividly colored oils, representational as well as abstract but also explores mixed media and assemblages.
Main Art Supply & Gallery
1537 W. Main St.804.355.6151
www.mainartsupply.com
The first art gallery on Main Street, Main Art Gallery, is located on the second floor of Main Art Supply. Our curatorial staff presents both established and up-and-coming artists from the Richmond region and the Southeast—artists working in a wide variety of mediums, from painting and sculpture to photography and installation. Every month we showcase a new artist or group of artist at an opening that coincides with other gallery openings in the city, the ever-popular First Friday series. Please join us on the first Friday of every month for an opening reception (hors d'oeuvres courtesy of Baja Bean Company) from 7 to 9pm. Main Art Framing, located upstairs next to the gallery, is where Richmonders have long come for quality custom framing.
Page Bond Gallery
1625 W. Main St.804.359.3633
www.pagebondgallery.com
The Page Bond Gallery, first established in 1999 as the New Gallery in Nantucket, Massachusetts, relocated to Richmond, Virginia in 2001. Featuring contemporary art in a wide variety of media and disciplines including painting, printmaking, photography, sculpture, and ceramics, the gallery acts as a showcase for the work of emerging as well as established artists with local, national, and international reputations.
The Richmond art scene, anchored by Virginia Commonwealth University's School of the Arts, the top public Art School in the nation according to a 2008 article in US News and World Report, is an especially vibrant and lively one. Its numerous galleries, artist spaces, and museums provide a supportive atmosphere for the development and exhibition of innovative contemporary art from sculpture and painting, to video and installations.
Located in a renovated garage in Richmond's historic Fan district, the Page Bond Gallery has an exhibition schedule of ten shows annually. Past shows include work by established artists Sally Mann, Cy Twombly, Thomas Florschuetz and Jennifer Bartlett. Artists with newer careers who have exhibited in the gallery include, Christopher Palmer, Dragana Crnjak, Andras Bality, Steve Clark, and Kris Iden. Additional services offered by the gallery include corporate and private art consulting, collection management, appraisals, and installation coordination.
The gallery's mission is to maintain the highest level of professionalism and accessibility while offering intimacy and individual attention for both buyer and artist.
Red Door Gallery
1607 W. Main St.804.358.0211
www.reddoorgalleryrichmond.com
Red Door Gallery specializes in exhibiting original work by full-time established artists from around the country. The gallery focuses on large-scale contemporary painting as well as sculpture. Jerry Shapiro, as Director, travels the country looking for new artists whose work appeals to the senses and to the mind. Exhibitions rotate regularly in the main gallery space. Red Door takes pride in maintaining close long-term relationships with its artists by continuing to exhibit work in its upstairs archival gallery post exhibition. Situated on historic Main Street amidst Richmond's flourishing arts district, the gallery is just minutes from Virginia Commonwealth University's nationally renowned School of the Arts.
Reynolds Gallery
1514 W. Main St.804.355.6553
www.reynoldsgallery.com
Reynolds Gallery exhibits significant and challenging contemporary art by local, regional and nationally known artists. Over the past 30 years, Reynolds has brought art made by some of the most important artists to Richmond including Sally Mann, Tara Donovan, Alex Katz, Ellsworth Kelly, Jasper Johns and Nell Blaine. Other artists include Isabel Bigelow, Wolf Kahn, Ray Kass, Robert Stuart, Richard Roth, Richard Crozier, Heide Trepanier and Kendall Buster. The gallery has developed a strong working relationship with nationally recognized Virginia Commonwealth University's School of the Arts and numerous New York City art galleries and dealers. The gallery works with private and corporate clients to develop collections based on works by young and emerging artists along with artists with established careers.
Reynolds Gallery currently mounts approximately 15 exhibitions and installations a year and develops support for artists within the community through exhibitions, gallery talks, events, and partnerships with art educators and institutions.
Studio Two Three: A Community Print Space
1617 W. Main St.studiotwothree@gmail.com
www.studiotwothree.com
Studio Two Three (S23) was started in early 2008 by several artists who envisioned an affordable workspace to promote the use of printmaking in Richmond, VA. The studio is equipped for intaglio, relief printing, screen printing, and coming soon, plate lithography. Studio Two Three features a monthly gallery opening in its exhibition space. Artists who join the S23 gang are provided with 24-hour access to the studio, personal and flat file storage space, exhibition opportunities, and low cost workshops. S23 is a nonprofit organization anticipating 501(c)3 status in January, 2011.
Two Three provides open studio hours and contract printing upon individual request. We have several artist-printmakers available to assist visitors in their printmaking endeavors. Prices are variable, please contact us for more information. Two Three also actively pursues group projects and provides exhibition opportunities for members and unaffiliated artists alike.
Studio Two Three is open to the public First Fridays and by appointment.
Uptown Gallery
1305 W. Main St.804.353.8343
www.uptownartgallery.com
Uptown Gallery is a premiere Richmond art venue. The Gallery's nineteenth-century French salon style of display, set off by its high ceilings, beautiful windows and airy interior, is unique to Richmond. There are three different gallery spaces, with pottery, jewelry, photography and paintings in styles ranging from photo-realism to abstract.
Uptown Gallery is also unique in that it is staffed by the artists who show their work. Since 1992, this cooperative gallery has been home to over thirty juried artists. Whenever you visit the Gallery, you will have a chance to visit with at least one of the artists whose work is on display.
Gallery exhibits change every two months, and include works by artists from diverse backgrounds, with a variety of media and techniques. The gallery offers receptions from 5 to 9 pm on the first Friday evening of each month in addition to its regular daytime hours of 11am-5 pm Tue-Fri and 11am-4pm on Sat.
Visual Arts Center of Richmond
1812 W. Main St.804.353.0094
visarts.org
The Visual Arts Center of Richmond presents six exhibitions per year in its 1800-square-foot True F. Luck Gallery. Exhibitions feature both emerging and established artists, with a specific focus on innovative materials and processes. Exhibition programming includes a visiting artist program, artist talks, panel discussions, film screenings, and hands-on workshops.
As a gallery functioning within a community art center, our exhibitions fulfill an integral part of VisArts educational mission, engaging the public in a lively dialogue about contemporary craft-based art while providing models of professional excellence for our students.
Past exhibitions include work by Nick Cave, Michelle Erickson, Wendy Ewald, Elizabeth King, Whitfield Lovell, Claudette Schreuders, Bob Trotman, Leslie Wayne, Jack Wax, Carrie Mae Weems, and graduates of VCU's Craft + Material Studies program.
X Gallery
1537 W. Main St. (outside on Lombardy)804.355.6151
www.mainartsupply.com/xgallery.html
Main Art's X Gallery is a unique concept in Richmond. This nine by eleven foot exterior space proposes to remove the formality of the viewing experience without diminishing the quality of the exhibited work. Each large scale work will be displayed for a period of only 3 months. Artists must choose to accept the challenges of working in an unusual space, offering work to broader public view as well as acknowledging ephemeral and environmental limitations. Inasmuch as the works are not-for-sale, the creative impulse of the artist centers on creating art for art's sake; at the same time enhancing and enriching Richmond's urban environment.
View Galleries on West Main in a larger map